The energy transition needs strong players working together. In Poland, Energix and Axpo joined forces to develop the country’s first operational utility-scale BESS project, powered by STELLAR, Spectral’s advanced Virtual Power Plant (VPP) platform.
The Energix Battery, 24 MW / 56 MWh, went live in 2025. The Nowe Czarnowo Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) forms an integral part of the growing VPP which Axpo is building with STELLAR, enabling optimization of the BESS asset across various energy and ancillary service markets.
Images: Axpo, Energix
2025 - present
Poland is rapidly expanding its solar and wind capacity. The country aims to double the share of renewables in its power mix to 56% by 2030. As fossil-fuel power plants are gradually decommissioned, the system will need greater grid stability and fast flexibility.
But renewable production does not always follow demand. BESS assets bridge that gap, hence it’s expected to see rapid growth in the coming years. In this context, the Nowe Czarnowo is the first utility-scale BESS operational in Poland. It stores energy when supply exceeds demand and releases it when the grid or market needs it most. It is also used to provide balancing reserves to the Polish transmission system operator (TSO), PSE, allowing for delivery of frequency regulation services.
With this project, Energix, Axpo and Spectral show how utility-scale storage can:
To unlock the full value potential of the Nowe Czarnowo BESS, the asset was integrated with STELLAR, Axpo’s Virtual Power Plant platform, developed in partnership with Spectral.
Key features of the STELLAR Energy Management System:
This combination ensures safe operation, market readiness and long-term operational flexibility.
Together, Axpo, Energix and Spectral followed a structured three-phase approach:
The Energix Battery is more than a stand-alone system. It is a step toward Poland’s next-generation Virtual Power Plant infrastructure. With STELLAR, Axpo can integrate a wide array of different storage and renewable energy assets and operate them as a single, optimized portfolio.
By leveraging STELLAR’s multi-market optimization capabilities, Axpo maximizes asset returns by combining wholesale energy market trading with the delivery of balancing reserves to PSE. That means greater grid reliability and stronger competitiveness in energy trading.
In November 2025, the Nowe Czarnowo project was awarded the prestigious PSME Energy Storage Laurel, Project of the Year 2025, by the Polish Energy Storage Association. The award recognized the project’s exemplary partnership across the full value chain, from preparation and construction to commercialization and risk management, as well as its role in advancing Poland’s flexible and modern power system.
“Working with Spectral, we’ve been able to integrate the battery seamlessly into our broader portfolio and trading operations. This is the first of many assets we plan to integrate into our Virtual Power Plant, combining storage with renewable energy assets to unlock the full business potential of their flexibility.”
Kacper Rzenca, Balancing Manager, Axpo Polska
Utility-scale BESS only reaches its full value with the right control layer. With STELLAR, Energix and Axpo show how to turn hardware into real market power.
For Spectral, Nowe Czarnowo is a proof point and the first of many projects in Poland’s fast-evolving battery storage market.
See how STELLAR makes it market-ready. Schedule a free demo.
