The 50MW lithium-ion battery forms part of the Energy Superhub Oxford project, aiming to combine a range of technologies to decarbonise Oxford. Image: Pivot Power
Pivot Power, Wärtsilä and Habitat Energy have today (23 June) activated what the trio claim to be the UK’s first grid-scale battery storage system directly connected to the transmission network.
The 50MW lithium-ion battery is part of the world’s largest hybrid battery, with this combining lithium-ion and vanadium redox flow systems. Provided by Invinity Energy Systems, the vanadium redox flow system is due to be fully operational later in 2021.
The energy storage system is to provide flexibility to enable further integration of renewables, increase system resilience and future-proof the UK’s electricity network.
It is being developed alongide a private wire network which will share the connection with the high-voltage transmission network and deliver what EDF-owned Pivot said would be large volumes of power to public and commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging locations across Oxford.
Wärtsilä provided the battery energy storage technology, with this underpinned by its GEMS Digital Energy Platform. This can dynamically manage energy systems through a range of applications, providing feedback to stakeholders across asset owner, operating and trading value chains and enabling the delivery of services such as frequency regulation and enhanced grid resilience. Pivot signed a deal with Wärtsilä in early 2020 for the 50MW battery alongside a separate 50MW asset being developed in Kemsley, Kent,
Meanwhile, Habitat Energy will optimise the battery trading and revenue generation of the Oxford battery using its AI-enabled PowerIQ platform, with this combining the best opportunities available in the day ahead market, intraday and Balancing Mechanism and providing ancillary services such as Dynamic Containment.
The battery forms part of the £41 million government-backed Energy Superhub Oxford project, which is aiming to integrate energy storage, EV charging, low carbon heating and smart energy management technologies to decarbonise Oxford by 2040. Pivot Power is aiming for up to 40 similar sites across the country, with this to total up to 2GW of battery storage.
Matt Allen, CEO of Pivot Power, said: “This is the first grid-scale battery to directly connect to the transmission network in the UK, and represents a key milestone for the completion of Energy Superhub Oxford and our mission to accelerate the UK towards net zero."