Speira aluminum rolling mill
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Cost reduction and sustainability for industrial companies with battery storage systems
Since November 2021, e2m and its sister company EDF Renewables have been operating an intelligent battery storage system at the Hamburg plant of the aluminum rolling and recycling company Speira as a full-service provider. The results have been consistently positive: 272 battery modules have since delivered 1.6 MW of power for one hour without any disruptions – enough power to support the grid operator in stabilizing the power grid with the help of intelligent load management without affecting the company’s production processes. As planned, the battery has enabled Speira to benefit from atypical grid usage by reducing peak loads during the grid operator’s peak load windows (peak shaving), thereby reducing the company’s energy costs.
In this three-way constellation, E2m 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.
Short and sweet
Technical details
- Potential savings per year: over 100,000 euros
- Connection to the high-voltage grid
- 20-foot container
- 272 modules, 16 racks
- Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC)
- 1.6 MWh capacity
- 1.6 MW output
Services from e2m
- Balancing energy marketing
"The marketing solutions from e2m complement our approach perfectly. Together in the EDF Cluster, we can exploit the maximum revenue potential of the battery storage system while at the same time conserving resources."
Clotaire François, Managing Director, EDF Renewables Storage Deutschland GmbH
Interview with Clotaire François, Managing Director of EDF Renewables Storage Deutschland GmbH
Did Speira already have specific ideas about the storage system or did you advise on the design?
Industrial companies are facing tough challenges today due to the energy crisis. They are facing tougher competition and their energy costs are exploding. For this reason, Speira has already started working on load management systems to help reduce expensive peak loads. However, companies are often not 100% satisfied with these systems, as they often interfere with production planning. We have therefore analyzed consumption patterns over the past few years and calculated the length and frequency of peak loads and ultimately the optimum storage size.
We always offer our customers the design of the battery as a complete service. We also take care of everything to do with installation, operation and financing. The aim is to provide our customers with an all-round carefree package. This also means that the company itself does not have to make any investment or deal with the operation of the battery. This is all within our remit: we ensure that the battery reduces peak loads and therefore electricity costs – we share the savings – as in the case of Speira.
What specifically had to be taken into account with Speira?
The challenge at Speira was to increase or reduce the demand for electricity in the right time window. This is because ovens cannot simply be switched off without disrupting the production process. This is where our battery storage system comes in: it takes over the energy supply for 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes, thus ensuring uninterrupted operation. It supports peak load capping without a company like Speira having to change its processes.
How long did the implementation take?
It takes about a year from signing the contract to commissioning the battery. We need a large part of this time to obtain the necessary permits, such as construction and grid connection permits. Depending on how busy the authorities are, this can take several months. The actual work on site, such as pouring the foundations or connecting the storage facility, only takes a few days. The connection for marketing and prequalification with e2m are also well-practiced processes that enable a quick start to marketing.
For economical operation, a battery storage system usually has to fulfill several tasks. Is peak load capping alone worth the investment here, or which solutions contribute further to the ROI?
Correct, as a rule at least two applications must be linked together. Peak load capping alone is not sufficient, but only accounts for part of the economic efficiency. Other sources of revenue can also be added. We work specifically – also with the battery in the SpeiraWerk – with the marketing of balancing energy, which e2m handles for us. The advantage of battery storage systems is that they store or provide energy within seconds and can therefore support the transmission grid extremely quickly.
The marketing solutions from e2m complement our approach perfectly. In the EDF Cluster, we can jointly exploit the maximum revenue potential of the battery storage system while at the same time conserving resources.
How should peak load capping and marketing on the electricity market be coordinated?
Here we benefit from the fact that the various use cases can be planned and are therefore easy to combine. In peak load capping, we use a special case that is called “atypical grid usage” in the corresponding ordinance. Here, we use the battery to support stability in the distribution grid by reducing peak loads at Speira precisely at times when there is already a high load in the grid (in the so-called peak load time windows). These are determined by the grid operator. The battery can therefore support the reduction of peak loads at Speira at precisely these times. The rest of the time, it can be used on the balancing power market to compensate for fluctuations in the transmission grid.
Are there also positive climate protection effects, for example in terms of reducing CO2 emissions?
Absolutely: Many storage projects are currently underway – they are an important part of EDF’s global strategy for low-carbon energy generation by 2050. In addition to the expansion of renewable energies worldwide, another goal is the development of strong infrastructures for the use of decentralized energy and grid-supporting flexibility. We are all contributing to this in the EDF cluster with our different strengths. The implementation of intelligent battery storage systems together with committed C&I customers is therefore an important step towards expanding this sustainability strategy and at the same time contributing to the success of the energy transition.
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