Wednesday 28 November 2012

Giant battery to store energy on the Orkneys

Japanese technology firm Mitsubishi and Scottish energy supplier SSE are going to test the limits of energy storage with what is effectively a gigantic rechargeable battery in the Orkney Islands.

The battery will mostly store extra renewable energy generated by the community wind farms on the islands. The trial is meant to show a stable power supply is possible in the area, which has a high proportion of renewable energy compared with demand.

Made up of two huge 40ft long cargo containers which each hold 2,000 lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, the energy storage system will have a maximum power output capacity of 2MW (megawatts).

Another big container will house a system to convert direct current (DC) and alternating current (A/C) plus all the input and output controls.

The energy storage system will be installed at Kirkwall Power Station, one of SSE's back up power generators. When there is a slight power shortage or power surplus, energy will be transmitted from or to the mainland through a submarine cable.