Ads-tec battery used for frequency regulation at hydro plant

March 2, 2016
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

One of the containers at the Dörverden hydro plant. Source: ads-tec.
A hydro power plant in Germany has installed a 3MW lithium-ion battery made by manufacturer ads-tec to perform frequency regulation.

The unsubsidised project will be used to balance the power from the 100-year old Dörverden hydro plant to maintain a grid frequency of as close to 50Hz as possible.

It is the first MW-scale battery in grid operator TenneT’s German network, according to Statkraft, the owner of the hydro plant, which says it has invested €4 million in the project.

“The rising percentage of renewable power generation demands flexible solutions. Lithium Ion batteries are, due to their technical properties, perfectly suited for the quick balance of fluctuating generation from wind and solar power,” said Dr. Pieter Schipper, senior vice president continental assets and market access, Statkraft.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The battery system has been spread across three containers at the site with about 14,000 cells used in total.

“We actively participate in the development of new technologies to find and enable new solutions for the changes in the power market,” said Urban Keussen, CEO, TenneT TSO GmbH. “Therefore we are happy to have the first multi-megawatt facility of its kind in our grid area with the battery storage constructed by Statkraft. Its prequalification for the control reserve market is a further step on the road to stronger integration of renewables in the system,” he added.

Read Next

January 29, 2026
Power firm RWE is about to start building a 400MW/800MWh BESS project in Germany, among the largest in the country to reach the construction stage. In related news, Kyon Energy has connected a 282MWh project to the grid, possibly the largest in the country to reach that milestone.
Premium
January 28, 2026
Leading BESS owner-operators across Europe discuss the key trends around the financing and deployment of grid-scale projects, with the segment now the driver of continent-wide deployments according to trade body SolarPower Europe.
January 28, 2026
Bigger, longer-duration projects and more sophisticated deal structuring are driving the energy storage industry forward, but a lack of common approaches from transmission system operators (TSOs) remains a challenge.
January 27, 2026
More BESS news from across Europe, with ContourGlobal and Alpiq striking sizeable deals in Greece and France, Iberdrola putting projects into operation in Spain, and other project news in Germany, Poland, Denmark and Southeast Europe.
January 27, 2026
Germany’s four transmission system operators (TSOs) have begun procuring inertia services to help stabilise the electric grid as shares of renewable energy grow.