EWE to build the world’s largest battery project
EWE GASSPEICHER GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Oldenburg-based utility company EWE, has announced its intentions to build the world’s largest battery by employing the well-known redox flow battery principle (in which electrical energy is stored in a liquid) along with new, environmentally friendly components in underground salt caverns.
These kinds of caverns are currently used to store natural gas. EWE GASSPEICHER is collaborating on the brine for power project (b4p) with the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, which developed the innovative components. The battery project uses salt water and recyclable polymers (plastics).
The total capacity of the project will reach 700 MW enough to supply around 75.000 households in the region.
Ralf Riekenberg, head of the brine4power project, said:
“We need to carry out some more tests and clarify several issues before we can use the storage principle indicated by the University of Jena in underground caverns. However, I expect that we will have an operating cavern battery by about the end of 2023”
EWE GASSPEICHER GmbH Managing Director, Peter Schmidt commented:
“If everything works, this may fundamentally change the storage market, i.e. the market for control energy. The amount of electricity this kind of storage facility contains – consisting of two medium-sized caverns – is sufficient to supply a major city such as Berlin with electricity for an hour. It means that we will have built the world’s largest battery. In contrast to other energy storage facilities that convert the electrical current into other energy carriers – for example into compressed air – we are storing the electricity directly with brine4power.”
EWE currently operates eight caverns in Jemgum in an underground salt dome for storing natural gas.
We also informed on other battery project in Germany, namely the EnspireME project, located in the municipality of Jardelund in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It will serve as a primary reserve provider and to store extra wind power and it will help reduce the use of thermal power plants for backup power. The project is being developed by Eneco Group and Mitsubishi Corporation.
We have also reported about other battery projects.
