LONGi Commissions First Integrated BESS Project in Europe

LONGi, a renewable energy technology company, has announced the successful grid connection and commencement of operations for its 13.75MW/50.16MWh Montalto Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project. The system is co-located with an existing 35MWp PV plant, marking LONGi’s first fully integrated storage deployment in Europe. This hybrid system reflects a growing shift in how renewable assets are being upgraded across Europe, and demonstrates LONGi Energy Storage’s ability to deliver integrated BESS solutions even in complex, mature energy markets. As retrofitting BESS into an already operating solar plant comes with technical and operational complexities, the project offers a practical example of how these challenges can be addressed, while improving both system flexibility and overall asset performance.

The system adopts an AC-coupled hybrid BESS configuration, allowing it to operate alongside the existing solar plant without major structural modifications. This integrated approach supports grid stability, helps reduce curtailment and enables more flexible participation in Italy’s evolving energy market. The project also combines multiple revenue mechanisms, while providing enhanced grid security with the capacity market contract. Participation in capacity markets is expected to provide an additional and relatively stable revenue stream for the project.

To ensure long-term reliability, the project is backed by a Long-Term Service Agreement (LTSA), along with dedicated operations and maintenance services designed to maintain high availability and consistent performance over time.

The successful grid-connection of the Montalto BESS project demonstrates LONGi’s capability to deploy energy storage solutions in complex and mature markets, particularly in scenarios involving the enhancement of existing infrastructure. LONGi continues to expand its footprint in Europe, focusing on solutions that make renewable energy systems more adaptable, reliable, and commercially sustainable.