Cost reduction and sustainability for industrial companies with battery storage using the example of the aluminum rolling company Speira GmbH

Essen/Berlin/Leipzig. At E-world 2023, the three companies Speira GmbH, EDF Renewables and Energy2market GmbH presented a pioneering solution for the marketing of flexibility in the industrial environment.

Since November 2021, EDF Renewables has been operating an intelligent battery storage system as a full-service provider at the aluminum rolling and recycling company Speira’s Hamburg plant and can draw a thoroughly positive conclusion after around 1.5 years. Since then, 272 battery modules have delivered 1.6 MW of power for one hour without any disruptions – enough power to support the transmission system operator in stabilizing the power grid with the help of intelligent load management, without affecting the company’s production processes. As planned, the battery storage has enabled Speira to benefit from atypical grid usage by reducing peak loads during the transmission system operator’s peak load windows (peak shaving), thereby reducing the company’s energy costs.

In this three-way constellation, e2m, Energy to Market, is responsible for marketing flexibility on the balancing energy markets and ensures technical and regulatory access to the balancing energy market – in this case to primary balancing capacity.

From load and site analysis to installation, operation and maintenance, EDF Renewables also manages the financing and recycling of Speira’s battery storage systems. This eliminates all investment costs and risks for companies like Speira that opt for a battery storage system.

On average, grid fees account for 20% of total electricity costs. This share can be reduced by load shifting or peak shaving – because transmission system operators incentivize companies that actively contribute to grid stability with reduced charges.

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Background information

Battery storage systems are multi-talented

The battery storage systems are used for peak load capping or shifting for part of the time and participate in the balancing energy market for the remaining time. Balancing energy is needed to compensate for fluctuations in the electricity grid and ensure grid stability. The German electricity grid must be kept at a frequency of 50 Hertz at all times to ensure security of supply for all consumers. As battery storage systems are able to absorb or make surplus electricity available within seconds, they are perfectly suited to providing Frequency Containment Reserve, i.e. the rapid and short-term balancing of electricity fluctuations in the grid. The provision of balancing energy is remunerated, so participation in the balancing energy market offers additional marketing options and thus income.

Battery storage pays off

Efficient energy management saves industrial companies electricity costs. The use of powerful battery storage systems now also benefits companies for which load management was previously not feasible because production processes must not be disrupted or interrupted. In addition to peak shaving, the battery storage systems also enable so-called atypical grid usage, as they store electricity and make it available to the company during the periods defined by the transmission system operator (peak load time window).

Battery storage supports the energy transition

Intelligent energy storage systems make a significant contribution to the success of the energy transition. They ensure security of supply for all consumers by helping to keep the electricity system controllable in view of the increasing share of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Electricity generation and consumption are increasingly unevenly distributed across regions, and yields from photovoltaics and wind power also fluctuate depending on the weather. Battery storage systems help to compensate for this because they can be used locally or regionally, relieve the regional grid during peak load windows and stabilize the electricity grid by providing Frequency Containment Reserve. They help to reduce the need for cost-intensive expansion of the transmission and distribution grids. Battery storage systems are therefore considered a key technology in the energy transition because they can be used decentrally and flexibly.

About Speira
Speira is a global aluminum rolling and recycling company with seven production sites and a research and development center. The sites in Germany and Norway include Alunorf, the world’s largest aluminum rolling mill, Grevenbroich, the world’s largest aluminum refining plant, and several international sales offices. Speira employs around 5,000 people, mainly in Germany and Norway.

Speira bases its activities on over a century of experience in aluminum rolling and recycling as well as technical expertise in the field of aluminum products. For more information about Speira, please visit speira.com.

About EDF Renewables
The battery storage solution is implemented by EDF Renewables Storage Deutschland GmbH, which is part of EDF Renewables in Germany. Innovative energy services and the use of battery storage systems help industry and commerce to operate energy-efficiently and save electricity costs. As part of the EDF Renewables Group, EDF Renewables in Germany can draw on extensive experience and technologies in the development, installation, integration and operation of battery storage systems. EDF Renewables has already built numerous storage systems of all sizes in the USA, UK and France and is constantly developing its business model.

edf-re.de

About e2m
The flexibilization of electricity generation and consumption is essential for the success of the energy transition in order to ensure the stability of the electricity system and thus the security of supply.

The e2m makes a decisive contribution to this: the energy aggregator opens up the flexibility of decentralized generation and consumption systems and paves the way for them to enter the market. As a pioneer and market leader in the marketing and optimization of biogas plants and battery storage systems, the energy trading company proves this every day.

e2m has all the relevant trading access points to bundle, control and integrate decentralized technologies into the electricity market using its virtual power plant – renewable energy plants as well as combined heat and power plants or large industrial consumers. With its multi-market approach and using its own state-of-the-art analysis software, the energy service provider ensures the best possible placement and marketing of the flexibility provided on the generator and consumer side. As a result, e2m is already living the energy market of the future today.

As the largest direct marketing company for energy and the largest pool provider for balancing energy, the company works in a results-oriented, transparent manner and on an equal footing with customers and partners. With the help of its innovative applications, e2m ensures the integration of its customers into the energy market. The energy trading company sets standards in the design of decentralized and renewable energy systems, and not only in Germany. Its own virtual power plant is already in use in several countries and is being continuously developed in order to drive forward the switch to renewable energies worldwide.

Press contact

Bettina Duske
Press contact, Head of Communications, presse@edf-re.de

Anne Walter
Press contact, Marketing & Communication, anne.walter@e2m.energy