Vattenfall have proposed plans to install large-scale battery storage at the Pen y Cymoedd wind farm.
Swedish energy firm, Vattenfall have announced plans (dubbed battery@pyc) to install a 22MW battery storage system at the Pen y Cymoedd wind farm. The 76-turbine, 228MW capacity site would become the largest wind-plus-storage energy farm in Wales, while helping to stabilise the grid and provide extra energy security in the UK.
Pen y Cymoedd is currently the largest onshore wind farm in Wales and would be capable of housing six battery units with a total capacity of 22MW. This form of energy storage is known as Enhanced Frequency Response (EFR) and works as a response mechanism to power fluctuations on the grid; if frequency drops then power will be pumped into the grid; if it gets too high then the batteries will be injected with excess power. EFR is one of the primary revenue streams for large battery projects.
Vattenfall said that more initiatives like the one at Pen y Cymoedd will be needed to stabilise the grid as renewable generation sources increase their share of the UK energy mix.
Gunnar Groebler, Vattenfall's head of business area wind said: "This is Vattenfall's biggest battery project to date and we think it is part of a smart transition to a fossil free Britain and Europe. We have ambitions for more batteries at our wind farm sites across Europe and so I hope that battery@pyc will herald more storage facilities in the UK."
The Pen y Cymoedd wind farm became fully operational at the start of May this year and can provide enough electricity to power 13% of welsh household, annually.