Itaipu hydropower plant plans battery storage, floating solar pilot

Itaipu Binacional is developing a pilot battery energy storage system (BESS) linked to its floating solar plant to evaluate how batteries can improve the integration of solar generation with hydropower.

The demonstration project remains in the planning stage, with installed capacity, storage duration, battery technology, investment, procurement model, and construction schedule yet to be determined, according to information provided by Itaipu to pv magazine Brazil.

The project is being developed in partnership with Itaipu Parquetec and will assess battery storage applications including energy shifting, operational flexibility, and the integration of floating solar generation with hydroelectric output.

Itaipu said the project is intended to generate technical data to support future investment decisions on battery storage and renewable energy expansion.

The pilot will be designed using technical criteria similar to those proposed for Brazil’s planned Capacity Reserve Auction for battery storage, including a minimum four-hour storage duration, continuous power delivery over that period, and performance and availability requirements.

According to Itaipu, these parameters will help assess how battery storage could support Brazil’s interconnected power system as variable renewable energy deployment increases.

The company said the project forms part of a broader strategy to expand knowledge of electrochemical energy storage. During the announcement, Itaipu’s Brazilian director general, Enio Verri, also said studies indicate the reservoir could support more than 1 GW of floating solar capacity, strengthening the case for combining hydropower, floating PV, and battery storage.

From pv magazine LatAm