Largest battery in Denmark to be installed on Bornholm

Large-scale project to decarbonize European islands

Energy
DTU is one of the 27 partners in a new large-scale European project. As responsible for one of the three demo islands (Bornholm) DTU will test a new storage technology that exploits the features of grid integrated electric vehicles and demonstrate the possibility of providing flexibility to the electrical grid.

The H2020 project INSULAE is a 12 M€ project starting in April 2019 and lasting for 4 years. It includes 27 partners including research institutions, universities, utilities, municipalities and relevant enterprises working in the energy sector. The Spanish research centre Circe leads the consortium. DTU is responsible for one of the three demo islands (Bornholm). 

DTU will test a new storage technology with an innovative DC-grid that will exploit the features of grid integrated electric vehicles, and demonstrate the possibility of providing flexibility to the electrical grid by modulating the consumption of a large industrial process.

Decarbonizing European islands
The aim of INSULAE is to foster the deployment of innovative solutions for the EU islands’ decarbonization by developing and demonstrating on three Lighthouse Islands located in Croatia, in Denmark and in Portugal.

"If Bornholm becomes a test zone for intelligent smart energy solutions, then new frame conditions for distributed energy resources can be tested too"
Thomas Meier Sørensen

A set of interventions are linked to seven replicable use cases, whose results will validate an Investment Planning Tool that will then be demonstrated at four Follower Islands located in Spain, Germany, The Netherlands Antilles and Greece for the development of four associated Action Plans. 

On top of this the project will reach out to other islands with interest in this topic, and facilitate mutual dissemination between all the islands.

“We are looking forward to be part of the INSULAE project, and we will welcome this test as a great example of how to explore the use of grid batteries in the electrical system. Used on Bornholm it can be a step towards making the grid connection to Sweden redundant, and if Bornholm becomes  a test zone for intelligent smart energy solutions, then new frame conditions for distributed energy resources can be tested too” says Thomas Meier Sørensen, project officer at Center for Electric Power and Energy, DTU Electrical Engineering.

Three demonstration islands
The chosen islands are complementary in many aspects: location, size, connection with the mainland, economic development, renewable share and carbon intensity.

The interventions will prove the ability of the use cases to develop renewable-based systems 40-70% cheaper than diesel generation. Thus, enabling an average reduction of the fossil fuel consumption of 11% after a large deployment of the use cases in the INSULAE islands.

INSULAE’s IPT will support the decision makers on the selection and design of cost effective Action Plans looking for the island decarbonization, and give an alternative to expensive HVDC or AC sea-cables.

The demo on Bornholm
With nearly 20 million DKK of resources dedicated to the Danish pilot, Bornholm has the possibility of demonstrating key technologies for decarbonizing the island and learn precious lessons to be shared among other realities.

“It is an exciting time to perform research in the energy sector and thanks to this project we have the possibility of validating in the field new energy technologies and apply methodologies that were, so far, only tested via simulations or in the lab” says Associate professor Mattia Marinelli, WP leader and responsible for the demo on Bornholm.

“Specifically, on Bornholm we will validate a new storage technology with an innovative DC-grid that will exploit the features of grid integrated electric vehicles. Moreover, we will test how we can use a specific industrial process to provide flexibility to the electrical system,” he says.

The demonstration on Bornholm will build on previous demonstration efforts on the island, particularly the projects ACES and Ecogrid.