A wind turbine owner in western Jutland has fitted a battery directly onto one of his turbines, the first installation of its kind in Denmark.
The battery stands on a flat field at Kikkenborg, between Bækmarksbro and Vemb in western Jutland. It belongs to Gunnar Lisby, who runs the company Lisby WP. As DR reports, it is the first time a battery has been retrofitted onto a Danish wind turbine.
Per DR, the battery has an output of 2.2 MW and a capacity of 4.5 MWh. It is connected to a 150 meter Vestas turbine from 2013 and uses the turbine’s existing cable and grid connection. The unit resembles a shipping container with a white finish.
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The business model is straightforward. When the wind is strong and power is cheap, Lisby stores electricity in the battery. When the wind drops and prices rise, he sells the stored power on the electricity exchange and keeps the difference.
According to Lisby, the plant receives no subsidies and runs on ordinary commercial terms. He describes the project as an idealistic choice that also pays for itself. He expects that more such plants would flatten price swings, so households would worry less about when they do laundry or charge the electric car.
Prices and grid pressure
DR notes that on Monday of this week, the electricity price reached seven kroner per kilowatt-hour. That was the highest level in almost two years. The Danish grid is also periodically pushed to its limits.
Companies are queuing to be connected. Finans has reported that the supermarket chain Lidl is postponing green plans after grid capacity problems, including switching its trucks from diesel to electricity. Energinet, which operates the overall electricity infrastructure, has previously said waiting times can reach up to 10 years.
Brian Vad Mathiesen, professor of energy planning at Aalborg University, calls the battery a win-win for both society and owners. As he told DR, some bottleneck problems in the grid can be solved by using existing infrastructure more efficiently. He stresses that the grid still needs expansion, but batteries can reduce or postpone some investments.
New battery projects paused
The build-out of large batteries is on hold for now. The pause also covers batteries that, like the one at Kikkenborg, can draw and store power from the overall grid rather than only from their own turbine.
Kim Willerslev Jakobsen, managing director of Energinet Systemansvar, explains that charging from the grid requires grid capacity. New battery projects that draw from the grid are therefore subject to the same limits as other large consumers. Lisby obtained his permission from the local grid company before the pause took effect.
Lisby describes the pause as the biggest challenge facing such projects at present. DR reports that Energinet will begin processing grid connection applications again later this autumn.
