Known as Energy Superhubs, the 50 MW/100 MWh containerised lithium-ion battery facilities will be based on an existing model that Pivot Power has already deployed in Oxford. The sites in Sundon, Luton, and Indian Queens, Cornwall will connect into local National Grid substations, storing power during times of high generation and low demand, then releasing it back as required.
Gravitricity awarded grant for 4MWh storage solution
Energy storage solutions set for trials at Harwell
Long Duration Energy Storage Council launched
The Energy Superhubs are also designed specifically with EV charging in mind and are located in close proximity to transport arteries. Once the hubs are connected to the grid, Pivot Power plans to develop a private wire network to support multiple fast-charging sites within a five-to-ten-mile radius.
“Today’s energy infrastructure is not equipped to support the massive transition to renewables that we need to see in the coming decades,” said Matt Allen, CEO of Pivot Power, which is part of EDF Renewables.
“Grid flexibility is essential to future-proof our electricity system and help deliver secure, affordable, low carbon power. Pivot Power’s smart power infrastructure will help to manage the intermittency of renewables and improve the resilience of the UK’s electricity system. Working closely with local councils, we will help to create a smarter, more flexible grid and supercharge the path to net zero.”
Pivot Power has plans to roll out up to 2GW of transmission-connected battery storage in the coming years, with 10GW deployed globally by 2035. National Grid says the UK will require upwards of 25GW of storage by 2050 to accommodate the masses of intermittent renewables needed to decarbonise the energy system.
Pivot Power’s Luton Superhub is expected to begin construction in early 2023, with the aim of being connected to National Grid’s Sundon Substation later that year. In Indian Queens, Pivot Power will share a grid connection with two other developers, including Renewable Connections, a UK-based renewable energy company, who submitted a joint planning application with Pivot. Both companies have received consent for a 50 MW/100 MWh battery each for construction and connection to the National Grid in 2024. Pivot Power will also add a private wire network once the battery is live, helping to bolster EV charging infrastructure in Cornwall.
“The Indian Queens consent is particularly important to us because it marks an important milestone in developer and grid operator collaboration,” said John Leith, development director at Renewable Connections.
“We have worked closely with Pivot Power and National Grid to design and consent a combined battery storage asset suitable for connection at the end of the transmission network in Cornwall. And, along with Pivot Power’s private wire to support the rollout of electric vehicle charging, Renewable Connections are developing a private wire system to connect to one of its solar farm generation assets in Cornwall. This means that not only can our battery storage asset offer grid services and improve resilience, it can do so using locally sourced renewable energy which reduces emissions as well as dependence on imported power in Cornwall.”
Five ways to prepare for your first day
If I may add my own personal Tip No. 6 it goes something like this: From time to time a more senior member of staff will start explaining something...