Green Energy 3000, E2M and EDF Trading attend inauguration ceremony of hybrid storage facility

The hybrid storage system is an innovative combination of a solar park and a large battery storage system. The 5.1 MW solar park is capable of generating electricity for up to 25,000 households. In good weather conditions, the German wind and solar plants together already produce more electricity than is actually needed. This is where the 1.7 MW battery storage system comes into play. It temporarily stores as much of the surplus electricity as possible and only releases it back to the grid when the demand is present again. At the same time, fluctuations in electricity production due to short-term changes in weather conditions can be reduced by using the stored electricity. The hybrid storage system thus not only produces its electricity in a particularly sustainable manner, but also helps to reduce costs for the consumer.

Andreas Renker, Managing Director of the Leipzig-based project developer Green Energy 3000 said during the facilities’ opening event ‘The commercial use of battery storage, in combination with electricity generation from renewable energies, marks a new era. Inexpensive electricity from solar and wind power plants is now becoming available when it is needed, not just when it is generated. This will ensure us a cheap and secure electricity supply in the long-term’ .

Typically, weather-related short-term fluctuations in production from solar or wind farms are only compensated for after they have been fed into the grid by storage facilities and power plants that have to be specifically ramped up or down. The consumer then pays the costs of such balancing measures through his/her electricity bill. However, if the fluctuation is balanced out as much as possible, before the electricity is fed into the grid (as is the case in Großschirma),there are no such costs.

Green Energy 3000 is supported in its vision by the companies EDF Trading and e2m. Together, the two subsidiaries of the EDF Group connect the hybrid storage system to the electricity markets. EDF Trading will purchase the electricity from the plant at a fixed price for 10 years and put the financing of the innovative project on a solid footing. The Leipzig-based flexibility marketer e2m will integrate the plant into its virtual power plant and ensure that the electricity is marketed in line with demand, by intelligently optimising and controlling the storage facility.

‘A project like this only works if everyone is behind it together. EDF Trading’s role is the long-term purchase of electricity from the plant combination at a fixed price. We will take over price and volume risks that arise, for example, from fluctuating solar irradiation and plant availability’ said Imke Janssen, PPA specialist at EDF Trading.

‘This project is an important innovation in the German electricity market and another building block for the success of the energy transition, therefore I am even more pleased to welcome Green Energy 3000 as another part of our virtual power plant.’ said Raphael Hirtz, Managing Director, e2m.

Green Energy 3000 is already planning further PV parks that follow a similar model and advance the social acceptance of battery.

About Green Energy 3000
Performing as a Holding company the Green Energy 3000 Group headquartered in Leipzig, Germany, is active in the field of developing and building solar parks and wind parks since 2004. Subsidiaries have been formed in different countries contributing to the group’s total turnover. The group has widened the conventional range of project development through an integrated planning department to realise the technical and legal planning and approval processes, as well as through a site manager department as well as purchasing, sales, legal and operations. By now the increasing running of proper plants, for example the project Großschirma, has a growing positive influence on the group’s total turnover. For more information: www.ge3000.de/en/home.

About EDF Trading
EDF Trading is active in power, gas, emissions, green certificates, LPG, oil and LNG (through JERA Global Markets).  EDF Trading is a leader in the European wholesale energy markets for power and gas. EDF Trading is a wholly owned subsidiary of EDF SA., one of the world’s largest power producers and a leader in low-carbon production. For more information: www.edftrading.com

About e2m
Energy2market (e2m), founded in 2009 in Leipzig, is one of the largest aggregators and energy traders for renewable energy in Germany. Via its own virtual power plant, e2m pools, monitors and controls remotely more than 5,500 decentralised assets of renewable energy, electricity storage facilities as well as consumers’ flexibilities and connects them to the electricity markets. With 3,158 MW renewable energy capacity (as of 2021) under management, e2m is one of the largest direct market providers for electricity and the largest pool provider for balancing energy in Germany. The business magazine Brand Eins named e2m as one of the most innovative companies in the energy sector in 2019. FOCUS Business voted the company one of the "TOP 50 Medium-Sized Employers" in 2018. With the infrastructure necessary for the marketing of energy flexibilities, market access to all relevant trading markets, as well as many years of know-how of its approximately 100 employees, e2m is contributing to shape the energy market of the future. Since September 2019, e2m has been part of the Local Energy Management (LEM) Division of the EDF Group.  For more information: www.e2m.energy