Bayernwerk Netz, a start-up company, finalizes an agreement with MaxSolar GmbH for financing initial solar storage units.
In a significant move towards modernising and digitising Germany's electricity distribution system, Bayernwerk Netz GmbH, Bavaria's largest grid operator, is deploying a battery storage system to address increasing grid flexibility needs as renewable energy sources expand rapidly.
The project, set to be built and operated in Wutzldorf, eastern Germany, by MaxSolar GmbH, a German renewables developer, aims to provide grid stabilisation, reduce curtailment during high renewable generation periods, and potentially defer costly grid upgrades.
The storage system, rated at 5 MW / 25 MWh, is a substantial addition to the electricity grid, capable of providing substantial balancing services. This capacity allows it to store energy during feed-in peaks and integrate additional generation facilities into the network without the need for network expansion.
The initiative aligns with broader efforts to enhance real-time management and decentralised energy integration, as exemplified by projects like Gabreta Smart Grids. Bayernwerk Netz GmbH, a subsidiary of the E.ON group, will be the first distribution grid operator in Germany to connect a grid-supporting storage system.
MaxSolar GmbH, headquartered in Traunstein, develops cross-sector energy concepts and covers the entire value chain of renewable energies. The company operates facilities with a project pipeline of 7.6 gigawatts and has nearly 360 employees across five locations in Germany.
More than 550,000 decentralised generation facilities feed into Bayernwerk's green power grid, with 75 percent of its electrical energy distributed from renewable sources. The power grid spans 156,000 kilometres, the gas grid 6,000 kilometres, and the street lighting network 34,600 kilometres.
The storage system will improve network quality by reducing voltage fluctuations. MaxSolar will operate the system in accordance with the specifications set out in the service contract, which primarily includes daily and seasonal specifications to specifically relieve network bottlenecks.
Construction planning for the first grid-supporting storage facility is underway, and Bayernwerk is already working on potential locations for further facilities. Tenders will be issued by the network operator Bayernwerk Netz GmbH for the purpose of constructing additional grid-supporting storage facilities.
The market can meet the requirements for grid-supporting storage systems, as indicated by high participation in tenders and market-ready service fees. The grid-supporting operation of storage systems, as demonstrated by this project, enables high network loads during peak times of renewable energies to be managed, reducing the need for network expansion.
This project is a milestone for the energy transition and shows how innovative storage technologies can actively contribute to stabilising and optimising networks. It contributes to a faster and more cost-effective transformation of the energy system, benefiting all customers of Bayernwerk Netz.
- The renewable-energy industry and finance sectors are collaborating to modernize Germany's electricity distribution system, as evident in Bayernwerk Netz GmbH's deployment of a battery storage system.
- The technology and business sectors are working together in the renewables sector, with MaxSolar GmbH, a German renewables developer, playing a key role in building and operating a storage system in Wutzldorf, to address the need for grid stabilization and grid flexibility.
- This storage system, a substantial addition to the electricity grid, is part of broader efforts in the energy business to enhance real-time management, decentralised energy integration, and network optimisation, such as the Gabreta Smart Grids project.
