Orsted will work together with the Changhua County Government, Taipower, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and National Changhua University of Education (NCUE), to establish a consortium for energy storage research and promote local development of a green energy ecosystem.
Martin Neubert, its Executive Vice President and CEO of Wind Power, visited Taiwan to announce the storage pilot. He said: “I’m impressed with the Taiwanese government's strong ambition for the green energy transition and its progressed and comprehensive regulatory framework. I believe Taiwan has potential to become a green energy hub in Asia like Denmark is in Europe. Our energy storage project in Changhua, also our first storage project in Asia, will collaborate with local partners to enhance grid efficiency and stability, as well as to set Taiwan at the forefront of the green energy industry.”
Orsted has recently established an Energy Storage & Solar unit (ESS) and has installed storage pilots in Denmark and the UK.
“Energy storage technology has evolved rapidly, and the costs continue to decrease. The development of energy storage systems in the future will accelerate the integration of renewable energy supply and demand,” said Martin Neubert.
Matthias Bausenwein, General Manager for Asia Pacific and Chairman Taiwan, elaborated: “The storage pilot in Changhua will kick off a new platform for industry-academia-government collaboration. Changhua County will lead the storage location selection and related permits, and Taipower will facilitate the grid connection.”
Orsted will prefer to source storage battery and integrated systems from local suppliers. ITRI will lead the energy storage research by working with education institutions in Changhua. Orsted welcome more universities to participate in generating the learnings, and NCUE will be the first Changhua university to join the pilot project.
Wei Ming Ku, Changhua County Magistrate, said: "we are the first offshore wind developer who signed a MoU with Changhua County and has from the beginning been a good partner in promoting offshore wind. Changhua is the center of offshore wind power development in Taiwan. The cooperation between Changhua and us on the energy storage pilot, a real action taken after the MoU signing, is a great support to Changhua in developing a mid- to long term plan for a local green energy ecosystem, talent cultivation, and business generation."
The demonstration facility will allow Taiwanese institutions to explore, test and assess how a battery-based energy storage system can support the grid, and how this may support the renewable energy build-out and the green transition in Taiwan.
All participating parties will gain many insights from the studies, which will form a strong basis to participate in the growing market for storage hardware and services.
Orsted has four offshore wind projects under development off Changhua County with a total capacity of 2.4GW. In addition, Orsted own 35% of Taiwan’s first offshore wind project, Formosa I, which is currently 8MW and can be developed into 128MW.
As the global leader in offshore wind, Orsted has over 25 years of development experience and has installed more than 1,000 wind turbines offshore worldwide. Orsted has constructed 3.9GW offshore wind capacity and has taken final investment decision to construct an additional 5GW.
