Harmony Energy is set to double energy storage capacity at one of its UK substations to handle 2.4GW of offshore wind generation connected to the site.
The 49.5MW lithium-ion energy storage system brings the total capacity at its Creyke Beck substation in Cottingham, near Hull, to 99MW.
The company told BEST it could not disclose the battery supplier at this stage but had chosen lithium-ion as it is ‘proven and the most suitable technology for the proposed application’.
The company was also unable to tell BEST when are the two systems were due to come on line but did reveal they would be used to deliver various third-party grid-balancing services to National Grid to allow more renewables to be installed onto the grid.
Harmony expects huge levels of investment into the sector over the next five years and beyond as grid-scale batteries play an increasingly important role in decarbonising and balancing the grid, as renewables come online while coal-fired power plants are retired.
A spokesman said: “It’s a critical time for the adoption of battery energy storage and whilst it’s impossible to quote exact numbers, it is not unrealistic to expect up to 3GW developed in the next five years.
“This will inevitably require significant investment, but would make a huge contribution towards the flexibility and future security of the grid.”
