BELECTRIC builds battery storage facility for Audi

  • Battery storage completes smart grid on EUREF Campus in Berlin
  • Another project demonstrating BELECTRIC’s expertise in integrating a huge variety of battery systems

Kolitzheim / Berlin, Germany – Today, a new battery storage facility was officially inaugurated at the EUREF Campus, a green innovation cluster in Berlin. BELECTRIC was contracted to build the storage system for Audi, with its 20 batteries sourced from test vehicles belonging to the car manufacturer. The system is part of the Mobility2Grid research project and its 1.9 MWh total capacity is intended to complete the campus’ micro smart grid.

“On the EUREF Campus, we’ve seen a present-day example of how the energy and transport sectors can work together effectively and compatibly in the future. I’m pleased that BELECTRIC has been able to be part of this groundbreaking project,” said Frank Amend, the BELECTRIC Management Board member responsible for batteries and hybrid systems. “This battery storage system will allow Audi to provide an important link between volatile generation from renewable energy sources, different consumers and state-of-the-art power grids. At BELECTRIC, we assisted with system integration for this storage facility by drawing on the wide experience we’ve been able to gain from our extensive track record of implementing other storage projects.”

The architecture and control system are designed so that the storage facility built by BELECTRIC can be used for a variety of applications in the power grid – stabilising the grid, temporarily storing renewable energy, flattening peaks, improving the energy supply along with a co-generation plant, and providing highly specialised grid services such as reactive power compensation.

BELECTRIC: one of the world’s leading developers of storage technologies
Since the first PV-integrated battery storage system was switched on around six years ago, BELECTRIC has worked closely together with customers and battery manufacturers to develop and implement a host of storage solutions based on different technologies. This process involves using batteries specially developed for stationary applications, as well as battery modules from different vehicle manufacturers. BELECTRIC harnesses the experience it has accumulated in the solar power plant sector to build reliable, large-scale systems that are based on standard components and tailored to the practical needs of customers. Across Europe, BELECTRIC has completed storage projects with a combined output of around 100 MW.

EUREF Campus: template for sustainable energy solutions
The EUREF Campus located in the heart of Berlin’s Schöneberg district is a bellwether location for the German capital’s smart city strategy, making the project a model for the future. The EUREF Campus’ smart city concept is geared to people’s needs and aims to achieve sustainable urban development. On the campus, the focus is clearly on infrastructure – specifically, its power supply plans are based on the idea of using urban technologies to generate the energy needed with the smallest possible carbon footprint, before consuming it efficiently. The site has managed to meet the German Federal Government’s climate targets for 2050 since January 2014.

BELECTRIC will build up to 1 GW this year

Kolitzheim (Germany) – BELECTRIC is active worldwide in the development and construction of utility scale solar power plants, PV roof systems and energy storage systems. In 2019 the company will build 1 GW of solar power.

“This year, we want to reap the fruits we sowed last year,” explains Ingo Alphéus, CEO of BELECTRIC Solar & Battery GmbH at the annual BELECTRIC Leadership Team Meeting. “Our order books are full thanks to our efforts over the past year. We have the opportunity to build around 1 GW of photovoltaic capacity for our customers this year. This is about twice as much as it was in 2018. We will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance of most of these plants and furthermore will expand our battery storage business. For the first time, our parent company innogy becomes our largest customer. But we also build for many third party customers. “

In mid-February, the executives of the entire BELECTRIC Group met in Würzburg to review the past year and, above all, to set the strategic course for the coming years.

The BELECTRIC group of companies has around 750 employees worldwide, working in 11 different countries.