Power engineering multinational ABB Electrification is planning to locate its first UK battery, a 10MW/20MWh installation at a 6.9MWp wind farm owned by green supply veterans Ecotricity.
The installation next year at Alveston, Gloucestershire, next to turbines operating since 2017, will be a first UK battery installation for both parties.
The maverick supplier of wind- and solar electricity secured planning permission for a battery at Alveston as long ago as 2017. Completion of the supplier’s own trading platform has been among factors behind the six-year wait.
Trading flex and capacity on wholesale markets, via fast response, short-term BESS (battery and energy storage systems) technology is the partnership’s objective. It will use ABB’s proprietary optimization model to despatch the battery energy storage, according to system needs.
This morning’s announcement disclosed no financial terms.
Mark Meyrick, Ecotricity’s head of smart grids, said: “We’ve been working towards our first grid scale battery as we’ve been developing our Smart Grid platform.
“This project is a first for us and will enable us to manage demand for renewable energy, as well as develop a greater understanding of the deployment of storage for flexibility requirements.”
ABB was formerly known as the Swedish-Swiss combine ASEA Brown Boveri. It bills its tie-up with the 26 year old Stroud-based supplier controlled by philosophy laureate Dr Dale Vince, pictured, as a ‘first in kind’.
Mark Meyrick, Head of Smart Grids, Ecotricity, said: “We’ve been working towards our first grid scale battery as we’ve been developing our Smart Grid platform – and we’re looking forward to taking this next step with ABB. This project is a first for us and will enable us to manage demand for renewable energy, as well as develop a greater understanding of the deployment of storage for flexibility requirements.”
For ABB Electrification, Calogero Saeli added. ““As the UK continues its journey to net zero, ABB is excited to partner with Ecotricity on this 10 MW grid scale battery project, which will help to stabilize the grid. BESS is key to unlocking some of the challenges ahead, providing a highly effective way to capture clean energy and balance energy generation against demand to build grid resilience.”
What type of battery will be used: Lithium-ion or Vanadium redox-flow or both as at the Oxford battery farm?
Thanks for the prompt, David. Overlooked in my initial report, the parties say “the lithium-ion batteries will be supplied by KORE Power and the BESS will be controlled by ABB’s eStorage OS energy management system”.