Billion Electric has announced that its second AFC energy storage project in Yilan has passed the Taipower test. The company has commissioned Billion Watts, as an aggregator, to participate in the frequency regulation reserve bidding.

Billion Electric / Provided

Billion Electric (3027-TW) announced that its group has successfully completed the testing of its second 2.3MW dReg Frequency Regulation Reserve Energy Storage System in Toucheng, Yilan, which passed the Taiwan Power Company's AFC communication and operational capability tests on the 17th. The system will officially join the Taiwan Power Company’s electricity trading platform through its subsidiary, Billion Watts, which holds more than three qualified professionals for power trading platform certification. With this move, Billion Electric becomes the first domestic company to aggregate grid-connected energy storage resources and bid for frequency regulation reserve products on the platform. This initiative aims to ensure regional power supply stability and supports Taiwan’s energy transition and net-zero carbon emission policy goals.

Billion Electric announced that after successfully launching its first 1.1MW dReg AFC project in Longde, Yilan, on January 1st, it began implementing a battery capacity expansion plan in May to increase the capacity to 2.3MW. The expansion project has recently been completed, and the company will soon apply to Taipower for capacity testing for the updated bid. With the increasing integration of renewable energy into the grid, the demand for energy storage from Taipower is expected to rise. Billion Electric is actively positioning itself in the energy storage system market and participating in Taipower's electricity trading platform. The company’s third dReg AFC project, located in Li-Ze, Yilan, with a capacity of 2.5MW, is expected to pass testing and be operational by the end of October this year. Additionally, the 3MW dReg AFC project in Taibao, Chiayi, is scheduled to complete testing by the end of the year. These projects will total a storage investment scale of 10.1MW and cover dReg 0.25 and dReg 0.5 dynamic frequency regulation products. The estimated annual output value is approximately NT$70 million.

Billion Electric has successfully completed the capacity expansion of its first AFC self-owned project site in Su'ao, Yilan, reaching 2.3 MW. After completing the capability test, the project is set to resume bidding. Billion Electric/Provided

Among these, the most economically valuable products are the dReg and E-dReg frequency regulation reserve services. In the event of an emergency in the power grid, both products must have active frequency detection capabilities to quickly respond with charge and discharge actions within one second. However, dReg only needs to discharge for 15 minutes when triggered by a low-frequency event, while E-dReg is required to sustain 50% of its power during Taipower's dispatch, providing charge/discharge services for up to 4 hours or more, thus offering peak-shifting energy transfer services. These systems play a crucial role in stabilizing the power grid and are expected to generate strong long-term returns."

Billion Electric, through its investment in Billion Watts in 2017, has expanded into the fields of photovoltaics, energy storage, and intelligent monitoring systems. The company has established itself as a one-stop Energy as a Service (EaaS) provider in Taiwan, offering energy management systems (EMS) and ICT integration services. These services are tailored to different energy storage applications, including grid-connected storage, large consumer storage, behind-the-meter storage, and hybrid photovoltaic-storage solutions. Billion Watts has successfully partnered with several international industry leaders to secure UL and IEC certifications for equipment such as batteries, battery management systems (BMS), and power conditioning systems (PCS). These systems utilize lithium ternary and lithium iron phosphate batteries that have no fire spread history worldwide.

Billion Watts, in collaboration with renowned domestic and international renewable energy investors, is set to complete installations in the second half of 2022. The projects, which will be listed on the electricity trading platform, include external commissioned cases such as 1.4 MW in Taitung, 5 MW in Miaoli, 3 MW in Taichung, and 9 MW in Tainan. By mid-2023, Billion Watts is also expected to complete the commissioning of a 35.4 MW dReg frequency regulation reserve energy storage project. Furthermore, Billion Watts has signed a 30 MWh E-dReg procurement agreement with battery manufacturers, with plans to complete the largest E-dReg 9.5 MW distribution-level grid connection installation within one year.

Elaine Chen, Associate Director of Billion Watts, stated that the company's mission is to develop net-zero carbon emission technologies. Currently, the company is preparing for the upcoming technical specifications for outdoor battery energy storage system site verification to be issued by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection. This includes fire safety certification, design review, and site inspection to ensure compliance with the verification technical specifications and obtain the VPC certificate. Consensus can be reached between the central government and local municipalities regarding the feasibility of land for grid-connected energy storage. This includes industrial zones designated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, special, Class A, and Class B industrial land within urban planning industrial zones, Ding-type building land in non-urban planning areas, as well as science park zones where energy storage systems can be installed. This approach will support the implementation of industrial technologies and the cultivation of local energy talent, driving the sustainable growth of the green energy economy, environment, and society.