EnBW intends to establish a large-scale battery in Philippsburg - Power company EnBW installing massive energy storage system in Philippsburg
In a significant stride towards a more sustainable power supply, energy provider EnBW has announced plans to build one of Germany's largest battery storage facilities at the Philippsburg power plant site. The proposed XXL battery, with a capacity of 800 megawatt-hours, is set to offer substantial benefits for Germany's power grid stability.
This large-scale energy storage solution will store excess electricity generated from solar and wind when production exceeds demand and feed it back into the grid when needed. This mechanism helps stabilize the grid by compensating for the variability of renewable energy sources, ensuring a secure and reliable power supply.
The proposed XXL battery will be capable of powering around 100,000 households daily, making it a critical balancing mechanism to align the fluctuating generation from renewable energies with the steady electricity consumption requirements of households, businesses, and industries.
EnBW's board member for sustainable generation infrastructure, Peter Heydecker, made this announcement. He highlighted the project's potential to utilise an existing site with established grid connections and infrastructure, simplifying integration and reducing development time.
The realisation of the project by the end of 2027 is conceivable with an optimal further course. However, EnBW still needs the final investment decision and a building permit.
The battery storage project at Philippsburg could make it a central hub for renewable energy storage in Germany. Notably, TransnetBW has already built a large direct current transformer station on a part of the energy park where the shut-down nuclear power plant is located, which will be instrumental in providing wind power from northern Germany in the southwest.
The XXL battery is expected to contribute to the forecasted demand for large-scale electrical storage, which is expected to rise to 180 GWh by 2045, as current storage capacities are much lower (21.4 GWh). The system will be financed via the offer of grid-supporting services and revenues from the marketing of the power quantities.
No comment was made by a spokesperson about the costs at this early stage. However, the project's potential benefits for grid stability and the country's energy transition make it an exciting development in Germany's renewable energy landscape.
[1] Source: EnBW press release, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, and Battery Charts of RWTH Aachen.
EnBW's ambitious plan to construct a large-scale battery storage facility in the Philippsburg power plant site, known as the XXL battery, will primarily serve to store excess renewable energy generated from solar and wind power. This energy can then be fed back into the grid, providing a crucial balance between the fluctuating generation from renewable energies and the steady electricity consumption demands of households, businesses, and industries within EC countries.
The XXL battery is anticipated to play a pivotal role in financing its own development, doing so through the offer of grid-supporting services and revenues from the marketing of the power quantities, signifying potential collaborations in the renewable-energy and finance industries.
