Breach Farm, a 10 MW battery storage site in Derbyshire, has participated in the scheme as part of the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) overseen by aggregator Limejump, as reported by REM last week. The project represents a groundbreaking move for the UK renewables industry, further fuelling the growing appetite for investment, according to Steve Shine, executive chairman at Anesco.
“We’re delighted that we’ve been able to achieve another first for the UK renewables industry” Mr Shine said. “By entering our storage assets into the Balancing Mechanism, the door has been opened to additional revenue streams for investors and further validates the opportunity that battery storage provides. It’s a major step forward for the industry, with the Balancing Mechanism market offering frequent instances of profitable spreads for batteries to take advantage of. In addition, it removes much of the risk that suppliers face from uncertain system prices.”
Mr Shine added that while Anesco’s storage units have previously taken part in frequency response and the wholesale market, they are now able to take advantage of these additional revenue streams and pricing opportunities. Because of the data held by Anesco and its unique battery revenue modelling tool, the company is able to provide investors with even more certainty, further bolstering the mounting appetite for stand-alone storage as well as hybrid solar and storage projects.
Another high profile development now participating in the Balancing Mechanism is Anesco’s Clayhill solar farm. The hybrid solar and battery storage site was the UK’s first subsidy-free solar farm and features 6 MW of energy storage, co-located with 10 MW of solar power.
Anesco’s energy storage portfolio stands at 87 MW of operating assets and is on track to exceed 380 MW by 2020. The company has developed 102 solar farms to date, while its operations and maintenance service is currently monitoring more than 21,500 sites.
Image: Anesco battery storage units
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