BIBLIS POWERPLANT BEGINS FULL OPERATIONS THIS MONTH

GE and RWE have just celebrated the inauguration of the Biblis power plant, which began operation for Germany’s transmission system operators in early March 2023.

The plant uses 11 units of GE’s flexible LM2500XPRESS aeroderivative gas turbine technology and GE’s advanced gas-insulated-substation (GIS) equipment.

The 300 megawatt (MW) plant is a so-called special grid-technical equipment located in Biblis, a municipality in the Southern Hesse region of Germany, and will only operate when needed – aiming to deliver power in under 30 minutes upon request from a transmission system operator - to help ensure continual grid stability.

Grid flexibility is important to the German government which is committed to achieving 80% of renewable energy generation for the country’s electricity mix before the end of the decade after exiting nuclear and ideally phasing out coal power generation. Dispatchable gas power – gradually decarbonised through hydrogen or carbon capture solutions – shall cover the remaining 20% of power generation.

“With the plant in Biblis, we can feed in electricity quickly and flexibly at the request of the transmission grid operators and thus help to stabilise the grid in southern Hesse. With this project we’re adopting GE’s flexible and modularly designed aeroderivative gas technology and advanced protection, control, monitoring, and diagnostic technologies and software to monitor the safe condition of the plant”, said Roger Miesen, CEO of RWE Generation.

GE’s turbines are connected to the grid via a 380 kV high-voltage substation at the Biblis site. The T168 gas-insulated-substation (GIS), the first outdoor GIS in Germany, can help address the challenges of networks up to 550 kV for all applications including power generation, transmission, and heavy industry.

“Countries like Germany are committed to working on grid digitization and modernisation to make grids smarter and well positioned to meet growing demands by adding advanced distribution networks, hybrid systems, energy storage and grid stability power plants,” said Joseph Anis, President & CEO, Europe, Middle East & Africa, GE Gas Power.

“GE’s aeroderivative fleet and grid solutions will provide RWE with a reliable energy supply, support Germany’s grid reserve, and help manage the complex grid requirements of tomorrow’s renewables-heavy grid.”

Centipede Battery Energy Storage Platform Deployed At New Project

Apex Clean Energy is developing and building two new battery storage projects in Texas, USA, which will feature Powin hardware and software.

Angelo Storage, co-located with the 195 MW Angelo Solar Project, and Great Kiskadee Storage are designed to each deliver 100 MW/200 MWh of capacity to the Texas grid with a 2-hour battery duration.

The battery systems will use Powin’s StackOS platform to provide energy arbitrage and ancillary grid services to the ERCOT market.

The Powin Stack™ and StackOS™ energy storage platform is a vertically integrated and purpose-built solution designed for the demands of utility-scale, commercial and industrial, and microgrid applications. Powin’s Stack hardware also features a modular architecture and streamlined installation process allowing for efficient scaling from MWhs to GWh scale.

The storage systems will absorb excess solar or wind generation when demand is low and discharge when energy usage is high, ensuring adequate power supply while allowing the grid to operate more efficiently and flexibly. The Angelo and Great Kiskadee storage projects are expected to begin commercial operations in late 2023 and 2024. Powin’s Centipede battery energy storage platform is the company’s first fully modular design, complete with pre-integrated segments containing batteries, thermal management equipment, and safety systems.

Compared to previous generations of Powin’s Stack™ products and smart enclosures, Centipede requires 50% less time to procure and deploy and 30% less space onsite, while also reducing lifecycle costs and providing superior reliability.

The Stack750E will be the first modular Stack purpose-built for the Centipede platform and is well-suited for 2-hour to 4-hour applications, including solar and storage use cases. Building on Powin’s core technology, Centipede’s simplified design offers enhanced scalability, supporting more than 200 MWh-AC per acre and a simple augmentation strategy. Centipede is said to accommodate a wide range of system configurations and energy specifications.