EnBW has inaugurated an integrated energy park in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, that combines solar power, wind power, and battery storage at a single location.  

It is claimed to be the first ever project to integrate a solar park, wind turbines, and storage systems at a single site.  

EnBW CEO Georg Stamatelopoulos and Baden-Württemberg Minister for the Environment, Climate and Energy Sector Thekla Walker opened the site, with the initial 58MW photovoltaic (PV) plant currently named as the second largest facility in the German state.  

A new hybrid battery storage system is currently being installed at the site. The project also includes two wind turbines, for which the approval process is already in progress. 

The energy park, covering a total area of 64 hectares (ha), can generate enough electricity annually to meet the needs of about 30,000 households.  

The solar park, which occupies 55ha of this space, is equipped with approximately 110,000 PV modules. 

A hybrid storage facility is being installed on-site, combining 12 used Audi e-tron batteries with a sodium-ion system. This setup boasts a capacity of 2.25MWh and an output of 1.22MW, making it the largest installation of its kind in Europe, stated the company. 

The storage system will have the ability to supply the equivalent electricity used by approximately 3,400 households for two hours. 

Stamatelopoulos said: "First of all, I am extremely pleased that EnBW will achieve its highest expansion in renewables this year. This applies to Germany as a whole and also to Baden-Württemberg. This means this is a record year for us, and this particular project is a great example of how a site can benefit from multiple renewable technologies." 

Walker said: “The location will combine solar and wind energy on one site with a common substation, helping to save grid connection costs. Future storage systems will optimise the feed-in process based on demand. The planned use of used electric car batteries in the battery storage system demonstrates that renewables are also leading the way when it comes to recycling and resource efficiency.”  

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, the partner in a research project, is developing the energy management system, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, to optimise technology integration.