Exide partners with EDP to deploy two PV plants with storage totaling 3.8 MWp in Portugal
Exide Technologies, a global provider of stored energy solutions for the automotive and industrial markets headquartered in United States is announcing two new photovoltaic installations with a total capacity of 3.8 MWp for self-consumption in its facilities in Portugal.
These will be situated at Exide’s production facility in Castanheira do Ribatejo and its recycling plant in Azambuja. It will be one of the largest self-consumption generation units with storage in Europe, showcasing the potential for systems of this kind to be deployed at scale.
The project forms part of a range of investments by Exide at its Castanheira plant, including the recent start of a new multi-million AGM Network Power production line.
A leader in the Portuguese solar energy market, EDP Comercial will manage and deliver the project, working closely with Exide to deliver the energy storage component. The production units were contracted through the Energy Manager business model. EDP will be in charge of the farm’s operation, maintenance and real-time monitoring.
The farms will be operational by the first quarter of 2020. Spanning 20.000m², the new installations will have approximately 10,000 photovoltaic panels and the energy produced by the installations would be enough to supply over 2,000 homes. Taking the annual consumption from a clean energy source into consideration, the project will also avoid the emission of 31,000 tons of CO2, corresponding to 1 million planted trees and a 208-million-kilometer car trip.
The batteries used in the farm will be manufactured by Exide and charged by the solar panels. Surplus energy will be stored and injected into the grid mostly in the summer season, when the plant’s energy consumption is lower.
The introduction of the BESS (battery energy storage system) allows renewable energy to be leveraged to a greater extent, and provides power at nighttime and during periods of reduced sunlight.
The system will comprise around 70 inverters and a bank of GNB Sonnenschein A600 batteries for energy storage, providing 500kWh of energy. GNB Sonnenschein A600 has a tubular plate design and excellent protection against deep discharge for maximum energy efficiency and cycle life. Horizontal mounting enables easier installation and maintenance. The battery is also completely recyclable, minimizing its environmental impact.
An official contract signing took place on April 10 at the Castanheira do Ribatejo facility, shortly followed by the official project commencement. Stefan Stübing, President EMEA, was there on behalf of Exide, while EDP was represented by Vera Pinto Pereira, an executive board member and commercial EDP CEO.
Stefan Stübing, Exide’s President EMEA said:
“Our Castanheira plant is becoming one of the most advanced of its kind anywhere in the world. We recently undertook a significant investment to increase the facility’s network power capacity, and today we’re announcing our next-generation industrial energy system. More and more companies will rely on self-generated power backed by a BESS (battery energy storage system) in years to come, especially in energy-demanding sectors like manufacturing. We’re delighted to be at the forefront of this development, with companies able to reduce their ecological footprint and achieve operational savings.”
EDP’s commercial CEO Vera Pinto Pereira said:
“EDP is committed to providing its customers with sustainable and efficient solutions. This is EDP’s largest solar energy project in Portugal, and it will allow us to take an important step towards the world of storage technology.”
Source Press Release by Exide and EDP. Photo Credit: © Exide. Exide’s Stefan Stübing, President EMEA, and EDP’s Vera Pinto Pereira, executive board member and commercial CEO.
