UK local authority’s 30MW project will participate in all available flexibility markets

August 12, 2020
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email
The 30MW battery project is the largest to be owned by a local council authority in the UK. Image: Kiwi Power.

The UKs largest council-owned battery storage site, the 30MW Fideoak Mill site, is now fully operational and able to participate in delivering multiple revenue-generating services.

Located at local authority South Somerset District Council’s (SSDC) site in Taunton in south-west England, an additional £2.5 million (US$1.92 million) of investment has allowed the council to commission a further 5MW, making it the largest site of its kind in the UK.

It uses Kiwi Power’s proprietary hardware Fruit, which has been installed on all 22 battery units at the site. These will allow the batteries to provide balancing services to National Grid and participate in any of the UK’s 15 flexibility markets.

Thomas Jennings, head of optimisation at Kiwi Power, said that councils were looking to make the most of sustainability investments in an effort to meet “increasingly stringent targets.”

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

“Landmark projects such as Fideoak are vital for demonstrating how investments in battery storage and renewables are value adding and income generating,” he continued.

“With rapidly changing market dynamics, SSDC will be relying on our co-optimisation team to ensure that the £12 million asset always participates in the right market at the right time so that it delivers the maximum return possible for the investment.”

Read the full version of this story at Solar Power Portal.

Kiwi Power’s Thomas Jennings was one of the panellists at a 2019 conference discussing routes to market in the UK for battery storage with Energy-Storage.news editor Andy Colthorpe: watch the video here.

13 October 2026
London, UK
Now in its second edition, the Summit provides a dedicated platform for UK & Ireland’s BESS community to share practical insights on performance, degradation, safety, market design and optimisation strategies. As storage deployment accelerates towards 2030 targets, attendees gain the tools needed to enhance returns and operate resilient, efficient assets.

Read Next

February 25, 2026
Germany’s energy storage market growth will be hampered by a regulatory decision to potentially charge utility-scale project operators fees for use of the grid, Energy-Storage.news has heard.
February 24, 2026
Panellists discussed M&A in large-scale BESS on the ‘M&A Market: How Attractive Is BESS Right Now?’ panel discussion at the Energy Storage Summit 2026.
February 24, 2026
How to enable bankability for large-scale BESS projects was the main topic of the opening panel discussion at the Energy Storage Summit 2026 which kicked off today (24 February).
February 24, 2026
Lightsource bp has sold a 1GW operational solar PV portfolio, with options to build 800MW of co-located battery storage, in Australia.
February 24, 2026
The recent successes of the energy storage market in Europe bring new challenges alongside industry maturity, writes Vicente Abad.