A lithium-ion battery storage system has been ‘booked in’ to a hotel in Scotland as part of an energy efficiency trial project.
The Gyle Premier Inn at Edinburgh Park, owned by brewing giant Whitbread, said the 100kW battery has the capacity to run the hotel— “including powering meals cooked” at its bar and grill— for up to three hours daily.
The battery functions by drawing power from the National Grid during off-peak periods and takes two hours to fully charge.
According to Whitbread, the system could save the hotel around £20,000 (US$25,000) per year “in energy savings alone”, but did not give details.
Whitbread said the hotel was chosen as the first site to trial the battery in part because Scotland is a large producer of renewable power, such as wind power, which can be prone to volatility. At such times, the battery will help the National Grid by reducing demand from the system.
As well as powering the Edinburgh-based hotel, the trial of the new battery storage system allows the Premier Inn site to avoid increased peak-time energy costs and generate revenue by offering energy support services to the National Grid.
Whitbread said the BESS was supplied by utility project partner E.On, which will remotely manage the battery’s workload and efficiency from its energy management centre in Glasgow.
If successful, the trial could be extended more widely across the Premier Inn estate.
Cian Hatton, Whitbread’s head of energy and environment, said: “It’s incredibly excited to launch the UK’s first battery-powered hotel— an innovation which will save money, ensure security of supply and support the transition to a more flexible grid”.