Wednesday 4 March 2020

Batteries ‘could enable 25% more renewables to be utilised during peak times’

Batteries could enable at least 25% more renewable energy to be utilised at times of peak electricity demand on the grid.

That's the suggestion from network operator Northern Powergrid, which has published the findings from a two-year study into how smart home batteries can increase electricity network capacity, enable more homes to install solar panels and offer savings on customer bills.

The network operator worked with Moixa to manage a cluster of 40 of its Smart Home Batteries connected to 27 sets of rooftop solar to form a virtual power plant in Oxspring, Barnsley - this allowed the homes in question to save money on their energy bills and cut carbon emissions, while making the local power network more efficient, greener and cheaper to run.

The trial found trial participants with solar panels secured up to £60 off their electricity bills a year by storing free solar energy and using it at night, when tariffs are usually higher.

Batteries, combined with roof-top solar, reduced the need for power from the network during the more expensive and carbon-intensive evening peak by 25%.

Paris Hadjiodysseos, Smart Grid Development Engineer for Northern Powergrid, said: "We have to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and real-world projects like this are paving the way for this to be achieved.

"This project has unveiled significant insights into a future flexible domestic electricity market, and demonstrated how smart energy storage systems can maximise benefits for both consumers and network operators."