Press Release A municipal site grid, its own photovoltaic systems and a large battery storage system: the Municipality of Eschenbach and NRG Solutions AG have signed a contract for a 15 MWh BESS. The pioneering project combines local energy optimization with the commercial use of flexibility on the electricity market.
NRG Solutions AG will develop, build and manage a battery storage project for the Municipality of Eschenbach in the canton of Lucerne, with a planned capacity of 15 MWh and a power rating of 3.45 MVA. The contract has been signed by both parties.
The project will be built at the municipality’s own gravel plant and integrated into the existing on-site energy supply. Eschenbach already has its own medium-voltage distribution at grid level 5 and several photovoltaic systems whose electricity is used within a self-consumption community.
The battery storage system is set to combine several energy functions: self-consumption optimization, reduction of load peaks, optimizing the timing of electricity purchases and participation in the market for ancillary services.
NRG Solutions takes an integrated approach to managing the system. The economic value of the battery storage is not meant to come from energy trading or balancing energy alone, but from the interplay of different applications inside and outside the site grid. This makes the storage system both part of the local energy supply and a flexible element of the wider energy system.
The project is implemented under a contracting model: NRG Solutions covers the financing, planning, construction and management of the system. Technical operation and maintenance are also handled by NRG Solutions. The municipality provides the required land and receives an annual fee in return over the planned contract term of 15 years.
The system comprises three battery containers with a total capacity of 15 MWh, one power container and additional medium-voltage infrastructure. To minimize the footprint, the containers are placed in a two-story steel structure. The system is connected via the existing site grid. The planned technical infrastructure also allows charging infrastructure for electric vehicles to be integrated at a later stage.
In addition, a manually activated backup power function will allow selected municipal facilities to be supplied in a controlled manner during power outages. The actual supply duration depends on the state of charge, consumption and solar power generation.
Construction is scheduled to start in February 2027, with commissioning planned for June 2027.
NRG Solutions AG, headquartered in Root (LU), develops, builds and operates modular large-scale battery storage systems (BESS) for buildings, sites and energy supply. The independent Swiss company covers the entire value chain: from project development and the procurement of power technology to system integration, financing, operation and energy marketing through the NRG Group.