Wales Battery Storage Project Powers Up

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--A 4-megawatt (MW) battery storage project in South Wales has been commissioned just four months after getting the green light.

The project using Tesla batteries has been developed and financed by KiWi Power (London, England) and is located at Cenin Renewables, a 20-acre renewable energy site at Parc Stormy in Bridgend, South Wales. Permission was granted in October by U.K. grid regulator National Grid (NYSE:NGG) (London). For additional information, see October 25, 2017, article - U.K. Backs 4-Megawatt Battery Storage Project.

The battery system, which is the size of three shipping containers, provides grid balancing for a number of different renewable energy schemes onsite including a solar farm, wind turbines and an anaerobic digestion plant.

"This is all about having green energy in reserve and we are delighted to be working with KiWi Power to play our part delivering a reliable, sustainable power source whilst providing local economic development and helping Wales reach its low emissions targets," explained Cenin Managing Director Martyn Popham. "Smart batteries are both green and cost-effective, reducing the need for inefficient backup power stations by allowing excess energy to be stored and used when the sun isn't shining and the wind has stopped blowing."

Yoav Zingher, chief executive officer at KiWi Power, commented: "This facility is an exciting addition to KiWi Power's battery portfolio, and a key part of our strategy to develop, finance, build and monetise the highest value battery systems on customer sites across Europe. Our state-of-the-art technology enables large power users like Cenin to reap the rewards from battery energy storage, with no upfront investment or risk to them, reducing their bills and their carbon footprint."

Last year, National Grid held the world's first energy-storage auction, the Enhanced Frequency Response (EFR) scheme. It attracted 37 bidders, most of which were pitching battery-storage solutions, and National Grid has awarded contracts to eight companies to provide 200 MW of grid-scale battery storage. It estimated the projects will save the country £200 million ($262 million). For additional information, see August 31, 2016, article - U.K. Bets Big on Battery Power.

Earlier this month, Industrial Info reported on the startup of one of the U.K.'s first industrial-scale battery storage projects at the Blackburn Meadows biomass plant owned by E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY) (Dusseldorf, Germany) near Sheffield, England. It is a 10-MW lithium-ion battery system. For additional information, see October 13, 2017, article - Battery Storage Project Goes Live in the U.K.

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