Europe’s largest battery energy storage system launched in the UK

A £75m battery energy storage system – the largest in Europe – has been officially opened in the UK by Harmony Energy Income Trust Plc.

The revolutionary battery energy storage system is located at Pillswood near Cottingham, East Yorkshire, and is the largest energy storage system of its kind by megawatt-hour (MWh).

The £75m facility utilises Tesla Megapack technology and will provide a pivotal storage solution that will be vital for the country’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Peter Kavanagh, Harmony Energy Limited’s CEO, said: “We are delighted that our Pillswood Project, Europe’s biggest battery energy storage system, has been officially opened.

“Funded by Harmony Energy Income Trust, this is the first of six similar projects the Trust intends to deliver in the coming year. It is also a significant achievement for Harmony: this project is the third and largest battery energy storage project which we have developed and delivered. “

How does the battery energy storage system work?

Harmony Energy Income Trust’s battery energy storage system allows the national grid to optimise the efficiency of renewable energy sources, such as wind farms.

Renewables such as solar and wind are not constantly produced; when it is not sunny or windy, no power is generated. This means that effective energy storage systems are essential for banking energy from renewables that can be distributed when required.

The company’s energy storage facility maximises the efficiency of wind farms by reducing the time it needs to be switched off (curtailed) because of supply and demand imbalances or network limitations.

The system will enable essential balancing services to the UK’s electricity grid and help to accelerate replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy.

How much energy can be stored?

The Pillswood project is located next to the National Grid’s Creyke Beck substation, which is also the connection point proposed for phases A and B of Dogger Bank – the largest offshore wind farm in the world – set to go live this summer.

The battery energy storage system can store up to 196 MWh of electricity in a single cycle, which is enough to fuel around 300,000 homes in Yorkshire for two hours.

Kavanagh added: “Battery energy storage systems are essential to unlocking the full potential of renewable energy in the UK, and we hope this particular one highlights Yorkshire as a leader in green energy solutions.”

The company plans to develop an array of battery energy storage systems across the UK, already boasting nine projects with a total capacity of 500MW/1GWh.

Paul Mason, Managing Director, Harmony Energy Advisors, and Max Slade, Commercial Director & General Counsel, Harmony Energy Advisors, explain more about the projects below.