GLOBAL: Electrification and hybrid solutions are now booming. One of the first pioneers was the Dutch based energy storage manufacturer Alfen B.V., which has used Danfoss power conversion equipment since the early days. Alfen is a system integrator of smart plug and play energy storage solutions (ESS). Equipped with an integrated microgrid and energy management system (MEMS), Alfen systems are suited to both on- and off-grid containerized solutions with stackable units with capacity up to 100 MW.
Alfen and Danfoss Drives have installed numerous ESS solutions around the globe. Typically, these ESS sites are located off-grid, supporting production processes in parts of the world without stable electricity grids or powering temporary sites such as festivals. Other common applications are load balancing and energy trading. Let’s take a closer look at some of these projects.
Storage Solar Global
Czech Republic: The Czech solar PV company Solar Global selected Alfen to supply a 1 MW energy storage system connected to its Prakšice solar PV farm. The system was delivered in the fourth quarter of 2017 as the first large scale storage system in the Czech Republic.
Prepared for the future with storage
Solar Global develops and services solar photovoltaic (PV) farms and rooftop PV installations, and currently has some 100 MW capacity under service. As Solar Global wants to play an important role at the forefront of the energy transition, it is investing in an innovative energy storage solution
that initially will be used for energy trading. As the local market further develops, the system is also ready for other applications, such as providing grid stability services.
This project is supported by EU Regional Development Fund.
EV Peak shaving storage for Stedin and Mistergreen
The Netherlands: A project in which a rapid charging station for electric vehicles was equipped with solar panels and a local energy storage battery system was started in 2016. Project partners Alfen (energy storage systems), Stedin (grid operator) and MisterGreen (EV lease) have evaluated this pilot to be a success: peak loads decreased, maximum flexibility in offering variable price rates was attained, and the charging station itself became even more sustainable.
The number of electric vehicles is rapidly expanding, creating a need for more charging stations. In 2013, MisterGreen built the rapid charging station ‘Haarrijn’ at the A2 highway between Amsterdam and Utrecht. The pilot station with solar panels and local energy storage was commissioned in 2016. These solar panels provide the charging station with energy. If no vehicles are connected, the generated energy is diverted into the energy storage system, to be used when electric vehicles do connect to charge. This enables maximum usage of sustainably generated energy. Should the solar panels and battery run out of energy, the system can of course always fall back on the central grid.