By:
Analyst, Solar Media Market Research
As UK battery energy storage capacity drives past the 1GW mark, the industry is now plotting its advance towards the next sizeable hurdle. This article discusses how the UK has already exceeded 1GW of installed energy storage capacity, factors behind the drive now from 1GW to 10GW, and how much annual deployment can be expected in the next few years as a result of this.
The UK utility-scale battery storage market kick started during 2017. By now, operational capacity is rapidly approaching 1.3GW, with a pipeline of projects close to 15GW ready for deployment over the next few years.
Storage investor Gresham House Energy Storage Fund has completed the acquisitions two projects in the UK totalling 45MW.
The listed player has bought a 35MW battery project located in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, and a 10MW battery project located in Essex.
The projects are both operational battery-only sites with total export/import capacity of 45MW and both are connected to the distribution network.
They were commissioned in 2018 and generate availability-based contracted revenues from Enhanced Frequency Response services provided to National Grid (maturing in 2022), as well as having capacity market contracts.
The total operational capacity of the fund s investment portfolio is now 395MW, across 15 projects in 12 counties.
Reporter, Solar Media
Gresham House added the Wickham Market grid-scale battery project (pictured) to its portfolio among a wave of other acquisitions in the past few months alone. Image: Gresham House Energy Storage Fund.
Battery storage portfolio investor Gresham House Energy Storage Fund has acquired 55MW of UK projects in the past few weeks and completed a 10MW extension to an existing project.
Gresham House Energy Storage Fund, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GRID, conditionally agreed to acquire its first project north of the English border in Scotland in a deal announced in late December.
Gresham House s Glassenbury battery storage asset. Image: Gresham House Energy Storage Fund.
Gresham House Energy Storage Fund has added a further 35MW to its portfolio with the acquisition of Tynemouth and the completion of its Glassenbury B extension.
The 25MW battery-only Tynemouth site – which is connected to the distribution network – was commissioned in 2018 and generates availability-based contracted revenues from Enhanced Frequency Response services provided to National Grid.
It was acquired from Enel Global Thermal Generation and comes off the back of other recent acquisitions of the 50MW Wickham and also 50MW Thurcroft batteries, costing £32.75 million and £32.5 million respectively.
The acquisition of Tynemouth is being announced alongside the completion of construction of the 10MW expansion to Glassenbury in Kent, which was announced in February 2020 and is expected to be commissioned by 31 January 2021. Following this, the total operational capacity of Gresha