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ContourGlobal Bonaire + Wärtsilä

Reference case

Integrating renewable energy with storage solutions in Bonaire

Energy storage and GEMS enable intelligent renewables integration and greater energy reliability on the Caribbean island of Bonaire. 

The Caribbean island of Bonaire sought to ensure the reliability of the island’s energy supply and to increase renewable energy generation. ContourGlobal Bonaire, in cooperation with Bonaire’s power company, Water en Energiebedrijf Bonaire N.V., partnered with Wärtsilä for Wärtsilä’s GEMS sophisticated energy management expertise. Bonaire now hosts a 6 MW / 6 MWh energy storage system to reduce excess energy losses by a substantial margin.

Wärtsilä’s GEMS enables customers to intelligently synchronise power assets within a hybrid system, and new resources can be easily integrated. Specifcally for Bonaire, GEMS eliminated the issues presented by renewable intermittency by using artificial intelligence and historic and real-time data to calibrate what type of generation is needed at a specific time.  After completing the first phase of the project with Wärtsilä, the island has stopped curtailing excess energy losses from its wind resources, increasing annual wind energy by 6-8%.

This project is the beginning of a longer-term plan to fully modernise the island’s energy system and to add additional capacity and renewable energy generation to the grid, while setting Bonaire on the path to achieving its 100% renewable target without compromising on energy reliability.

WhoContourglobal Bonaire
What6 MW/6 MWh Energy storage system
WhereIsland of Bonaire, Caribbean

This is what we achieved

6 MW

And 6 MWh of energy storage capacity.

8%

Reduction in CO2 emissions.

5%

Reduction in fossil fuel consumption.

During our commissioning tests, several load rejections were tested, including loss of wind, loss of engines and loss of demand, and in every circumstance, GEMS instantaneously tracked and maintained the quality of the generation avoiding the load shedding of the grid.

Giorgio Narminio, Caribbean assets COO of ContourGlobal

How we did it

Challenge icon

Challenge

  • Replace outdated thermal technology and integrate renewables
  • Curtail wind resources
  • Prepare the island for additional capacity to accommodate peak energy demand during tourist season
Solution icon

Solution

  • Hybrid solution optimising thermal, wind and storage assets
  • Phased approach to spread out costs and ensure cutting-edge technology integration
  • Provision of spinning reserves to reduce fuel consumption and emissions
Benefit icon

Benefit

  • Nearly doubled renewable energy penetration, ensuring the island is on target to achieving a 100% renewable target
  • Improved operation through automation, lower cost of energy, reduced blackouts
  • Enabled the growing share of renewables to the island’s generation mix

The main details

CustomerContourglobal Bonaire
Site size6 MW/6 MWh
WhereIsland of Bonaire, Caribbean
ApplicationsIsland grid control, renewable integration, wind curtailment
ScopeEPC
Delivery2019
Bonaire_map

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Wärtsilä Energy Storage System will enable greater integration of renewable power on Caribbean island of Bonaire

Jan 24, 2019, 15:00 by Wärtsilä Corporation

The technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded an integrated 6 MW energy storage project contract for the Caribbean island of Bonaire. The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) hybrid energy project includes both the hardware, consisting of batteries and inverters, as well as GEMS, the energy management software from Greensmith Energy, a Wärtsilä company. The order with ContourGlobal Bonaire, a subsidiary of London based ContourGlobal, was booked in Q4, 2018.

The energy storage system will enable Bonaire, part of the Netherlands Antilles, to increase its use of renewable energy such as wind and solar. In order to integrate more renewable energy and its intermittent nature, the Wärtsilä energy storage solution will provide the grid stability and reliability required for the island. The energy storage solution will also prevent situations where generation from renewable sources would otherwise had to be curtailed. The project will integrate multiple generation assets including all of the island’s existing power generation assets, energy storage, wind and solar. GEMS software will control the island grid of Bonaire, an island of 19,000 inhabitants. Work on the Wärtsilä EPC project has commenced, and final completion is expected in April 2019.

“Wärtsilä was the best choice to realise integrated and optimised multiple generation assets. Their advanced energy storage and software platform will increase ContourGlobal’s wind power production and solar generation energy in Bonaire. For several years Wärtsilä has been a reliable partner of ContourGlobal. Both companies have successfully worked together on other power generation solutions around the world. Wärtsilä’s track record is outstanding. It was also important to us that Wärtsilä is capable to deliver on a fast-track schedule,” said Giorgio Narminio, Caribbean assets, COO at ContourGlobal. 

Sampo Suvisaari, Regional Director, Latin America North and the Caribbean at Wärtsilä commented; “This is an important project for Bonaire, and we are delighted to be once again working with ContourGlobal to enable an environmentally sustainable power solution. Our system will increase the reliability of the island’s power system, and the proven capability of the GEMS software to control the microgrid is a key factor in this.”

Greensmith's GEMS software platform offers the widest range of energy storage applications for optimising energy storage, often integrated with a growing variety of renewable and thermal generation assets.

ContourGlobal is an international owner and operator of contracted wholesale power generation businesses. It owns and operates approximately 4,830 MW in 103 power plants in 19 countries and three continents. ContourGlobal is listed on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange (TKR: GLO). 

Read more about Wärtsilä energy storage solutions.

Image caption: The Wärtsilä Energy Storage System will enable increased use of renewable energy, such as wind and solar, on the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Image courtesy of ContourGlobal.

For more information, please contact:

Lisa Magnuson
Senior Vice President, Global Marketing
Greensmith Energy, a Wärtsilä Company
Tel: +1 (415) 531 9199

lisa.magnuson@greensmithenergy.com 

Mirja-Maija Santala
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Wärtsilä Energy Business
Mob: +358 40 079 3827
mirja-maija.santala@wartsila.com

Greensmith Energy, a Wärtsilä Company 
Wärtsilä closed the acquisition of Greensmith Energy Management Systems Inc in July 2017. As the leading provider of energy storage software and integration services, Greensmith’s mission is to make energy storage a fundamental part of a more resilient, intelligent and distributed energy infrastructure. Greensmith’s GEMS software platform optimizes the performance of energy storage and integrated grid assets by lowering costs and maximizing system return on investment.
www.greensmithenergy.com

Wärtsilä Energy Business in brief
Wärtsilä Energy Business is leading the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. As an Energy System Integrator, we understand, design, build and serve optimal power systems for future generations. Wärtsilä’s solutions provide the needed flexibility to integrate renewables and secure power system reliability. Our offering includes flexible internal combustion engine-based power plants, hybrid solar power plants, energy storage & integration solutions, as well as gas to power systems. We support our customers over the lifecycle of their installations with services that enable increased efficiency and guaranteed performance. Wärtsilä has 68 GW of installed power plant capacity in 177 countries around the world.  
www.wartsila.com/energy  


Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2017, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 4.9 billion with approximately 18,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com 

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