VATTS Project

COMBING BATTERY STORAGE AND TIDAL ENERGY

The Electric Storage Company helped to demonstrate the power of battery storage and the unique Vertical Axis Tidal Turbines. Aiming to unlock a largely untapped renewable energy resource and targeting a huge market opportunity. Joining forces with Queen’s University Belfast, G Kinetic and GES Group.

PARTNERS

“CASE is delighted to support this tidal energy project and the associated G-Kinetic device testing, led by Queen’s University Belfast in Strangford Lough,Northern Ireland. VATTS involves the integration of the tidal energy device with energy storage technology from GES and increased flexibility of power delivery from the Electric Storage Company. Innovation in renewable energy system integration is vital for the long-term decarbonisation of energy. CASE continues to support projects such as this in marine renewables, along with others in energy systems and bio-energy. To date we have funded c.£2m of marine renewable energy research, in support of the Northern Ireland economy.”

Sam McCloskey, CASE Director

Solution

The project consortium being led by Queen’s University Belfast, brings together 3 key industry partners; GKinetic Energy who have developed the hydrokinetic turbines, Grant’s Electrical Services (GES) who will lead the development of a battery solution and The Electric Storage Company (TESC), experts in maximising the value of final power delivery and sale of electricity to end users.

The project valued at a total of £490,143 has been supported by the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE, https://www.case-research.net/). CASE is funded through Invest NI’s Competence Centre Programme and aims to transform the sustainable energy sector through business research.

Dr. Carwyn Frost. Lecturer in marine research group at Queen's University Belfast:

The project will explore ways to tie together the latest energy storage technologies and end user demand profiles, developing a framework for specifying an integrated system to provide an affordable, zero carbon alternative for baseload electricity directly to end users.

A hydrokinetic turbine with integrated energy storage could harvest energy at a site and return to a port or connection point to deliver to the network in an adaptable manner, e.g. deliver to a variety of remote users such as the marine aquaculture sector or offshore charging stations.

“The Electric Storage Company will be looking at the various options for how the energy is then integrated into existing networks to deliver the highest value solution to end users. Using data generated from the tidal demonstration, TESC will apply its ‘Predictive Analytical Renewable Integration System’ (PARIS) to maximise the value of the power generated for both the producer and the consumer of the power.”

Anne Marie McGoldrick. Director, the electric storage company

Environmental assessment will be a key aspect of the project along with accessing power curves. Queen’s University Belfast will manage the site and dedicate two Post-doctoral Research Assistants (PRDAs), 1 for the duration of the 24 month project and another for 18 months. Queen’s University and Strangford Narrows have a long association with tidal energy. At Strangford, project partners will be able to assess Sea Mammals behaviour and impact on other saltwater marine life.

Deployment of the two turbines is scheduled for later this year and Queen’s University Belfast currently has an open call for the first full time PRDA position.

Project Girona

Overview

Project Girona set out to bring cheaper, cleaner, and smarter electricity to 60 participants in Coleraine, Northern Ireland and give them a choice in were their electricity comes from and offering access to renewable energy. Girona aimed to give people fuel choice and energy flexibility as a service all the while benefiting from cheaper electricity and green energy

the AIM

Demonstrate the potential benefits of a SLES (Smart Local Energy System).
Demonstrate savings – CO₂ and £.
Demonstrate to the distribution network operator (DNO) the benefits to low-voltage networks.

Part funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and supported by Northern Ireland Electricity Networks and Invest Northern Ireland, the pilot programme began its initial stages in March 2020, concluding its final installation in October 2021.

Technology and Hardware

Solar PV – average 4kVa with maximum of 12kVa.
sonnenBatterie10
PARIS smart electricity management software

In order to generate free electricity, the Project required some form of renewable generating energy source, in the case of Project Girona, this source was solar panels.

To store the energy generated by the solar panels, a storage battery was required managed by The Electric Storage Company’s PARIS energy management platform.

Each property participating in project Girona underwent an assessment carried out by the Project Girona team to identify their requirements for solar PV and storage batteries. Following the assessment, the Girona team installed solar PV and sonnenBatterie10 (SB10) batteries in all participating properties.

The use of the solar panel and storage battery solution enabled homeowners and tenants to create their own electricity, store it and use it whenever they required, giving users the ability to maximise the efficiency of their energy usage and save money.

Any excess electricity generated by users that was not utilised, was exported back to the electricity grid, enabling other properties to benefit from clean energy.

The software – PARIS

Underpinning Project Girona and maximising the efficiency of the solar panel and battery storage solution was the PARIS system.

PARIS, which stands for Predictive Analytical Renewables Integration System, is the brainchild of co-founder and Director of The Electric Storage Company, Eddie McGoldrick and is designed to maximise the value of every unit of the energy, to the benefit of the customer. The system has been developed using state of the art data analytics software, which specialises in forecasting the usage and generation of energy to determine the value it can bring to customers using real-time data.

Using the same technology that is found in financial trading software, the PARIS System has the capability to make smart decisions on when to store, use and release energy, benefitting the battery and the customer in terms of energy and cost efficiency. In fact, the PARIS System has the potential to save customers up to an additional 20% on energy costs.

the results

£ 0

Saved per household

Equal to 19 cars off the road

Homes powered for 1 year

Benefits

WHAT WAS INSTALLED?

To generate free electricity the Project required some form of renewable generating energy source, for example, solar panels or a wind turbine which were installed free of cost as part of the project.

To store the energy generated the Project installed a Sonnen SB10 battery. The SB10 is the latest in battery technology from the world’s leading domestic battery manufacturer. The SB10 is supported by an app that will allow you to monitor your electricity generation and consumption. Customers were also able to track their savings live! A data packet is received every 5 seconds, which meant that customers had insights like never before

Both the solar panel and battery installations will be carried out by trained and certified engineers. The Project engineers will initially conduct a site visit and then install the equipment. When they have completed the work, you will be supplied with all the relevant information relating to the equipment including contact details.

how it worked

In the video below we walk you through the benefits of becoming a customer of The Electric Storage Company. Those benefits include saving up to 70% on your electricity bill as well as ongoing protection from ever-rising energy prices.

Did you know that 45% of the energy generated from solar panels is wasted? The average household in the UK generates the most electricity between the hours of X and X, typically this is when most people are at work. This means that the amount of electricity generated exceeds the consumption demand in the property.

Battery storage allows you to store the energy that is not being used for a time when you do. Couldn’t I just sell my excess energy for extra Income? Yes, however, the rate that you sell the energy back to the grid for is often rather low. For example;

You can sell your excess energy back to the grid at a rate of 11p a unit. However, when you return from a long hard day and boil the kettle and sit in front of the TV you are consuming electricity at a rate of 34p a unit. With battery storage, you no can use that energy generated earlier In the day and keep it for yourself.

THE PEOPLE

Play

I’m seeing savings of up 70% during peak times!

ANDY, COLERAINE

Why Coleraine?

An area in the town of Coleraine was selected because of its proximity to the Loguestown electricity substation. The Loguestown electricity substation was selected as it is at near capacity with little availability for additional electrical load to be added. Girona and NIE Networks (DNO) used the data to ascertain the perceived benefit behind the meter storage with PV generation would have on the substation and the associated local network.

A total of 60 properties located in the Ballysally area of Coleraine took part in Project Girona. These properties included residential homes, businesses and charities.

Solo Project

Overview

August marked the successful conclusion of the SoLow Project which The Electric Storage Company were proud to be part of.

SoLow is an Intertrade Ireland project that sought to push the boundaries of the construction industry in terms of reducing embedded carbon, increasing building performance, and reducing operating costs.

The project designed and built an A-grade building that has met RIBA and LETI 2030 carbon targets. @Sentanta Construction constructed the modular home at their site in Magherafelt with the whole building being assembled in a matter of hours.

The Electric Storage Company will install a sonneBatterie 10 into the building and will monitor for the next 12 months to demonstrate the energy efficiencies of the new house.

According to Mark Gribbin, Director at Setanta Construction says “Our newly launched ‘SoLow’ volumetric house aims to put energy performance at the heart of the housing market, delivering significant cost, time, health and environmental benefits for all. We’ve worked alongside industry experts in the design process including The Electric Storage Company to ensure outstanding functional performance throughout. Key components include 4kW of photo voltaic panels installed with an 11kw electric storage battery with heating and hot water provided by an integrated heat pump and ventilation system”.

“We’re fully convinced of the advantages of building off-site Passive Homes with low embedded carbon, but to fulfill our assurances to potential homeowners and industry professionals we’ve committed to undertake a detailed study to examine the full benefits in comparison to conventional builds and further explore what works well for the ultimate occupants and the environment we live in.”

Projects Categories: Residential

VATTS Project

COMBING BATTERY STORAGE AND TIDAL ENERGY

PARTNERS

Sam McCloskey, CASE Director

Solution

Dr. Carwyn Frost. Lecturer in marine research group at Queen's University Belfast:

Anne Marie McGoldrick. Director, the electric storage company

Project Girona

Overview

the AIM

Technology and Hardware

The software – PARIS

the results

Benefits

WHAT WAS INSTALLED?

how it worked

THE PEOPLE

ANDY, COLERAINE

Why Coleraine?

Solo Project

Overview

NIALL GRIBBEN, DIRECTOR SETANTA HOMES

company

company

company

PowerOn Technologies Ltd (Company Reg: NI643146) t/a The Electric Storage Company

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