Demand response provider KiWi Power is to partner distribution company UK Power Networks in developing a 10 MWh energy storage system with lithium-ion batteries.
Installation of the facility at a trial site in Bedfordshire will commence in January 2013. The energy storage device comprises a 10 MWh lithium-ion battery system with racks of battery cells, 6 MW power conversion system (PCS) with 11 kV step-up transformer and 11 kV switchgear and protection.
KiWi Power will manage the commercial arrangements for the energy storage unit’s participation in National Grid’s load balancing services, including short-term operating reserves (STOR) and frequency response.
The Smarter Network Storage (SNS) project is one of five schemes selected by UK energy regulator Ofgem to help secure electricity supply and develop a new smart grid network. The four-year project which will examine the technical challenges and commercial opportunities of using stored electricity to meet peak energy demands and investigate the financial benefits of deferring or avoiding network reinforcement and selling flexibility services.
Yoav Zingher, CEO of Kiwi Power said: “Alongside demand side response measures, energy storage has the flexibility to meet increasing demand peaks and help to manage the supply-side energy provision from intermittent wind and inflexible nuclear energy. This trial is an important step towards proving the benefits of energy storage and will provide essential information for understanding the practicalities and economics of energy storage ahead of a smart grid transition.”
The five schemes received £45.5m ($73.3m) second-tier funding through Ofgem’s Low Carbon Networks (LCN) fund. Once the project has proven successful and the capabilities of energy storage are fully understood, it is expected that similar projects could be rolled out across the UK and provide savings of over £700m by 2040.