ABB pioneers wind power storage device

A POWER company in Stone is piloting the first device in the UK that can store energy produced by wind turbines.

ABB, based on Oulton Road, has constructed a “dynamic electrical energy storage device”, at a site north of Hemsby on the Norfolk coast.

The high-tech substation can harness power from local turbines and store it in high performance lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, so it can be returned into the electricity distribution network when it is needed - not just when the wind blows.

It is the first example of this type of storage system being used in the UK, and is among the first to be trialled in western Europe.

Stephen Trotter, Division Head of ABB Power Systems, said: “Energy storage is now regarded as a key enabling technology for the major increase in our usage of renewable energy essential to meet the UK’s stringent targets for reducing CO2 emissions.

“There has been a great deal of talk about the subject, but ABB has seized the initiative by creating the country’s first practical demonstration of grid-connected Li-ion energy storage.” The DynaPeaQ system is housed in a 25 metre square building and its batteries are being charged and discharged repeatedly, storing up to 200 kWh of electrical energy. Future installations could be scaled up to more than 50 megawatts.

That energy is kept in reserve for times of need - such as a fault on the electricity network, or to improve power flow.

Previously, wind power has been fed into the grid in erratic peaks and troughs when it is naturally produced by high winds - which can be problematic for the energy industry.

It is hoped the development, along with other technological breakthroughs, could lessen the need for coal-fired power stations and reduce carbon emissions.

Mr Trotter added: “This is just one example of the ground-breaking technology that is being developed and implemented by ABB’s electrical grid systems centre of excellence, and it is this commitment to innovation that is driving our ambitious plans for future growth.”