First data centre to contribute to grid stability in Germany

A German data centre will for the first time be able to help ensure grid stability, says energy company RWE. Data centres are mostly known for their high electricity consumption, but a new solution will allow them to contribute to grid stability through a battery storage system with increased capacity and an integrated battery monitoring system. The so-called Master+, developed by RWE Supply & Trading and Riello Power Systems, is able to automatically draw power from the grid or supply power to the grid in the event of a power imbalance. For the first time, the Master+ solution will now be employed at the Kraftwerks-Simulator-Gesellschaft's (KSG) data centre in Essen.

Data centres store and process large amounts of data, and have uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems and emergency power generators available. These can be used to provide grid stability at times when, for example, power generation from renewable energy drops due to low wind power output. Batteries are increasingly used to cushion fluctuating renewables in the context of Germany's Energiewende, making the country a testbed for storage technology.