Boosting competitiveness and flexibility of wind power in Finland

• Leading wind farm developer and operator, TuuliWatti, chose Saft to deploy its high energy lithium-ion (Li-ion) containers for their first energy storage system (ESS) in the Nordics to boost the financial and technical performance of the new Viinamäki wind farm. 

OVERVIEW

Wind power is strategically important in Finland and already met 10 percent of the country’s demand in 2018, with TuuliWatti producing 21 percent of that.

Finland has a target to meet 50 percent of its demand from low-carbon sources by 2050, and has phased out wind subsidies to encourage the development of a sustainable commercial industry. Instead, it has introduced a tendering process to reward the most cost-effective and competitive developers.

Intent on winning the tender process, TuuliWatti employed the latest state-of-the-art technology to keep the energy production cost below EUR 30 / MWh at its new wind farm in northern Finland. This included Saft’s new Intensium® Max 20 High Energy containers and Vestas V150 4.2 MW turbines, the world’s tallest all-steel turbine towers. 

THE CHALLENGE

TuuliWatti wanted an ESS to maximize the competitiveness of its wind farm by generating additional revenue with frequency response. This is a fast-acting service where the battery injects and absorbs energy to support grid stability by maintaining the frequency within strictly controlled limits.
It also wanted to show that wind power can be highly flexible and reactive, thereby enabling increased penetration of wind power -promising future market growth- and avoiding, in return, the threat of costly curtailment.

An additional requirement was backup power and blackstart capability, where the battery ‘jump starts’ the grid after an unplanned outage. 

Viinamäki wind farm

• Technology to support subsidy-free 21 MW wind power generation
• Future-proof blueprint for wind generation that is both competitive and grid-supporting
• High reliability in a remote Nordic location with freezing winters.

THE SOLUTION

The project is the first-ever deployment of Saft’s Intensium® Max 20 High Energy. This new breed of Li-ion ESS provides best-in-class performance across energy density, energy efficiency, lifetime and performance. 
Saft worked closely with Merus Power to deliver the ESS as part of a global solution covering batteries, controls, power conversion system (PCS), switchgear, transformers and power management. This provides a fast response speed by combining the advanced control capabilities of the wind turbine with the ultra-fast reacting battery.

Features of the Viinamäki ESS:

• 6.6 MWh capacity and 6 MW power
• Three Intensium® Max 20 High Energy containers
• Special HVAC system and standard insulation to withstand -35 °C
• Battery system factory assembled and tested with PCS before delivery to site to minimize commissioning
• A Saft Service for Storage Systems (4S) service contract and flexible performance guarantee over 15-year lifetime

Meeting project objectives:
Saft helped TuuliWatti to achieve its objectives throughout the development and operation phases:

• Optimum battery design and sizing with extensive pre-project modelling
• Engineering a global solution that matches ambitious performance targets in a harsh climate through close cooperation with TuuliWatti and Merus Power
• Fast and de-risked on-site commissioning with tested plug-and play battery and PCS building blocks
• Secured operational performance with remote supervision and maintenance services, backed-up with a 15-year performance guarantee

Key benefits

•  Income from remunerated frequency response service 
•  Higher revenue by avoiding curtailment 
•  Enhanced grid stability by stabilizing variable wind energy 
•  High penetration of wind energy by supporting supply/demand balance