Largest battery storage facility in the Gossau region in operation

30.08.2024 - Axpo has supplied, installed and commissioned a battery storage facility for Stadtwerke Gossau. The battery storage system with a capacity of 2.5 megawatts is the largest in the region. It helps the municipal utility company to integrate renewable energies into the electricity grid and can compensate for fluctuations in demand and power peaks in the distribution grid.

The largest battery storage facility in the region has been connected to the grid at the Werkhof site on Bischofszellerstrasse in Gossau. Axpo supplied the storage facility to Stadtwerke Gossau, installed it and put it into operation. The battery storage system meets the specific needs of Gossau and is tailored to the region's grid topography.

The ever-increasing proportion of renewable energies in the system makes it more challenging to predict electricity production. While photovoltaic systems produce an abundance of energy on sunny days, they supply less electricity on rainy days. Battery storage systems such as the one in the town of Gossau can store the surplus electricity and feed it back into the grid when required. In this way, it balances out fluctuations in demand and power peaks in the distribution grid.

The battery storage system can also compensate for reactive power and supports voltage stability in the region. In the event of a large-scale blackout, the storage system, which is capable of black start and stand-alone operation, means that businesses relevant to maintaining the supply in the town of Gossau can continue to be supplied with electricity in stand-alone mode. The battery storage system also provides system services for the national grid company Swissgrid, helping the region to make the grid more stable.

“What was initiated in 2019 with a parliamentary proposal can be seen five years later: An energy storage system that guarantees Gossau's security of supply,” says Claudia Martin, City Councillor and Head of the Security of Supply Department.