UK-based technology firm Plessey has installed a two-megawatt Tesla battery for behind-the-meter (BTM) battery storage at its flagship manufacturing and R&D site in Plymouth, England.
UK battery energy storage developer and operator Kiwi Power— whose ‘Kiwi Fruit’ hardware and software platform controls the battery— completed the project.
Plessey said the battery would earn revenue under a frequency response-balancing contract with electricity system operator National Grid. The BTM system will also help reduce energy costs “by providing optimal peak-shaving of power supply in response to fluctuations in demand”.
Plessey Semiconductors operations director Mike Snaith said the project was “one of the first BTM installations of this type in the UK”.
Kiwi Power CEO Yoav Zingher said the project was “further proof” of the company’s ability “to develop, build and operate fully-funded BTM batteries”.
Tom O’Shaughnessy of investment firm Amber Infrastructure Finance, which provided funding for the Plessey project, said: “BTM technology makes huge sense for large energy users. We hope the BTM battery here at Plessey will encourage further development of BTM projects, increasing the flexibility of the electricity network.”
