Bad Staffelstein, June 2024 – IBC SOLAR, a leading full-service provider of solar energy solutions, has started operation of a solar park with connected battery storage in Weinsfeld, which is part of the Bitburg-Prüm district in the German Eifel region. The project was awarded the innovation tender under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and combines an installed capacity of 2.5 megawatt peak (MWp) with a battery storage system of 2.5 MWh. The plant will be connected to the grid in mid-June.
The 2.5 hectares site was previously used for intensive farming to grow corn for a biogas plant. Now it accommodates a solar park, designed in harmony with the nature reserve. Compared to previous corn cultivation, the energy yield generated by photovoltaics is fifty times higher and meets all nature conservation requirements that are needed in the region.
In order to use the entire area for power generation and to be able to feed the entire energy yield to the gid, a generously designed battery storage system was added to the photovoltaic system. With its storage volume and an intelligent control system, the entire PV plant can now be used optimally for power generation without affecting the grid connection capacity. It also enables shifting peak loads that occur especially at midday.
The storage system is a Tesvolt TPS-E 2496 kWh, a low-loss DC-coupled system that is connected to a 30 kV grid connection point. The large scale was chosen in terms of the availability of the storage system for communication with the grid and the energy direct marketer. The system must also meet high technical requirements by constantly executing control commands, complying with the power limitation at the connection node while meeting all standards of the medium-voltage directive.
"The combination of the PV and storage solution makes the solar park particularly profitable. The system can continuously produce electricity and does not have to be switched off during periods with peak load. By shifting the feed-in to hours when production is lower, the operator can achieve higher remuneration," explains Stefan Ahlers, Head of Projects Germany at IBC SOLAR.
"Since peak loads and limited grid capacity are a recurring challenge when expanding renewable energies, solar parks with storage systems offer an excellent solution that helps driving forward the expansion of renewable energy. The shift in power generation and feed-in can be controlled at any time as required using battery storage," adds Eric Herrmann, Head of Central Operation & Engineering at IBC SOLAR.