Dive Brief:

• Technology group Wartsila is adding energy storage offerings to its portfolio of generating plants and other power technologies. 

• The Finnish company says it now offers both standalone energy storage, as well as hybrid engines that are bundled with storage capability.

• Wartsila says its research found that adding storage capability to a generating plant can reduce fuel costs by up to 6%. The world's first hybrid gas-storage plant was completed last month in Southern California. 

Dive Insight:

Just over a year ago, Wartsila entered the solar power business, offering solar PV plants of 10 MW and higher and hybrid generating plants that combine solar panels with internal combustion engines.

The company has now added energy storage to its portfolio. The company says the storage can be used for spinning reserves, allowing the generating plant to be operated at higher loads with better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

The storage capability also allows the hybrid facility to sell grid stability services thereby generating additional revenue.

The new hybrid plant offering comes on the heels of the first completion of such a facility — a 50 MW gas turbine with 4.3 MWh of energy storage operated by Southern California Edison. 

Wartsila sees a growing market for storage, especially in the U.S., U.K. and Eastern Europe and particularly in regions where both fuel prices and renewable energy penetration is high.

Wartsila in July 2016, entered into an agreement with Greensmith Energy, which will provide energy management system software to control its storage devices.