Under normal conditions, the electricity storage system in Butrimonys supplies green energy to the beer and soft drink manufacturer Švyturys-Utenos Alus daily, helping to reduce electricity costs and the CO₂ footprint.
The electricity storage system began when Inion Software – a company offering innovative solutions for solar power monitoring and electricity storage management – together with renewable energy firm Green Genius, completed the second phase of solar power and storage installations for the Švyturys-Utenos Alus factory. This phase saw the installation of an electricity storage system featuring a hybrid 4.3 MVA inverter with a 2 MWh battery and a 5 MW solar plant, as well as a 3.2 MVA inverter with a 2 MWh battery.
As Dr Šarūnas Stanaitis, CEO of Inion Software explains, when the electricity storage system in Butrimonys was connected to the country’s energy balancing in September, it provided clear evidence that business-oriented energy storage systems in Lithuania are entering a new phase. They can be helpful not only for passive energy storage but also as an active tool for grid balancing.
Š. Stanaitis elaborates:
We can only hope that this will encourage other companies to participate in maintaining grid stability, making our country’s energy system even more reliable and sustainable. Seeing the project succeed is motivating for us as well, since the electricity storage management system developed by Inion Software was implemented for this project. The Inview platform is integrated with Litgrid and enables trading on the mFRR, aFRR and FCR balancing markets. Electricity traders can also carry out scheduled energy sales on the Nord Pool market. In addition, the energy management system controls electricity flows, ensures safe, smooth and efficient operation, and allows the parameters of the power plant to be monitored at any time of day, significantly facilitating maintenance.
Ruslan Sklepovič, CEO of Green Genius, comments:
By operating efficiently, we can not only accumulate but also balance electricity energy on a network scale. Such projects show that businesses can make a real contribution to the country’s energy security and reduce the usage of fossil fuels. Every step that increases the share of local green energy and its management flexibility is an important step towards a more sustainable energy sector.
Balancing electricity energy is extremely important because it helps maintain the stability of the country’s grid and ensures that the frequency of electricity does not deviate. Balancing is necessary because of the constant imbalance between production and consumption in the electricity grid – for example, when weather conditions cause a sudden drop in solar or wind power generation while consumption increases.