The GENSSIS project aims to respond to the energy network challenges of volatility, imbalance and uncertainty by developing a system which would support and enhance the existing grid infrastructure without producing CO2 emissions. This system will incorporate the principles of Gravitational Potential Energy Storage into a modular design which can be scaled up and co-located with existing infrastructure to provide services to power grid system needs.
Existing bulk storage works well today, e.g. Pumped Hydro, however, further expansion is limited by geographical constraints, requiring major developments of national consequence. Modular system services which can be strategically co-located with existing infrastructure and are capable of utility scaling most notably would be batteries. While the cost of battery storage has been significantly reduced in very recent years, there has not been a significant parallel technological advancement. Batteries still have relatively short life spans, require careful management, and rely on raw materials listed as “critical supply” with little or no ability to be recycled. The GENSSIS design would represent a significantly more robust, sustainable, alternative to batteries, having a vastly superior 50year plus life span and distinct potential for scalability.
This innovation will focus on both existing and emerging system needs, especially in the areas where the value of inertia can be demonstrated in a new frequency response product, such as the GENSSIS system would represent. EU Staff working paper: “Energy storage will play a key role in enabling the EU to develop a low carbon electricity system.”
