Andritz and Mercedes-Benz Energy, a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, have signed a cooperation agreement that will see them offer a hybrid energy solution combining a hydropower unit with a stationary energy storage based on automotive lithium-ion battery systems.
The companies said that, compared to a conventional hydropower application, the hybrid system can enhance the operational range of the unit according to the size of the battery. The stored energy, which is made available very quickly, offers new opportunities for power plant owners and operators to compensate any volatile electrical impact from the grid to the units. This can extend the lifetime of mechanical components. In addition, the hybrid solution opens up new approaches to providing grid services and features like black-start support and virtual inertia, the companies said in a statement.
The system can be applied to all types and sizes of hydropower plant (low head, run-of-river, high head) and to all turbine types. It can be installed either in greenfield applications or retrofitted to existing facilities, covering battery capacities from 200kWh up to 10MWh.
