Gordan Vujičić, Director of the Sector for Strategic Development of ENEL PS: Battery Storage Facilities Enable Serbia to Build Smart and Flexible Data Centers

Battery energy storages are becoming a key part of modern energy infrastructure, enabling companies not only a stable power supply but also active participation in the electricity market. ENEL PS, a company with more than 30 years of experience in the development of uninterruptible power supply and backup power solutions, already designs and implements innovative solutions in Serbia that combine battery storage, renewable energy sources and advanced software platforms .

- For more than 30 years, ENEL PS has been developing uninterruptible power supply solutions, inverters, battery systems and data center energy infrastructure management. As an integrator, we connect electrical engineering, EMS/SCADA and energy market mechanisms through the application of battery storage (BESS) and software for optimization of charging and discharging in relation to weather conditions and market prices.

We design and implement techno-economic solutions that work in real network and market conditions, ranging from 50 kWh to dozens of MWh. So far, we have about ten applied solutions, although the domestic market of battery storage is still in its early stages. The interest of investors is high, which is confirmed by the numerous technical-economic calculations and "bankability" models that we create. We also organize workshops with partners to exchange technical, legal and business insights that shape new energy practice.

- Data centers are consumers that work 24/7, so in Europe they are no longer treated as passive plants, but as active energy nodes. The regulation goes in that direction: in the EU, data centers above 500 kW must report consumption, and in countries like Ireland and the Netherlands, large data centers cannot even be connected without proof that they can independently provide part of the power supply.

- Today, battery storages are not only a reserve, but an active part of the network. When they are not needed for backup power, they can give or take power from the grid and thereby stabilize the system. Such models already exist in Europe - the same battery that protects the data center from power outages also participates in frequency regulation. In this way, data centers move from passive consumers to reliable and fast sources of flexibility.

- Technically - yes. The connection of batteries with a total energy of about 6 GWh is in the process, which shows the interest of investors. Regulatory - the market matures. The new legal framework already recognizes storage, redispatching and flexibility. The next step is for operators to define market mechanisms for the procurement of these services. Smartly designed PV + BESS + UPS systems can serve the owner today and be market active tomorrow.

- Batteries reduce costs in peak hours, shift consumption to more favorable periods and enable more stable supply. In liberalized markets, this flexibility brings savings and additional revenues through network services, and the biggest benefit is power supply security - preventing outages that cost much more than the investment itself.

- Europe is rapidly expanding the use of battery systems - installations are expected to grow by over 30% annually until 2030, because without storage there is no stable network or integration of renewable sources.

The EU is already introducing the obligation for large consumers to become providers of flexibility to the network; Serbia can adopt this model immediately through new data centers and industrial zones.