Delta, a major manufacturer of electronics and power supply units, announced on December 30 that the completion of its 1.5MW/1.5MWh energy storage system at the Chang-bin Solar Project has been verified. The system has been formally delivered to the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and is ready to enter operation. ITRI acquired the system in order to carry out its demonstration of the integration solar PV and energy storage at the project site. The energy storage system at the Chang-bin Solar Project is the fourth MW-level energy storage system developed by Delta for the domestic market.
The Chang-bin Solar Project is situated in the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park. The industrial park has been designated as a demonstration zone for green energy technologies. Besides PV systems, the park also accommodates offshore wind turbines, desalination facility, etc. The government-run utility Taipower began the construction of the Chang-bin Project in February 2018, and grid connection was completed in 2019. A total of NT$6.2 billion was invested into the project, which has more than 300,000 solar panels to provide an installed generation capacity of 100MW.
Chenya, a local renewable energy developer, is also building the world’s largest floating PV power plant in the industrial park. Covering around 180HA, Chenya’s project will deploy 570,000 solar panels to provide an installed generation capacity of around 181MW. The construction is set to finish by the end of this year.
Since PV systems generate power intermittently depending on time and weather condition, Taiwan’s power grid system will be tested in terms of on-demand dispatch as it incorporates more solar energy going forward. Demand forecast and supply flexibility play key roles in maximizing the efficiency of renewable energy projects. Delta touts that its newly designed outdoor battery container and power conditioning system will optimize the dispatch of power from the Chang-bin Solar Project and eliminate supply fluctuations caused by intermittency. Once activated, Delta’s energy storage system will assist the solar project in injecting a constant and stable stream of electricity into the grid.
Delta points out that the energy storage system at the Chang-bin Solar Project is a one-stop solution, as the company was responsible for the initial design and the subsequent development plan along with the simulation test. Doing much of the work in-house will create energy storage systems that are best suited for individual clients in terms of economic benefit and application.
Delta also notes that the energy storage system at the Chang-bin Solar Project consists of in-house subsystems or components for battery, power conditioning, energy management, and control. Hence, there was little to no difficulty when it came to system integration, and the time period for trial operation was significantly shortened as well.
Unlike conventional counterparts, Delta’s latest energy storage container is an “open-type” container rather than an “enclosed-type” container. This means that its wall panels are less thick, and there is no central passageway inside the container for technicians to work with the battery cabinets. Without the need to enter the container, more batteries can be accommodated for the same amount of space. Delta’s energy storage container therefore has a clear advantage in energy density. According to the official product datasheet, a standard 40ft container from Delta can hold as much as 1.641MWh of lithium-ion batteries. Its capacity is therefore several times greater than counterparts belonging to the earlier generations. All in all, adopting Delta’s solutions could lead to space saving, ease in delivery, and smooth installation.
JJ Chang, GM of Delta’s energy infrastructure and industrial solution business group, has stated that his company is proud to have the privilege to participate in this demonstration in the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park. The Bureau of Energy under the Ministry of Economic Affairs commissioned ITRI to carry out the demonstration. With the domestic industries supporting the government’s policies on energy transition, Delta expects energy storage to become a major industry in the future.
(The photo at the top of the article shows a model of Delta’s energy storage system. Photo credit: TechNews.)