Virtual power plant platform provider Fusebox together with modular energy storage system manufacturer Pixii have successfully launched the first integrated battery system to participate in the electricity balancing market. Installed at an Estonian hydropower plant, the battery system provides flexible opportunities for green power production and generates additional revenue for the plant.
This is a milestone on the road towards a power system capable of integrating more power generation from intermittent and variable renewable energy sources, and demanding electrification of transport.
“Our cooperation with Fusebox enables our customers to generate revenues from energy storage systems, which adds to the benefits of reduced electricity costs and increased power capacity,” said Ole Jakob Sørdalen, the CIO and co-founder of Pixii. “Fusebox and Pixii have proven to be a good match, both technically and from a market point of view,” he added.
Ahto Pärl, the CFO and co-founder of Fusebox, said that they are delighted to partner with Pixii for this innovative sustainability solution. “We are very excited about the first battery integration into the virtual power plant platform, which enables our consumers to reduce their electricity bills and earn additional revenue from the balancing market,” he said. “It also allows electricity producers to maximise their revenue potential while reducing the overall fossil fuel mix in the grid.”
“The battery integrated into the Jägala-Joa hydroelectric power plant can hold 100 kWh of energy, but we plan to implement projects with a significantly larger storage capacity in the next six months,” said Pärl. “Our goal is to reach as many potential users as possible according to their needs,” he added.
Storage-based integrated energy systems have multiple benefits for both the energy producers and consumers.
Lower electricity bills. Firstly, they enable consumers to optimise their electricity costs. Consumers can use battery storage to buy electricity from the grid at cheaper prices and consume it when the prices have increased, thus lowering their overall electricity bills.
Maximised revenues for renewable energy producers. Similarly, energy storage systems enable renewable energy producers to limit system losses and maximise their revenue. With the ability to store excess energy in the battery, producers can shift the sale of energy to more profitable time slots in the spot market. As such, energy storage plays a key role in both grid stability and increased availability of often intermittent renewable energy in the grid.
Maximised revenues for consumers. Integration with a virtual power plant allows storage system owners to participate in additional electricity markets such as the balancing market and maximise their revenues for participation. Flexible demand-side response is a key service in helping a grid operator to keep supply and demand on the grid in balance.
Greener electricity grid. Consumers using virtual power plant services contribute to sustainability by helping reduce CO2 generation in the electricity grid. Increased demand-side response together with renewable energy sources push out fossil-fuel-based power generation from the grid. Otherwise, CO2-heavy electricity production would be used to keep supply and demand on the grid in balance.
Cheaper energy for the end-users. Efficient storage-based microgrids can reduce the overall investment needs of the grid, and help strengthen the overall system which translates into cheaper energy for the end-users.
The project “Demand response combination with energy storage systems” by Fusebox OÜ and Pixii AS has been supported by Norway Grants “Green ICT” program, which is operated by Enterprise Estonia and Innovation Norway.
About Pixii
Pixii is the expert in power conversion and energy storage with a proficiency built over decades of experience in design, manufacturing and sales of modular power conversion solutions. Their primary focus is on compact, modular and scalable energy storage in the range from 3kW to 1MW.
Find out more at www.pixii.com
About Fusebox
Fusebox is a provider of grid stability services in Nordic and Baltic markets with demand-side response solutions. The company helps its clients to reduce their electricity bills through usage optimisation and earning additional revenue from balancing markets.
