Statoil and Masdar have signed a collaborative agreement to analyse data from the Batwind energy storage project in Scotland.
Batwind is a battery-based energy storage project planned for construction in Scotland that will integrate with Hywind – the world’s first commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm.
The two companies will purchase, test and install Batwind to investigate how the battery storage solution can be leveraged to improve the operational and cost efficiency of offshore wind farms. They will also explore the battery’s potential for further applications and business opportunities.
Masdar and Statoil inaugurated the 30 MW Hywind installation off the Aberdeenshire coast in October 2017.
According to Masdar, studying Batwind’s performance under a range of conditions will generate a high level of operational data. This will in turn enable a thorough exploration of the potential integration of battery storage solutions with wind and solar power generation systems, and offer insight into the potential application of this technology in other locations.
“The intermittent nature of solar and wind energy pose challenges for dependable power supply and grid stability. Energy storage is key to overcoming these challenges and unlocking the full potential of renewables,” said Bader Al Lamki, Masdar’s Executive Director for Clean Energy. “By partnering with Statoil on the Batwind project, Masdar is addressing this critical need for affordable, reliable and regionally-optimized battery technologies and strengthening the viability of energy storage solutions.
“This has the potential to deliver far-reaching benefits in the development of renewables as a baseload power source.”
The battery will be located at the onshore substation of Hywind Scotland and connected to the offshore wind farm at the grid entry point.
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