The Irish Times reported on April 15, 2019 that German energy giant Innogy is going green in several ways. First, it is backing the €1.5 billion ‘Dublin Array’ wind farm in the Irish Sea. Now it has announced a 100 million euro battery-storage project on the ‘emerald isle’ the Irish fondly call their homeland.
100 Million Euro Buys Some Impressive Statistics
First, Innogy will invest their 100 million euro in Irish counties including Dublin, Meath and Monaghan, because the national grid runs through them. There, three separate battery farms will store a total 100 megawatts electricity, sufficient to power 100,000 homes.
Second, the project will deploy ‘electric car type’ batteries because these are instantly able to release their energy to the grid during peak demand. Moreover, the farms will be conveniently near the main grid to minimize line loss. “Close to one-third of Irish generation already comes from renewable sources,” says Hans Bünting. He is chief operations officer of Innogy’s renewables division.
Dublin, Meath and Monaghan Follow Footsteps of Earlier Success
Therefore, the 100 million euro budget for 100 megawatts electricity is impressive by any standards. Moreover, this follows an increasing trend towards renewable energy generators across the face of Europe. This has been happening ever since big battery farms became an increasingly important contributor to green energy success. That’s because the sun does not always shine or the wind blow steadily during peak demand periods, but we need electricity at all times.
The project will increase the amount of green electricity available in Ireland. However, Innogy will not be alone in these efforts. State owned Electricity Supply Board (ESB) is planning a similar storage project. And it may favor Norwegian operator Statkraft with its business.
The current Irish energy mix includes 22.7% wind, hydro, landfill gas, biomass and biogas although Ireland remains a net importer of electricity from the UK grid. In 2016 it agreed in principle to import energy from France. This will be via a future ‘Celtic Interconnector’ submarine power cable.
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