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.

Read Next

January 15, 2026
BlackRock-backed developer Akaysha Energy is reportedly considering options to raise additional funds, including selling a minority stake, to support the expansion of its battery energy storage operations.
January 15, 2026
While coal and gas power plants grapple with cost increases, Australia’s battery storage sector delivers a different story, with costs plummeting across all durations.
January 13, 2026
Another busy week of large-scale BESS project news across Europe, led by CountourGlobal putting a 202MW/505MWh BESS into commercial operation in Bulgaria.
January 13, 2026
The UK grid-scale battery storage market grew 45% in 2025, with 4GWh coming online during the year, bringing total operational capacity to 12.9GWh.
January 12, 2026
Lennart Hinrichs at TWAICE, discusses how the industry’s approach to battery analytics is changing, as part of our annual Year in Review series.