Situated halfway between Hamburg and Bremen, the Ehlen family farm dates back to 1857. Today, the fifth generation of the family – Frank Ehlen, his wife and four children – together manage 260 hectares. The Ehlen family particularly appreciates the sandy soil of the geest landscape, as the farm’s main produce, potatoes, grows very well here thanks to the many nutrients that the soil contains. In addition to growing potatoes, pig rearing is an important component of the farm’s operations.
Consumers in Germany are used to being able to buy potatoes all year round. However, the harvesting season for the sensitive tuber only lasts from June to October. To ensure the potatoes keep from harvest to the point of consumption and don’t germinate, they have to be stored cool and dry at a constant temperature of 4°C. So, on the Ehlens’ farm, the storage of the various potato varieties is ably assisted by a complex climate control system. With the aid of the outdoor temperature, the outside air is used for cooling from October to January; this is mechanically supported with ventilators until May, and during the warm months leading up to July a 26 kW cooling system is used for 800 tonnes of potatoes.
As a result of climate change and rising temperatures in winter especially, the need for cooling is steadily increasing. It’s not just the potatoes that require a controlled climate on the Ehlens’ farm; the pigs also need a comfortable ambient temperature and a steady supply of fresh air. In total, the farm’s annual consumption amounts to 160,000 kilowatt hours. A few years ago, the Ehlens installed a photovoltaic system to benefit from low-cost electricity that they themselves produce. Because the cooling and ventilation systems are required to operate at night, too, they needed an energy storage system to optimise self-consumption and spread the power across the day.
Requirements for a storage solution:
Jörg Niemann from Wärme aus der Natur had already installed an initial photovoltaic system some years ago. In the course of expanding the existing installation, the energy consultant and installer saw the need for a suitable accompanying system to hold the energy. Since the installation’s economic viability would depend primarily on a long service life, the storage system chosen was the long-lasting TS HV 70 from the leading producer of commercial storage system technology, TESVOLT.
• Safe and long-lasting
The system boasts an above-average lifespan of up to 30 years thanks to extremely robust Samsung battery cells and the one-of-a-kind battery management system. This optimises cells not only within a single module, but also between modules within a cabinet.
• Future-proof
Thanks to the revolutionary ABO battery management system, battery modules of the same type can be upgraded or replaced without causing any problems or efficiency losses even after years of service.
• Transparent
Our monitoring software TESVOLT BAtMon makes it possible to seamlessly monitor storage health down to cell level.
• Powerful and responsive
Thanks to the battery management system, TESVOLT storage systems make the energy they accumulate fully available. TESVOLT storage systems are 1C-capable, meaning they can be fully charged or discharged in one hour with the proper configuration. As a result, even high-performance consumers can be kept running when the sun isn’t providing enough power.
I believe TESVOLT is the perfect partner for the energy transition with its first-class products and expert support.
Jörg Niemann, Energy Consultant and Installer, Wärme aus der Natur GmbH
It’s quite remarkable how many obstacles are put in the way of becoming self-sufficient.
I’m glad I can rely on TESVOLT completely.
Frank Ehlen, Farmer, Ehlen potato farm
by Cicero Design
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