UK electricity distributor Northern Powergrid (NP) is giving a new lease of life to a 2.5MW/5MWh lithium-ion battery bought years ago, as part of a GBP30 million ($39m) project to boost regional power services in northeast England.
NP said the move means a second lease of life for the battery— originally used as part of the first large-scale trial of battery storage in the UK.
Now the GBP4m battery, manufactured by US-based A123 Systems, a subsidiary of Chinese automotive components manufacturer Wanxiang Group, will be re-deployed in Darlington to expand regional electricity supplies— and raise cash to invest in other power projects by selling in electricity to the National Grid as needed.
NP told BBB that the company purchased the battery around five years ago from A123. The battery is the size of three storage containers and can power 2,500 houses for two hours, the company said.
“Batteries can respond faster than any other technology and are reducing the need to keep fossil fuelled power stations on standby,” NP said.
