Saft's energy storage business has made an important breakthrough in Latin America with a contract to supply a landmark hybrid power plant with a MW-scale lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system.
The firm has won an order to provide two containerized battery systems for Bolivia's Pando project, the world's largest solar photovoltaic (PV) and diesel generation hybrid power plant.
The order is Saft's first for an energy storage system in South America, which has become a target market because of the growing demand for renewable energy and solar PV in particular, says the firm.
"Saft is delighted to be working with Isastur on this prestigious project that provides an important breakthrough for our Li-ion battery technology in the South American sector, where PV is becoming an essential element within the overall energy mix," said Ignacio Quiles, Saft Sales Manager & Managing Director Saft Baterias, Spain and South America. "The Pando hybrid scheme provides an excellent reference of how large scale PV and conventional generation can be integrated with energy storage to deliver continuous and reliable electricity supplies for remote communities where grid connections are unreliable or non-existent."
The energy storage system will comprise two Intensium Max 20 M medium power containerised Li-ion battery systems, each with a nominal storage capacity of 580 kWh and 1.1 MW peak power output. The batteries will operate in combination with inverters and intelligent control systems that enable large amounts of solar power to be integrated into diesel powered grids, ensuring system stability and smooth control of the diesel gensets.
In the Pando project, the contribution of solar PV to the energy mix is around double that of traditional PV-diesel hybrid systems. The plant started generating 2 MW of electricity in September and will be fully operational by the end of 2014.
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