ABB announced a new grid-scale battery project in partnership with Ecotricity. The collaboration will help pave the way for the national grid’s journey to net-zero by 2050. 

ABB’s grid-scale battery energy storage solution (BESS), which will be installed at Ecotricity’s existing 6.9-MW wind farm in Gloucestershire in 2023, will not only provide a material addition to the company’s renewable energy offering but also highlight the potential of short-term fast response technologies, like BESS, to add additional stability to the U.K.’s national grid, a crucial hurdle as it moves toward net-zero. 

The project, a 10-MW/20-MWh li-ion energy storage system will be colocated alongside Ecotricity’s wind farm in Alveston, Gloucestershire, which was constructed in 2017. The lithium-ion batteries will be supplied by Kore Power, and the BESS will be controlled by ABB’s eStorage OS energy management system.  

The installation of ABB’s eStorage MAX scalable BESS will help the company to manage its exposure to high spot-trading energy costs, as well as offering flexibility response to the national grid as it transitions to net-zero. The BESS will be integrated with Ecotricity’s Smart Grid platform and will use the company’s proprietary optimization model to dispatch the battery energy storage according to system needs.

“We’ve been working toward our first grid-scale battery as we’ve been developing our Smart Grid platform — and we’re looking forward to taking this next step with ABB,” said Mark Meyrick, head of smart grids, Ecotricity. “This project is a first for us and will enable us to manage demand for renewable energy as well as develop a greater understanding of the deployment of storage for flexibility requirements.”

“As the U.K. continues its journey to net-zero, ABB is excited to partner with Ecotricity on this 10 MW grid scale battery project, which will help to stabilize the grid,” said Calogero Saeli, global product group manager, ABB Electrification Distribution Solutions. “BESS is key to unlocking some of the challenges ahead, providing a highly effective way to capture clean energy and balance energy generation against demand to build grid resilience.”