A look at battery storage in the UK: is behind the meter storage the more attractive option? Read on to find out more…
Electricity storage is far from being a new idea. Small-scale batteries have been household items for decades and increasingly powerful, yet relatively diminutive units are now a common part of our everyday, technology-rich lives. Our phones, our laptops and even some of our cars rely on high tech, readily rechargeable Lithium-based batteries that have only recently been commercialised.
Whilst batteries have become ubiquitous at the consumer end of the electricity market, the role of storage in the electricity grid has been limited to a handful of large-scale pumped storage facilities, such as Dinorwig in Gwynedd. However, as we place greater reliance on dispersed, intermittent sources of electricity that can’t simply be switched on when required, as patterns of consumption change, as electricity bills rise and as more pressure is put on electricity distribution networks, there is a growing, critical need for more flexibility within our electricity network.
The opportunity for grid-level electricity storage to play an increasing role is driven both by the targets set under the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the carbon reduction targets within the
