Breaking ground for energy independence on Graciosa
Azorean island installs new energy system developed by the Adlershof-based company Younicos
With a groundbreaking ceremony, construction of a highly efficient megawatt-scale clean energy system has begun on the Azorean island of Graciosa. The system being installed will enable up to 100 percent wind and solar power on the grid. It is scheduled to go online by the end of 2015.
Representatives from energy system designer Younicos, the operating company Graciolica, as well as regional utility EDA, gathered on the island in the middle of the Atlantic to symbolically “break ground” on the site that will house the system’s centerpiece: A fully automated, intelligent 2.6 megawatt battery park. In addition the system will feature a 4.5 megawatt wind park, a 1 megawatt solar power park, intelligent inverters and, crucially, an intelligent energy management system developed by Younicos.
The game-changing energy system was designed by Berlin-based microgrid expert Younicos to enable a smooth power supply solely from wind and solar energy. A diesel engine, which so far has been required to keep the island’s power quality stable, will soon only be needed for back-up generation during spells of little wind or sunshine.
James P. McDougall, CEO of Younicos: “The start of construction of this truly groundbreaking system today underscores the huge market potential of replacing expensive diesel fuel with increasingly cheap renewable generation. Graciosa showcases what the combination of our highly sophisticated storage-based solutions and innovative business models makes possible. We can deliver custom-designed clean energy systems that replace the economically optimal amount of conventional fuel, thus creating a triple-win situation for islanders, external investors and the planet.”
This investment will boost the island’s annual renewable energy share from a previous limit of 15 percent to 65 percent. As a consequence, 51 million liters of diesel will be replaced by cheap and clean energy from wind and sun. Hence, 134,000 tons of CO2 are saved in the next 20 years. This adds up to almost 30 tons per inhabitant.
Background
A dependence on the stabilizing function of diesel or other generators with rotating masses typically limits the share of increasingly cheap and clean, but intermittent wind and solar power on islands of more than 1,000 inhabitants to a maximum of 15 to 20 percent.
Other island systems that have already achieved higher shares of renewable energy are either much smaller or continue to rely on some kind of rotating mass. That means that a 100% solution cannot be applied where there is no (natural) hydro power. Also, thus far, such systems have been limited to a 50% share of intermittent energy sources.
Media Contact
Philip Hiersemenzel
+49-174-9088188
Hiersemenzel(at)younicos.com