EVN Naturkraft's Dorfmühle small hydropower plant is now equipped with a co-located Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to enhance grid stability, improve energy management, and optimize resource utilization. The storage system features first-life LFP battery racks with a capacity of 0.6 MW/1.2 MWh and a 400V connection point.
By integrating renewable energy with storage, the hybrid system will provide grid services through participation in the Automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve (aFRR) market, also known as the secondary control reserve market, while simultaneously trading energy in the day-ahead and intraday markets. This is made possible by CyberGrid's flexibility management platform, CyberNoc, enabling efficient flexibility management and trading in balancing and wholesale markets.
BESS Dorfmühle trading strategies
The project's strategy prioritizes revenue optimization by focusing on the balancing markets when there are low price spreads in energy markets. In times with high price spreads, the BESS will also trade energy in the day-ahead and intraday markets, drawing power from the grid exclusively when providing regulation reserve services.
The system is expected to complete approximately two charge-discharge cycles per day, with the target of maintaining 70% State of Health (SoH) after a designated number of cycles. By leveraging hybrid use cases, the project maximizes existing grid infrastructure, reducing costs and simplifying market participation.
The Dorfmühle small hydropower plant
The Dorfmühle small hydropower plant generates over 10 million kWh of electricity annually, meeting the energy needs of more than 3,000 average households in the municipalities of Kematen/Ybbs, Allhartsberg, and Haag. In addition to providing renewable energy, the site also serves as a peaceful nature reserve.
Run-of-river and small hydropower plants ensure continuous energy generation, while storage power plants help balance electricity supply and demand. Originally built over a century ago to power a paper factory, the plant underwent a complete revitalization in 2003. Today, it operates as part of EVN Naturkraft’s network of approximately 70 small hydropower plants in Lower Austria, contributing to regional energy security and climate protection.
