NEC installs Switzerland’s largest battery

March 21, 2019
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NEC’s GSS storage solution. Image: NEC Energy Solutions.

NEC Energy Solutions has installed the largest battery system in Switzerland.

The 18MW/7.5MWh installation is owned and operated by the country’s largest power distribution firm Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich (EKZ) and being used for primary frequency reserve.

NEC has installed its Grid Storage Solution, which it says could also provide other ancillary services as EKZ sees fit.

“Battery storage is a vital part of future energy supply,” said Marina González Vayá, storage specialist at EKZ. “The now-completed storage system contributes to the stability of continental Europe’s power grid.”

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The new storage system is sited next to an existing substation in Volketswil east of Zürich. NEC expects a payback period of 5-7 years.

“We are excited to deliver the largest energy storage project in Switzerland,” said Steve Fludder, CEO of NEC Energy Solutions. “As countries modernize their power grids across the world, NEC’s storage solutions enable the transformation to a cleaner, more renewable and more digital electric power system of the future. We value the confidence and trust which EKZ has placed in us,” he added.

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