As the expansion of renewable energy sources continues, the need for effective storage solutions is also growing. Shell’s subsidiary is planning to significantly expand the capacity of its virtual power storage.
The German solar company Sonnen has set an ambitious goal of constructing the largest virtual power storage in Europe. “Currently, there are already 25,000 Sonnen batteries installed throughout Germany, with a combined capacity of around 250 megawatt-hours (MWh),” explained the subsidiary of energy giant Shell on Wednesday.
The company aims to increase this capacity to one gigawatt-hour (GWh) in the coming years. This would provide the electricity grid with a decentralized energy storage solution capable of aligning the supply of renewable energy with demand.
With the growing development of renewable energy from wind and solar power, fluctuations in electricity generation also increase due to variable weather conditions. Therefore, expanding storage capacities is necessary to minimize short-term stress on power transmission networks.
Sonnen offers customers battery storage for their photovoltaic systems and allows participating customers in the virtual power plant to share in the system’s profits. With a capacity of 250 megawatt-hours, Sonnen is already among the leading providers in Europe.
In comparison, last year, electric car pioneer Tesla launched a stationary project with a capacity of 196 megawatt-hours in the UK.