The FENIX GROUP, which celebrates 35 years of existence this year, is Europe’s largest manufacturer of electric radiant heating systems. Since 2016, however, it has also been developing and manufacturing battery storage systems, making a significant contribution to solving current energy challenges. The company employs approximately 200 people at its Jeseník plant alone and has a turnover of around CZK 1 billion.
New battery storage for stabilizing the electricity grid
Currently, FENIX GROUP is preparing a new battery storage facility in its production plant with parameters of 1 MW/2.4 MWh. “This device is primarily intended to provide so-called power balance services. That is, it is intended to be used for consumption and supply to the grid according to the requirements of ČEPS. These consumption and supply help stabilize the grid during peak times and are a very interesting investment item with an extremely short payback period,”explains Cyril Svozil, Chairman of the Board of Directors of FENIX GROUP.
To provide support services for ČEPS, it is necessary to undergo certification. “You have to prove that your device is capable of supplying the required power to and from the grid. If you have the right type of inverter, it is mainly a question of communication and control of its operation,”Svozil describes.
Intelligent control with artificial intelligence elements
FENIX GROUP does not stop at providing support services. For three years, it has been working on a special algorithm in cooperation with CTU, which can independently evaluate the optimal strategy for managing battery storage. “This algorithm with artificial intelligence elements simultaneously assesses the forecast of the irradiation for a specific installation, the forecast of consumption according to routine behavior and the price of electricity at OTE. The output is a behavioral model that monitors the economics of operation, i.e. the amount of the electricity invoice,” says Svozil.
Proven in crisis situations
The company already has extensive experience in operating battery storage facilities. In 2018, it launched a large industrial battery storage facility in Jeseník with a capacity of 600 kWh, the primary functions of which were “peak shaving” and bridging micro outages.
The functionality of the system proved to be particularly useful during the floods in September 2024. “The functionality of our AERS battery storage systems came in very handy immediately after the floods, as a result of which the river washed away the HV connection of the production plant. For the next 11 days, we were able to operate, renovate, clean and ship goods only with the help of the photovoltaic power plant and the battery storage on the premises. It was therefore a priceless experience,” emphasizes Svozil.
Award for innovative solutions
In December 2023, the company received a special award from ČEEP (Czech Energy and Environmental Project of the Year) for its medium-sized plug-and-play MES battery storage system. “MES is a universal solution for a wide range of projects from apartment buildings to supermarkets and is therefore our main selling point. Since it is our own solution, the added value is obvious. It is not just an integration of an Asian complete solution, so we have collected a number of awards, especially in the academic sphere, for which we are extremely grateful,” claims Svozil.
Solutions for households and industry
FENIX GROUP offers battery storage not only for industrial installations, but also for households. The same advantages apply to home users as to others – primarily self-sufficiency and control over electricity bills. From a customer who is dependent on the energy supplier, the owner of the battery storage becomes a so-called “prosumer”, who does not just passively pay invoices, but also controls when and at what price he takes electricity from the grid and when, on the contrary, he supplies it.
“Typical customers even have so-called negative invoices during the summer, when the supplier pays them for cooperation. This advantage balances the initial investment in technology. The payback for households in current conditions is around 7-8 years, which is very attractive. For them, the typical configuration of a battery storage is now 10 kW/41 kWh and the price is slightly over half a million crowns excluding VAT,” adds Svozil.
“Battery storage and other storage technologies help to store large amounts of energy produced at a given time and thereby subsequently balance out fluctuations in production. This is the great advantage of energy flexibility. It allows you to quickly respond to variable electricity production from renewable sources, which is essential for stable energy supplies. Both companies and households will be able to effectively manage their electricity production and consumption,” further explains the benefits Jan Fousek, director of the Association for and energy accumulation AKU-BAT, of which FENIX GROUP is also a member.
Expansion abroad
In addition, the company is not limited to the Czech market. “We already have the first implementations in Poland and this year we are planning the first projects in France and Spain,” says Svozil. In the future, the company plans to offer a complete range of Czech smart battery storage systems from domestic to large industrial ones with complete serviceability.
The company is constantly working on technological improvement of its products. FENIX GROUP is moving forward technologically, cooperating with several suppliers of storage cells and developing a new generation of larger inverters that will be designed for large installations.
FENIX GROUP is cooperating with Nano Energies and AERS on the current battery storage project. AERS is a development and manufacturing company within the FENIX Group and is tasked with developing battery storage. Nano Energies acts as an experienced player in the field of aggregation and mediates instructions from ČEPS.
Solutions for future energy challenges
Battery storage plays a crucial role in increasing energy self-sufficiency and security. Given the current energy policy, especially in Germany, both households and manufacturing companies are facing the highest energy prices in history. These prices are an order of magnitude higher than in the USA or China, for example, which makes European manufacturing companies less competitive.
Given the long inertia in the energy sector, it cannot be assumed that this trend will be reversed in the next decade, especially because the construction of additional nuclear sources is burdened by excessive bureaucracy. “In addition to very high energy prices, there is also the risk of blackouts, especially when adverse weather limits production from renewable sources. One of the relevant solutions to ensure energy security in such a situation is smart battery storage. FENIX GROUP is thus fulfilling its corporate motto “the future is electricity” and actively contributing to the transformation of the Czech energy sector,” concludes Svozil.