Ørsted awards Delta Electronics MW-size energy storage pilot EPC contract and opens its Energy Storage Research Centre in Changhua

Global offshore wind leader Ørsted today signed an EPC (Engineering, procurement and construction) contract with Delta Electronics to build its first MW-size energy storage pilot system on the campus of National Changhua University of Education (NCUE). Ørsted also announced the establishment of ‘Ørsted Energy Storage Research Centre’ with the University to further develop industry-government-academia collaboration in energy storage research in Taiwan.

In February this year, Ørsted announced to set up a MW-size storage pilot project in Changhua. Today’s event is only a fraction of continuous efforts devoted by all parties in the consortium. With support from the Changhua County government and discussions within the NCUE team for several months, the 1-MW size energy storage system will be located at the Baoshan Campus, which is close to the campus’ main substation, catering to grid application research needs in the future.

This EPC project of energy storage system will be led by Delta Electronics, the leading Taiwanese manufacturer, to ensure that the industry and academia in Taiwan will fully absorb and utilize the experience of system integration, operation and maintenance. This also makes Changhua one of the key research hubs of Taiwan's green energy technology. The energy storage system will be installed in the first quarter of 2019, and the construction is expected to be completed in June 2019 for research and educational purposes.

Matthias Bausenwein, Ørsted’s General Manager for Asia Pacific, said: “Ørsted is pleased to collaborate with the Taiwanese leading company Delta Electronics in this energy storage pilot system. From the start of this project, we’ve deliberately selected a local EPC contractor to do the design, procurement, construction, and the system integration. By participating in this project, we believe that local industry players and academic communities will gather extensive data to conduct research activities, which will enable them to seize energy storage business opportunities. Based on this pilot project, Ørsted can furthermore assess to integrate energy storage systems in its Greater Changhua projects in the future"

Herman Chang, Delta Electronics’ General Manager of Energy Infrastructure Solutions Business Group (EISBG), said: “We’re very honoured to be chosen by Ørsted to build the MW-size energy storage system. Delta will be responsible for the Power Conditioning System (PCS), the battery system, and the energy management system. Delta is keen on developing its Microgrid Solutions, utilizing ESS to regulate renewable energy output, conduct demand response and power dispatch to meet grid needs, and to provide redundant power if power outage occurs. By doing so, we’re aiming at achieving energy sustainability in Taiwan.”

‘Ørsted Energy Storage Research Centre’, set up by Ørsted, was unveiled today for the first time. The centre will be run by the Institute of Engineering at National Changhua University of Education under the leadership of the Dean of the institute, Dr. Chen Liang Rui. The research centre will conduct a series of research projects and courses on grid stability and power efficiency, such as simulation of integrating energy storage systems into Taiwan's power grid, experiments of islanding effect and load testing. NCUE is expected to complete six research projects during the first year, to use the energy storage system to open three new courses, and to nurture local talents in the field of energy storage.

Dr. Guo Yen Guang, President of NCUE, said: "We’re very grateful for the establishment of the energy storage system as well as the Ørsted Energy Storage Research Centre. NCUE will make the best use of the resources to provide extending courses ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), energy technology, Power Electronics (PE) to strategic management and Management Information System (MIS) both in undergraduate and graduate programs.”

Wei Ming Gu, Changhua County magistrate, said, “I’m pleased to see Ørsted has made a significant contribution to the local communities, such as launching wind power sub-supplier network, and building future children playgrounds in Changhua. Now Ørsted has also established the first MW-size energy storage pilot system in NCUE which will further support Changhua to become the hub of green energy in Taiwan.

Matthias Bausenwein further stated: "Improving the efficiency and stability of the power grid is important in developing renewable energy. The energy storage pilot system and energy storage research centre will provide the best resources for the academic community in Taiwan to conduct exploratory research and have the opportunity to further apply the results for commercial purposes. The accumulated experience of the Changhua energy storage system will also become one of the important cases to the future energy storage activities of Ørsted."

About Ørsted

As the world leader in offshore wind, Ørsted has installed more than 1,200 offshore wind turbines with a total capacity of approx 5.1GW and has a further 3.8GW under construction. It is Ørsted’s ambition to have installed a total offshore wind capacity of 11-12GW worldwide by 2025

Ørsted in Taiwan

Ørsted has obtained site exclusivity on four offshore wind sites located between 35 and 60km off the Changhua County coast. The four sites, which have a total potential capacity of 2.4GW, received environmental impact assessment approvals in February 2018. Subject to Ørsted’s final investment decision, 1.8GW have now been earmarked for build-out in 2021 and 2025, and the onshore construction will start in 2019.
Ørsted is also the co-owner of Taiwan’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, Formosa 1, which will be extended from its current 8MW capacity to 128MW in 2019.
Changhua's MW-sized energy storage demonstration system is Ørsted’s first energy storage project in the APAC markets. Ørsted has already become a trailblazer in the energy storage market in several countries, e.g. Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States, and invested in the construction of the first commercial-scale 20MW-sized energy storage system in Liverpool, England, in May this year. It is expected to be in full operation by the end of 2018.