The first large-scale solar power plant to be built in Côte d’Ivoire will integrate a 10MW energy storage system for smooth grid integration.
The 37.5MWp Boundiali solar photovoltaic PV power plant will be owned and operated by CI-Energies (Côte d’Ivoire Energies). Saft, a TotalEnergies subsidiary, has won the contract from Eiffage Energie Système to deliver the 10MW Energy Storage System (ESS).
The primary role of the ESS will be capacity firming and smoothing of the solar plant’s inherently intermittent output. This should ensure a predictable and reliable feed into the local grid.
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The fully-integrated lithium-ion ESS will comprise six Saft Intensium Max High Energy containers. These should provide a total of 13.8MWh (megawatt-hour) energy storage, together with power conversion and medium voltage power station systems.
Ludovic Bavière of Eiffage Energie Systems said as the main contractor it was essential for them to find an ESS partner that could ensure the system would operate reliably throughout its 10-year life. “The quality of our discussions and a previous experience reassured us of Saft’s ability to carry out this strategic project for our client, CI-Energies.”
Côte d’Ivoire wants to become West Africa’s energy hub
Côte d’Ivoire had an installed electricity production capacity of 2,229MW in 2019, which is expected to double by 2030. The current electricity supply is provided through thermal energy and hydroelectric dams. The Côte d’Ivoire government wants to make the country the energy hub of West Africa by 2030 through an energy mix incorporating 42% renewables.
Boundiali is a city populated by around 40,000 people, in the north of the country. The country’s first solar power plant will produce clean electricity for around 30,000 households. It should help avoid around 27,000 tonnes of CO2 and create 300 jobs in the region.
The area is classified as a semi-arid zone with a hot and very dry climate. In addition to ensuring reliability and long life in ambient temperatures that can reach 37°C, the battery containers had to be designed to resist hot and dusty winds.
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The ESS will rapidly charge or discharges its lithium-ion batteries to accommodate the solar power plant’s intermittent output. It then provides a smooth generation profile equivalent to the plant’s output averaged over 30 minutes which can be easily accepted by the local grid.
CI Energies also plans to test the ESS in other network support options such as ramp rate control, frequency support, reactive power support and black start. This will provide useful data on the ageing of batteries in different service stacking scenarios.
Energy storage as the cornerstone of Africa’s energy transition and the role energy storage plays in completing the supply profile of the C&I customer will be discussed at Enlit Africa.
Enlit Africa (the unifying brand for African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa) invites you to join the conversation 7-9 June 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa.