In a strategic partnership between the grid operator 50Hertz, the energy flexibility company Entelios AG and the retailer Sunnic Lighthouse, a solar power plant with a solar power plant plant has successfully prequalified for the secondary control power market (aFRR).
The photovoltaic park The Schkƶlen PV park in Thuringia with an output of 37 megawatt peak has passed the stringent technical and regulatory requirements to participate in automatic frequency regulation, both in the positive and negative direction. This enables it to actively contribute to stabilizing the grid by reducing or increasing its power generation according to the needs of the system.
Solar plant responds in five minutes to market regulation
The initiative has been made possible through a comprehensive approach that includes predictive models based on artificial intelligenceadvanced measurement technologies and an accurate data management system. This set-up makes it possible to respond to the demands of the secondary regulation market, where the response must be triggered within five minutes.
Sunnic Lighthouse, a subsidiary of the international operator ENERPARC AG, has been operating since 2012 and currently manages more than 4.8 GW of installed capacity. Its role has been key in the direct commercialization of the energy generated. For its part, Entelios AG has brought its expertise in energy flexibility to adjust plant generation to the signals of the power system.
A new stage for renewable energies
The chief operating officer of 50HertzDr. Dirk Biermann emphasized that the participation of solar installations in the balancing energy market marks a milestone towards a system dominated by renewables. According to Biermann, with the phasing out of conventional power plants, renewables must also assume responsibility for ensuring system stability.
Other solar power plants in regions such as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt in regions such as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt are in the process of pre-qualifying for integration into the aFRR market. This represents a structural change in the way grid balancing is ensured in Germany, and is evidence that renewable renewable energies can play an active role beyond pure generation.
Source: 50Hertz
Photo: Shutterstock
