Gresham House Energy Storage Fund and flexible energy specialist Flexitricity have announced that the UK’s largest battery is now live and helping National Grid ESO balance supply and demand.
Flexitricity is currently optimising the Gresham House 50MW/75MWh battery at its site in Thurcroft, South Yorkshire.
The asset went live in the balancing mechanism (BM) Reserve from Storage Trial and went live immediately afterwards. The BM is a tool National Grid ESO uses to balance supply and demand on the system in real time. Flexitricity monitors the BM round the clock from its 24/7 control room, and remotely alters the charge and discharge profile of the Thurcroft battery.
The project will also trade the battery in the wholesale markets and tender for frequency response services to help optimise revenue for the site. Flexitricity took the asset into National Grid ESO’s new Dynamic Containment frequency response service on day one and has been securing daily contracts at high value ever since.
The UK now boasts around 1GW installed battery storage capacity, but the market needs further growth to facilitate a net zero energy system.
Ben Guest, managing director at Gresham House, commented: “We have plans to grow our energy storage portfolio, aiming for over 350 MW in operational assets by the end of 2020. Great Britain needs at least 10 GW in the next few years to enable the orderly transition to a renewables-led electricity market.”
