The development of renewable energy that is intermittent and decentralised requires the security of the electricity grid through flexible electricity storage capacities, especially in the form of batteries.
Total's energy storage system will be used to provide fast reserve services to support the stability of the French power grid. It is part of government policy to support the development of electrical capacity through capacity mechanisms.
Scheduled for commissioning in late 2020, the new storage system, which represents an investment of around €15 million, will be based on Saft’s Intensium Max 20 High Energy solution and will comprise 11 integrated 2.3 MWh containers – designed and manufactured at Saft’s production site in Bordeaux.
“This project is part of Total’s strategy to develop the stationary energy storage solutions that are critical to the expansion of renewable energy, which is intermittent by nature. It will contribute toward the goal of increasing the share of renewables in France’s energy mix, while helping to stabilise the domestic power grid,” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total.
Total and Low-Carbon Electricity
As part of its ambition to become the responsible energy major, Total is building a portfolio of low-carbon electricity operations, with the objective of seeing them account for 15 to 20% of its sales mix by 2040.
Today, Total’s gross low-carbon power generation capacity is close to 7 gigawatts, of which more than 3 gigawatts are from renewable energy sources.