en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_start
1 correction found
The first black start on Germany's grid was tested in 2017 at WEMAG battery power station in Schwerin on a disconnected, isolated grid.
This overstates what happened at WEMAG in 2017. The 2017 Schwerin test was notable for using a battery-assisted black-start concept, not for being Germany’s first black-start test overall.
Full reasoning
WEMAG’s own 2017 press release describes the Schwerin trial as a battery-supported black-start experiment carried out on an isolated network island, and says that "until now, purely conventional power plant technology has been used for this purpose." In other words, Germany already had black-start restoration capability before the WEMAG test; what was new was the use of a battery system in that role.
An official TransnetBW article on grid-restoration testing likewise explains that designated black-start plants are used for restoration drills and that operational tests are required every five years, with similar tests carried out in later years. That is inconsistent with the Wikipedia wording that implies the 2017 WEMAG trial was the first black start on Germany’s grid at all.
A more accurate description would be that the 2017 WEMAG project was an early or first-of-its-kind battery-based black-start test in Germany, not Germany’s first black-start test overall.
2 sources
- WEMAG-Batteriespeicher testet erfolgreich Schwarzstart nach Blackout | WEMAG AG
"Der WEMAG-Batteriespeicher hat bewiesen, dass er für den Wiederaufbau des Stromnetzes nach Großstörungen oder einem Blackout sorgen kann. Bislang wird hierfür rein konventionelle Kraftwerkstechnik verwendet" and the test is described as a battery plant working together with a gas turbine on an isolated network island.
- Betriebsversuch Netzwiederaufbau - Großer Stresstest für das Stromnetz | TransnetBW
"Alle fünf Jahre sind Betriebsversuche zur Erprobung und zum Nachweis der Netzwiederaufbaukonzepte mit den vorgesehenen Schwarzstartkraftwerken vorgeschrieben." The page also says a similar test was carried out in 2022.