Denmark’s largest battery to be installed on Bornholm

And Danfoss is part of it! The project, Bornholm Smartgrid Secured – by grid connected battery systems (BOSS), plans to install the largest battery in Denmark and support Bornholm’s ambitions to become a 100% sustainable community. 

Danfoss has entered into a partnership with the Danish Technical University (DTU) to work alongside researchers and other business partners on installing Denmark’s largest grid-connected battery energy storage system (BESS) on the island of Bornholm.

For more than 100 years, fossil-fueled power plants have provided society with electricity, and although Denmark has successfully integrated a high share of renewables into the power grid, there is more work to be done. Today, the need for supply security and power system stability still requires the use of conventional power plants. However, as battery components become more affordable, battery energy storage systems have the potential to take over these services, according to DTU researcher, Dr. Seyedmostafa Hashemi Toghroljerdi.

Currently, we cannot utilize the surplus energy that is produced by renewable sources. The BESS will be able to store this energy, while balancing the grid. To explore the stability of such a smart grid with a high share of renewables combined with battery systems, the BOSS project will develop and demonstrate an advanced battery energy storage system with a total capacity of 1MWh/1MW.

Bornholm has bold ambitions when it comes to creating a green future for their island community. In 2008, the Regional Municipality has decided, that by 2025, the island will be a 100% sustainable and CO2-neutral community, using only renewable energy sources. The BOSS project could be a key enabler in achieving these goals. Bornholm was chosen as test site because it represents a scaled model of the Danish renewable integrated power system and is able to operate both in grid-connected, as well as in island mode.

What role will Danfoss play in the project?

Danfoss’ role in the project will be that of the converter specialist. For many years, converters have been at the core of the Danfoss Drives business. And just as we are leading experts in power to mechanic conversion, this project will allow Danfoss to further build our position as leading experts in the business of power to power converters.

“At Danfoss, we have a strong interest in learning more about the business value of our converter products in energy storage systems, and to explore how we can support the electricity grid as well as other possible applications of our solutions,” explains Jakob Fredsted, Senior Vice President, Technology at Danfoss Drives. He adds, “furthermore, this is an excellent promotion platform for our power conversion business and allows us to show our customers what we are capable of in energy storage systems.”

What happens next?

While the first phase of the project consisted mainly of planning and deciding what needs to go into the solution, the next steps will focus on the execution and the development of the BESS. Over the coming months, the team will implement and demonstrate a scaled BESS with the aim to install the utility-scale solution on Bornholm by the end of 2020.

For more information and updates on the project, you can visit the BOSS website here.