Serving as an indicator of its possible future moves in the renewable energy (RES) sector, main power utility PPC has decided to install – as a pilot project – a pioneering lithium-ion battery system for energy storage at its production facility on the Dodecanese island of Karpathos.

The battery energy storage system, developed by German company Accusol, will be used on a trial basis over a six-month period, free of charge, while PPC will be given the right to extend this period by a further six months. The battery energy storage system, featuring hybrid technology, has a 40-KW capacity.

This technology promises to store renewable-source energy and be injected into the grid whenever required, without destabilizing the network.

The storage capacity of lithium-ion battery systems promises to help counter the shortcomings of RES facilities, which cannot function uninterruptedly as a result of their reliance on specific weather conditions – sun for solar parks and windy conditions for wind parks.

Though relatively small, Accusol maintains a close association with fellow German corporate giant Siemens. The firm began producing high-tech energy storage products in 2012. Accusol also collaborates with Germany’s Windwärts Energy GmbH on the installation of photovoltaic systems for industrial use, as well as other firms on a variety of projects.