CKW’s large-scale virtual power plant reaches capacity exceeding 1 gigawatt
Lucerne - CKW’s virtual large-scale power plant has grown to a capacity of over 1 gigawatt from customer plants. Together with CKW’s own power plants, the Flexpool achieves a capacity of 1.4 gigawatts. The large power plant makes a significant contribution to grid stability.
The virtual large-scale power plant of CKW has reached a milestone, as the Lucerne energy provider which is part of Axpo has reported in a company release. Specifically, the combined capacity of all customer plants within the CKW Flexpool has risen to over 1 gigawatt. Together with CKW’s own power plants, the large power plant therefore has a capacity of more than 1.4 gigawatts.
The company explains in its press release that the CKW Flexpool can feed electricity into the grid or withdraw it from the grid within seconds. According to Angela Krainer, Head of the Energy segment at CKW, this flexibility is «becoming increasingly important with the integration of renewable energies such as wind and solar into the energy system». «With the Flexpool, CKW’s customers are making a significant contribution to grid stability and consequently to the energy transition.»
Since 2009, CKW has been combining systems of different technologies such as hydroelectric power plants, photovoltaic systems, combined heat and power plants, heat pumps, battery storage systems, emergency power generators and waste incineration plants in the Flexpool. Plant owners benefit from income via Flexpool’s participation in the flexibility market. Between 2016 and this year, the number of plants in the Flexpool has risen from 41 to 1,700 throughout Switzerland.
