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PIONEER, an innovative system that provides clients with both energy and value

Enel X is giving new life to e-vehicle second-life batteries, thereby enabling Rome’s airport hub to improve its energy performance and feed the grid

Enel X is helping Aeroporti di Roma (AdR, the company that manages Rome’s two main airports) take another step forward in its decarbonization journey. Specifically, Enel X and AdR have begun a new phase of the PIONEER project. After having started the construction of one of Europe’s largest photovoltaic (PV) plants to help power the Rome Fiumicino hub, the two companies announced the start of construction of a second-life Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in March. This system uses end-of-life e-mobility batteries that are perfectly reusable and suitable for stationary purposes. This innovative project was made possible by the European Commission’s Innovation Fund.

 

The innovative system was entrusted to Enel X, which handled its design and integration within the airport’s energy infrastructure. It is working closely with Loccioni, which was selected as the system’s integrator, bringing to the project its expertise in connecting the energy and e-mobility domains. Enel X also will develop BESS’s innovative energy management systems in order to optimize operation. When fully operational, BESS will be able to store up to 10 MWh of green energy for the airport’s terminals, while simultaneously providing flexibility services to the grid.

 

The activity developed by Enel X’s innovative work will help AdR in the optimization of its energy performance, thereby supporting its efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions. The project marks a further step toward the validation of innovative approaches in BESS, which is considered one of most important enablers for grid stability and the adoption of renewable energy. 

Pioneering a new approach for BESS adoption

PIONEER (an acronym based on selected letters from the words, “airPort sustaInability secONd lifE battERy storage”) uses more than 700 second-life batteries. They were supplied by leading international electric vehicle manufacturers such as Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz (via its subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Energy**) and Nissan** in order to develop a 10 MWh storage system that is integrated with Fiumicino’s PV plants. 
This isn’t the first time that we have worked with Nissan. The company has already partnered Enel and Loccioni in the Second life project in Melilla (an autonomous Spanish city on the North African coast). The automobile group Stellantis provided part of the second-life batteries for the project, leveraging on its circular business unit SUSTAINera. BESS is also a fundamental pillar in guaranteeing grid stability and resiliency, enabling new flexibility services and supporting the development of renewable energy. The validation of new technologies and approaches in BESS is a natural catalyst for accelerating the adoption of those systems.
Battery Energy Storage Solutions

Battery Energy Storage Solutions

Integrated solutions to save energy and boost your business

True circularity: giving used EV batteries a ‘second life’

Second life batteries

Second life batteries

Batteries can have a second chance to create sustainable value, enabling a more efficient energy consumption

Enel X’s role is central to the success of the project as it will be responsible for the design and assembly of the 10 MW energy storage unit and in parallell will provide an innovative energy management system for the BESS. Before the final deployment, Loccioni is testing a small-scale version of the PIONEER system at its headquarters near Ancona, Italy. The construction of the largest second life battery facility in Italy and one of the largest in Europe, started at Fiumicino in the first half of 2024 and the first 5 MWh of storage capacity will be in operation by the end of December of this year with the 10MWh completion by 2025. By giving a ‘second life’ to batteries that are no longer suitable for electric vehicles, PIONEER – a project co-funded by the European Commission’s Innovation Fund – ensures that precious resources, with a residual capacity of about 80 percent, are not wasted but reused to support the development and adoption of BESS.

PIONEER: AI-Powered Energy Optimization for a Sustainable Future

The PIONEER project leverages Enel X's proprietary DER.OS (Distributed Energy Resource Optimization System) to manage and optimize a battery energy storage system (BESS) composed of second-life batteries. This innovative approach not only promotes sustainability by reducing CO2 emissions but also ensures the efficient and flexible operation of the energy storage system.

AI-Driven Optimization for Peak Performance

DER.OS, a cloud-based energy management platform powered by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms, lies at the heart of the PIONEER project. By analyzing data such as weather forecasts, energy market prices, and the facility's operational behavior, DER.OS optimizes the BESS to achieve multiple objectives, leveraging the capabilities showed in Figure 1.
*DERS (Distributed energy resources)  

Key Optimization Algorithms for Enhanced Efficiency

  • State of Charge Balancing: Ensures balanced charge and discharge cycles across all battery packs, extending their lifespan.
  • Battery Health Management: Minimizes stress on individual battery packs by adjusting charge and discharge profiles, taking into account their health and degradation characteristics.
  • Solar Shift: Maximizes the utilization of solar energy by recharging the BESS from PV production.
  • Peak Shaving: Reduces peak demand charges by strategically discharging the BESS during periods of high energy consumption.
  • Flexibility Management: Provides grid services while prioritizing self-consumption to maximize CO2 reduction.

Sustainability and Cost Savings through Energy Flexibility

The PIONEER project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 3,783 tons over three years. By December 2024, the Enel X localized battery control system and the overall Energy Management will be operational in Fiumicino, paving the way for a cleaner and more cost-effective energy future.

 

PIONEER demonstrates the potential of AI-driven energy optimization to unlock the full value of second-life batteries, contributing to a more sustainable and flexible energy landscape.

EU Logo and Funding Acknowledgement

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.