Largest UK battery site on full charge after six months

One of the UK’s largest battery storage facilities has successfully completed its first six months of operation.

The 49.99 megawatt site, based near Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire, has the capacity to supply 13,000 homes with instantaneous power.

The Pelham site was developed by Statera Energy and built by British Solar Renewables late last year. The project has now been refinanced by Natwest after proving its worth in the first half of 2017.

150,000 lithium-ion batteries are housed in specially constructed ‘E-houses’, designed to reduce the site’s footprint; other battery sites use larger shipping containers.

The facility has both a two-year contract to provide balancing services to the National Grid, and a lucrative 15-year deal with the government to provide services in times of stress on the network.

“We are delighted to have successfully completed six months of operation and the facility re-financing with NatWest,” commented Tom Vernon, managing director, Statera Energy.

“The deal is a first in the UK as it demonstrates the bankability of battery storage, and NatWest’s pragmatic and professional approach was essential in structuring a financing of this nature.”

Tim Humpage at British Solar Renewables, commented: “Renewables are meeting more and more of our energy needs, and projects like this have the power to turbo-charge this trend as batteries have the ability to balance supply and demand. Energy storage facilities such as this will an essential part of the transition to a low carbon environment in the coming years”.

Battery storage has taken off in recent years with a host of new projects coming online. These are often co-located at wind and solar farms, storing power in calmer periods and providing split-second services to the grid in times of need.

The global market is forecast to attract $548 billion of new investment by 2050 with the rise of renewables and electric vehicles. Europe has doubled its capacity in the technology each year since 2015.

 

Photo Credit: Statera Energy