Super battery support scheme underwrites sustainable generation

Ofgem have confirmed 77 projects have qualified for the final assessment stage of a government-driven ‘super battery’ support scheme designed to secure investment, promote growth and stop green energy going to waste.

These projects include a variety of storage methods such as Li-Ion batteries, flow batteries and pumped hydro storage, which releases water stored at height to turn turbines, creating electricity to power millions of homes across the country.

Long Duration Electricity Storage (LDES) will play a key role in Great Britain’s grid expansion, storing extra renewable energy when the weather conditions are producing more than we need, and use later when the wind is not blowing.

Instead of having to pay wind and solar farm operators to stop generating on particularly windy or sunny days, long duration electricity storage can maximise green energy production by providing more innovative ways to store that excess power so the generators can keep running for longer.

Supporting a government growth pledge to build major new LDES projects for the first time in 40 years, Ofgem launched a new “cap” and “floor” support scheme in April to unlock billions in investment and boost Great Britain’s tech economy.

This diversity of technologies can all play a crucial role in delivering a cleaner, more efficient and secure energy system with the capacity to bring balance to Britain’s renewable energy production, whatever the weather.

Beatrice Filkin, Director of Major Projects Infrastructure for Ofgem, said, “Renewable power is the key to seizing control of our own energy system and end the costly reliance on the turbulent wholesale gas market, so we don’t want to see a single watt go to waste.

“That’s why we need to boost our ability to store as much homegrown energy as we can to let the turbines keep turning when the wind is at its strongest – and on the days when the gusts drop and the sun doesn’t shine that reserve of excess clean power can be called upon.

“There’s lots of different ways you can do this – with batteries, compressed air or pumped hydro storage – and we’ll consider them all, as this technology is vital for a modern energy system.

“Through Ofgem’s cap and floor process we are beginning to identify the projects that we think are best placed to capture and make the most of our precious natural resources, so that we can have safe, secure and good value-for-money power.”