Customer application 7 July 2025

Successfully Implementing Grid-Supportive Large-Scale Battery Storage

Pioneering spirit, a steep learning curve, and plenty of perseverance: That’s how the Schaper Group independently built and now operates a grid-supportive large-scale battery storage system at a substation in Herford, Germany. The result is a blueprint for future projects of this scale. For all control, regulation, and data technology, the company relies on WAGO.

At a Glance:

  • Enhanced power supply reliability through flexible grid stabilization
  • 2,600 lithium-ion modules housed in five containers, with a total capacity of nearly 21 MWh. Expansion to 41.6 MWh planned
  • WAGO technology used: PFC200 Controller, Edge Controller and Edge Devices, power supplies

The “Schaper Grid Energy Storage”

Key facts about the lithium-ion-based large-scale battery storage system: a total of 2,600 battery modules distributed across five 40-foot containers, each housing 520 modules, with a combined capacity of 20,800 kilowatt-hours. Connected to one of ten substations in the city of Herford, the system can supply electricity to around 900 households. Total investment: €15 million. Official project name: “Schaper Grid Energy Storage Füllkamp.”
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Located directly next to the Westfalen Weser Netz substation (left), the “Schaper Grid Energy Storage” facility was built in Herford on an active area of approximately 800 square meters (total site: 5,300 square meters). Photo: Schaper

Since September 10, 2024, the grid-supportive battery storage system has been active in the energy market. “We offer primary and secondary control reserve services as well as energy trading through a marketing partner,” explains Sven Oberwemmer, the technical lead behind Schaper Group’s largest storage project to date. As senior product manager for energy systems, he sees strong momentum in the market: “This is a wave that will hit us over the next five years. To drive the energy transition forward, we’ll need a wide range of grid-supportive battery storage systems operating across different control reserve levels and trading platforms.”

Pioneering Excellence through Deep Vertical Integration

No doubt — the project was and remains technically demanding. “But we enjoy tackling complex challenges,” says Sven Oberwemmer with a smile. What made it possible? The company’s high level of vertical integration. “We aim to be independent of manufacturers and operate autonomously,” he adds. That’s a point of pride at the Schaper Group: Reflecting on the project, Oberwemmer concludes: “We’ve truly done pioneering work here — especially beyond the technical aspects.”

The Schaper Grid Energy Storage System and Its Technology in Pictures