New swarm storage pilot aims to ease power grids

ORF reported that a pilot project using a network of battery storage units went into operation Tuesday in Wolkersdorf in the Mistelbach district, with the aim of using renewable energy more efficiently and easing pressure on electricity grids.

The project will install 24 storage units at 10 transformer sites, with a combined capacity of around five megawatt-hours. The system will absorb surplus solar power from households and businesses and release it when needed.

This will reduce the burden on the grid and improve efficiency because the electricity will not need to be transferred to higher grid levels, those involved said at the launch.

The project is being led by Wolkersdorf-based energy company electrify smart energy. Its owner, Rudolf Schütz, said integrating such storage systems into local grids could allow private solar installations to be connected that otherwise could not be accommodated.

Research project examines grid effects

Electrify smart energy is working with EVN and Netz Niederösterreich on a research project examining how the storage system affects the distribution grid. EVN board member Stefan Szyszkowitz said the project was intended to identify the best balance between power producers, the grid and storage operators.

In the long term, Lower Austria Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner of the ÖVP said, the technology could help make electricity prices cheaper and more stable by reducing the need for further grid expansion and damping network costs.

The project is supported by the provincial business agency ecoplus and the University for Continuing Education Krems. Netz Niederösterreich has issued flexible grid connections for the first time in Austria. When the grid is under strain, the company sets operating limits, known as envelopes, within which the storage units must run.

Initial results are expected by the end of the year. If the project is successful, the system is scheduled to be rolled out across Lower Austria from 2027.