Integrating renewable energy with storage solutions in Bonaire

Energy storage and GEMS enable intelligent renewables integration and greater energy reliability on the Caribbean island of Bonaire.

The Caribbean island of Bonaire sought to ensure the reliability of the island’s energy supply and to increase renewable energy generation. ContourGlobal Bonaire, in cooperation with Bonaire’s power company, Water en Energiebedrijf Bonaire N.V., partnered with Wärtsilä for Wärtsilä’s GEMS sophisticated energy management expertise. Bonaire now hosts a 6 MW / 6 MWh energy storage system to reduce excess energy losses by a substantial margin.

Wärtsilä’s GEMS enables customers to intelligently synchronise power assets within a hybrid system, and new resources can be easily integrated. Specifcally for Bonaire, GEMS eliminated the issues presented by renewable intermittency by using artificial intelligence and historic and real-time data to calibrate what type of generation is needed at a specific time. After completing the first phase of the project with Wärtsilä, the island has stopped curtailing excess energy losses from its wind resources, increasing annual wind energy by 6-8%.

This project is the beginning of a longer-term plan to fully modernise the island’s energy system and to add additional capacity and renewable energy generation to the grid, while setting Bonaire on the path to achieving its 100% renewable target without compromising on energy reliability.

Who	Contourglobal Bonaire
What	6 MW/6 MWh Energy storage system
Where	Island of Bonaire, Caribbean

This is what we achieved

6 MW

And 6 MWh of energy storage capacity.

Reduction in CO2 emissions.

Reduction in fossil fuel consumption.

During our commissioning tests, several load rejections were tested, including loss of wind, loss of engines and loss of demand, and in every circumstance, GEMS instantaneously tracked and maintained the quality of the generation avoiding the load shedding of the grid.
Giorgio Narminio, Caribbean assets COO of ContourGlobal

How we did it

Challenge

Replace outdated thermal technology and integrate renewables
Curtail wind resources
Prepare the island for additional capacity to accommodate peak energy demand during tourist season

Solution

Hybrid solution optimising thermal, wind and storage assets
Phased approach to spread out costs and ensure cutting-edge technology integration
Provision of spinning reserves to reduce fuel consumption and emissions

Benefit

Nearly doubled renewable energy penetration, ensuring the island is on target to achieving a 100% renewable target
Improved operation through automation, lower cost of energy, reduced blackouts
Enabled the growing share of renewables to the island’s generation mix

Questions? Contact us

The main details

Customer	Contourglobal Bonaire
Site size	6 MW/6 MWh
Where	Island of Bonaire, Caribbean
Applications	Island grid control, renewable integration, wind curtailment
Scope	EPC
Delivery	2019