NEC Corporation has commissioned a lithium-ion battery energy storage system (ESS) for Enel Distribuzione, Italy’s largest distribution system operator.
The ESS can store 2MWh of renewable energy for release into the grid as required, making it the largest in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It has been connected to the Chiaravalle primary substation in Calabria, a region where wind and PV have been widely implemented.
With the ESS, Enel Distribuzione is conducting a series of trials of a range of peak shaving, power balancing, power quality, voltage regulation and frequency regulation capabilities to overcome grid reliability issues associated with generation from renewables.
Enel is also testing "innovative distribution and ancillary services," and will use the ESS to forecast and control the energy flow between its primary substations and the national grid.
"When the gap between the Energy Exchange Profile and actual energy flow exceeds the threshold due to fluctuations in renewable energy generation, NEC’s ESS works to minimise the gap by flexibly charging or discharging the batteries," a NEC statement said.
Paola Petroni, head of Network Technologies at Enel Distribuzione commented: "We are very pleased about the deployment of NEC’s Energy Storage System. During the testing phase, the high performance and quality of the ESS have entirely met our strict requirements both in terms of technology and support."
The ESS will eventually be integrated with Enel’s smart grid infrastructure.
ESS at Enel Distribuzione’s Chiaravalle primary substation in Calabria, Italy
