2022-11-14 13:00:00
BRITAIN'S ENERGY STORES
By JULIAN JACKSON Staff Writer, Energy Central BrightGreen PR
ENERGYCENTRAL - Nov 9, 2022 - The UK is facing a difficult winter for energy for a number of reasons, but one is that the government sold off all the natural gas storage it owned and now the country is facing serious issues of power availability. This should make stakeholders look again at conventional gas storage, and accelerate the process of adding energy storage to the UK's national grid, to provide more resiliency in balancing demand and supply.
An “Energy Superhub” is being constructed in Coventry, a city in the middle of the UK, which will harmonize a number of renewable technologies to maximize the benefits of decarbonized electricity. EDF Renewables UK subsidiary Pivot Power is contributing a 50MW/100MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). Co-located will also be an EV charging network. This is the second of two Superhubs being built, the first located at the famous university city of Oxford, renowned for its scientific community. The budget for the two projects is £41 million ($46.7 million).
According to EDF Renewables, the 100MWh battery system will improve the integration of renewable energy by storing it for times when there is a peak in demand. The lithium-ion battery system will be directly connected to the UK’s high-voltage transmission network and will be controlled using a GEMS Digital Energy Platform supplied by technology partner Wärtsilä.
“Transport and energy are the UK’s two most polluting sectors.” said Matthew Boulton, director of storage and private wire at EDF Renewables UK. “Our Energy Superhub model helps to cut emissions from both at the same time, scaling up renewable energy and clean transport to accelerate a net zero future. Building on the foundation of the first Energy Superhub in Oxford, we are focused on applying the model to meet unique regional and local challenges. Coventry has long been at the forefront of transport innovation and our smart power infrastructure will deliver the capacity they need to lead the UK’s transition to electric mobility.”
Pivot Power claims that the EV charging networks in the Superhubs will be the world's most powerful, delivering up to 25MW of power via an 8km private wire network. The Oxford Superhub site includes twenty charge points ranging from rapid (50kW+) to ultra-rapid (150kW+). The project also deploys thirty fast charge points (min 7kW). These make up 50% of the 100 charge points for council vehicle depots and public use already earmarked by Oxford City Council.
The local council is also switching to EVs for council-owned vehicles and taxis, a new charging network and hub of public chargers and the world’s largest hybrid battery energy storage system.
In Coventry the second project is getting full support from the local council, “Coventry has always been a city at the forefront of innovation, from leading the way in car manufacturing to driving the green industrial revolution today,” said Councilor Jim O’Boyle, who is responsible for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council. “We’re pleased to work with EDF Renewables UK, which will help power homes with cleaner energy, decarbonize transport and improve air quality. This will complement our plans for greener travel in the city, including Very Light Rail and our plans to completely electrify Coventry’s bus fleet by 2025.”
The Superhubs are designed to ensure that Pivot Power and EDF Renewables UK deliver up to 2GW of transmission-connected battery storage and high-volume power connections to support more renewables and create the power infrastructure for mass-scale, rapid EV charging. It seems that local initiatives are moving forward, even if the UK's central government is not the most dynamic player in getting behind green technology.
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