First Bus To Launch 1MW BESS Unit In Hampshire, Aberdeen To Follow
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Solar Power Portal.
This is the sub-heading.
Bus operator First Bus has launched its largest energy storage facility yet in Hampshire.
These four paragraphs add more detail.
Located at the company’s Hoeford bus depot, the 1MW battery storage unit, with a 2-hour duration, will begin operations next month.
This will be followed by a bigger battery storage unit with 2MW/4MWh capacity at its depot in Aberdeen, which will begin work by the end of the year.
The FirstGroup division said that it will explore opportunities to build more battery sites across the UK in the future.
The new battery storage facilities will be used to store surplus electricity that will be distributed back to the grid during peak demand and help maintain power supplies. It will also be used to power the company’s more than 1,200 electric bus fleet.
Note.
- Hoeford’s 1MW/2MWh and Aberdeen’s 2MW/4MWh are big batteries.
- They will be installed, where there is a predictable need.
- Google AI says that the First Bus UK News “About Us” page lists 65 depots and outstations.
- I suspect some clever data analysis is being used to optimise the size of a battery to the route structure and number of buses at a depot.
The batteries appear to come from a company called Palmer Energy Technology, who are backed by Barclays, First Bus and the University of Oxford.
This is the Palmer Energy Technology web site, which has these two paragraphs.
Palmer Energy designs and manufactures Battery Energy Storage Systems that apply automotive‑grade principles to stationary applications. PETL specifies premium cells, uses liquid cooling as standard and focuses on intelligent control to drive down operating costs for customers in transport, industry and the grid.
Through our 100% ownership of Brill Power, a University of Oxford spin out, we incorporate Brill Power’s patented active loading BMS technology in all our BESS to increase the lifetime of systems, improve safety and remove geopolitical risks by storing all data on UK servers.
These are my further thoughts.
Electric Bus Charging Puts A Strain On The Grid
A couple of years ago, I had a drink with three bus depot managers in London. They said that some depots were having difficulty getting sufficient power from the grid.
This Google Map shows Hoeford Depot where the first battery has been installed.
Note.
- Hoeford Depot is by the water at Fareham.
- The depot is indicated by the red arrow.
- The depot is surrounded by houses and other businesses.
As an electrical engineer, I would expect that a battery of the right size could sort out any charging problems.
Bus Garage Batteries Could Mop Up Surplus Electricity
Consider.
- I would expect bus garages have a predictable pattern for energy use.
- Buses will often be charged at night, when solar power is low.
- Do bus garages get a cheaper electricity rate at night?
- There will be times, when bus garages can accept excess energy from the grid and store it until they need it.
- This will mean that wind turbines won’t have to be turned off so often.
Palmer’s batteries installed in a bus garage seem to be a simple way to increase renewable energy efficiency and possibly reduce the cost of battery charging.
Would A Bank Finance The Batteries?
I am not a banker or an accountant, but I have worked with some of the very best. One banker, who sadly has now passed on, would have surely backed this company if the technology and the forecasts stacked up, just as he backed the company, that I helped to start.
It does look as if Barclays are backing the company.
UK’s Largest Solar Plant Cleve Hill Supplying Full Power To The Grid
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Solar Power Portal.
This is the sub-heading.
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has completed construction and started commercial operations of the 373MW Cleve Hill Solar Park, now the largest operational in the UK.
Note.
- According to Quinbrook, during the commissioning phase in May, electricity exports from Cleve Hill peaked at a level equivalent to 0.7% of the UK’s national power demand.
- Construction of the 373 MW solar project began in 2023, and Quinbrook said construction is now underway on a 150 MW co-located battery energy storage system (BESS).
- The gas-fired power stations at Coolkeeragh, Corby, Enfield, Great Yarmouth and Shoreham are all around 410-420 MW for comparison.
- On completion of the BESS, Cleve Hill will go from the largest solar plant in the UK to the largest co-located solar plus storage project constructed in the UK.
- The solar and storage plant was the first solar power project to be consented as a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) and is supported by the largest solar + BESS project financing undertaken in the UK.
This Google Map shows the location of the solar farm with respect to Faversham.
Note.
The town of Faversham to the left of the middle of the map.
Faversham station has the usual railway station logo.
The North Kent coast is at the top of the map.
Cleve Hill Solar Park is on the coast to the East of the River Swale.
This second Google Map shows a close up of the solar farm.
Note.
- The large number of solar panels.
- The North Kent coast is at the top of the map.
- The River Swale in the South-West corner of the map.
- It appears that Cleve Hill substation is at the right edge of the map.
- The boxes at the left of the substation appear to be the batteries.
- The 630 MW London Array wind farm, which has been operational since 2013, also connects to the grid at Cleeve Hill substation.
- When completed, the London Array was the largest offshore wind farm in the world.
As a Control Engineer, I do like these Battery+Solar+Wind power stations, as they probably provide at least a reliable 500 MW electricity supply.
Could A System Like Cleeve Hill Solar Park Replace A 410 MW Gas-Fired Power Station?
The three elements of Cleeve Hill are as follows.
- Solar Farm – 373 MW
- BESS – 150 MW
- Wind Farm – 630 MW
That is a total of only 1,153 MW, which means a capacity factor of only 35.6 % would be needed.
How Much Power Does A Large Solar Roof Generate?
Some people don’t like solar panels on farmland, so how much energy do solar panels on a warehouse roof generate?
This Google Map shows Amazon’s warehouse at Tilbury.
I asked Google AI to tell me about Amazon’s solar roof at Tilbury and it said this.
Amazon’s solar roof at the Tilbury fulfillment center is the largest rooftop solar installation at any Amazon site in Europe, featuring 11,500 panels across the two-million-square-foot roof. Unveiled in 2020, it is part of Amazon’s larger goal to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025 and reduce its emissions, contributing to its Climate Pledge to be net-zero carbon by 2040.
It generates 3.4 MW, which is less that one percent of Cleeve Hill Solar Park.
Consultation Opens For Ferrybridge Next Generation Power Station
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from SSE.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Ferrybridge Next Generation sets out plans for continuing the legacy of power generation at the site, with the potential to bring significant investment to the region.
- Statutory consultation phase launched, inviting communities and stakeholders to have their say on project proposals.
- Hydrogen-enabled project could support the security of supply and offer a clear route to decarbonisation.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
Members of the public are being invited to have their say on plans for a proposed new power station in development, Ferrybridge Next Generation Power Station.
The station is being designed so that it can run on hydrogen, as a lower-carbon alternative to natural gas. It would also be able to operate using natural gas or a blend of hydrogen and natural gas until a technically and commercially viable hydrogen supply becomes available to the site.
With a proposed capacity of up to 1.2GW, Ferrybridge Next Generation Power Station could play an important role in supporting the UK’s energy system in the short term – providing reliable flexible back-up power during periods of peak demand and balancing the system when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine, while delivering a route to decarbonised power generation in the longer term.
Note.
- A 150 MW/300 MWh Battery Electric Storage System is being developed on the site, which I wrote about in SSE Renewables Announces Construction Of Second Utility-Scale Battery Storage System.
- The last Ferrybridge power station; C had a capacity of just over 2 GW.
- This will be SSE Renewable’s second hydrogen-fired power station after Keadby, which I wrote about in Consultation On Plans For Keadby Hydrogen Power Station To Begin.
- As the press releases says, Ferrybridge Hydrogen-Fired Power Station will be West Yorkshire’s backup for when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.
How similar will the two hydrogen-fired power stations be?
Will SSE Be Building Any More In The First Wave Of Hydrogen-Fired Power Station?
This is a paragraph from SSE’s press release.
The station is being designed so that it can run on hydrogen, as a lower-carbon alternative to natural gas. It would also be able to operate using natural gas or a blend of hydrogen and natural gas until a technically and commercially viable hydrogen supply becomes available to the site.
It would appear that the availability of the hydrogen fuel may be a problem.
But places like Aberdeen, Bradford, Brighton, Humberside and Merseyside, do seem to be planning for hydrogen, so all is not lost.
Global Offshore Wind Capacity Reaches 83 GW, 100 GW More To Be Awarded in 2025-2026, New Report Says
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
According to a new market report from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), there are now 83 GW of offshore wind capacity installed globally, with 48 GW more in the construction phase worldwide as of May this year.
The first paragraph is a quote from Rebecca Williams, Deputy CEO at GWEC.
Our report finds that there is now already 83 GW of offshore wind installed worldwide, keeping the lights on for 73 million households, and powering countries’ economic development. There is currently a further 48 GW of offshore wind [under] construction worldwide. With its unique position in the marine space, and ability to produce large amounts of reliable, homegrown power, nations around the world are pushing forward the technology to enhance their energy independence and autonomy
I doubt Ms. Williams will be on the Donald Trump’s Christmas card list.
The article is worth a full read, as it contains some interesting statistics.
This is the last paragraph of the article.
Global Wind Energy Council’s 2024 global offshore wind outlook for total additions in the 2025-2029 period was 156.72 GW, which has now been downgraded to 118.56 GW.
These are my estimates for the amount of offshore wind in the UK.
- Currently Installed – 16, 035 MW
- To Be Installed in 2025 – 1,235 MW
- To Be Installed in 2026 – 4,907 MW
- To Be Installed in 2027 – 5,750 MW
- To Be Installed in 2028 – 480 MW
- To Be Installed in 2029 – 1,363 MW
The UK should be installing 13,735 MW, which would.
- Lift total offshore wind capacity to 29.8 GW.
- This is an 86 % increase in capacity from July 2025.
- As I write this, we are using 29.3 GW.
- We would be adding 11.6 % of the global additions for 2025-2029, which isn’t bad for such a small country.
All this wind will need to be backed up, for when the wind doesn’t blow.
So I asked Google AI how much electricity storage we will have by 2029 and got this AI Overview.
In 2029, the UK is expected to have a significant amount of battery energy storage capacity, with estimates ranging from 27 to 29 GW, according to the House of Commons Library and Cornwall Insight. This capacity is crucial for supporting the UK’s transition to a clean energy system and ensuring a stable electricity supply.
Obviously, Google AI isn’t that intelligent, as it made the mistake made by many electricity storage companies of just giving the output of the battery, as it sounds better, rather than both the output and the storage capacity.
Consider.
- Most Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) can provide two hours of output.
- Highview Power’s big batteries are 200 MW/2.5 GWh, so will provide 12.5 hours of output.
If I assume that the average storage is just two hours, that means the available storage will be at least 54 GWh.
Given that we also had 16 GW of solar power in June 2024 and if this increases at a similar rate to offshore wind power, it will certainly be able to help fill the energy storage, I think we’ll have enough renewable energy to play a big part in the next election.
About The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)
I asked Google AI for a summary about GWEC and got this AI Overview.
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has its global headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal. Additionally, they have offices in Brussels, Belgium; Singapore; and London, UK.
GWEC’s presence is not limited to these locations, as they have a global network of experts working across different continents, according to the organization’s website. Their flagship report, the Global Wind Report, is launched annually in London. For example, the 2025 report launch took place in London.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t mention an office in the United States.
The report, which forms the basis of this post, can be downloaded from the GWEC web site.
Offshore Solar Farm Ready For Tow Out To Hollandse Kust Noord Wind Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
What is described as the “world’s first” offshore solar farm integrated within a wind farm has completed assembly at the Port of Amsterdam and is ready for deployment at the Hollandse Kust Noord (HKN) offshore wind farm in the North Sea.
These two paragraphs give more details about the project.
Dutch company Oceans of Energy assembled the floating solar farm in three days. The system will be towed 18.5 kilometres offshore this summer to be installed at the HKN site, operated by CrossWind, a joint venture (JV) between Shell and Eneco.
According to Oceans of Energy, the project uses prefabricated floating solar units designed for offshore conditions and is seen as a step toward scaling hybrid wind-solar developments.
There are several ways to generate renewable energy.
As wind, solar, tidal and wave power are often out of phase with each other, if you are using two together in a hybrid setup, then it is probably not a bad idea to add a BESS or other form of storage to the mix.
In Oceans of Energy To Build Offshore Solar Array At Hollandse Kust Noord Offshore Wind Park, I said that the Dutch were putting batteries in the design of Hollanse Kust Noord offshore wind farm.
E.ON, Superdielectrics Develop Polymer-Based Battery Tech For Residential Storage Applications
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Solar Power Portal.
These two introductory paragraphs outline the deal.
Energy supplier E.ON and energy storage technology firm Superdielectrics have joined forces to promote and develop a new battery technology for stationary storage applications.
The new BESS technology takes a unique approach by using a polymer-based technology, with the main component being a membrane similar to contact lens materials. According to the two companies, these polymer batteries are both more affordable and more environmentally friendly than their lithium-ion counterparts.
I believe that this battery could be a game-changer. Especially, for those like me, who have solar panels on their roofs.
Check out the Superdielectrics web site for more details.
I First Spotted Superdielectrics In 2019
I wrote about them in Is Cambridge Going To Save The World From Global Warming? in 2019.
This was my conclusion in that post.
I have been observing technology since the 1960s.
This is either one of those scientific curiosities , like cold fusion, that appear from time-to-time and then disappear into the scientific archives or become a game-changer.
I suspect we’ll know in a couple of years.
But even if it is isn’t the solution to affordable and massive energy storage,, that will save the world, I believe that one of the teams of men and women in white coats, somewhere in the world will crack the problem.
It looks like they’ve taken longer than I thought they would.
Note though, that in the linked post, they have a link-up with Rolls-Royce.
Conclusion
This is one of the great energy breakthroughs of my life-time.
Zenobē Lands Financing For 400MW Eccles Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Solar Power Portal.
This is the sub-heading.
Battery energy storage system (BESS) developer/operator Zenobē has announced that it has successfully financed its Eccles BESS project in Scotland, in one of the biggest finance rounds in European history.
These two paragraphs add more details.
The total debt raised for the 400MW/800MWh project was £220 million, which the company says is one of the largest finance raises for a standalone BESS project ever made in Europe. The funding was provided by a group of lenders organised by National Westminster Bank and KKR Capital Markets Partners LLP. Additionally, Zenobē has announced that construction on the Eccles BESS—the company’s largest battery project to date—has begun.
The Eccles BESS is the final part of the firm’s £750 million investment in Scotland. Zenobē’s Blackhillock BESS, a 200MW/400MWh project located near Inverness, recently began commercial operations, and is set to expand to 300MW/600MWh later this year.
Zenobe seem to be able to finance these projects, without too much difficulty.
Construction seems to have started. But then, I suspect there are wind turbines in the vScottish Borders already lined up to use the batteries.
This Google Map shows an Eccles substation.
Note.
- The Eccles substation is marked by the red arrow.
- The town at the East edge of the map is Coldstream.
- The England-Scotland border is clearly marked.
This second Google Map shows a closer view of the Eccles substation.
Note.
- t looks to be a substantial substation.
- There would appear to be plenty of space for a large battery.
- It is close to the A 597 road for the delivery of heavy equipment.
I suspect this substation could be the location of the battery.
It’s also right in the heart of Scottish onshore wind territory.
It is also according to the Solar Power Portal a £220 million project.
A project of this size will deliver substantial benefits in terms of work to the local community.
It will likely have a community benefit fund or something similar.
So you would expect the project would be welcomed into the local area.
But you would be wrong, if this article on the BBC, which is entitled Village ‘Heart Ripped Out’ By Battery Site Plans, is typical of the feeling about the batteries.
This is the sub-heading.
A rural community in the Borders is warning that Scotland’s renewable energy revolution is coming at a cost.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
Residents of Leitholm – a village between Coldstream and Greenlaw – claim the heart is being ripped out of their community with the arrival of battery storage facilities.
If all six proposed facilities are approved, more than 200 acres of farmland will be turned over to concreted compounds within a three-kilometre radius of their village.
Retired nursery owner Seonaid Blackie said: “This is not the place it used to be – people are worried sick.”
The residents view is balanced by industry expert Professor John Irvine, from St Andrew’s University, believes energy storage has a vital role to play in reaching net-zero targets.
My view is what is needed is an energy storage system, that can be built substantially underground.
If you look at large Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), they are best described as container parks.
We need energy storage systems, that fit in a single tennis court, rather than thirty football pitches.
Gravitricity is one possibility, who are also Scottish, who store energy using weights in disused mine shafts.
The French system; DELPHY is also a vertical system for storing hydrogen in a custom-built hole.
Practically, I believe the solution adopted will be to spread the batteries out and spend money on surrounding them with trees and other camouflage.
Europe’s Biggest Battery Storage Project Goes Live In Scotland
The title of this post, is the same, as this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Zenobe’s site at Blackhillock can store surplus generation for when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine
These are the first two paragraphs.
Europe’s biggest battery storage project has entered commercial operation in Scotland, promising to soak up surplus wind power and prevent turbines being paid to switch off.
Zenobe said the first phase of its project at Blackhillock, between Inverness and Aberdeen, was now live with capacity to store enough power to supply 200 megawatts of electricity for two hours. It is due to be expanded to 300 megawatts by next year.
I believe we can do better, than install large lithium-ion batteries.
We need to get the pumped storage like Coire Glas, the liquid air like Highview Power and the gravity batteries like Gravitricity going as fast as we can.
They are more environmentally friendly than Tesla’s lithium ion tiddlers and a second generation liquid air battery appears to be 200 MW and 2.5 MWh, so they can supply 200 MW for 12.5 hours.
The Blackhillock battery can do just two hours.
Two of them working as a pair, with a 1 GW wind farm, are as big as a small modular nuclear reactor, so could do the same job, with respect to power supply, using machinery and tank designs, that have been used for decades.
I suspect, that like 1960s coal-fired power stations, they would keep running for fifty years and be simply recycled as steel, copper and other scrap.
Highview Power could make Bishops Stortford famous!
Ørsted Breaks Ground On Innovative UK Battery Energy Storage System
The title of this post, is the same as that, as this news item from Ørsted.
This is the sub-heading.
Ørsted, a global leader in offshore wind energy, has marked breaking ground for its first large-scale UK battery energy storage system (BESS) with a golden shovel ceremony.
These four paragraphs give more details of the project.
Located alongside Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm, near Norwich, Norfolk, the system will have a capacity of 600 MWh (and a 300 MW power rating), equivalent to the daily power consumption of 80,000 UK homes.
The golden shovel ceremony officially kicks off the construction phase of the project, known as Iceni after the Norfolk-based warrior tribe of the Roman era. It is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.
Preparatory works are now complete and the Ørsted, Knights Brown and Tesla Iceni team will continue with the remainder of the installation.
When completed, the battery energy storage system will be one of the largest in Europe.
Note.
- The batteries themselves are from Tesla.
- The project was previously known as the Swardeston BESS.
- The project will be located near to the Swardeston substation to the South of Norwich.
- The project doesn’t seem very innovative to me, as it appears to be a BESS built from Tesla batteries.
Like many batteries, it is designed to supply power for two hours.
Project Fortress
Project Fortress is described like this in its Wikipedia entry.
Project Fortress (formerly Cleve Hill Solar Farm) is a photovoltaic power station under construction on the Graveney marshes between Faversham and Whitstable, Kent in the UK.
Once operational, it will be the largest solar farm in the UK, generating 373 MW of electricity from 900 acres (360 ha) of vertical solar panels and will also include 700 MWh of battery storage. Because of its size, it is a nationally significant infrastructure project so outside the standard local planning procedure.
Electricity will be exported from the project via the 400 kV National Grid substation at Cleve Hill, constructed to serve the London Array offshore wind farm that lies to the north. Here, a battery array will be placed, that will charge from the sunlight during the day and release the energy at night when it is needed.
It is one of the very few co-located solar farms and lithium ion batteries that are co-located with a wind farm in the UK.
We need more of these to balance our power supplies and improve their quality.
The Anonymous Widower 