RWE deploys solar+storage project at lignite mine in Germany

　　According to reports, German energy developer RWE Renewables said a few days ago that the solar + energy storage project deployed on the site of an open-pit lignite mine operated by the company in Germany is about to start operation.

　　The solar-plus-storage project at the Inden lignite mine in Duren, North Rhine-Westphalia, will come online late this summer, the company said on April 26.

　　(RWE's recent lithium-ion battery energy storage project in Stephenstown, Ireland)

　　This will be the first solar-plus-storage project deployed by RWE in Europe, with an installed capacity of 14.4MW of solar power generation facilities and a scale of 4.8MW/9.6MWh of battery storage systems. RWE said the battery energy storage system will help the solar power facility to feed smoothly into the local grid.

　　RWE needs to close coal mines to meet national climate goals. In the case of the Inden lignite mine, RWE has pledged to close it in 2029. Although the open pit will eventually be converted into a lake, it will take about 20 years to fill the mine with water, and RWE will gain access to more solar-plus-storage projects at the mine in the following years. Chance.

　　The company plans to build more than 500MW of renewable energy power generation facilities in the Rhine lignite mining area around the Inden coal mine, including a 200MW wind farm under construction and installed capacity. RWE has invested 11 million euros in the Inden solar + energy storage project, North Rhine Westphalia is the company's business growth and innovation strategy one of the centers.

　　"Here, we hope to deploy more wind and solar power projects to help achieve the energy transition, especially in the Rhine mines," he said.

　　RWE was awarded the project through an innovation tender hosted by Germany's federal network regulator Bundesnetzagentur. The projects were first held in September 2020 in conjunction with tenders for specific solar, onshore wind and biomass power projects, with the innovative tender calling for proposed projects to combine at least two different clean energy sources. So far, all the winning projects have been solar + energy storage projects.

　　Urban Windelen, head of the German Energy Storage Association (BVES), said last year that tenders and winning projects showed an inseparable link between energy storage and achieving decarbonisation goals. Innovative tenders award contracts for asset owners to receive fixed electricity tariffs, as well as their ability to receive market-based income. The weighted average of the tariffs awarded in September 2021 was €0.0455/kWh ($0.048/kWh), compared to €0.053/kWh in the previous round awarded in May last year.

　　RWE has been awarded innovative tenders for two other solar-plus-storage projects, which together add up to around 30MW of solar power facilities and 10MWh of battery storage systems. The company is also deploying large battery storage systems at two hydropower plants in Germany. In international markets, the company is deploying some larger solar-plus-storage projects in the United States.

　　With the turmoil in Europe, European governments are more aware of the importance of energy diversity. SES Power believes that although the uncertain situation may lead to economic downturn, the diversity and stability of energy supply are very important. This will bring huge opportunities to industries and companies engaged in new energy. The raw materials of lithium battery, solar photovoltaic and other industries fluctuate violently in the near-end time. We must be soberly aware that this means that the cost of this energy storage project will also increase significantly, because lithium batteries account for the proportion of the cost of energy storage projects. Very large, which will definitely affect the customer's investment desire. SES Power has quite a number of high-quality customers, but we have adopted EVE, CATL, BYD square aluminum-shell lithium iron phosphate batteries (single 100Ah-280Ah) products, special lithium iron phosphate batteries that can work at -40 degrees Celsius, even if We have worked hard to control the cost of lithium batteries, but the magnitude of the price increase still makes our end customers hesitate.