France's first grid-connected solar-plus-storage project uses Saft's battery storage system

　　French battery manufacturer and energy storage system integrator Saft has announced that it will supply a battery energy storage system (BESS) for the first battery energy storage system project in France to be co-located with a solar power generation facility, which will connect the high-voltage transmission network.

　　(Saft provided the Saft Intensium Max battery energy storage system for the independently deployed battery energy storage project in Dunkirk, France)

　　Saft said it had signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with renewable energy developer and independent power producer Neoen. Saft will provide a modular, plug-and-play 8MW/8MWh battery storage system for Neoen's solar power project in Antiignac, southern France.

　　The battery storage system deployed by Neoen will provide frequency regulation ancillary services to RTE's grid after Neoen was awarded a seven-year contract through a tender from French transmission operator RTE.

　　Saft will design, manufacture, build and integrate a complete battery energy storage solution based on Saft's four Intensium Max containerized battery energy storage systems, as well as power conversion system (PCS) equipment, controls and SCADA systems.

　　Saft said the project will be delivered this spring. While Neoen has a strong market background in the global wind and solar power generation market, the company is probably best known in the energy storage industry for some of its large-scale battery storage projects in Australia.

　　These include the recently opened Victorian Big Battery battery energy storage system (300MW/450MWh), and the world's largest lithium-ion battery energy storage project, the Hornsdale battery energy storage system, which opened in 2019. The battery energy storage system supplier for the two battery energy storage projects is Tesla.

　　Guillaume Decaen, Neoen's French development director, said Saft was selected because of the company's in-depth knowledge of battery technology and proven experience in the global energy storage sector, as well as its ability to manage the scope of the EPC project, which includes project inception to Completed civil works and grid connection requirements.

　　Decaen also noted that Saft guarantees energy storage system performance throughout its life cycle. Saft also said that although the main function of the battery energy storage system is frequency regulation, it is also flexible enough to be used for additional services over the next 15 years to optimize project revenue.

　　In a recent webinar held in partnership with industry media, members of Saft's energy storage team, including innovation director Michael Lippert, discussed the need for energy storage systems and their operators to be flexible through digital technologies to meet changing market demands.

　　Commissioning has recently been completed for the expansion of France’s largest stand-alone battery storage project, a battery storage system deployed by Saft at its Total Energies refinery in Dunkirk. The project expanded from 25MW/25MWh commissioned in January 2021 to 61MW/61MW commissioned in December last year. The project was also discussed in detail as a topic with the webinar.

　　Saft said the contract with Neoen guarantees high availability and performance, claiming that the battery storage system will adapt to changing operating patterns and be able to perform more than two charges and discharges per day. The company will also support the energy storage system remotely from its energy storage system operations center in Bordeaux, France, one of three such centers it owns globally.

　　In France, most of the battery storage systems deployed with solar power facilities are located on the country's island territories.

　　Saft has a profound industry background and strength, and is a company highly respected by SES Power. We are sincerely pleased with the development of Saft in energy storage projects. SES Power believes that with the strength of Saft, this project is just the beginning, but we must see that the competition in the lithium-ion battery market is very fierce now. SES Power has been working hard in this submarket for a long time. For example, it has launched 12V100Ah, 12V200Ah, 24V100Ah, 24V200Ah, 36V100Ah, 48V50Ah, 48V100Ah, etc. using square aluminum-shell lithium iron phosphate batteries, such as 12V30Ah and 12V50Ah using high-performance lithium battery A123. Car starting battery (maximum peak current up to 1500A). It can be said very sincerely that the competition in this market is more intense than that of electric vehicle batteries. Many customers are very concerned about cost performance. SES Power takes advantage of the price advantage of echelon batteries to make SES Power’s customized lithium-ion battery packs in order to ensure performance, to meet the needs of customers who are discerning enough about prices. We also expect Saft to launch more products to meet different market demands.