Solar energy storage milestone
… as BlueNova undertakes 1 MWh battery export to Namibia
By Hilary Mare
ENERGY storage solution company BlueNova Energy has undertaken its first international export of an intelligent Energy Storage System (iESS) to Namibia making it the first country to import the energy storage unit which contains a 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery for solar power storage.
This is a positive milestone for Namibia which has struggled with solutions to store solar power in large quantities.
The iESS is a containerised energy unit, which will be installed at the Timbila Nature Reserve in Namibia, as the heart of an offgrid solar-powered system.
The Timbila Nature Reserve iESS is fitted with a 250 kW inverter and 1 000 kWh lithium battery, which is the equivalent of powering almost 80 standard homes for more than 12 hours.
BlueNova says the solution is the culmination of years of development in the lithium battery sector.
“We are excited to achieve this landmark export and support a growing industry in renewable and offgrid technologies in Africa.
Many countries suffer from unstable grid supplies and high electricity costs.
“We competed against three of the leading energy companies in the world for this bid – being a local supplier with local support is what won it for us. The local energy storage sector is increasingly cost-effective, innovative and competitive − benefits to the environment and consumers will only increase,” says BlueNova CEO James Verster.
The export of the unit is a milestone for the company, which will produce further units over the next year to combat load-shedding and increasingly onerous electricity tariffs within South Africa and for the export market.
One key application for the system is load shifting, which is the practice of buying energy from the grid during low-tariff periods, then storing it in the iESS for discharge during peak tariff periods to offset energy costs.
Peak shaving is another possible use for the system, which involves using stored energy to ensure that peak grid energy use is limited.
Voltage and frequency stabilisation to prevent surges or drop-offs in power is another use for the system.
The system is also a reliable source of total backup power during grid failures and load-shedding.
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Up to 40 iESS systems can be used in parallel when used off the grid. There is no limit when connected to the grid, Verster said.
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BlueNova (Solguard (Pty) Ltd) was formed in July 2015. The company specialises in the development of energy storage solutions.
BlueNova recently formed a partnership with Reutech (Pty) Ltd. Together they are developing market opportunities for the application of LiFeYPO4 battery storage solutions in the Southern African region.
Reutech is part of the JSE listed Reunert Group and are looking at proving energy storage solutions at residential, commercial, industrial and utility scale.