Vattenfall orders BMW batteries for storage

EUROPE: Vattenfall has signed a supply deal with car maker BMW for delivery of up to 1,000 lithium-ion batteries in 2017 for use at renewable energy projects.

by Sara Knight 14 March 2017

Vattenfall will use the batteries usually used in BMW's i3 electric car model

The first instalment is a 3.2MW battery facility at the 122MW Princess Alexia onshore wind farm near Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Each battery, usually used in BMW's i3 electric car, has a storage capacity of 33kWh and is to be controlled using a BMW-owned battery management system.

Elsewhere, pending a final investment decision, a 22MW battery facility is also planned for the 230MW Pen y Cymoedd project in south Wales, Vattenfall said.

The storage project will supply the UK's enhanced frequency response service to stabilise the grid system.

In a third planned project, Vattenfall, the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) and turbine manufacturer Nordex will develop a large battery storage system.

The project will supply balancing power to support transmission grid operations at a planned wind project in Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany, Vattenfall added.

The Swedish utility is also "supporting plans to build Europe's largest lithium battery factory in Sweden" with a SEK 5 million (€0.53 million) investment in project company Northvolt, it said in early March.