In these pages we, try to keep up to date with changes in the energy markets and their potential impact on prices and customers’ total energy spend. One area that has been growing is energy battery storage, and we would like to do a quick examination of that market, its potential impact on prices, and its longer-term viability. (more…)
Energy Storage
UK Battery Industrialisation Centre Gets Boost
A national centre for excellence in developing electric vehicle (EV) batteries has received an additional £24 million in funding on top of its initial £80 million endowment. The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, planned to be in Coventry, will develop and test batteries, train a new workforce in battery manufacturing, and become the UK’s first large-scale battery factory (or Gigafactory). (more…)
Energy Storage Technologies Continue to Change Electricity Industry Landscape
During the second quarter, Frost and Sullivan (global market research and analysis company) released its Global Energy Storage Market Outlook 2018. The report finds that total installed energy storage capacity will grow 15.9% between 2017 and 2018 with the top six countries (China, USA, South Africa, Chile, France, and Israel) completing 1369 MWS of grid-scale energy storage system (ESS) projects during 2018. (more…)
Drax to Invest in Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage
Drax power station announced last week that it is to pilot a bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project, which will be the first of its kind in Europe. The North Yorkshire power plant will invest £400,000 and work in partnership with a Leeds-based company, C-Capture, to deliver the trial, which could make its power generation carbon negative. (more…)
Power-to-gas Energy Storage Hailed as Feasible at Scale
A government-backed study has supported the use of hydrogen as large-scale energy storage for power generated by renewables. Northern Gas Network (NGN) and ITM Power, who led the project, have hailed the results of the power-to-gas feasibility study as a “compelling step forward for the future of UK energy storage”. (more…)
Launch of Faraday Institute to Boost Battery Technology in the UK
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has announced the launch of the Faraday Institute, a consortium of seven UK universities that will accelerate the research and development of battery technologies. The move forms part of the £246 million Faraday Research Challenge, which is divided into three streams: research, innovation, and scale-up. (more…)
Government Plan to Encourage Energy Storage
Wide ranging reforms for energy storage operators will increase the flexibility of the UK’s energy system and reduce costs to customers, according to a new strategy published by the government last week. The policy paper, “upgrading our energy system” outlines plans to encourage the use of innovative technologies, which includes the removal of barriers to uptake. For example, at present battery storage is sometimes treated as a generator and at other times as a consumer of energy, which increases the costs it faces. Ofgem intends to address this by defining the status of storage clearly in legislation. In addition, the requirement for battery storage to pay green levies will be removed. These changes are expected to be in place by 2019.
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