UK distribution network operator Western Power Distribution (WPD) has launched a consultation seeking views on the potential growth of energy storage on its distribution network after receiving an ‘unprecedented’ 8GW of applications in the last 18 months.

With a surprise general election coming in June for Britain’s ballot-weary voters, Ian Larive of Low Carbon looks at the possibility of political flux interrupting the industry’s momentum – and why whichever party is victorious, they should back energy storage.

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.

British renewables utility Good Energy has launched a corporate bond offer as it looks to plough investment into a diversification strategy focusing on battery storage and EV charging networks.

Energy storage has reached a point of commercial viability in the UK according to the chief executive of redT energy, who said the company had now reached “the right price” for an economic proposition.

Developer Anesco has continued to rack up utility-scale storage work after agreeing to retrofit 10 of Ancala Partner’s PV arrays in the UK with battery units.

Major utility firm E.on has announced its entrance to the UK’s solar and storage market with a new consumer-focused offering.

UK flow battery provider redT will deliver a 1.08MWh energy storage project to support the distributed energy system in Cornwall, England, and potentially take part in utility Centrica’s developing ‘virtual energy marketplace’.

A consumer protection scheme for domestic renewables has revealed that it received at least one complaint a week during 2016 related to battery storage, half of which concerned mis-selling practices.

Energy efficiency solutions provider and energy storage developer Anesco is to partner with “technology-driven utility” Limejump to deliver 185MW of energy storage capability in the UK into August’s capacity market, with plans for the units to be brought online by the end of 2018.