The largest battery storage portfolio in the UK has been completed and connected to the grid.
A 50MW portfolio of battery storage projects is now operational having been connected to the national grid. The projects represent the UK’s biggest portfolio of utility-scale, enhanced frequency response battery storage sites.
The portfolio consists of a 40MW storage facility located in Kent and a 10MW site in Cumbria. The projects have been developed by VLC Energy as part of a joint venture with power plant owners, VPI Immingham and renewable energy investment company, Low Carbon.
VLC claim that the lithium-ion battery technology and advanced energy management systems will provide flexibility for surges in supply and demand in a fraction of a second, resulting in a higher amount of periodic renewable energy being used.
Chief Executive of Low Carbon, Roy Bedlow, said: “Energy storage is critical to managing the demands on the grid, ensuring consumer needs are met and increasing our reliance on low carbon forms of electricity generation.
“These sites will help us tackle climate change and help the UK realise a cleaner and more energy efficient future.”
In other news, a North Sea Wind Power Hub has been planned which could supply electricity to 80 million people in Europe. The hub will be based on an artificial island at Dogger Bank, with a completion date of 2027. Energy created by the huge array will then be transported to the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Germany and Denmark via a series of long-distance cables.