Better battery system regulations needed in W. Balkans – Voltalia
Date: March 10th 2023
Author: Montel
Category: En.vision
Topic:
Electricity
, Energy policy
, New technologies
, Economy
, En.vision
Although businesses are eager to invest in large-scale battery storage systems, Western Balkan countries need to improve their regulatory frameworks for this to happen, French renewables developer Voltalia’s country director for Albania said on Friday.
Voltalia is currently constructing two large solar farms in Albania with a combined capacity of 240 MW and also planning to install another 1.5 GW of solar and wind capacity in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.Speaking during an energy conference in Tirana, Constantin von Alvensleben said that the governments of these three countries should coordinate their battery storage installation plans, and in so doing improve system balancing across their national power grids.
“There is considerable interest in the [business] community to invest in large-scale battery [storage] facilities which could even cover a number of countries such as Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia (…). The storage facilities need to be developed and the regulatory framework especially for battery storage should be made clearer,” he said.
North Macedonia in particular has been trying to attract investment in battery storage systems following a recent boom in solar installations which has led to grid overloads on certain sunny days.
“This [a better regulatory framework] can trigger huge investment and make it much easier for the energy transition to proceed,” he added.
Karavasta solar farm
Voltalia is already in the process of installing photovoltaic panels at its 140 MW Karavasta solar farm, and according to von Alvensleben it should be operational by Q4 2023.“Karavasta will deliver power as of the Q4 of this year and it will satisfy the energy needs of 220,000 households,” he told the conference.
The initial plan was to start production in Q2, and von Alvensleben did not elaborate on the cause of the delay. However, he did note that in recent months solar panels have become more expensive and supply problems are ongoing.
“Most modules are produced in China and there we still have interruptions in production due to Covid pandemic,” he added.
Half the electricity produced by Karavasta will be offered to the Albanian state at a price of EUR 24.89/MWh, while the other half will be sold on the open market. Voltalia will also build another 100 MW solar farm in the coastal village of Spitalle, 60 kilometres north of the Albanian capital Tirana.
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