First 4-hour BESS goes online in the Netherlands

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Dominique Becker Hoff, CCO of S4 Energy, said: “It is no secret that the Dutch electricity grid is under strain. The demand for electricity is growing faster than infrastructure can be expanded. There is a mismatch between the timing of demand and the availability of sustainably generated energy. Both issues are expected to persist for the foreseeable future. We know that storage solutions are essential to keep the grid stable and energy affordable.”

The announcement did not specify the BESS supplier, but a photo provided along with the release (above) appears to show Tesla Megapacks.

In October, S4 Energy acquired BESS development platform LC Energy and its 6GW project pipeline in the Netherlands, from UK developer Low Carbon, though it is unclear if this project is part of pipeline. Energy-Storage.news interviewed LC Energy executives about a 2GWh permitted project in September for a Premium article (subscription required).

Other large-scale projects expected to come online in the Netherlands this year include a 31.6MW/126.4MWh project from development vehicle FlevoBESS and a 45MW/90MWh project from developer Dispatch. Much larger projects, including those from S4 Energy/LC Energy, are coming down the line further ahead.

S4 Energy was one of the early movers in the Dutch BESS market with a 10MW project combining lithium-ion BESS and a flywheel coming online in 2020 but, until its acquisition of LC Energy, was notably absent among large-scale project announcements.

Companies developing projects in the GWh-scale in the Netherlands alongside it are Lion Storage, Giga Storage and Corre Energy, while SemperPower, PowerField and RWE have already deployed or are building sub-100MW grid-scale projects.

BNEF analyst Isshu Kikuma discusses trends and market dynamics impacting the cost of energy storage in 2024 with ESN Premium.

Although last year saw a dip in installations and projects submitted for planning, the BESS market in the UK continues to steam ahead with over 8GWh online and nearly 20GWh being built.

Developers Fidra Energy and Innova have secured planning consent for two large-scale BESS projects in the UK, which together total 2,425MW/5,150MWh of energy storage capacity.

A growing industry trend towards larger battery cell sizes and higher energy density containers is contributing significantly to falling battery energy storage system (BESS) costs. 

Netherlands-based system integrator Alfen has been revealed as the supplier for a 31.6MW/126.4MWh BESS currently under construction.