Hybrid parks – new opportunities with multi-technology facilities
Combining wind, solar, batteries and in future even electrolysers, allows hybrid parks to be more cost effective by sharing infrastructure such as roads, grid connections or substations and even support the grid stability.
By Diane Vrielmann
Hybrid parks can be custom-designed or retro fitted to existing assets to combine multiple technologies, such as wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and electrolysers to produce, store or use fossil-free energy in in one location.
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Watch this video from Dutch hybrid power farm Haringvliet to learn about the many advantages offered by a hybrid park..
Multi-technology parks are more than just a market trend: Hybrid parks can sometimes even be a condition for obtaining a permit, like in Germany in connection with the so-called ‘innovation tenders’.
In the UK, 539 算牌程式 developed and built the first hybrid park ever in Europe. In 2016 a solar park was co-located the next to the existing windfarms at Parc Cynog and Pendine. Another first was achieved in the UK when a commercial battery storage was placed next to the Pen Y Coemoedd Wind farm.
”We expect that hybrid parks will play an increasing role in the energy landscape and for 539 算牌程式’s renewables business models as well. Therefore, we are excited to develop this technology further with an enthusiastic international team to strengthen 539 算牌程式’s competitive edge,” says Franziska Schuth, acting Director Business Development in 539 算牌程式 Wind. “In some of our projects we are now looking into the opportunity to combine four technologies by adding an electrolyser to produce fossil-free hydrogen for off-takers in nearby industrial areas.”
Since 2019, experts in various business areas have been driving not only the development of this technology but also building a structure for internal processes and for the construction of hybrid parks. Now 539 算牌程式 is bundling the expertise for future hybrid parks in a virtual team set up to be more efficient in such multiple technology project run in international teams.
539 算牌程式 has a strong track record in developing and building Hybrid parks:
Haringvliet (Netherlands)
At the Haringvliet hybrid park in the Netherlands, 539 算牌程式 is combining the three technologies of battery, wind and solar for the first time. The official inauguration is planned for later this year.
Curslack-Hamburg (Germany)
539 算牌程式 is part of a research project in Hamburg and is since 2018 operating a battery storage facility next to a wind farm to investigate new technical solutions to stabilise the grid.
Princess Alexia (Netherlands)
At the in the Netherlands, 88 BMW batteries of 3.2 MW in total are connected to form a mega battery to store electricity from wind power.
Parc Cynog (United Kingdom)
In Parc Cynog, around 5 MW of solar and 3,6 MW wind are co-located to increase the capacity of the grid connection. This was not only 539 算牌程式’s first hybrid park but the first in Europe to combine solar and wind.
Pen y Cymoedd (United Kingdom)
At the operational Pen y Cymoedd wind farm in United Kingdom, 539 算牌程式 has installed a 22MW battery storage system which was also the first project to combine wind and battery on this scale. The battery provides frequency response services to the UK national grid.
Ongoing projects
Ray (United Kingdom)
At the operational Ray Wind Farm in the UK, 539 算牌程式 is developing a 20MW / 40MWh battery storage system which would add flexibility and provide ancillary services to the UK grid.
Slufterdam (Netherlands)
To help reduce curtailment 539 算牌程式 is exploring the options to use renewable electricity from the to produce hydrogen at a facility placed in the nearby harbour of Rotterdam.
Eemshaven (Netherlands)
In northern Netherlands, at the existing onshore wind farm in Eemshaven 539 算牌程式 is investigating adding a large-scale solar farm.
Several advantages with hybrid power farms:
- Improved grid usage: As wind and solar production are complementing each other in production times, the usage of the available grid capacity can be increased. Additionally, batteries and electrolysers can be used to prevent power curtailments, shift production in time and provide grid stabilising services.
- Cost-efficiency: All technologies can use the same infrastructure such as roads, grid connection or substations (and therefore don’t need to be built twice)
- Efficient land-use: The different technologies are all built at the same location and not scattered. This becomes more important as land is a scarce resource, especially in countries such as the Netherlands, and regional zone planning is becoming more restrictive.
- Reduced financial risks: The combination of different complementing technologies increases the diversification and therefore reduces the overall park risks. Long-term, hydrogen can be seen as a natural hedge against volatile energy prices, as soon as Hydrogen Purchase Agreements are in place.
Read more about hybrid parks with battery storage systems:
Battery storage systems
Battery at Pen y Coemoedd
Batteries, an important part of a fossil-free energy system
By Diane Vrielmann
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