Transmission grid operator TenneT and Fluence Energy GmbH (Fluence), a subsidiary of Fluence Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNC) today sealed their cooperations on two Netzboosters (Grid Boosters) with a contract signing at Fluence’s technology centre in Erlangen. The Grid Boosters will deploy Fluence Ultrastack, an advanced energy storage product that’s designed to meet the high asset availability requirements of critical infrastructure. The battery-based energy storage systems will reduce system costs for consumers by minimising the need for grid interventions and reducing the need for grid expansion measures. TenneT is integrating the two Grid Boosters into the transmission grid at two strategically located grid nodes: Audorf Süd in Schleswig-Holstein and Ottenhofen in Bavaria. This allows TenneT to integrate more electricity from renewable generation, as the existing grid can be operated with a higher transmission load.
“Germany faces new challenges in a rapidly transforming power sector, including growing renewable generation capacity being situated far from load centres. Grid Boosters can be deployed faster, more cost effectively, and more flexibly than traditional grid infrastructure,” said Roman Loosen, Fluence’s Chief Business Operations and Transformation Officer. “Combining Fluence’s leading energy storage products and services with Tennet’s forward-thinking approach to grid management, the Grid Boosters play a critical role in strengthening the transmission system and symbolise the significant investment we are taking to advance clean tech innovation in Germany.”
Tim Meyerjürgens, COO of TenneT, emphasised the importance of Grid Boosters in the transmission grid: “We will not be able to adapt the transmission grid to the new challenges of the new energy system with grid expansion alone. The integration of electricity from renewables into the transmission grid will also depend to a large extent on operating resources, with which we can flexibly control the transmission grid. We are therefore pleased to have won Fluence as a strong and competent partner with many years of experience in the field of storage solutions. Grid Boosters are important and tangible solutions for a secure and affordable electricity supply.”
The projects at Audorf Süd substation and Ottenhofen substation are already in the concrete implementation stage, as Meyerjügens confirmed: “With today’s signing of the contract, we have taken an important step towards realisation. At the same time, we are in close contact with the approval authorities and have secured the land at an early stage. It is now important that we complete the approval procedures with the responsible authorities quickly and without red tape so that the Grid Boosters contribute to grid stability in 2025 as planned.”
Mode of Operation of the Grid Booster
As the energy transition accelerates, energy production and consumption are becoming increasingly imbalanced. Grid expansion is necessary to transport energy generated in decentralised locations over sometimes long distances. At the same time, the traditional grid expansion must be supplemented by innovations such as the Grid Booster concept to overcome the challenges for the transmission grid.
So far, the high-voltage grid in Germany has been operated according to the so-called n-1 principle. This means that power lines are not fully utilised to be able to step in and guarantee safe system operation in the case of a power failure. In the future, in addition to other resources, Grid Boosters will provide this function so that the transmission capacity of existing lines can be increased almost to full capacity. This reduces the need for preventive grid interventions.
TenneT’s Grid Boosters are the pilot projects planned in the grid development plan for electricity published in 2019. First, the concept will be tested on a small scale with two 100 MW/100 MWh energy storage systems at the Audorf Süd and Ottenhofen substations. In the second draft of the grid development plan for 2037/2045, the transmission system operators assume up to 54.5 GW of large energy storage systems in the German grid by 2045 under scenario C2045. The successful deployment of TenneT’s Grid Boosters will pave the way for other large-scale projects where storage is deployed as a transmission asset. These Grid Boosters open up great potential for secure and flexible grid operation and contribute to a more efficient and sustainable energy system.
The project builds on more than 15 years of energy storage deployments by the Fluence team. Ultrastack was tailored to the specific requirements of TenneT’s Grid Boosters and was developed and tested in Fluence’s technology centre in Erlangen. Fluence expects the need for storage solutions to grow rapidly, as the massive expansion of renewable energy sources will increase grid congestion and consequently require more grid reinforcement and relief interventions.
“Fluence, through its advanced product capabilities and extensive energy market experience, is well positioned to be a long-term partner to TSOs in Germany and globally,” said Markus Meyer, Managing Director at Fluence. “TenneT’s Grid Boosters will be the seventh and eighth storage-as-transmission projects Fluence is deploying. Our team is developing the complex applications required for these types of projects in our Erlangen lab and research facility and we continue to invest strongly in our German presence.”
