The battery will be the size of six containers with a capacity of six megawatts, making it three times larger than similar grid energy story facilities in terms of size and power.
“Megawatt-scale battery solutions are a welcome addition to the Finnish power system. They will offer new opportunities to balance electricity generation and consumption as electricity markets become increasingly focus on real-time supply,” says Jussi Jyrinsalo, Senior Vice President at Fingrid.
The project is among the first of its size to combine the very rapid load-following features of wind farms and batteries to support the management of the power network, enabling the power output to be adjusted in the blink of an eye.
“Thanks to strong technological development, wind power has become one of the most competitive ways of generating renewable electricity. Battery investments will further boost the competitiveness of wind power,” says Henrikki Talvitie, CEO of TuuliWatti.
“The battery will enable the power system to be balanced out by providing frequency containment, which is essential as an increasing amount of wind power capacity is connected to the grid. The advantage of the battery is its rapid frequency containment response in comparison with conventional power plants. Speed is critical when an increasing proportion of electricity is generated at plants connected to the grid via transformers,” says Sami Piippo, Team Lead at TuuliWatti Oy.
Wind power covers one-tenth of Finland’s electricity consumption. As the share of renewable energy generation increases, the power system will become more sensitive to changes in weather conditions, and it will be vital to regulate the supply of electricity. The battery investment that is currently underway will also benefit electricity users, as it will reduce the cost of maintaining the electricity network.
