Jantzen, SMILE pilot coordinator of Samsø

In Samsø the site acceptance test, on the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) installed in the Ballen Marina, has just been completed successfully. The battery, located in the former warehouse building, was discharged and charged to see if it performed correctly in accordance with specifications.

 The battery is 240kWh nominally and it is supplied by renewable energy from photovoltaic (PV) panels installed throughout the harbour. The battery operates in default mode at the moment which means that whenever there is excess energy from the PV panels the battery will charge. Excess energy means that the production from the PV panels is larger than the consumption from the boats, the sauna and all the other loads on the system. So, when the Ballen Marina produces more electricity than what is actually needed, the excess amount of electricity is stored in the battery and it can be used to compensate the unpredictability of the solar energy.

A waste water pump and five heat pumps are connected to the electrical system. In the future there is the wish to control the waste water pump and heat pumps remotely. This functionality is expected to be implemented in the next 6 months. Actually, they have to be connected to the general control system. Then it will be possible to switch the loads on, when needed, in a clever way in order to utilize most of the renewable energy possible and save money at the same time. The PV panels are not large enough to supply electricity all year around. So, the Ballen Marina will have to buy electricity from the outside. Those prices vary, night and day, every hour, therefore the expectation is through the advanced control system  to manage these components in a smart way in order to be able to buy electricity when it is cheap.

In the video J. Jantzen explains which smart grid technologies will be demonstrated in the Ballen Marina. He uses a map of the harbour and Lego blocks to show what the situation looks like in the Ballen Marina. He also explains how the smart grid system works in the port and what Samsø hopes to achieve in the future.