Tesla-powered Slovenian company ups the ante with new Megapack installation

A Tesla-powered company in the European country of Slovenia has increased its sustainable energy project by adding Tesla Megapacks to its already existing infrastructure of Powerpacks.

In 2019, NGEN, a Slovenian energy system solutions company, became the first country in the Balkin Peninsula to install a grid-scale battery storage unit. It consisted of 126 Tesla Powerpacks capable of a 22.2 MWh capacity. Now, NGEN is upping the stakes with a new 15 MW/30 MWh Tesla Megapack in the town of Kidričevo.

“After successful implementation of Tesla Powerpack in 2019, we immediately continued with a second, even bigger project,” NGEN told Teslarati.

The company expected the €15 million ($17,613,675) project following the success of the Powerpack investment last year. After introducing the first Tesla energy system in October 2019, NGEN’s Damien Merlak said that additional installations were expected for 2020.

Twelve Megapacks provide NGEN with a 30.2 MWh capacity, which is prepared to assist the European grid in preventing blackouts. The grid ranges from the Iberian Peninsula over Turkey to Nordkapp, Norway, and has a frequency of approximately 50.0 Hz, NGEN said. “The grid frequency is the same all over the grid, with the exception of local short-term swings. To prevent blackouts, grid services are required.”

However, many grid services are powered by conventional generators, which ultimately leads to higher maintenance costs and lower efficiency. This is where Tesla’s battery energy storage systems, or BESS, come into play.

NGEN recognizes the importance of energy storage systems for future implementation in the European sector. “Power grids today are centralized. Fault on transmission grids could cause a blackout, not only in the country where it occurred but in the whole of Europe. To prevent that from happening, power grids need to be transformed,” the company said.

To assist in the transition to BESS for the European grid, NGEN has also developed an in-house software that can control “all different assets included in the aggregator’s portfolio.” NGEN’s software has the ability to enable complete frequency regulation services to European transmission and distribution system operators. Additionally, the software is compliant with European Union trading and balancing platforms, including Tesla’s Autobidder.

As for the future, NGEN said it plans to expand to neighboring countries beginning in 2021. “We are looking for possibilities to assist other companies with installation, setting up the BESS, controlling it with our software, and to offer technical support on international markets. Our mission is to build a network of integrated systems in this part of Europe, which will meet the upcoming challenges of the transition into a carbon-free society.”

A video released by NGEN on its new Megapack system is available below.

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