Safe, sustainable and Modular HYbrid systems for Long-duration Energy storage and grid Services

The dramatic effects of the climate crisis are calling for a change in the electrical grid paradigm. The market of Energy Storage Systems is now undertaking continuous growth, boosted by the relentless penetration of renewables. In this context, state of the art ESSs still have several limitations mainly due to technological constraints. Technology-dependent reaction times and rigid coupling between energy and power capacity, makes the choice of a specific ESS for different use cases very cumbersome and seldom optimal from both the technical and economic point of view. SMHYLES project proposes novel sustainable Hybrid Energy Storage Systems (HESSs) based on the combination of two low-CRM storage technologies, one with long duration capacity and one with very high-power density, providing ultra-fast ancillary services, managed in a combined control by smart EMSs. The projects comprehend the design, construction, deployment and demonstration of an Aqueous-based HESS (AHESS) and a Salt-based HESS (SHESS) as well as a storage duration expansion. Three demo sites in Portugal and Germany cover islanded grid, industrial microgrid, provision of grid services and EV charging use cases. Novel solutions for electrolyte recycling are also scaled up to industrially relevant size. The project will finalize techno-economic analyses to evaluate market segments for HESSs commercialization and deal with life cycle assessment along the whole design process. Digital twins are developed to support the optimal design of HESSs components and systems, define the strategies for HESSs real time management, investigate the business potential of SMHYLES solutions for specific use cases and countries, and support and test the energy management systems of the developed hybrid storage technologies. With high technological and economical advancements, SMHYLES will unlock novel flexible and multi-purpose energy storage solutions and ensure a remarkable impact on the European energy market.