Frequently asked questions about battery parks
A battery park – also known as a BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) or energy storage system – is a large-scale storage facility for electricity. In these types of parks, a series of batteries gather and store existing energy as a buffer for later use. The electricity gets stored during moments of low demand or peak production – think of bright summer days when solar panels generate a surplus of energy. Later on, the batteries can feed that stored energy back into the grid when there’s a spike in demand (during winter, for example) or when production is low. That way, we are less dependent on variable conditions like the weather and we can ensure a more stable renewable energy supply.
You can think of a battery park as a scaled-up version of rechargeable home batteries, designed to store energy for later use. But instead of powering one device, it has the capacity to supply entire neighbourhoods or businesses, exactly when the need is greatest. Find out more details on how battery parks work, here.
Battery parks are an important asset to offset the highly variable input and output of renewable energy sources like wind and solar farms. In our country, the sun is not a regular visitor and wind power also varies day to day. Battery parks allow us to respond swiftly to fluctuations in supply and demand, which greatly helps to keep our electricity networks flexible and stable as we phase out fossil and nuclear power plants. They make it increasingly easy to integrate renewable but variable energy sources into our energy grid. Another major plus when it comes to battery parks, is the reduction of energy waste by storing excess energy for later use. Energy security also improves when we can rely on battery parks during breakdowns, grid overloads or times of reduced power production.
The main challenges are high investment and installation costs, reduced storage capacity over the years and the environmental impact of battery production and disposal. Thankfully, the rise in use of energy storage systems also ensures further improvements. Construction costs are lowering and the number of recycling technologies for battery systems is increasing.
After about 20 years, battery units are written off, but remain perfectly usable for further applications. After reaching the 'end-of-life' phase, there is a take-back obligation so that the battery supplier can recycle them responsibly.
Storm is working hard on a first battery project in Zeebrugge and has obtained the necessary permits for two large new battery parks in Ruien and Langerlo in 2023. We are focusing on those projects first. Other plans are also in the making but still in the early development stages. Considering the growing demand for – and use of – technologies like heat pumps and charging stations, battery parks are a key part of the energy transition for a more flexible and stable power supply.
On average, it takes one to two years for the construction and completion of a single battery park.
The construction of the battery park in Zeebrugge will start in 2024. The actual installation of the batteries and high-voltage transformer is scheduled for 2025, after which the battery park will be operational.
The amount of energy storage depends on the overall capacity. A 400 MWh battery park has a capacity of 100 MW – which translates to a four-hour energy flow of 100 MW into the grid.
The Storm battery parks, currently under development, have a storage capacity between 400 MWh and 800 MWh per park, resulting in a total capacity of 1,600 MWh.
In Belgium, there is a capacity remuneration mechanism ('CRM') where energy companies are compensated to ensure the long-term security of energy supply in the country. Storm can also make use of this support. Want to know more? Discover it here.
