Case study
Energy storage system solutions for Kemijoki
This research was conducted for Kemijoki, investigating solutions within energy storage systems (ESS).
The challenge
Wanting to improve on hydropower efficiency through the use of ESS
The process
An overview of the 8 week research process
The outcome
The delivery of the ESS solutions and the impact of the research
The challenge
To improve the hydropower efficiency through ESS technology
The two biggest needs for Kemijoki were:
Decreasing wear-and-tear
Balancing the energy consumption
Fast frequency
Improving fast frequency containment reserve capabilities
When the share of variable production increases and the share of fossil fuels decreases, it becomes more difficult to manage the balance of the electricity system as the natural tolerance to disturbances weakens.
Consequently, the technical performance requirements of frequency-controlled reserves must be updated. The task of frequency-controlled reserves is to respond to changes in electricity production and demand at the second-by-second level, which must always be in balance.
The process
The outcome
Market overview
Investment landscape and general information about the market
Longlist
A longlist of different players in the market
Shortlist
A shortlist of the most feasible solutions in the market
Case profiles
13 detailed case profiles from different industry verticals
A few highlighted verticals
Supercapacitors
Energy storage systems based on supercapacitors
Flywheels
Energy storage systems based on flywheels
Other
Other energy storage systems
Kemijoki has been investigating the joint use of hydropower and batteries since 2017. In 2020 we had a great honour to step into this journey to help them map out and gain a deeper understanding on various energy storage technology verticals.
“Thorough and out-of-the-box assessment.”
Hydropower
The world of electricity is changing, driven by climate and energy policy as well as geopolitics. All changes in the electricity market emphasise the importance of flexible, renewable and domestic electricity production, well packed with the storage system technology.
Today, hydropower is superior in generating frequency-controlled reserves, and by combining the strengths of two different technologies, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The current focus is on improvements of the hydropower plant efficiency by using supercapacitors on short-time and high-power output storages.
Aftermath
After further consideration, Kemijoki decided to go with a supercapacitor as the new solution for electricity storage technology. Supercapacitors were chosen as the most optimal solution as they have the advantage in:
Charging capability
In a supercapacitor, energy is stored in the electric field and it can withstand more than a million charges, i.e. a 100 times more than an average battery.
Discharging capability
The energy volume of the supercapacitor is small, which in practice means that it takes less than a minute to fully discharge. Especially, in a real situation, the portion reserved for one swing is only seconds, so the interplay of hydropower and electricity storage must be seamless.
The supercapacitor solution is now being piloted as storing electricity for a hydropower plant. In addition, the pilot project will investigate the benefits of reducing the wear and tear of the machinery. The project is expected to scale up after validating the results of the first pilot which is is estimated to first launch in spring 2023.
By combining the strengths of hydropower and supercapacitors, Kemijoki can improve the performance of the power plant and participate in the reserve market even more strongly. We’re so thrilled to be a part of this journey on building a more carbon-neutral electricity system and sustainable energy consumption.
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