Amersfoort, The Netherlands - 11th December, 2015
Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that Yokogawa Ireland, a branch office of the subsidiary Yokogawa United Kingdom, has delivered a control system for Europe’s first hybrid energy storage plant in Rhode, County Offaly, Ireland. The hybrid energy storage plant was officially launched and opened on the 4th November by Schwungrad Energie, the owner and operator of the facility.
Schwungrad Energie has developed this hybrid power storage system in collaboration with the Department of Physics & Energy at the University of Limerick, and will work with the Irish transmissions system operator to connect the plant to the power grid as a demonstration project under its Smart Grid Programme.
The Rhode hybrid demo project comprises of two Beacon Power 160 kW flywheels and Hitachi Chemical valve regulated lead acid batteries of up to 240 kW. The plant will have a maximum import capacity of 400 kVA and maximum export capacity of 422 kVA when completed. The flywheel system, with very high cycling ability, can rapidly absorb short-term excess grid energy and generate energy as needed by grid operators. Batteries can provide energy over longer durations but have more limited cycling capabilities. The hybrid flywheel will assist in disruption mitigation, during times of unexpected demand or sudden changes in energy supply/demand. After the completion of construction, the plant will enter a test operation phase from February 2016. The Schwungrad Energie plant will be the first field test of a hybrid-flywheel energy storage system in Europe.
Yokogawa delivered the FA-M3V high speed controller and the FAST/TOOLSTM SCADA software to monitor and control the amount of energy that is stored in the flywheels and the charging/discharging of the lead acid battery. In addition, Yokogawa provided an ExaquantumTM plant information management system that allows Schwungrad Energie to historize and analyse plant data whilst easily transforming this data into usable, high-value, widely distributed information. The company was also responsible for the engineering, installation, and commissioning of these solutions.
Backed by this project, Yokogawa will actively continue in its efforts to win orders and strengthen its position in the power industry through the provision of grid-connectable power storage systems and other solutions that can help to build a sustainable society.
The opening ceremony
About Yokogawa
Yokogawa's global network of 88 companies spans 56 countries. Founded in 1915, the US$3.5 billion company engages in cutting-edge research and innovation. Yokogawa is active in the industrial automation and control (IA), test and measurement, and aviation and other businesses segments. The IA segment plays a vital role in a wide range of industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, and food. For more information about Yokogawa, please visit www.yokogawa.com.
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Power
In the mid 1970s, Yokogawa entered the power business with the release of the EBS Electric Control System. Since then, Yokogawa has steadfastly continued with the development of our technologies and capabilities for providing the best services and solutions to our customers worldwide.
Yokogawa has operated the global power solutions network to play a more active role in the dynamic global power market. This has allowed closer teamwork within Yokogawa, bringing together our global resources and industry know-how. Yokogawa's power industry experts work together to bring each customer the solution that best suits their sophisticated requirements.