Younicos to 'train' batteries at Hywind floating wind project
Statoil has commissioned German-American energy storage firm Younicos to build a battery-storage system at its 30 MW floating wind farm off the coast of Scotland, Hywind. The Batwind energy-storage project aims to "teach" the battery when to store electricity and when to send it to the grid to maximise the value of the power. The 1 MW/1.3 MWh will be based in two 10 ft containers by at the onshore substation at Peterhead with operation due to begin in Q2 2018.
German-American energy storage company Younicos will deliver a 1MW/1.3 MWh energy storage system for the 30-MW Hywind Scotland floating wind farm as part of a project that aims to “teach” the battery how to behave.

Statoil, which holds 75% in the Hywind Scotland offshore wind project, explained in a press release on Tuesday that the goal of the so-called Batwind storage solution project is to understand how an energy storage system can help boost the value of the electricity generated at the site and how the work of a battery together with the wind farm and the grid can be optimised.

Two modular battery containers will be placed at the onshore substation in Peterhead, with operation of the battery planned to start in the second quarter of 2018.

“There is limited knowledge of how to make a battery act based on dynamic information, in order to maximize value of renewable energy,” says Sebastian Bringsvaerd, head of Hywind Development in Statoil. The Batwind partners, Statoil and Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar, want the battery to automatically know when to store electricity, and when to release it out to the grid.

The next steps in developing the battery storage solution will depend on the learnings and testing of the system at Hywind Scotland.

“Batwind has the potential to add value by mitigating periods without wind – and by that making wind a more reliable energy producer year around. This could expand the use and market for wind and renewables in the future,” Bringsvaerd added.

Hywind Scotland, the world's first floating offshore wind farm, was opened in October by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. It uses five 6-MW Siemens Gamesa machines. It is Statoil's ambition to cut the costs of energy from the Hywind wind farm to EUR 40-60 (USD 48-71.5) per MWh by 2030.

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