Gaildorf pioneers electricity storage

The pilot project in Gaildorf near Stuttgart, Germany, demonstrates how the Water Battery will work in the future. In this project, the foundations of the wind turbines are used as upper reservoirs. They are connected via an underground penstock to a pumped-storage power station in the valley that can provide up to 16 megawatts in power. The electrical storage capacity of the power plant is designed for a total of 70 megawatt hours.

Facts and Figures

Wind turbine capacity: 4 x 3,4 MW
Rotor diameter: 137 m
Annual electricity generation from wind power: 42 GWh
Turbine hub height above ground: up to 178 m HH
Pumped-storage plant capacity: 16 MW
Electrical storage capacity: 57 MWh
Water fall height: 200 m
Water volume: 120.000 m³
Active reservoir: up to 40 m
Passive reservoir: 8–13 m

178

Meters HH

57

MWh storage capacity

160.000

m3 water volume

3,4

MW turbine capacity

Support from the BMUB:7.15 million euros of funding for the pilot project

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Construction and Reactor Safety (BMUB) is supporting the project in Gaildorf with funds from its environmental innovation programme amounting to 7.15 million euros. This is a clear mark of recognition for this innovative technology, which is being demonstrated for the first time in a large-scale technical application.

 

The background: During times when the wind blows strongly, surplus renewable energy is often generated that cannot be fed into the public electricity grid or stored. Instead, the energy production is throttled back and the wind turbines are shut down. In the pilot project in Gaildorf, on the other hand, the electricity is temporarily stored in the upper basin.

Any questions regarding our pilot project? Contact us!