While Brexit – the impending departure of the UK from the European Union – looms, bringing uncertainty into the country’s economy and international relationships, the role energy storage will play in a decentralised, low(er) carbon and more flexible energy system at least seems a little more assured than it did before.

A 20MW energy storage project set to be completed by March will use gas/diesel fired generation to deliver millions of pounds in revenue from balancing services to the national transmission network.

Energy storage has been placed at the heart of the UK’s new industrial strategy as the government attempts to position itself at the forefront of research and innovation in the global market.

The UK has a pipeline of 2.3GW of commercial and industrial (C&I) and utility scale battery-based energy storage projects, with many developers already looking to ‘stack’ revenues through providing multiple services, a new report has found.

Developers who were successful in winning contracts within last week’s Capacity Market auction have lauded the “crucial role” battery storage is set to play in the future for the national grid.

The number of battery storage projects to have won 15-year contracts in the latest Capacity Market auction is a sign of “considerable confidence” in the technology, according to the director of the Electricity Storage Network.

Centrica, multinational major utility and owner of British Gas, is to launch a £19 million (US$24.2 million) UK pilot project which will assess the development of a virtual energy marketplace with renewables and storage at its heart in the UK.

The UK’s government department for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) and its regulator, Ofgem, have jointly launched a Call for Evidence on System Flexibility for the country’s power networks, putting storage at the forefront. Anthony Price, head of trade group the Electricity Storage Network spoke to Energy-Storage.News about the document, which gives stakeholders until January to respond.

A ‘call for evidence’ from the UK government on how to reform the energy sector, calling for information and commentary by industry and other stakeholders, has been welcomed by the country’s Electricity Storage Network trade association.

Tax breaks and greater efforts by industry to engage consumers should be used to grow the storage market in place of government subsidy, according to sonnen’s UK director.