Italian energy company Enel X is working with Taiwanese firm Gogoro to provide critical support to Taiwan’s electricity grid.

Enel X provides virtual power plant (VPP) and demand response services. Gogoro specialises in battery swapping ecosystems that enable sustainable urban mobility.

Together they will support the integration of more renewable power on electricity grids using Enel X’s VPP platform and Gogoro’s battery swapping platform, beginning in Taiwan. The project is designed to support the local electricity grid run by public power utility Taiwan Power Company (TPC).

“As a global leader in sustainable urban transportation and battery swapping refuelling, Gogoro is committed to working with public utilities like TPC in Taiwan and industry leaders like Enel X to utilise the full potential of innovative technologies like time-shifted power to support the transition to renewable power, first in Taiwan and in additional markets in the future,” said Horace Luke, CEO of Gogoro. “By joining Enel X’s digitalised VPP platform, we blend our ecosystems of innovative technologies together to support public utilities incorporating new renewable energy sources.”

Enel X enables businesses to unlock significant value while supporting the renewable energy transition. It does this by aggregating distributed energy resources to create a VPP that provides dispatchable capacity to help support the electricity grid. Thanks to availability of sustainable mobility and demand response programmes, there is a further possibility to integrate renewable power on electricity grids. These resources will be increasingly important as Taiwan works to meet its net-zero clean energy targets, which will require the integration of large amounts of variable renewable power generation into Taiwan’s electricity system.

“We are excited to add Gogoro to our VPP network as we work to support the decarbonisation and electrification of Taiwan’s energy sector,” said Jeff Renaud, head of Enel X in Asia and Oceania. “Through our collaboration, Gogoro will be the first electric mobility provider in Taiwan to participate in a VPP, and they will participate alongside other progressive businesses across Taiwan that recognise this opportunity to earn a significant new revenue stream while furthering their sustainability objectives. We see huge potential in connecting Gogoro’s unique distributed network of battery swapping stations with our VPP platform, both here in Taiwan and potentially overseas. In doing so, we can together create new resources that support the renewable energy transition, while also accelerating the electrification of transport.”

When called on by TPC, Enel X’s VPP automatically adjusts its networks’ power use – including Gogoro’s GoStations – to help protect the grid and maintain stable electricity supply.

The Gogoro network is an open platform for battery swapping and smart mobility services, delivering a fresh alternative to legacy fuel. Gogoro swappable battery refuelling is smart, scalable and continually optimising itself to be dynamic and versatile for people, communities and businesses.

In Taiwan, Gogoro has more than 2100 GoStation battery swapping stations with nearly 1.3GWh of power. The Powered by Gogoro Network programme gives vehicle maker partners access to innovations including intelligent drivetrains and controllers, components, and smart systems, so they can develop and roll out electric vehicles that integrate with Gogoro battery swapping technology.