Eesti Energia is aiming to procure a 25 megawatt-hour (Mwh) and 50 Mwh storage facility, which will be installed in Ida-Viru County. The total storage capacity will be approximately equal to the amount of electricity consumed by 150,000 households in an hour.

According to Eesti Energia, the large-scale storage facilities will be able to participate in the power exchange and other energy markets to ensure the security of Estonia's electricity supply.

The planned facilities are expected to have the capacity to store enough solar energy to last 2,500 homes two hours, meaning they could be used to offset high prices during peak hours in the evening. They would also fully cover the need for frequency reserve in the Baltic countries.

The procurement of a large-scale solar power system is planned for summer 2023, with the launch of the pilot project scheduled for the second half of 2024.

Eesti Energia management board member Kristjan Kuhi said, that the storage will be useful for several reasons.

"Firstly, it will help to cut very high price peaks at times when cheap renewable energy is scarce in the grid. Secondly, it will help to store renewable energy and delay its use. Without storage, generators have to give away so-called surplus energy either very cheaply or at no cost. This may look good for other consumers at particular moments in time, but it is bad for the energy system as a whole," said Kuhi.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!