Challenge
The GIGA Rhino battery system is located at the Wageningen University & Research test center in Lelystad next to the Neushoorntocht wind farm. At the time it was installed, it was the most powerful battery storage installation in the Netherlands. The GIGA Rhino battery is controlled to maximize the local production of renewable energy sources which are installed behind the same connection point to Tennet’s high voltage grid. With its 12 MW of power, the GIGA Rhino battery system has a significant impact on our national grid stabilization and will make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.
Over the coming years, the site will grow into one of the largest hybrid renewable storage power plants in the world, with a total of 120 MW of solar and 138 MW of wind.
Approach
Giga Storage selected Spectral to be the end-to-end system integrator and smart energy platform provider for this project, which is the launching project for Giga Storage and the first of many. With the implementation of STELLAR, the performance of the GIGA Rhino battery will be optimized while making the connection with the electricity markets to deliver to several energy markets and ancillary services. By integrating with the GIGA-Cloud platform, the market pricing forecast will further optimize the revenues generated by the GIGA Rhino battery.
Since the integration of GIGA Rhino, Spectral has provided platforms for the Dutch battery industry that optimize the performance of batteries and facilitate integration with the electricity markets for more than 40% of the batteries in the Netherlands, thereby taking a nationally prominent role in this market segment.
Outcome
As the energy transition moves forward, flexibility is paramount for market parties like grid companies and energy retailers. Energy assets, such as large-scale grid-connected batteries, when intelligently steered and connected with the different energy markets, can make a difference by rapidly responding to price signals and network conditions. These smart energy services are positively impacting our (inter)national electricity grid by contributing to fossil fuel phase-out and enabling higher penetration of renewable energy sources.
