NEC completes largest Swiss battery storage system for EKZ

NEC Energy Solutions, part of Japanese group NEC Corp (TYO:6701), has completed the installation of an 18 MW/7.5 MWh energy storage system for Swiss utility Elektrizitaetswerke des Kantons Zurich (EKZ).

The storage capacity, located near Zurich, will be mainly used for primary frequency reserve and will also provide other ancillary services, NEC said on Wednesday. It is now the largest of its kind in Switzerland and will be owned and operated by EKZ.

Installed at an existing substation in Volketswil municipality, the battery system will be able to store enough electricity to meet the daily consumption of 600 average homes. According to the press release, the project will bring a return on investment in five-seven years.

“The now-completed storage system contributes to the stability of continental Europe’s power grid,” said EKZ storage specialist Marina Gonzalez Vaya. Being one of the largest power distribution firms, EKZ offers 100% renewable energy to its clients through solar, wind, biomass and hydropower plants. The company already owns a 1-MW energy storage capacity in Dietikon.

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