NEW statistics published today by RenewableUK show that the number of applications to build battery storage projects in the UK is continuing to increase.
Batteries play a key role in our modern flexible energy system, helping grid operators to finely balance the supply of electricity to meet demand, and providing extra power resources when needed.
RenewableUK’s latest Project Intelligence report shows that the total cumulative capacity of battery storage planning applications has soared from nearly 6,900 megawatts (MW) a year ago to over 10,500MW today, enough to fully charge over a million electric vehicles.
The market has grown quickly as in 2012 the applications stood at just 2MW.
The number of UK companies involved in the sector has grown over the past 12 months from 300 to more than 450 and the average battery project size has increased slightly from 27MW to 28MW.
The pipeline of storage projects is expected to continue growing and an increasing number of grid-scale battery projects of over 50MWs are expected, after BEIS agreed earlier this year to change planning rules which have, according to RenewableUK, ‘deterred development at this scale.’
Barnaby Wharton, RenewableUK’s Director of Future Electricity Systems, said: “As we build the net-zero energy system of the future based on renewables, we’re changing the way we manage the entire network, using a wide variety of extraordinarily innovative storage technologies. The pace of change in the industry is hugely exciting.
“Energy storage has reached a tipping point with major companies entering this new market, providing new services to guarantee the security our energy supplies and maximising the amount of power available, providing massive benefits to consumers.”
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You can read the whole RenewableUK report here.
