Commissioning of SMC BESS projects finalized
BY LENIE LECTURA – JUNE 2, 2021
from Business Mirror
Some of SMC Global Power Holdings Corp.’s (SGPHC) battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects have achieved final commissioning last month.
The technology group Wärtsilä said Tuesday the first two energy storage projects it has done for SGPHC are already delivering commissioning power in May.
Wärtsilä signed multiple energy storage contracts with SGPHC from 2019 to 2020. The first two projects are the Integrated Renewable Power Hub-Toledo and BCCPP, Limay, Bataan.
The projects have a capacity of 20 MW / 20 MWh and 40 MW / 40MWh, respectively, and are part of an earlier announced energy storage orders.
These are the first energy storage systems supplied by Wärtsilä to the Philippines. The projects are delivered on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis, and include Wärtsilä’s propriety software and hardware solutions.
The systems comprise the company’s GridSolv Max system, a standardised energy storage solution that provides flexible and modular storage for the core hardware assets of the systems, including the batteries, a safety and fire system, and inverters, alongside the advanced GEMS Digital Energy Platform.
“Our partnership with SMC Global Power, a company with technical experience in battery energy storage systems, has enabled us to reach this stage and be ready for operation in record time. This also further demonstrates Wärtsilä’s EPC capabilities in the region, as well as our ability to operate under the challenging restrictions set by the pandemic.
These projects showcase our long-term commitment to be present in the Philippines and to continue delivering optimised solutions that support the energy transition in Southeast Asia,” said Kari Punnonen, Director, Australasia, Wärtsilä Energy.
Earlier, SGPHC said it would spend $1 billion to simultaneously build 31 new BESS nationwide, with a rated capacity of 1,000MW.
“Our ongoing investment into battery energy storage facilities will greatly benefit power consumers all over the country, because this will mean that even faraway provinces or areas, can have the same stable and good quality power supply as everywhere else,” said SMC President Ramon S. Ang.
Ang said that some of its battery energy storage facilities are now in the advanced stages of completion. The facilities, which will make up the company’s total committed capacity of over 1000 MW, will be located in several strategic sites from Luzon to Mindanao where power quality mitigations are required.
“This means that provinces and islands will have better and more equal opportunities for industrialization and economic growth. If previously some areas could not attract investments because of unstable or poor power supply, battery energy storage will make power supply more stable and reliable. Battery storage will significantly reduce imbalances in the grid that cause power interruptions and brownouts,” he added.
Separately, Global BESS provider ABB has also been tapped by SGPHC.
ABB said Tuesday it would install for SGPHC two 20megawatts (MW) BESS sites this month and a 40MW site in July. More BESS sites will be completely installed by 2022.
BESS can store power and are particularly suitable for regions that are impacted by grid instability, such as the Philippines.
The BESS package includes the provision of battery enclosures, ABB EcoFlex eHouse, UniGear ZS1 medium-voltage switchgear, integrated skid units, transformers and inverters in one single skid, with a connection to the grid.
ABB said installation and energization periods were reduced by up to 30 percent, as all equipment was delivered fully integrated and pretested before arriving on site. Adopting this philosophy also ensured a reduction in site works and associated costs for its customer.
“By combining the knowledge of our Packaging and Solutions Global Execution team, based in Manila, with the local grid knowledge of the SMC team, we are proud to support the most ambitious BESS project in South East Asia,” said Alessandro Palin, President of ABB’s Distribution Solutions Division.
ABB has provided a packaged BESS solution designed to avoid large frequency deviations, which can result in costly equipment damage and disruptive power system failure.
The project in the Philippines uses ABB’s proprietary software platform ABB Ability™ Zenon to act as the intuitive interface to the BESS, allowing users to make real time decisions based on grid parameters to ensure performance stability.
ABB developed a complete solution that uses standardized building blocks that are scalable and modular. The building block designs include an integrated combination of Energy Storage Modules and power distribution equipment that can be increased or reduced in capacity to suit specific site location requirements.
ABB said the global energy storage system market is expected to reach $17.9 billion by 2027.
