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One of the most innovative green technology initiatives ever embarked on by a local council in the UK is live and operational.

A 25MW Battery Energy Storage facility near Taunton is providing essential power management assistance to the National Grid. It is the largest council-owned energy storage system in the UK and comes as a result of c.£9.8M of South Somerset District Council investment.

The principle is simple. Energy created by solar panels and wind farms is unstable and often wasted as at times they can produce more electricity than needed. This excess energy will be able to be stored in the facility that has been created in partnership with Somerset-based Opium Power and resupplied to the National Grid when there is high demand or a requirement to stabilise the system. 

There is a difference in the price of the electricity when bought at low demand and when it is sold at high demand, and it is this difference which provides a return on the investment, as well as contractual payments from the National Grid for the services provided by the battery system. The returns will help protect the wide range of services our communities receive from the council, as well as create opportunities to fund community projects.

Importantly, the site will also supply essential balancing services to the National Grid to help keep the power network stable and safe.

Cllr Sarah Dyke, the council’s portfolio holder for the environment, said: “I am extraordinarily proud that we have been able to deliver such a landmark project. The final testing phases for acceptance into the UK-distributed generation energy supply system have been particularly challenging due to the Covid-19 restrictions although, of course, we recognise their necessity to ensure the safety of workers. My thanks go to all of our business partners that have found ways of working on site through robust risk assessments to complete this project. Our council has recognised that there is a climate emergency and investing in green energy sites like this really makes a powerful statement about our commitment to making a significant reduction in our carbon emissions by 2030.”

The facility will provide 25MW of instantly available electrical power on demand to the National Grid.  This will be used to balance out fluctuating demands on the local Somerset power grid.  Peaks and troughs in demand cause under and over supply if not correctly managed – this can result in frequency fluctuations that can damage electrical infrastructure.

The facility is also being developed to be able produce up to 30MW of power by August this year.

The Council purchased the site in 2018 and has worked with local and international suppliers to ensure it is one of the most advanced of its type. This includes our partners in this project, Opium Power working with Kiwi Power, WPD (Western Power Distribution), BYD, the National Grid and BSR Group amongst others.

The project is a key part of our Commercial Strategy which will help SSDC meet its income generation targets while also aiding development in the region in the future by removing some of the electricity supply constraints which can be a barrier to further investment.

The Council continues to work with the award-winning Kiwi Power Ltd to gain advice on the energy auction markets and to optimise the battery system’s revenues with further bids for energy contracts into the future.

Cllr John Clark, portfolio holder for economic development and commercial investment added: “I am so pleased to see this site fully operational and income generating. I am excited to be part of such a forward-thinking council. It’s a hugely ambitious project and we are pleased to note that the facility, and land, is now valued at more than the project costs expended.

“We took positive action in a difficult financial climate and, as you can see, the choices we are making are the right ones for our communities as we protect services through prudent investment alongside protecting the environment.”

South Somerset District Council is the investor in the facility, Opium Power is the project manager, BYD Europe BV is the battery supplier and BSR EPC is the project roll out and connection contractor. Western Power Distribution is the local distribution network operator.

All of our project partners are delighted at the final completion of this cutting edge operation and being an integral part of this project.

David Owen of Opium Power said: “Our partnership with South Somerset has worked extremely well, and we hope that this battery system is the first of several very exciting ventures that our joint venture company will be progressing to deliver great value and profit to South Somerset.

“The UK has already accepted that we must adapt our electricity generation system to be Carbon Zero compliant by the use of renewables, and indeed the Government has legislated for it. Grid scale battery energy storage systems are the essential required component to stabilise the unstable and unpredictable power produced by solar and wind renewable power generation.”