This week, energy supplier EnBW inaugurated a 14.2-megawatt solar park in Aach (Constance district). What makes the plant special is that a battery storage facility using vehicle batteries from surplus production is currently being installed on site, supplied by DB start-up Encore DB. The storage facility consists of 360 modules. This corresponds to the number of modules used in around 40 vehicles.
The electric car batteries have a combined capacity of 2.34 megawatt hours and an output of around 810 kilowatts. According to EnBW, the storage facility is designed to operate with both used and new electric car batteries. Currently, unused new battery modules manufactured as part of overproduction are being used that have not yet been installed in vehicles. If more modules from used vehicles become available in future, they can be used in the Aach storage facility as part of a regular replacement programme.
»This storage facility is a fine example of how the transition to electric vehicles and the transformation of the energy system go hand in hand,« says Arnim Wauschkuhn, Head of Battery Storage Solutions at EnBW. »With the rise of e-mobility, more and more vehicle batteries are being produced, and more powerful battery storage systems are entering circulation. And we can also use these batteries for stationary storage.«
Since 2023, EnBW has been planning its new solar parks with battery storage as standard.
© PHOTON
