Wärtsilä has signed a contract with EDF Renewables UK and Ireland to deliver a new grid-scale energy storage facility in Sundon, Bedfordshire, UK. The 50 MW/100 MWh project will form part of a new ‘Energy Superhub’ in the region. Construction is expected to start in spring 2023.
The new lithium-ion storage facility can store enough electricity to power 100 000 homes for two hours, and will support electric vehicle (EV) charging and the electrification of public transport. The project is intended to enable increased renewable energy integration and intermittency management, in addition to strengthening the resiliency of the electricity system, automatically charging and discharging to balance supply and demand.
Matthew Boulton, director of Storage and Private Wire at EDF Renewables, commented: “We are working with local councils to accelerate the rollout of Energy Superhubs, helping to unleash the potential of renewable energy and enable local people to reap the benefits of net zero through better access to low-carbon transport.”
Wärtsilä has provided its proprietary GridSolv Quantum system and GEMS Digital Energy Platform, in addition to the power conversion system and commissioning for the project. GEMS provides the data and insights to instruct trading parties and performance for comprehensive asset management.
Wärtsilä’s installed energy storage technology base in the UK now exceeds 424 MWh. The previous projects with EDF Renewables (formerly Pivot Power) in oxford and Kemsley in Kent were delivered in 2021, and two projects in Birmingham and Coventry are currently under construction. Wärtsilä has also delivered a number of other energy storage projects in the UK, including a 50 MW/100 MWh project first site for SSE in Salisbury, and an islanded-grid project to balance renewables in Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands.
