How climate-friendly are storage projects?
GESI_Blog_Speicherfakten_CO2_3
Contents

How climate-friendly are storage projects?

GESI_Blog_Speicherfakten_CO2_3

Storage facts series (II) | Large-scale batteries significantly reduce GermanCO2 emissions. How high the savings actually are depends on the assumptions and calculation method.

If you want to calculate the effect of large-scale battery storage systems on the climate, you have to deal intensively with technical details, make numerous assumptions and take complex interactions into account. Numerous adjustments can therefore be made to make the balance look good or bad – depending on the motivation.

One thing is clear: Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) allow the potential of renewable energies to be exploited far more effectively. They therefore significantly reduce the need for fossil fuels and can, for example, replace some of the planned reserve gas-fired power plants.

According to a study commissioned by us from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), a large-scale battery storage system with a capacity of two gigawatt hours (Gwh) saves up to 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. This results in a total saving of up to 3.2 million tons per year or almost 20 million tons by 2035 (see below).

New parameters, significantly higherCO2 savings

By comparison, Germany’s entire electricity production currently generates 177 million tons of CO2 per year. Large-scale battery storage systems therefore have a significant climate-friendly effect – even in scenarios with rather cautious assumptions.

In consultation with Prof. Christof Wittwer, Head of System Integration at Fraunhofer ISE and member of our Scientific Advisory Board, we have calculated a further scenario, assuming, among other things, that large-scale batteries

  • store an annual average of 70 percent green electricity between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and
  • displace fossil power plant energy, which would otherwise have caused 400 grams ofCO2 per kilowatt hour.

Based on these assumptions, a large-scale battery storage system with a capacity of two Gwh can save the climate around 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year – and not “only” up to 60,000 tons. As is so often the case, the truth may lie somewhere in between.

One thing is certain: every large battery is good for the climate and future generations.

Here is the cautious forecast:

Further contributions

Large-scale battery storage planned in Bergrheinfeld near Schweinfurt – constructive exchange with interested citizens Pullach, December 17. The planned construction of a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Bergrheinfeld will make the region a pioneer in the integration of renewable energies. The project is intended to help balance out fluctuations in the electricity grid, reduce the use of fossil fuel power plants and maximize the use of solar and wind...

Public information event on new GESI project

Read more

Storage facts series (I) | An analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems for GESI underlines: Storage systems are a decisive lever for an affordable energy transition. Large-scale batteries can significantly reduce electricity prices and thus make an important contribution to strengthening Germany as a business location and the competitiveness of our economy. This is shown by calculations by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, which we...

How large-scale batteries reduce the price of electricity

Read more

We have moved and are now working under one roof with the Schoeller Ventures companies Multiloop, ReDi Pack and Smart Container Loop. Shared drive, shared location: On September 30, we opened the “House of Circularity” in Pullach together with three Schoeller Group companies. Speakers included Martin Schoeller and our COO Jens Wegmann, who explained why the demand for large batteries is growing rapidly – and why GESI is one of...

Schoeller Group opens “House of Circularity”

Read more