The EU’s goal is to be climate neutral by 2050 – an economy with zero greenhouse gas emissions. This goal is at the heart of the European Green Deal and is in line with the EU’s commitment to global climate action under the Paris Agreement. Energy storage systems (ESS) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) play a key role in the energy transition. The inspiration for switching to ESS solutions currently comes from outside the EU.
To support the energy transition, modern energy storage solutions for solar power plants enable the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources. By storing the extra energy generated during daylight, it can be used later when production is low. In times of outages or high demand, ESS products can generate solid backup power and support the balance of the power grid.
The price of energy storage is on the decline
With OpEx and CapEx optimized products, ESS technology helps lower energy costs by reducing demand peaks and providing energy during times of high energy prices. ESS also offers environmental benefits: Energy storage can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling the wider use of renewable energy sources and reducing the need for fossil fuel power plants.
With more than 10 years of BESS experience and 7 GWh to be delivered only in 2022, Sungrow is a pioneer in the utility-scale energy storage market.
Currently, the price of polysilicon, the key raw material used in the manufacture of solar cells, is on the decline, and the reduction in the cost of storing solar energy will make the investment very attractive in the near future. For example, in a 50 MW / 100 MWh project using Sungrow’s PowerTitan liquid-cooled ESS, the total cost of the system (LCOS) can be reduced by about 20 percent.
ESS pioneers from outside the EU inspire EU investors
In Israel, Sungrow has already installed several PowerTitans in an 88 MWh BESS plant. The electricity-scale energy storage system improves the efficiency of the gas turbine plant and reduces the operating time of the turbines, which enables rapid shutdown of the generators and improves their response speed and flexibility. The plant produces 10% of Israel’s energy needs. Liquid cooling allows cells to have a more uniform temperature throughout the system while using less energy, eliminating overheating, maintaining safety, minimizing degradation, and enabling better performance.
Another ESS contract recently signed in Israel covers several hundred MWh of additional pipeline for Doral Energy. “Sungrow is one of Israel’s leading providers of energy storage solutions, contributing to the local zero-carbon goal,” said Tzvi Ben David, CEO of Sungrow Israel.
European lighthouse projects for Sweden and Germany
According to the BloombergNEF Energy Storage Market Outlook released in 2022, larger and longer-term projects highlight the expansion of energy storage use cases in the EMEA region.
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Sungrow recently announced its collaboration on the UK’s longest BESS project. The UK’s largest solar energy storage facility (to date) was completed in 2020 by Sungrow ESS in Wiltshire and is already generating and storing 100MW/100MWh into the local grid.
Another new large-scale 20 MW/20 MWh storage project is now being built using SCR (Scandinavian Capacity Reserve). Located in Landskrona, southern Sweden, it provides ancillary services that help balance Landskrona Energi AB’s grid.
Germany is also entering the green storage market with Sungrow’s first DC-coupled solar and (large-scale) storage project using Sungrow’s liquid-cooled solution. The project, which has an output of 3.125 MW/5.5 MWh, was agreed upon in March 2023.
A change in the European energy system is needed
The EU’s energy demand has historically grown, but at a slower rate than in the past, due to several factors such as improvements in energy efficiency, changes in the structure of industry and policies promoting renewable energy sources. The EU has set ambitious targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, which requires a significant change in its energy system. According to the European Commission’s Energy Outlook 2050 report, energy demand in the EU is predicted to continue a gradual decline in the coming decades.
The Commission has also set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. To achieve this goal, the EU must speed up the transition to a carbon dioxide-free energy system. This transition requires a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydropower, as well as improvements in energy efficiency and the introduction of new technologies.
Any effort to use renewable energy, leading to the abandonment of nuclear power and fossil fuels, creates a future for this planet and its inhabitants, animals and plants – so efforts to protect the Earth’s finite natural resources are urgently needed. Sungrow offers a range of leading technologies for this purpose and strives towards carbon dioxide-free production by 2028. Sungrow’s social responsibility is highlighted by its membership in the RE100 and EP100 projects (see the latest sustainability report 2021).
As a strong supporter and active player in responding to global climate change, Sungrow has always adhered to the mission of “Clean Power for All” and continues to deeply integrate business and sustainable development. By strengthening the development and utilization of renewable energy and improving energy efficiency, companies in all sectors are strongly contributing to the global reduction of pollution and carbon dioxide.
