Tractebel to support Graciólica to provide 100% clean energy and fully automated grid forming services

Graciólica is delighted to announce that its microgrid power facility provided 100% renewable energy to the island of Graciosa for days during the trial run having the full system operational as part of the final commissioning tests. The Portuguese company is very satisfied to be able to obtain successful testing results before the end of 2018.

Dom Hughes, Director of Graciólica: “Completing the Graciólica project has required patient investors and the collective efforts of a large team of highly talented engineers from around the world, including from our customer, EDA, and our own team on site. Tractebel coordinated the project in 2018 working with Greensmith Energy as the provider of hybrid microgrid technology and solution, and Leclanché who supplied the battery system. Greensmith’s GEMS controls platform is central to the plant’s operation. Graciólica will provide 100% clean energy under the right conditions, as well as, provide fully automated grid forming services to EDA.”

Quentin Renoy, BESS Product Manager, Tractebel: “Graciólica project is a typical example of a (complex) team success. Indeed, this success was supported by a full commitment and involvement of many different parties working as an integrated team. Tractebel has been proud to support Graciólica as Project Manager ensuring the coordination between the project partners. We can all be proud to have passed the commissioning tests, demonstrating the stability and efficiency of the system, paving the way to replace existing energy generation with Diesel fuel by clean energy from wind, solar and batteries. This first of its kind project will open doors to many other similar projects in the world.”

Scott Osborne, Vice President, Greensmith Energy, a Wärtsilä company: “We are thrilled to be a part of this momentous project as it is a is a huge step forward in the fight against climate change. Flexibility is the future of the global energy sector with the integration of the power system with renewables and energy storage. The complexity of managing and optimizing wind and solar energy, thermal power and energy storage packaged in a scalable solution, will have a significant impact on every island grid in the world.”

Anil Srivastava, CEO of Leclanché: “This achievement is fantastic for the people of Graciosa and a testament to the fact that we can reduce our dependence on dirty fuels and increase substantially the integration of renewables into the electricity supply TODAY. We wish to thank HowardScott for choosing Leclanché as its partner and selecting our Lithium Titanate Cells (LTO)-based Battery Energy Storage System to power this landmark project. The long life performance attributes of LTO Cells are at the heart of this microgrid project, as they maximize the integration of wind energy, are able to withstand the thousands of micro cycles and stress on the battery system, and their long life supports the long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for this project.”

Scott Macaw: “HowardScott is proud that our unexpected role as the developer of this project has enabled a successful conclusion to what has been a very long journey and we now look forward to Graciólica supplying clean energy in the Azores under the terms of its PPA.”

Graciólica a project by HowardScott: www.howardscott.com

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Have a look at the Graciosa project movie below