Thursday, December 17, 2020

News: "UK’s largest battery" now live in Rotherham

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Gresham House Energy Storage Fund and flexible energy specialist Flexitricity have announced that the UK's largest battery is now live.

Edinburgh based Flexitricity is optimising the Gresham House c.50MW / 75MWh battery, located in Thurcroft, Rotherham, generating revenue for the site while helping National Grid ESO balance supply and demand.

The project will trade the lithium-ion battery storage site in the wholesale markets and tender for frequency response services to help meet the nation’s energy needs and optimise revenue for the site. Flexitricity took the asset into National Grid ESO’s new Dynamic Containment frequency response service on day one and has been securing daily contracts at high value ever since.

The UK now boasts around 1GW installed battery storage capacity and the market needs further growth to facilitate a net zero energy system.

Andy Lowe, Director at Flexitricity, said: "Flexibility is a hugely important part of decarbonising the grid and batteries are an excellent source of flexibility. Investors are getting comfortable with the business case for energy storage and it’s great this year to be seeing a number of large batteries coming onto the system, providing more of the rapid response flexibility National Grid ESO needs to maintain system stability.

"In today’s markets, maximising value for battery assets requires a huge amount of expertise and agility. We have a proven track record here, and we’re delighted that Gresham House has entrusted us to optimize a number of their sites, including the flagship Thurcroft battery.

"I’m glad to say we’re off to a great start and have been able to optimise revenue for the battery across a range of markets, including securing high prices in the first ever tender round of the newly launched Dynamic Containment service."

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Gresham House Energy Storage Fund plc, the UK's largest operational utility-scale battery storage fund, recently completed its investment in the 50MW battery project. It was acquired for a total enterprise value of £32.5m.

John Leggate CBE, Chair of Gresham House Energy Storage Fund plc, said: "Thurcroft is our largest battery project yet and we're delighted that it's now live. The dynamic fluctuations in power on the National Grid during lockdown, and the unassailable rise of wind and solar installations, have sharpened the focus on the need for fast-acting, flexible storage at scale. We're rising to this challenge by building and switching on more capacity, as the government and National Grid introduce new revenue opportunities that incentivise the wider use of battery storage in balancing the UK power system."

Ben Guest, managing director at Gresham House, added: "We have plans to grow our energy storage portfolio, aiming for over 350MW in operational assets by the end of 2020. Great Britain needs at least 10GW in the next few years to enable the orderly transition to a renewables-led electricity market.

"In turn, we aim to contribute meaningfully to the UK’s 2050 net zero ambitions, while achieving strong returns for our investors.

"We divide our storage projects between a range of optimisation partners and decided to entrust Flexitricity with Thurcroft having worked with them successfully on a previous project."

Flextricity website

Images: Flextricity

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