The Pillswood Project, a 98 MW energy storage battery system located near Hull, commenced operations on November 21st.
The system stores enough electricity to supply 300,000 UK households for two hours. (Photo: Harmony Energy)
Developed by Harmony Energy Limited, the Pillswood project is the largest energy storage battery system in Europe, utilizing Tesla’s 2-hour Megapack technology. This allows the system to store up to 196 MWh of electricity in one cycle, providing power to approximately 300,000 households for two hours.
“Energy storage battery systems are essential to fully harness the potential of renewable energy in the UK,” stated Peter Kavanagh, director of Harmony Energy. “This is the third and largest energy storage battery project we have developed and delivered upon completion.”
Due to the war in Ukraine and the gas shortages in Europe, there is a possibility that the UK will experience a gas shortage during the winter of 2022-2023 and face an emergency situation. If this occurs, supply will be reduced for the gas-intensive units, particularly those gas-fired power plants supplying electricity to the National Grid, according to Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator.
Initially, the Pillswood project was scheduled to be operational in two phases: December 2022 and March 2023. Harmony Energy emphasized that expediting the project will support the national grid in its efforts to provide stable electricity to households in the UK during the challenging winter season. The project is being constructed next to Creyke Beck, the substation that will connect to the world’s largest offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank in the North Sea by the end of this decade.
According to Kavanagh, Harmony Energy plans to deploy five energy storage systems currently under construction before October 2023.
