Rolls-Royce battery systems in grid stabilization project

Norwegian utility company Arva will use three Rolls-Royce mtu EnergyPack battery energy storage systems to investigate how a public power grid can be stabilized using electricity stored in batteries.

Rolls-Royce is supplying three mtu EnergyPacks QL with an output of 4.25 MVA and 3.79 MWh of capacity to the Norwegian island of Senja. They will be used to iron out voltage fluctuations in the towns of Husøy and Senjahopen which are dominated by the energy intensive fishing industry. Rolls-Royce will be involved in the research project for five years and is to provide maintenance for ten years under a long-term service agreement.

mtu energy packs from Rolls-Royce are going to provide reliable power supplies in Husøy (photo) and Senjahopen on the Norwegian Sea island of Senja. In a research project, Norwegian electricity supplier Arva is investigating how battery storage can improve the quality of electricity supplies and safeguard it in the event of grid failure.

Senja, a few hundred kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, has a highly industrialized fish processing industry. Its modern production facilities require reliable power supplies which the grid is currently unable to provide due to the town’s location on the outside periphery of Arva’s supply area. This not only results in temporary production losses, but also prevent further expansion of the fishing industry.

This is why Arva has ordered three top-of-the-range mtu EnergyPacks QL from Rolls-Royce. Two of these battery containers will be installed in Husøy, and one in Senjahopen, and will be hooked up to the supply grid. From autumn onwards, they will act as buffer storage units to solve quality problems in the power supply and compensate for fluctuations in the grid. They can supply local businesses and private households with electricity for up to one hour at a time in the event of a power failure, or be used to compensate for additional electricity demand. Modern power management systems in companies and private households are to be integrated, as are local solar power systems. The findings from the research project are to be used to help improve security of supply across the entire Arva grid.

“This is not just Arva’s first-ever battery storage project, it’s also the largest one of its kind nationwide. This is a significant project that we are convinced will strengthen the local power supply and give us important insights when it comes to designing tomorrow’s power grid. This will enable us to continue to deliver cost-effective, efficient grid solutions to our customers as the demand for electricity rises and changes,” said Arva CEO Eirin Kjølstad.