Commissioning of Multi-Platform Solar-Storage Microgrid Under Way on Sardinia
France’s Electro Power Systems (EPS) yesterday announced commissioning of a novel hybrid solar energy-energy storage microgrid on the Italian island of Sardinia has begun. In addition to enhancing energy security, grid reliability, efficiency and resilience for residents of the Mediterranean island, the hybridized microgrid will reduce energy consumption and annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 14,000 tons, according to EPS.
EPS specializes in development, design and construction of hybridized microgrid technology and intelligent battery-based energy storage systems that can accommodate high percentages of intermittent renewable power generation.
Commissioning of the hybridized island microgrid on Sardinia is expected to be completed in April. ENAS will operate the microgrid.
Integrating Concentrated Solar Thermal and PV with Intelligent Battery-based Energy Storage
Working in partnership with FZSoNick, a contractor for Sardinia’s water resources management agency ENAS, EPS connected its Li-ion battery based energy storage system (BESS) and adaptive microgrid control and management platform to the Ottana Experimental Solar Farm.
Ottana consists of a concentrated solar power (CSP) farm integrated with a 14-MWh thermal energy storage and a concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) power array. EPS developed the microgrid in collaboration with the University of Cagliari and Sardegna Richerche.
As a result, the 1.2-MW microgrid has now been hybridized with 0.6-MW peak (MWp) of CPV, another 0.6-MWp of CSP and 0.5 MWh of EPS energy storage capacity, EPS highlights in a news release. The ETAS hybridized microgrid for ETAS in Sardinia is the second such project EPS has publicized this month.
Earlier in February, EPS released performance data associated with a hybridized solar-BESS microgrid in the Maldives that exceeded expectations. Interconnecting eight distributed solar PV systems, a 1.1-MVA EPS HyESS power conversion system and 3-MVA generators used for water heating as well as electricity generation, the 10.4-MW hybridized microgrid installed at a popular Maldives resort met 63 percent of a popular resort’s electricity needs and reduced diesel consumption an annualized 423,000 liters, 50% above expectations.
More broadly, EPS has either installed or is in the process of commissioning 36 large-scale projects, including off-grid hybrid systems powered by renewables and energy storage, with a total rated capacity of more than 35-MW. These serve more than 160,000 customers in 21 countries worldwide, including in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, according to the company.
