Giants of the UK energy sector are to work within a new collaborative group aimed at enabling significant cost reductions for the electricity system through the use of energy storage applications.

The UK is to become home to Europe’s largest battery flywheel system in a first for the country which will provide fast acting frequency response services and aid the integration of renewables.

Italian energy company Enel has agreed terms to buy Element Power’s 12.5MWh battery storage project, which secured one of the most highly remunerated contracts in last year’s Enhanced Frequency Response (EFR) tender by the UK’s transmission system operator National Grid.

Investor-owned energy company National Grid, responsible for electricity and gas delivery in New York, Massachusetts and Long Island, will build a 5MW / 40MWh energy storage facility in Long Island with NextEra Energy.

A new joint venture has been established to fund early stage energy storage and renewable energy projects in the UK, beginning with two of the winning projects from National Grid’s Enhanced Frequency Response (EFR) tender.

Industry insiders have criticised a lack of encouragement for green energy projects after battery storage won just over 10MW of combined capacity in the latest capacity market auction, well down on the success enjoyed by the technology in December’s T-4 bidding process.

Sam Wilkinson, of IHS Markit, talks to Energy-Storage.News about the winners in the UK’s recent 200MW Enhanced Frequency Response (EFR) tender which saw utility and renewables giants share the spoils.

The signing of a contract to deploy batteries for dynamic frequency response in Britain is an indication that grid operators and the renewables industry can work together to benefit energy users, developer RES has said.

The trial of a 6MW/10MWh ‘Big Battery’ has proven energy storage can help Britain’s electricity network, but the next crucial phase is to assess the business case, the grid operator which commissioned it has said.

In our latest video feature, we discussed the policy and regulatory space for energy storage in the UK with two leading members of the Solar Media Energy Storage Alliance.