Renewable Energies: La Croix Valmer city selects AREVA’s electricity storage system

The AREVA Group has won the call for tenders launched by La Croix Valmer city (South East of France) for the supply of an energy storage system.

AREVA will install a Greenergy Box^TM, an innovative industrial energy storage system, developed with the backing of the French public body for funding and support to technological innovation OSEO, as part of the Horizon Hydrogen Energy (H2E) program.

AREVA’s Greenergy Box^TM, which includes an electrolyzer and a fuel cell, is a device which is unique in the world. It enables hydrogen and oxygen obtained through the electrolysis of water to be stored during troughs in energy demand, and then recombined to produce electricity during peaks in consumption.

As in the MYRTE platform deployed in Corsica by AREVA since January 2012, the Greenergy Box^TM in La Croix Valmer will be connected to 35 kW peak power photovoltaic panels installed on a public building. It will be used to compensate for drops in production or to replace the mains supply in the event of a power cut.

It will be installed during the last quarter of 2013. The partners funding this operation include the PACA region, ADEME and FEDER. This project will benefit from the MYRTE platform’s operating feedback, the results of which have demonstrated the effectiveness of hydrogen solutions in real-world environments.

Luc Oursel, Chief Executive Officer of AREVA, believes that: “Energy storage is a major asset for the development of renewable energies worldwide. The installation of this second Greenergy Box^TM consolidates the transfer of our technology from the research phase to the industrial phase. With this commercial success, AREVA is positioning itself more than ever as one of the leaders on the hydrogen and fuel cell market. “

François Gimmig, Mayor of La Croix Valmer, commented: “The progress made on this project confirms we have made the right choices, and consolidates our position as an innovative and pioneering town in terms of sustainable development. For many years, the sun at La Croix Valmer has attracted its fair share of visitors; from now on, it will also be valuable for another economic reason, in addition to its social and environmental value.“