Econergy brings co-located solar-plus-storage project online in Romania

Renewable energy producer Econergy announced that it started commercial operations at the battery storage component of its Parau 1 co-located solar-plus-storage project in Brașov, central Romania. The 70 MW/141 MWh battery system was connected to the grid in early September alongside an existing 92 MW solar plant.

The 113-hectare photovoltaic facility has operated commercially since 2024 and can supply power to approximately 70,000 homes, the company said. The addition of the battery brings the combined project’s installed capacity to 162 MW.

The co-located system integrates energy storage with the operational solar plant, allowing electricity to be stored and released according to demand and market conditions.

The battery has dedicated grid-import capacity, meaning it can charge both from the adjacent solar facility and directly from the electricity network. This enables the system to charge during periods when power prices are low or negative and discharge when prices are higher.

Econergy expects the battery to generate additional revenue and increase the economic value of the solar plant.

“Parau 1 is the first project where we have taken a solar plant already in operation and built storage around it, and it diversifies how that asset earns, layering storage revenues on top of solar generation already in place,” said Econergy CEO Eyal Podhorzer.

“Romania is where we have the scale and the grid position to do this repeatedly, and with more than 1 GWh of storage under construction or ready for connection in the country, Parau 1 sets the pattern for what comes next.”

Fully owned and operated by Econergy, the project had total construction costs of approximately EUR 85 million. It is being operated on a merchant basis, with projected revenues informed by electricity price forecasts provided by the company’s market consultants.

Econergy currently has 521 MW of storage, representing more than 1 GWh of capacity, under construction or ready for connection in Romania.

The company plans to add a 120 MW battery system to its operational 155 MW solar project at Rătești and a 49 MW system to its 87 MW solar facility in Oradea. Another storage component is planned at the 60 MW Ovidiu solar project, which is under construction.

“By combining solar generation with flexible, market-responsive storage, we are unlocking substantial value and flexibility from infrastructure that is already connected and operating,” said Joshua Murphy, director of energy storage at Econergy.

The company’s development pipeline across eight European markets totals approximately 13 GW, with storage accounting for roughly half of the total and around 60% of its advanced portfolio.