The UK’s battery storage market has become increasingly prevalent since 2017, with an overall trend towards projects with expanding installed capacities. In 2022, numerous battery projects were developed with an installed capacity of 800MW and a future pipeline of 34.5GW has been planned. The 800MW installed in 2022 brings the country’s total installed capacity to 2.4GW. As previously mentioned, not only the number of projects is increasing but also the size. In 2017 the average project size was 4.4MW whereas in 2022 the average was 36MW, partially thanks to an increase in the duration of batteries. This article will introduce three storage developers that will play a key role in the UK’s continued growth of its storage capacity. All of the storage developers introduced in the article can be found on our list of large European developers of storage.
Harmony Energy – wind, solar and storage developer based in Knaresborough
Based in Knaresborough, the UK firm is an independent developer of green infrastructure assets and has developed a portfolio of 250MW dispersed across projects in the UK, France, Poland, and New Zealand. Harmony Energy believes storage projects are the key to unlocking the true potential of green energy. Established in 2010, the firm has put a clear emphasis on storage projects and has 220MW in operation across the UK, with a further 381MW under construction. In 2022, the firm completed the development of its Pillswood project, a 98MW battery site located in East Yorkshire using Tesla’s 2-hour Megapack system. The project represents the third and largest battery storage project the firm has developed.
Penso Power – storage developer based in London
Headquartered in the capital of the country, Penso Power has become a specialist in developing large-scale storage projects and focuses solely on this market. The London-based firm has partnered with BW Group to create, deploy and manage battery projects in order to produce lower emissions, lower costs, and lower energy prices. In April 2022, Penso received planning approval for its 100MW battery site located at Bramley in southeast England. The site will be co-developed with BW ESS and hopes to be fully operational by 2024. The 100MW site is part of Penso’s project pipeline and part of BW ESS’s commitment to support large-scale battery projects across the UK.
Aura Power – storage and solar developer based in Bristol
Established in 2010, Aura Power has amassed a renewable portfolio with an installed capacity of 1GW in construction or fully developed, with a future project pipeline of 20GW across 9 countries. In September 2022, the group announced the sale of land sites to The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) which will be used to develop three battery projects. Once fully operational the sites will have an installed capacity of 250MW.
Image Source: Abby Anaday via Unsplash (11.07.2023)
