Storage+

Globally, there is a growing demand for optimised energy, including energy management and security. Energy storage solutions paired with sophisticated energy management technology, such as Wärtsilä’s GEMS, enable utilities, IPPs and developers to optimise their energy. Advanced energy storage solutions also future-proof assets and create additional or even maximised revenue streams.

The Wärtsilä Storage+ solution empowers users to get the most out of sophisticated grid-scale energy storage systems. Wärtsilä’s solution includes a rich library of operation logics, integration with connected hardware such as safety equipment and renewable energy generation assets, and advanced asset monitoring capabilities. Applications vary based on markets and use-case.

One application of Storage+ is resilience against power disruptions in an increasingly volatile climate, especially in vulnerable regions—such as California, USA, where high wind conditions force utilities to cut power in order to prevent wildfires, or Puerto Rico, where extreme weather conditions threaten the electric power grid.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back after a disruptive event, such as unusual weather patterns. Greater resilience lessens the short-term impact on the grid itself. Energy storage has the unique ability to provide a stable infrastructure by cost-effectively enhancing grid reliability and security. Storage does so by providing a buffer between supply and demand that enables electric systems to rebalance during and after a disturbance, including energy arbitrage, black start, and peak shaving capabilities.

One key example is in rural Roscoe, Texas, USA. In a project with E.ON Texas Waves, then Greensmith Energy integrated an intelligent energy storage solution at a wind farm. The system was able to provide rapid response to shifting power demand during an usually cold season in early 2018, delivering short-term energy to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.