Belectric commissions 40 MW of storage systems using car batteries

German solar and battery storage company Belectric this week said it has recently commissioned three battery storage systems totalling more than 40 MW in Germany and the UK.

The facilities use first and second life automotive battery modules from different manufacturers and are delivering frequency response and related system services. Belectric said it designed, built and commissioned the storage systems on behalf of "well-known utility and automotive customers."

The latest of the three projects is a 22-MW system in Wales, UK that is sited at a wind farm and provides frequency services to National Grid under a four-year Enhanced Frequency Response contract.

Belectric has also built a 14-MW battery storage system on the premises of a car plant in Germany. The system uses the same battery modules that power the electric and hybrid vehicles made at this plant. It will provide frequency response services and support the local grid.

The third project is a 7-MW storage system in Germany that bolsters the operational capabilities of an existing power station, as well as providing frequency response services to the European electricity grid.

"Battery modules from the automotive industry offer a number of advantages that make them very suitable for applications requiring high C-rates, a wide temperature range, or specific safety requirements," Belectric's chief technology officer Tim Mueller said and added that the company is well placed to help the growing number of automotive batteries that come to the end of their life serve the increasing storage demand in the utility industry.

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