EDF combines batteries and hydropower in virtual plant in France

EDF Power Solutions has commissioned its Stockage Énergie Catalan (SEC) virtual power plant (VPP) in Baixas, in southern France’s Pyrénées-Orientales department.

The 28 MW facility combines 20 MW of lithium-ion battery storage with 10 run-of-river hydropower plants totaling 8 MW. It is controlled in real time through an energy management system developed by EDF’s research and development teams.

While EDF already operates 1 GW of storage capacity and has 1.7 GW under construction internationally and in France’s non-interconnected overseas territories, SEC is its first battery storage installation in mainland France.

Developed through a collaboration involving EDF Power Solutions, Agregio Solutions, EDF Hydro, EDF’s R&D teams, and the group’s optimization business, the VPP is designed to support stability on the French electricity system.

The installation helps balance grid frequency by coordinating electricity injections and withdrawals from the batteries with output adjustments at the hydropower plants.

SEC can respond to requests from French transmission system operator RTE in less than one second, with a response time of 500 milliseconds, and can reach full output within 30 seconds. It can inject or absorb electricity for periods of up to 15 minutes, using batteries first and then hydropower assets in a coordinated sequence to match system needs.

From pv magazine France