Mercedes-Benz, along with its parent company Daimler, has converted a coal-powered station into an energy storage facility made out of batteries from electric cars. A total of 1920 modules have been piled together to form a “live replacement parts store” for 3rd generation electric smart products. The facility aims to generate balance in the German energy grid, which has been creating a wide array of renewable energy sources. Since not all of the energy produced by renewables are used right away, this facility in Elverlingsen would be used to store all the excess. When needed, the plant can release stored energy to produce power for the grid when production is low. This equates to around 8.96 MW or 9.8 MWh generated, allowing for a consistent output even when power generation is low.
Source: Daimler
Mercedes-Benz stated that the storage plant is “a symbol for the transformation in the storage and use of energy – away from fossil electricity grid supply and towards a sustainable extension of the e-mobility value chain that reduces CO2.” Along with its partners, GETEC ENERGIE AG and The Mobility House AG, and Daimler’s other subsidiaries, Accumotive and Mercedes-Benz Energy, they’re creating a “win-win situation and supporting the progress of the energy turnaround.”
Source: Daimler
Future Plans
The old plant has been out of commission since 1912, but Mercedes-Benz is planning a whole lot more with its restructure along with other battery storage projects in the works. There are currently 1800 of 3,000 battery modules from 3rd generation smart electric cars being created for use in energy storage facilities. The project’s goal is to achieve around 17.4 MWh in energy capacity, putting it way ahead of most stationary energy systems using Li-Ion batteries in Europe. Daimler sees the project as a source of energy when there are “increasing fluctuations in electricity feed-in from renewable energies such as wind and solar energy.” This is a big milestone when it comes to power efficiency in Germany, and as Daimler stated in an update, “Around half of the planned system strands is already coupled with the network with an output of 5 MW.”
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