Launch of Europe’s largest battery energy storage system is a victory for renewables
Europe’s largest battery energy storage system has officially started in Cottingham, UK.
The system, which is the largest in terms of megawatts per hour, aims to store electricity generated from renewable sources, such as wind turbines and solar farms, before releasing it during times of high customer demand.
The so-called “Pillswood Projectwas developed by the North Yorkshire renewable energy company Harmony Energy Income Trust and uses Autobidder, Tesla’s algorithmic trading platform.
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According to the company, the facility has the capacity to store up to 196 MWh of electricity in a single cycle, making it capable of powering around 300,000 UK households for two hours.
The facility was launched four months ahead of schedule to support National Grid’s efforts to provide stable and secure power to UK households during the challenging winter period.
Why renewable energy storage systems are essential to Europe’s net zero target
The European Energy Storage Association (EASE) has estimated that energy storage requirements for the EU alone will be around 200 GW in 2030 and 600 GW in 2050.
That’s because energy storage systems are a critical component in enabling the integration of renewable energy sources and creating a safe, low-emission and affordable energy system.
But while Europe’s net zero ambitions depend on the increase in renewable energy sources, this will not be achieved without the required storage infrastructure that can handle the intermittent nature of wind and solar power.
Unless renewable energy is properly stored, reliance on weather conditions will not effectively reduce dependence on fossil fuels – which in turn hinders efforts to decarbonise.
Fortunately, things seem to be moving in the right direction with Europe. The Pillswood project is just the latest (and probably most impressive) project the battery storage systems that are in the works or already in use on the continent.
Energy storage is also gaining momentum within the EU bodies.
Speak at the World Energy Storage Conference 2022 (ESGC), Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission, acknowledged that energy storage “…will help facilitate the integration of renewables and the electrification of the economy, while increasing the flexibility and security of the energy system.”
“The deployment of energy storage solutions in Europe needs to accelerate,” he says noted.
And amid the global energy crisis, it seems that strengthening Europe’s energy independence and strategic autonomy is more important than ever.
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