Iberdrola has commissioned its first commercial-scale battery system in the world in Ireland. This installation has a capacity of 50 megawatts (MW) of power and 25MWh of energy, called “Gorman”.
The system was made up of more than 4,000 modules distributed in 16 containers, which occupy an area similar to that of a football field. The project, the first of its kind in operation in Ireland, has required an investment of 28 million euros.
The Gorman battery will serve EirGrid for six years, thus contributing to the security and sustainability of the Irish electricity grid and to the achievement of the objective set by the Government of Ireland of reaching emissions neutrality by 2050.
The company plans to expand this storage system in the future to double its capacity, up to 100 MW.
Why are storage systems crucial?
Storage systems are imperative to face the challenge of the energy transition. They are becoming an essential element in the electricity system, since they allow improving the quality of the electricity supply, ensuring the stability and reliability of the network by balancing supply and demand.
Energy storage is one of the strategic commitments of the Iberdrola group for the coming years. The company has already secured a global capacity of 193 MW of batteries. This technology will increase significantly in the future, with a portfolio of 1,100 MW. Of these, 900 MW correspond to initiatives in the United Kingdom. Also, Iberdrola has 100 MW to projects within Spain and Portugal.
This huge renewable infrastructure will have enough storage capacity to serve two million Portuguese households for an entire day. The complex will provide 880 MW of pumping capacity to the Portuguese electricity system, which implies an increase of more than 30% compared to the currently available pumping megawatts.