- The storage system built by Endesa's renewable subsidiary, Enel Green Power España, is an innovative solution that enables unlimited charge and discharge cycles with no negative impact on the environment.
- The battery installation, which received funding from the SOLBAL photovoltaic investment aid programme, managed by IDAE, has a power of 1.1 MW and a storage capacity of 5.5 MWh, making it the largest energy storage plant based on vanadium flow batteries in Europe.
Through its renewables division Enel Green Power España (EGPE), Endesa has put into operation at the Son Orlandis solar plant in Mallorca the largest renewable energy storage installation in Europe based on vanadium flow batteries. This is the first energy storage plant that the company has built in Spain using this innovative lithium-free technology which involves vanadium flow storage.
The Son Orlandis storage system is an innovative battery based on vanadium redox flow technology, i.e. it enables high flexibility and modularity by which service interruptions are avoided and the supply of clean energy is guaranteed even during demand peaks because the natural production fluctuations that are inevitable in renewable plants are mitigated.
This installation has a capacity of 1.1MW and a maximum accumulated energy of 5.5 MWh, making it the largest hybrid redox flow battery for a photovoltaic plant in Europe. "Vanadium flow batteries store electricity electrochemically, like lithium batteries, but using a different configuration and elements different from lithium, in this case vanadium," explain experts from Endesa's renewable subsidiary, Enel Green Power Spain, from the Innovation area.
With flow batteries, power and energy are also completely decoupled, as the amount of energy that can be stored depends mainly on the size of the electrolyte tanks, so this solution enables greater flexibility in the sizing of batteries and higher capacity storage solutions.
It is precisely this last feature that makes these batteries particularly suitable for use in long-term applications, as well as for storing the energy produced by wind and solar farms, where many hours of storage are required.
Son Orlandis Batteries
The Son Orlandis battery system was developed in collaboration with Largo Clean Energy, the manufacturer of the VCHARGE± system, a world leader producing the most advanced vanadium flow battery systems.
The VCHARGE± storage system is an intrinsically safe and sustainable solution, as the electrolyte has an almost "infinite" useful life and it can easily be re-used at the end of its useful life without deteriorating, so there is no negative impact on the environment.
The advantage of this type of battery is that it has a useful life longer than 20 years with minimal deterioration, making it the ideal solution for long-term storage of more than 6 hours and with enormous advantages with regard to safety.
In the case of Son Orlandis, the storage system is associated with a 3.34 MWp photovoltaic plant. Because it uses a dedicated management system, the system's charging and discharging operations are optimised in accordance with renewable production and grid needs, so it is able to meet peak demand. From a technological point of view, the vanadium system is a step forward towards long-term storage systems which are essential for the energy management of an island like Mallorca.
Therefore, the battery system of the Balearic Islands will contribute to making the electricity grid more stable and suitable for the penetration of renewable energies by reducing dependence on fossil fuels, thus accelerating the path towards energy self-sufficiency of the islands.
It is a commitment to integrated, innovative renewable energy in the Balearic Islands
The Son Orlandis plant, in operation since 2023, has become an example not only of innovation but also of integration, as it has incorporated the principles of "Creating Shared Value" from its construction until now that it is in operation, so that the plant has been integrated into the territory and has made it possible to improve the economic and social conditions of the local environment in which it operates.
And it has done so by training the local population with the aim of improving their employability in a sector with great potential such as renewables. In this regard, courses have been given on the operation and maintenance of renewable energy plants, subsequently promoting local recruitment.
In addition to these courses, there is collaboration with the Juan XXIII Foundation and Esment, an entity that has been working for 55 years in the integration of people who are in situations of psychosocial vulnerability, have intellectual disabilities or suffer from mental illness. Through its subsidiary EGPE, Endesa organises courses on clearance, forest maintenance and composting in photovoltaic plants, so the students who obtain the certification, 11 have done this so far, are recruited in the renewable installations themselves to undertake these tasks which are essential in the operation of a renewable plant.
¿Cómo funcionan las baterías de vanadio?
- La batería recibe la energía que proviene del sol y del viento. Gracias a ella se carga.
- La carga/descarga se produce cediendo electrones e intercambiando protones entre ambos tanques de electrolito de Va.
- Las reacciones de oxidación y reducción en los stacks (o celda electroquímica) crean diferentes flujos eléctricos.
- El anolito (fluido de Va en electrodo negativo) cede un electrón en la descarga de la batería, que absorbe el catolito (fluido de Va en electrodo positivo) a través del circuito eléctrico que se forma entre ambos. En la carga ocurre el proceso inverso.
- Al ceder el electrón el anolito para equilibrar cargas, el ácido sulfúrico de su disolución cede un protón (H+), que atraviesa la membrana y se transforma en agua en el catolito.
- La energía conseguida en la celda electroquímica se almacena en los tanques gigantes para cuando sea necesaria. Esto aporta flexibilidad al sistema, porque tan solo con aumentar el tamaño o el número de tanques se incrementan las horas de almacenamiento.
- En los días que no se dispone de recursos naturales, se puede seguir utilizando energía renovable gracias a la batería de vanadio. Estas baterías pueden almacenar el 35% de la producción total de una planta fotovoltaica.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, Energy Audit Workshops are being organised in a number of secondary schools in Mallorca. These workshops are a feature of the company's CSV plan and are designed to train schoolchildren to make energy diagnoses, to teach them how to analyse the results and make them aware of energy-saving habits.
The Son Orlandis solar plant is one of a series of renewable projects built by Endesa in the Balearic Islands together with Sa Caseta (21.83 MW), Biniatria (14.97 MW), Son Reus (12.5 MW), Can na Lloreta (3.90 MW) and Son Orlandis (3.34 MW), all located in Mallorca with a total capacity of 56.6 MWp and co-financed by FEDER (European Regional Development Fund), with a total investment of €47 million.
A faster energy transition thanks to vanadium
Experimenting with new technologies on a commercial scale makes it possible to test increasingly effective storage technologies that support the effective transition to a decarbonised society.
The experience at the Son Orlandis plant is very useful in gaining specialist knowledge of flow battery technologies, which represent a promising solution to meet the challenge of long-term energy storage. These systems also enable these technologies to be distinguished because they counteract the risk of depletion of critical raw materials by offering new, innovative, high-performance solutions as a support for our renewable energy plants.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. In addition, it is the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. It undertakes end-to-end business including the generation, distribution and retailing of electricity. It also offers, through Endesa X, value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations, including electric mobility, where it is one of the main operators of charging stations in Spain. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and through Enel Green Power España, strongly supports the development of renewable energies the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our team totals around 9,000 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, Europe's largest electricity group.