Statkraft has launched a 1GW renewables, battery storage and flexible gas virtual power plant (VPP) in the UK and aims to double its capacity by the summer. The energy giant collaborated with energy & meteo systems on the development of the VPP, which combines the generators’ output and compares it against Day Ahead, On-the-Day and cash-out price forecasts. This enables Statkraft to optimise the VPP’s output in real time and trade power on the wholesale market more efficiently. Energy & meteo systems has delivered the VPP software which connects, coordinates and monitors the generators’ power outputs through a common control centre, allowing it to act within various energy markets as a conventional power station would. In doubling the VPP’s capacity by the summer, Statkraft said it would make the best possible use of its inherent flexibility and help integrate more renewables into the UK power grid. Duncan Dale, vice president for sales and new products at Stakraft in the UK, said that it was the firm’s business model to market renewable assets “with maximum efficiency” and match power output with market demand within seconds. “The increasing share of renewable energy in the UK will require a maximum of flexibility in the British power grid. By integrating batteries and engines into the virtual power plant and optimising their operations we can provide this flexibility reliably,” he said. Statkraft already operates Europe’s largest VPP – a 12GW plant that comprises more than 1,400 wind and solar installs in Germany – with control signals, forecasts and generation data exchanged every second.
Norway's Statkraft is working with German firm energy & meteo systems to launch a 1 GW virtual power plant (VPP) in the UK, and plans to double capacity by the summer. Electricity generated from the renewables, battery storage and flexible gas system will be monitored by a common control centre in real time and integrated in seconds, according to grid demand. Statkraft currently operates Europe's biggest VPP, a 12 GW facility in Germany.