Gamesa's multi-tech off-grid energy solution adds li-ion battery
Spanish wind turbine giant, Gamesa, has installed a lithium power storage battery at its prototype installation in La Muela, Spain. The prototype combines solar, wind, diesel-generated power and battery storage in one off-grid solution; it is the first to market that allows for ad-hoc combinations of each technology depending on project requirements, however, Gamesa's longer term goal is to minimise consumption of diesel. "The production of power by combining these four sources will bring down the cost of electricity in remote locations without grid access, as well as generating cleaner energy", said David Mesonero, Gamesa's MD of Corporate Development. 

Spanish energy giant Gamesa reached a new milestone in its development of offgrid electricity generation, with the installation and start-up of a lithium power storage battery at its prototype installation in La Muela, Spain.

Earlier this year Gamesa announced the development of a prototype 2 MW offgrid installation La Muela, a Spanish municipality. The prototype was described by the company as “pioneering” due to its ability to combine solar power, wind power, diesel-generated power, and battery storage together in one offgrid solution. The prototype solution was inaugurated in May, in which Gamesa Chairman Ignacio Martin explained:

“At present, more than 1.2 billion people lack access to electricity. Rural areas of India, South-east Asia, Africa, islands such as Haiti, Indonesia and the Philippines, and other remote corners of the plant, such as jungles and deserts, stand to benefit from these offgrid solutions which can generate cheaper and cleaner power.”

Earlier this month, Gamesa followed up with a second announcement, revealing that the company had successfully completed the installation and start-up of a lithium battery for storage at the prototype site.

“The start-up of the lithium battery is an important step in the development of Gamesa’s offgrid proposition,” explained David Mesonero, Gamesa’s Managing Director of Corporate Development. “The production of power by combining these four sources will bring down the cost of electricity in remote locations without grid access, as well as generating cleaner energy.”

The lithium battery has the ability to store 429 kW of power, and joins the 850 kW wind turbine, 245 kWp worth of solar PV modules (of which there are 816), and the three 222 kW diesel generators, which together can generate enough electricity to provide for the energy needs of 4,000 households.

Offgrid solutions such as this are going to become more and more valuable as developers and governments attempt to cater to the needs of the millions in South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia that currently do not have access to electricity. Further, this offgrid prototype is the first to market which enables the ad-hoc combination of each of the technologies installed depending on the specific project requirements. Given Gamesa’s desire to “resolve energy needs in a sustainable manner,” a further aim of the project is to minimize the need for diesel consumption at all.

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