Somerset battery storage facility to demonstrate nine different applications of energy storage on the grid
RES (Renewable Energy Systems) has successfully completed its first UK-based industrial-scale battery storage facility at a 1.5MW solar park south of Glastonbury, in Somerset. RES has delivered the battery energy storage system (BESS) under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Western Power Distribution (WPD) as part of a project to explore the provision of ancillary services to a distribution network operator from an embedded battery energy storage system.
A leading global renewable energy company, RES has pioneered energy storage projects in the US and Canada and is now delivering its energy storage expertise at projects across the UK. The 310kVA/668kWh battery storage system RES has delivered for WPD, at a British Solar Renewables (BSR) solar park, is one of the first such projects to be built under a fully wrapped EPC contract in Europe. The combined solar-storage project is connected to WPD’s South West 11kV network, and the BESS will be operated using RESolve, RES’ storage control and dispatch system that will provide 24/7 management of the battery’s operation.
The completion of RES’ first energy storage project in UK solidifies RES’ leadership in the global energy storage sector, as reported in Navigant Research’s Leaderboard Report and takes RES’ total contracted energy storage portfolio to 143.6MW / 92MWh, alongside more than 200MW in development.
Tim French, RES’ Head of Projects for New Technologies, said: “Completing our first battery storage facility in UK marks an important milestone for RES. We’ve been able to use our global energy storage expertise to great effect in successfully designing and building this project for WPD and delivering it ahead of schedule.
“We recognise the significant potential energy storage brings through increasing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of grid operations without the need for public or Government subsidy. RES is very well placed at the forefront of the rapidly expanding UK storage market, which will play a vital role in the UK’s transition to a low carbon future at least cost to consumers.”
Jenny Woodruff, Innovation and Low Carbon Engineer for WPD, said: “I’m delighted to see the battery energised and we’ve already seen encouraging signs of the battery’s capabilities during commissioning tests. The Solar Storage project will discover the effectiveness and the practical issues around using the battery to provide a range of services. This will help us determine where battery technology can reduce network investment costs, keeping bills down for customers.”
1. A global renewable and low carbon energy company, headquartered in the UK, RES (Renewable Energy Systems) has been active in energy storage for over six years; and in 2016 was named as one of the world’s top two energy storage integrators by Navigant Research. RES now has 14 different energy storage projects either complete or under contract in seven different markets; totaling more than 140MW / 90MWh and providing multiple grid services.
2. RES is actively progressing energy storage project opportunities across the UK. RES offers development and fully wrapped EPC services for energy storage, as well as its proprietary algorithm and controls system, RESolve, and offers similar services in renewable energy and transmission.
3. In May 2016, RES and National Grid announced that they are working on the first battery energy storage systems to provide a dynamic frequency response service in sub-second timescales in Great Britain, with the parties signing a four year contract that will see RES provide 20MW of frequency response from battery storage. In August 2016 RES was awarded a separate four year contract by National Grid to deliver 35MW of sub second frequency response service through a battery energy storage project, through National Grid’s first commercial tender process for Enhanced Frequency Response (EFR) services. RES pioneered the delivery of very fast frequency services with the Independent System Operator (IESO) for Ontario, Canada, and is one of the largest providers of such services to PJM, the largest system operator in the USA.
