The 1st of September this year was special not only because school started for elementary and high school students. It was also the kick-off day of HELGA's second energy storage, which took place in the quaint town of Zánka.
This event was memorable for two reasons. Firstly,after a year and a half, the members of the international technical committee of the IElectrix project were finally able to meet in person. Secondly, the extreme windy weather will also make us talk about the event for a long time.
Speeches were direct, personal and professionally, as well as very motivating. It could be felt that all participants fully support the project for a more sustainable and green future.
After the opening speech, Attila Kiss, President and CEO of E.ON Hungária Group, presented the project and the reasons behind the investment:
“E.ON is already reducing greenhouse gas emissions wherever it has a direct impact on processes. We have committed ourselves internationally and domestically to halve our emissions by 2030 and to be completely carbon neutral by 2050. The energy storage installed in the IElectrix project also supports these goals.” – excerpt of Attila Kiss’s speech.
Miklós Filep, the Mayor of Zánka, was glad to cooperate with the IElectrix team and emphasized how important this project is for cities as well as to support sustainability. Furthermore, he drew attention to the vast land of area around Zánka where similar forward-looking projects could be implemented.
Mark Ritzmann, Managing Director of E.ON Group Innovation, arrived in Budapest on the eve of the press event. During a team-building dinner, participants had the opportunity to talk to him and to the members of the consortium about the importance of the project and the innovative solutions.
“Innovation is so simple. In the first place it is not about money or brilliant technology. It is just about a problem and about people who want to solve it. IElectrix is a perfect example of such an innovation. Building a network that can deal with the millions of PV systems, emobility chargers and heat pumps that will be installed in the future will require a lot of time. […] By implementing such a battery system we can speed up the energy transition and deliver a stable network.” – excerpt of Mark Ritzmann’s speech.
Pierre-Jacques le Quellec, the IElectrix project coordinator, also spoke at the press event about the consortium and the role of E.ON:
“Most important part of the project is coming now: Delivering of the demonstration results! Not only the European Commission awaits for the results of our work, but also the European regulators and most important at the end: the final customers and European citizens” – excerpt of Pierre-Jacques le Quellec’s speech.
After the speeches, it was also possible to look inside the storage: on the left side of the container are the batteries, while on the right are the inverters and other electronic servers. The closing of the event was a standing reception, where, for example, we could taste Hungarian specialties such as duck liver wrapped in peach jelly.
I am very grateful for having had the opportunity to take part in this event. Disseminating the importance of green energy and sustainability is an important mission for the IElectrix project. It was a pleasure meeting all participants and I am looking forward to see you at other demonstration sites.
Bernadett Hanyecz
