Poland’s largest power producing company PGE has launched Europe’s largest tender for the development of distributed electricity storage facilities. The project involves constructing 26 energy storage sites with capacities ranging from 2 megawatts (MW) to 10 MW, totalling 107 MW and 214 megawatt-hours (MWh).
“The Distributed Energy Storage project is a market-driven response to the needs of local distribution systems for storing surplus renewable energy, which can then be used when demand exceeds supply,” said Dariusz Marzec, President of the Management Board of PGE. “This will not only help stabilise the grid but also contribute to optimising energy market prices. Enhancing the flexibility of the National Power System, particularly by increasing the number and capacity of energy storage installations, is the most effective way to support the growth of renewable energy sources. PGE Group is already a leader in energy storage, with nearly 90 per cent of the market share in pumped-storage power plants. By building battery-based energy storage, we will not only strengthen our position but also expand PGE’s portfolio of regulatory assets.”
As PGE underlined, the generation of renewable energy is largely dependent on weather conditions which can lead to situations where, under favourable weather conditions, the power grid produces more energy than is currently needed, posing significant challenges for system operators. Given the increasing saturation of the grid with renewable sources, adverse effects are being observed, sometimes leading to the shutdown of RES installations. Energy storage facilities pose as a crucial solution to these challenges.
