Friday 29 July 2022
Ireland sees ‘largest ever’ energy dispatch from battery storage
The electricity market in Ireland has seen what is believed to be the “largest ever” dispatch of power from battery storage.
Statkraft participated in the power dispatch, with its energy storage projects providing more than 60MWh of energy across two hours on 14th July 2022 to support's the country's security of supply.
According to the company, Ireland has around 650MW of energy storage capacity, however, it has not been actively used towards security of supply issues but is being held in reserve for supporting system stability.
System operator EirGrid has recently been looking to change this through trialling the use of energy storage technologies to support the system by discharging battery power at times of reduced margin and system stress.
EirGrid called on Statkraft during the early evening of 14th July 2022 to leverage its portfolio of energy storage projects under management to dispatch 60GWh of electricity, which is equivalent to powering more than 60,000 households during the evening peak period.
It was followed by an unplanned power dispatch during the evening peak on 18th July 2022, when the system experienced tight margins again in conditions that led to an amber alert during the warm weather.
Statkraft manages nearly 40% of the overall storage capacity operating in Ireland on behalf of asset owners.
Nick Heyward, Statkraft’s Head of UK Storage – Markets said: “It is a welcome development to see larger amounts of storage being dispatched to support Ireland’s electricity market at critical times. I am delighted that Statkraft was able to support such a significant demonstration of battery storage and we look forward to seeing more of our customers’ assets contribute during the upcoming winter.
“However, there is more to do before storage assets can participate more actively in wholesale markets, not just at times of system stress, to further support the low carbon transition and to reduce overall costs for consumers. We look forward to working further with EirGrid and our customers in this area.”
