From mountainous pumped hydro to cutting-edge cryogenic and compressed air technologies, the UK is deploying a broad portfolio of energy storage solutions to ensure energy security, decarbonisation, and grid resilience.
What is electricity storage?
Electricity storage covers a range of technologies that can deploy at different scales and provide output for different durations. This includes lithium-ion battery storage and pumped hydro storage as well as emerging technologies including liquid air energy storage and flow batteries.
If the UK establishes a strong domestic energy storage industry, it can export storage capacity and technologies. Storage would reduce the UK's dependence on costly, polluting and uncertain fossil fuel imports. Great Britain currently has 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of LDES across four Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH) facilities in Scotland and Wales.
How has energy storage changed in the UK?
RenewableUK's 'EnergyPulse' energy storage report showed that the total pipeline of battery projects has increased from 50.3GW a year ago to 84.8GW, an increase of 68.6 per cent, or 34.5GW. Operational battery storage capacity has grown to 3.5GW, while the capacity of projects under construction has reached 3.8GW.
How can electricity be stored?
Electricity can be stored in a variety of ways, including in batteries, by compressing air, by making hydrogen using electrolysers, or as heat. Storing hydrogen in solution-mined salt caverns will be the best way to meet the long-term storage need as it has the lowest cost per unit of energy storage capacity.
What is long duration electricity storage (LDEs)?
Long Duration Electricity Storage (LDES) facilities provide vital back-up for the renewable power system – working like giant batteries that store electricity created by wind and solar farms, then release it to the grid when needed. LDES includes different ways to store electricity for a long time.
Why is electricity storage important?
Storage over longer periods of time, for example across days, weeks and months, can help to manage variation in generation and demand, such as extended periods of low wind or cold weather events. Electricity storage covers a range of technologies that can deploy at different scales and provide output for different durations.