ERDF, Saft and Schneider Electric have combined their strengths and expertise in a project of unprecedented scale and scope to implement the largest ever battery storage system in France, to support wind power generation and take pressure off the grid. The Venteea project is located in eastern France (Aube).

There is a growing consensus that renewable energy should play a greater role in power generation. However, these energy sources tend to be intermittent and unpredictable, putting increasing pressure on the grid. High-capacity electrical storage systems help resolve this issue by enabling more grid flexibility. Energy storage helps stabilize the grid to better match generation and loads and also provides frequency and voltage regulation, one of the major challenges involved in ensuring high-quality, uninterrupted supply, especially for commercial and industrial customers. This is the focus of the innovative Venteea project.

The aptly named Venteea 'smart' grid solution applies intelligent technologies that operate on two levels. Firstly, it optimizes two-way communication with the grid and helps meet all technical requirements (such as voltage levels and schedules). Secondly, it enables next-day forecasting of electricity production and demand, in turn allowing for the development of more tailored services that meet both grid and customer requirements.

This 'multi-service' approach paves the way for a new business model in which storage costs are spread across the different stakeholders involved, all of whom are set to benefit from this new technology.

The Intensium® Max 2 MW/1.3 MWh battery system supplied by Saft, together with the Energy Storage Box deployed by Schneider Electric, will help integrate renewable power generation on the grid and step up its contribution to next-generation energy solutions.

The state-of-the-art storage system will be inaugurated at 10:00 am on June 5th, 2015 at the Venteea site in Chervey (Aube), eastern France, in the presence of François Baroin, senator and mayor of Troyes, Philippe Monloubou, chairman of the board at ERDF, along with Luc Rémont, CEO of Schneider Electric France, and Fred Hapiak, Director of Saft's Energy Storage business unit. Following a presentation of the storage system at the site, there will be an update on progress on the Venteea smart grid trials at Troyes city hall. The VENTEEA project is supported by the French Agency for the Environment and Energy Management (ADEME). For further information, please contact Pierre Mazaré: +33 (0)6 98 13 86 49, or pierre.mazare@erdf.fr

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