Saft Ensures Transition of Small Italian Islands to Renewable Energy Sources

Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has installed seven Flex’ion maintenance-free lithium-ion battery systems supporting a solar microgrid on the Italian island of Favignano (Sicily).

These systems are expected to be fully operational by the end of 2022.

On the remote island of Ustika, Saft Flex’Ion batteries will support a microgrid powered by hydroelectric and solar power plants, as well as diesel fuel. The batteries will be connected to the distribution grid and integrated into the smart grid in the next few months.

These are the first milestones of the 'I-Sole project, which involves local utilities, as well as scientific experts from the University of Palermo and the Italian National Research Council.

The project is supported by the European Union and the Region of Sicily, under the technical guidance of Layer Electronics, a local power generation company.

The I-Sole project aims to develop innovative technical solutions for monitoring and controlling the production and distribution of electricity to increase the use of renewable sources and storage systems on the small Sicilian islands, while maintaining the security of the electricity supply.

Flex’ion with built-in remote monitoring capabilities is an asset to network operators’ goals.

Antonino Culcazzi, managing director of Layer Electronics, said: “Layer has many years of experience in energy systems that support the deployment of renewable energy sources. I-Sole will allow small, disconnected islands like Ustica and Favignano to rely less on their electricity. power plants, especially during peak demand thanks to batteries and smart grids. Saft Flex’ion batteries have been successfully tested with our products in Italy. They have also been cited for their strong track record when it comes to safety, long life, reliability and affordability . Saft was the best match.”