VSB Neue Energien Deutschland GmbH
The VSB Group, with its main office in Dresden, is a turnkey supplier and service provider for renewable energy projects. Its core business is the development, planning and construction of wind and solar farms in Germany and abroad. In addition, VSB is the partner for operators in the field of energy portfolio management. Together with investors, energy suppliers, municipalities and citizens, it has carried out environmentally friendly projects that help save several thousand tonnes of CO2 each year.
Short description of the project contribution
Intelligent interaction: wind farm with battery storage system relieves and stabilises regional distribution system
Saxony-Anhalt is already one of the pioneers in the growth of renewable energy sources compared to other federal states. This locational advantage must be exploited and adapted to future requirements, for example by testing and standardising the smart integration of intermittent green electricity using grid-supporting technologies. In this way, energy storage systems can improve grid stability even in regions with a high share of wind power and thus make an important contribution to the energy transition. Because where a lot of solar and wind power are fed in, the distribution grids are getting closer and closer to their capacity limits. When there is a lot of wind, it is possible that installations need to be shut down. These losses of earnings are reimbursed to the operators under the Renewable Energy Sources Act but this still results in avoidable economic costs. Energy storage systems can provide a valuable service here: they ensure that wind turbines do not have to be shut down even when the distribution grid is fully utilised. Conversely, they compensate for renewable energy fluctuations in the distribution grid and thus increase its stability.
In Saxony-Anhalt, between the towns of Barnstädt and Steigra in the Saalekreis district, VSB is planning the construction of a wind farm with an installed capacity of around 56 megawatt (MW) in combination with a battery as a temporary storage solution. The storage facility is currently being designed for an output and capacity of six MW. The grid connection to the 110 kV line Lauchstädt-Reinsdorf should be ensured by a substation, which also still needs to be constructed.
The project goal is to optimise the economic and technical operation of the connection between wind power generation and local energy storage. The execution of the project depends on the positive outcome of the approval procedure for the wind farm under the Federal Immission Control Act, which is currently ongoing. Particularly noteworthy for the model region is the high grid capability of the storage system. Not only can it provide operating reserve, it also has black start capabilities. This means that, contrary to thermal power plants, for instance, the voltage on the grid can be gradually increased without taking electricity from the grid. This capability is decisive in case of a system collapse in order to quickly restore the supply.