Ireland proposed VRB system resized (wind power, flow batteries)

[skids]

VRB Power Systems Inc.'s Energy Storage System (VRB-ESS) being sold to Tapbury Management Limited for Phase II of the Sorne Hill Wind Farm in County Donegal, Ireland, has been increased in size from a 1.5MW x 8hr system to a 2MW x 6hr system.

...

This study validates a number of the key revenue streams that will be generated by the VRB-ESS. It concludes that the optimum size of the system is 2 megawatts (MW) of power with 6 hours of storage and the ability to provide 3 MW of pulse power for 10-minute periods every hour in order to handle short-term volatility in wind generation.

...


Sorne Wind Energy Limited is a private company formed to develop a 32 MW wind farm at Sorne Hill, Buncrana, Co. Donegal, Ireland. The budgeted development cost for this wind farm was Euro 40 million. Construction has been completed and all 16 turbines have been generating electricity since July 2006.

"The report also highlights the need for storage in Ireland to enable the successful rollout of wind generation from the current installed base of approximately 800 MW up to and beyond the 3,000 MW currently contracted or proposed, and to deal with the intermittency and constraint issues already being experienced. It is estimated that at least 700 MW of storage may be required across Ireland. This sale will provide us with a "blue-print" to execute on similar opportunities in Ireland and worldwide," concluded Hennessy.

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=47956

The "increase" is in power capacity not energy -- same tank size.

[jpak]

1. Wicked cool - thanks for posting

So "the scale" for large scale wind power storage is ~23% of peak operating capacity - right???

[skids]

2. Well, in Ireland at least...

...and that last paragraph is a bit vague, since 700MW is only half the rating, telling the storage throughput (power) not the entire capacity (energy).