Hydro-Québec’s EVLO energy storage systems (Photo: courtesy)
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Hydro-Québec is launching its Energy Storage subsidiary EVLO, which wants to sell energy storage systems that are safe and respectful of the environment.
“These systems are intended primarily for producers, carriers and distributors of electricity as well as commercial and industrial markets of medium and large scale,” said the state company in a statement.
“Energy storage will be at the heart of the energy transition,” says Sophie Brochu, President and CEO of Hydro-Québec.
“We firmly believe that the know-how that Quebec has acquired in the field of batteries will help support the development of solar and wind energy. Our products also offer interesting possibilities for existing electricity networks, among others for the management of peaks in consumption, ”says Hydro-Québec President and CEO Sophie Brochu.
EVLO modules, which are actually huge batteries housed in containers that use a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemical composition. These cells are said to be much safer than traditional lithium-ion batteries “because of their molecular structure, which provides intrinsic safety against thermal runaway.”
Hydro-Québec adds that from an environmental standpoint, its batteries are 99% recyclable.
EVLO storage systems have been put to the test under real operating conditions in the Hydro-Québec network, in Montérégie, in Nord-du-Québec and in Lac-Mégantic.
A first international project
The EVLO subsidiary has signed a memorandum of understanding with Innergex renewable energy as part of the Tonnerre project, in the region of Burgundy, France.
The project involves the installation of a 9 megawatt-hour storage system in the network of the Electricity Transmission Network (RTE) of France.
“Tonnerre is Innergex’s first stand-alone battery project to meet capacity needs and we are pleased to join forces with Hydro-Québec to deploy our expertise internationally,” declared Michel Letellier, President and CEO of Innergex.
Mr. Letellier points out that the $ 5 million contract will promote the adoption of renewable energies. “We want to create more and more renewable energy such as wind and solar, but unlike our large hydroelectric plants, the energy production of these sectors is more variable,” he says.
Michel Letellier, President and CEO of Innergex (Photo: courtesy)
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The leader stresses that if we want to free ourselves from coal and nuclear power, we must ensure a certain stability of the electricity networks. “We then enter into battery management. For example, thanks to storage, we will be able to take solar energy produced during the day and use it only in the evening, ”he explains.
For the Tonnerre project, this is the first time that Innergex has used Hydro-Québec’s battery. “We want to increasingly showcase Quebec know-how in order to be able to carry out value-added projects internationally,” says Mr. Letellier.
The peculiarity of this battery is that it can react almost instantaneously to make a balance between the charges and the demand. “It’s to strengthen places that are a little less well served by the networks. This allows, among other things, to avoid undervoltage which can be fatal for certain electronic devices, ”he adds.
Mr. Letellier hopes that this first step with Hydro-Quebec will lead to several others internationally.
At Hydro-Québec, we explain that the technology marketed by EVLO is the result of more than 40 years of research and development.
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