Nickel batteries to keep wind farm operating at -35ºC

A wind farm in the remote and exposed steppe of the Aktobe region in western Kazakhstan will keep operating in temperatures as low as -35ºC thanks to a new nickel battery system, its manufacturer has claimed.

International firm Saft delivered the ‘maintenance-free’ Uptimax batteries to the Badamsha wind farm. The batteries will provide essential back-up power for electronic monitoring, mechanical braking, pitch control and grease supply systems for the remote turbines, which are hard for maintenance technicians to access.

In 2021, the farm is predicted to generate 396 GWh of energy for local industry and save 344,000 tonnes of CO₂, equivalent to the emissions from 74,000 cars. 

APS Energia picked the batteries for their proven reliability in harsh winter conditions. Winter temperatures at Badamsha can drop to -35 °C, inside the -40 to 70°C operating range of the Uptimax batteries, which can last more than 20 years.