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Younicos and Aggreko unveil first battery connected to world’s first floating wind farm


  • 1 megawatt (MW) Batwind system designed by Younicos will dynamically integrate power from the Equinor’s 30 MW Hywind floating wind farm off the coast of Scotland
  • Aggreko provided power during the construction of both the wind farm and battery
  • Batwind marks the first joint project since Aggreko acquired Younicos

Peterhead (Scotland) and Berlin, 27 June 2018 – Norwegian energy company Equinor and Abu-Dhabi-based Masdar have unveiled the world’s first battery attached to a floating wind farm.

The 1 MW system, designed and supplied by battery storage integrator Younicos, will dynamically balance power from the offshore Hywind wind farm, owned by Equinor and Masdar. The project marks the first in-the-field collaboration between the energy storage pioneer and parent company Aggreko, which provided power both during the installation of the battery system and of the wind farm itself.

Two Younicos Y.Cubes, portable modular battery containers, have been placed at the Hywind Scotland onshore substation in Peterhead, Scotland. The purpose of the Batwind storage solution is to explore how a battery can help increase the value of electricity produced, and how a battery can best integrate the wind farm into grid.

Karim Wazni, Managing Director of Younicos said: “We’re very proud to partner with Equinor and provide our expertise from over 200 megawatts of storage projects to this pioneering project. By adding energy storage capabilities to another world “first” – the world’s first floating wind farm – we hope to demonstrate the essential role that storage plays as we continue pushing the frontier in producing sustainable energy.

“Specifically, we’ve equipped Batwind with our intelligent Y.Q software, which ensures that the battery ’learns’ the optimal storage conditions. Our software tells the battery when to store electricity and for how long, and when and how much to inject back onto the grid.”

The Batwind and Hywind projects are collaborative partnerships between Equinor and Masdar, operated by Equinor on behalf of Masdar; Equinor holds an ownership share of 75% and Masdar 25%. Based on the learnings and test results of the 1MW / 1.3 MWh storage system, Equinor and Masdar will assess next steps in further developing the solution.

About Younicos

Younicos is the pioneer and market leader in game-changing energy storage and grid solutions, which are available for purchase or as a service. We provide utilities, independent power producers, microgrids and C&I customers with turnkey storage systems, supporting a wide range of business opportunities. Younicos employs 130 storage experts in Berlin, Germany and Austin, Texas. In July 2017, Younicos was acquired by Aggreko and is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the global leader in mobile power, heating and cooling. For more information, please visit www.younicos.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Aggreko

Around the world, people, businesses and countries are striving for a better future – a future that needs power and the right conditions to succeed.

Aggreko works round the clock, making sure everyone gets the electricity, heating and cooling they need, whenever they need it – all powered by our class-leading equipment, trademark passion, unrivalled international experience and local knowledge. From urban development to unique commercial projects and even humanitarian emergencies, we bring our expertise and equipment to any location, from the world’s busiest cities to some of the most remote places on earth.

That’s what has made us the world’s leading provider of modular, mobile power and heating and cooling. We’ve been in business since 1962. We have more than 7,300 employees, operating from around 200 locations in 100 countries. With revenues of approximately GBP 1.7bn (USD 2.2bn or Euros 2bn) in 2017, we are listed on the London Stock Exchange (AGK.L) and have our headquarters in Scotland.

Our business helps transform the lives and livelihoods of individuals, organisations and communities across the globe, in both developed and developing countries and markets.

We operate across all sectors, including oil and gas, petrochemical and refining, utilities, manufacturing, construction, mining and events.

We design and manufacture equipment specifically for these requirements in our factory in Dumbarton, Scotland and work with leading innovators to ensure our equipment offers maximum fuel flexibility, by using gas, diesel (including HFO) and renewable fuel sources.

For more information, please visit our website at www.aggreko.com