A momentary grid imbalance left millions across the Iberian Peninsula without power. As Australia pushes towards renewables, one question looms large…
Renewable energy can cover a growing energy demand. However, can it also ensure system stability when conventional power plants are increasingly being shut down? Large battery storage systems with grid-forming inverters play a key role here. What was previously performed by the inertia mass of the system generators in conventional power plants, is now managed by the power electronics of inverters in the increasingly renewable energy supply.
Michael Ebel has spent the past decade specializing in home storage solutions. As someone who was there right at the start for SMA, he gave us a detailed insight into the market for this interview. He talks about accelerated development processes, reveals exactly what constitutes a good partnership and tells us why the battery in the home storage system should be considered right from the start.
The world’s leading trade fair for the solar industry, Intersolar Europe, had to be cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the new event format "Let's talk energy! POWER ON", SMA offered its customers and partners a digital alternative to the Munich trade fair in June. In the livestream, presenter Kimsy von Reischach and top-class experts provided interactive discussions and exciting glimpses behind the SMA scenes.
Stand-alone grids can be found all around the world — at the South Pole and in East Asia, deep in the jungle and in idyllic holiday regions. Solar stand-alone grids provide a stable electricity supply far away from utility grids – often even 100% from renewable energy. They form the basis for sustainable economic development. Isabel Ballesteros-Sanchez has already implemented countless off-grid projects for SMA and inspires optimism for a world full of off-grid systems.
With a large-scale battery storage system, the public utility company Versorgungsbetriebe Bordesholm in northern Germany is able to supply the European utility grid with balancing energy – a lucrative business model. In a unique experiment, the electric utility company and TH Köln, University of Applied Sciences in Germany, proved that the entire region can be supplied with electricity 100 percent from renewable energies. Setting a milestone for the energy transition.
The share of renewable energies in the electricity supply is rising and regenerative power plants such as large PV power plants or battery-storage systems are increasingly coming to the fore in the energy industry. With the SMA Power Plant Manager, these decentralized energy systems do not only meet all the requirements of grid operators, but are also optimally prepared for new energy marketing models.
Over 800 million people in the world have no access to an electricity supply. A sustainable solution is available in the form of off-grid systems. These produce renewable energy from sun, wind or water in the exact places where it is needed. SMA off-grid systems are extremely robust and can therefore be modernized, even when the batterie´s lifecycle ends. Replacing old lead-acid batteries now with modern lithium-ion technology increases the efficiency and service life of the off-grid system.
The Belgian polar base Princess Elisabeth Antarctica is the first emissions-free research station in Antarctica. A hybrid system that intelligently combines the renewable energy sources of the sun and wind provides the energy to supply the station, making electricity and heating available to the researchers on-site. The system is now to be expanded and optimized for future operations. The first step in this endeavor was to install a Data Manager M.
Clean electricity supply around the clock without expensive grid expansion – no problem for PV systems combined with battery-storage systems. Intelligent system technology ensures the smooth interaction of PV systems, batteries, the utility grid and loads. SMA storage system expert Dr. Aleksandra-Sasa Bukvic-Schäfer explains why the right battery inverter plays a central role in every storage system.