Jan. 15 – Enel Green Power, after trials conducted in Italy, is completing the plant designed to test its first electrochemical storage system abroad, in the region of Antofagasta, Chile. An isolated mining village , Ollague, will be directly powered by renewable sources (solar photovoltaic and mini-wind), and energy delivery will be made more regular thanks to the storage system. The location is ideal: at 3,700 meters high, the plants will be under severe environmental stress. As the main obstacle to the achievement of 100% green energy provision is represented by the inconsistency and limited predictability of renewable sources, a storage systems can store energy at times of peak production and then re-enter it, if necessary, in the network. A solar PV system, for example, is not capable of delivering energy at nighttime, while during the day its production levels may change suddenly with clouds, inducing imbalances in the network. To compensate for these fluctuations conventional power stations or more controllable renewables, such as geothermal and hydropower, are called into play. Storage, which allows to adjust production to the needs of the network, can prevent imbalances and avoid system failure. Storage makes managing a more or less extended portion of the network completely autonomous from traditional plants. (red)
