Inspenet, July 13, 2023.
Quartux, a company in Mexico, is promoting the use of artificial intelligence and energy storage in lithium-ion batteries to support the electrical grid during periods of high demand and risk of supply outages.
Artificial intelligence has advanced in all sectors, including the electricity sector. Thanks to this technology and lithium-ion battery storage, it is now possible to implement virtual generation plants. These plants can prevent massive power outages and blackouts, such as those that occurred recently due to high demand during a heat wave.
Alejandro Fajer, CEO of Quartux, explains that artificial intelligence and lithium-ion batteries are used to back up the electrical grid and prevent blackouts. The company is working both independently and in collaboration with the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) to promote this solution in the country.
In countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and the United States, virtual generation plants are already being used in more advanced electrical networks.
During specific times, such as when many people start using the power grid and demand increases rapidly, the grid’s power generation capacity cannot respond quickly to meet that demand, which can result in outages. This is what Fajer points out.
According to Fajer, this technology has the ability to accurately predict these electricity demand peaks, since it can forecast them considering multiple variables. To achieve this, the company has software based 100% on artificial intelligence, which uses automatic learning (machine learning) to analyze and understand the different patterns that exist in the electrical network and in the consumption profile.
For example, temperature is a key variable to understand how energy consumption will be throughout the day, and there is a 97% correlation between temperature and electricity consumption in many industrial sectors with which Quartux works.
In this way, it is known that when temperatures are high, there will be an increase in consumption during certain hours of the day.
Using the forecast based on these variables, energy storage in lithium-ion batteries is used to supply energy at times of high demand and thus avoid blackouts in the area.
The CEO of Quartux explains that the charging of high-capacity batteries is carried out when an excess of energy is identified in the network, which is more economical and also cleaner from an environmental point of view.
“This has happened to us with several large clients that we work with, which is why we have the largest system in all of Latin America installed for an industrial user that represents almost an additional generation plant.”
“You are not generating electricity with the battery, but in case you are having stored energy or capacity available in case it is needed at any time,” Fajer details how batteries function as virtual generation plants.
Quartux has installed lithium-ion batteries across the country, in partnership with large energy consumers, with capacities up to 25 megawatt hours (MWh). These batteries are used at specific times by intelligent software in collaboration with the National Center for Energy Control (Cenace) to supply energy in regions and times when there are shortages and risk of blackout.
For example, on the peninsula we have 10 batteries with a total capacity of 100 MWh. If we observe that the reserve margins will be very low at 6:00 p.m., we can use the energy stored in the batteries, which we charge during the early morning, and inject it at those critical moments to avoid blackouts and ensure the stability of the network electrical.
However, despite this effective solution, the CEO of Quartux points out that in Mexico they are not being adequately compensated as in other more advanced electricity networks. Instead of paying to have this power available 365 days a year, a payment is only made when the power is actually delivered.
Source: https://www.forbes.com.mx/plantas-de-generacion-virtuales-una-opcion-para-evitar-apagones/
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