Whilst storage solutions are more commonly paired with solar projects due to their more consistent energy output, several wind turbine manufacturers have attempted to couple storage solutions to their turbines with varying degrees of success. Attempts to partner the two date back to 2012 and continue to the present day to improve the reliability of grid connection and reduce electricity costs.
1) Vestas (Denmark)
The Danish group is the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world, the company has been used for wind farms with a total combined capacity in the excess of 145GW across 85 countries. In 2019, Vestas invested €10m into the Northvolt battery plant to support Tesla in their technology R&D that will include storage solutions for wind turbines. Tesla is amongst 10 companies Vestas are working with in order to establish how wind turbines and storage solutions can be combined to provide sustainable storage solutions.
2) Siemens Gamesa (Spain)
The wind turbine subsidiary of the technology giant, Siemens has manufactured wind turbines that have been used in projects with a combined capacity of 109.6GW worldwide in both offshore and onshore wind farms. In 2018, the group was commissioned for their first hybrid wind and storage project in Victoria, Australia. The Bulgana Green Energy hub consists of a 194MW wind farm coupled with a 34MW lithium-ion battery and became operational in 2019. The energy produced will be sold to a previously arranged PPA with Nectar farms and the government state of Victoria. The storage component of the hybrid facility will provide low-cost energy to the two in periods of low energy production at a cost lower than the grid, thus highlighting the key advantage of hybrid storage solutions.
3) Nordex (Germany)
Since their foundation in 1985, the German group have become one of the leading wind turbine manufacturers since their first 4MW model in 2017. Nordex were responsible for supplying Acciona with 35 4.5MW turbines with a rotor diameter of 149m and blades of 73m in length for their 157.5MW Mortlake South wind farm in Australia. The wind farm will also have a storage capacity in the region of 5MW coupled with the wind turbines to improve the performance and grid integration.
Image Source Unsplash 27.07.2022
