New Insights into Retrofitting and Energy Storage in Existing Power Plants

At Rønne Power Plant, Bornholms Energi & Forsyning has served as a central demonstration site in the project. Here, 2LIPP has contributed to new knowledge about retrofitting existing buildings and installations, integrating second-life batteries, and understanding how different storage technologies can work together in an existing energy infrastructure.

“In the transition from being a power plant designed for fossil fuels, 2LIPP has been an important lever for Bornholms Energi & Forsyning to explore new, timely and future-proof opportunities,” says Lærke Lina Skovbjerg, Project Manager at Bornholms Energi & Forsyning.

Through the project, Bornholms Energi & Forsyning has gained in-house knowledge about new energy technologies, their opportunities and limitations, as well as practical insights into economy, operation and grid connection related to energy storage.

Existing power plants as flexible units

“With 2LIPP, we have begun upgrading our existing buildings and installations based on new knowledge about different energy technologies and storage solutions. This knowledge forms an important basis for future decision-making on how to transform the power plant into a central flexible unit in the renewable energy system,” says Lærke Lina Skovbjerg, Project Manager at Bornholms Energi & Forsyning.

The project has also provided practical experience with the complexity of retrofitting existing energy infrastructure. Working within the physical framework of an operating power plant has given the partners important insights into how new technologies can be adapted to existing assets, and where technical, operational and regulatory barriers still need to be addressed.

2LIPP was ended earlier than originally planned due to changed circumstances among key technology partners, including the closure of PLS Energy Systems and Hyme Energy’s decision to wind up its business following market, fundraising and technology scale-up challenges. However, the project has delivered valuable results and created knowledge that the partners can build on in future projects.

Partners take important knowledge forward

Although 2LIPP ended earlier than planned, the partners have gained important insights and results from the project:

Bornholms Energi & Forsyning
“In the transition from being a power plant designed for fossil fuels, 2LIPP has been an important lever for Bornholms Energi & Forsyning to explore new, timely and future-proof opportunities. Through strong partnerships and collaboration in the project, we have gained in-house knowledge about frontier energy technologies, their opportunities and limitations, as well as valuable operational insight into economy, operation and grid connections for energy storage. This knowledge forms an important basis for future decisions on transforming the power plant into a central flexible unit in the green, renewable energy system.”
Lærke Lina Skovbjerg, Project Manager

Hyme Energy
“The project helped us move very far in the design of commercial plants and in building a strong supplier pipeline for hydroxide-based thermal storage. The project activities supported our work on developing blueprints for a commercial product and building a product organisation focused on cost reductions and deployability. When the project ended, we were ready to procure and install the first version of our commercial steam cycle.”
Nis Benn, Founder / Chief Commercial Officer

QuinteQ
“2LIPP allowed us to further develop our flywheel systems and take important steps towards a completed system. Within the project, we were able to reduce system costs significantly, as was one of the project goals, and design a solution with more power per flywheel.”
Timo Pauel, Business Development Manager

Euroheat & Power
“As EU-level communication and dissemination partners, 2LIPP enabled us to highlight the need for a supportive legal and regulatory framework for retrofitting existing energy infrastructure, coupling thermal storage and streamlining private capital into heating and cooling decarbonisation. These discussions proved relevant and eye-opening for many stakeholders, as the potential in thermal energy storage and the refurbishment of existing infrastructure remains largely untapped.”
Evan Bernardi, Project Officer

Danish Technological Institute
“The 2LIPP project has granted us a strong, cross-European partnership and valuable insights into new technologies and their opportunities. Danish Technological Institute has contributed with technical assistance in preparing sites for retrofitting power plants and has acted as a key partner in processes for ensuring grid compliance and obtaining grid connection.” 
Katharina Brarup Ingwersen, Head of Section

Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena
“For Jena, the project provided valuable insight into the development process, practical problem-solving and the cooperation between different companies and institutes. It was particularly interesting to learn about different storage technologies in practice and how they can be integrated into existing energy infrastructure.”
Matthias Förster, Vice Dean for Studies and Teaching

Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology

“Already being part of this excellent 2LIPP project team has been a gain for us. On top we gained a deeper understanding of the technical and organizational requirements for transforming fossil energy infrastructure towards a renewable energy-based purpose. For us, the project represented a significant learning experience, leading to the adaptation of LCA and LCC methodologies to the specific requirements of the project technologies and activities, as well as a methodological deep dive into assessing the retrofitting of power plants.”

Torsten Müller, Group Leader, Sustainability and Circularity Assessment