Wartsila to build 6 MW energy storage facility on Caribbean island

The technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded an integrated 6 MW energy storage project contract for the Caribbean island of Bonaire. The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) hybrid energy project includes both the hardware, consisting of batteries and inverters, as well as GEMS, the energy management software from Greensmith Energy, a Wärtsilä company. The order with ContourGlobal Bonaire, a subsidiary of London based ContourGlobal, was booked in Q4, 2018.

The energy storage system will enable Bonaire, part of the Netherlands Antilles, to increase its use of renewable energy such as wind and solar. In order to integrate more renewable energy and its intermittent nature, the Wärtsilä energy storage solution will provide the grid stability and reliability required for the island. The energy storage solution will also prevent situations where generation from renewable sources would otherwise had to be curtailed. The project will integrate multiple generation assets including all of the island’s existing power generation assets, energy storage, wind and solar. GEMS software will control the island grid of Bonaire, an island of 19,000 inhabitants. Work on the Wärtsilä EPC project has commenced, and final completion is expected in April 2019.

Greensmith's GEMS software platform offers the widest range of energy storage applications for optimising energy storage, often integrated with a growing variety of renewable and thermal generation assets.

ContourGlobal is an international owner and operator of contracted wholesale power generation businesses. It owns and operates approximately 4,830 MW in 103 power plants in 19 countries and three continents. ContourGlobal is listed on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange (TKR: GLO).