Management of large battery storage facilities

Peak shaving

Intelligent management covers the investments and generates added value over the lifetime(1) of the battery storage device.

Presentation of possible revenue sources (exemplary presentation with voltage maintenance, SDL and peak shaving)

• Optimal management with different applications.
• Importance of regulatory framework conditions.
• Intelligent algorithms for peak shaving.
• Reduction of network usage costs.
• Integration into a virtual pool of energy generating plants (Flex Pool).
• Participation in the balancing power market.
• Income from reactive services (from 2020 according to Swissgrid's new reactive energy billing model).

In a preliminary project, the project developer or operator can determine the optimal battery dimensioning and calculate the business case for the possible battery storage applications.

(1) For some time now, market prices for battery storage have been showing a downward trend, which is likely to continue. Income from sources of revenue from battery storage management is also showing a downward trend, for example very clearly in the control energy market. Whether the use of a battery storage system is economical and how many operating years are required before the business case is "break even" depends on the respective procurement prices for battery storage systems and the price level of the management revenues.

Flex pooling

Axpo's Flex Pool - Europe-wide marketing and management of virtual facilities - is being developed in the VPP (Asset Optimisation division) project.

Functional diagram of an international flex pool:

The Asset Optimisation division's VPP project

• Piloting of the Axpo Flex Pool with 4 hydropower plants.

(1) Energy generating / consuming plants suitable for Virtual Power Plant (VPP): pumped storage power plants, run-of-river power plants, solar power plants, biogas plants, wood-fired power plants, waste incineration plants, battery storage facilities, emergency power generators, heat pumps, compressors, air conditioning and ventilation systems, pumps.