Ørsted’s first standalone battery energy storage system, Carnegie Road, is now operational.
The 20MW battery, located in Liverpool, UK consists of three battery containers, as well as the associated power conversion system, all supplied by NEC Energy Solutions.
“Climate change is a real and pressing threat to our planet and, in order to minimise its effects, we urgently need to decarbonise our electricity system. The good news is, we’re on the right path, especially in the UK, where we lead the world in deploying renewable technologies, such as offshore wind,” Matthew Wright , UK Managing Director at Ørsted, said.
“We have a vision to create a world that runs entirely on green energy, and that means we will need more than just clean energy generation. That’s why we’re investing in energy storage systems like Carnegie Road, to accelerate the transition to a smarter, low carbon grid. Batteries, and other innovative storage technologies will form a critical part of an integrated green energy system required to ensure we keep the lights on without harming our planet.”
One of the key actions in keeping the UK’s electricity grid balanced and stable is ensuring that the amount of electricity generated matches the amount of electricity used at any given moment, the company said.
Grid balancing services are tools used by National Grid to manage the UK’s electricity system. Due to the dynamic nature of battery storage systems, they are able to provide a highly flexible response to grid-needs and are therefore a valuable component of a modern, decarbonised energy system.
Ørsted started testing energy storage last year in connection with its Burbo Bank offshore wind farm in the UK and the EnergyLab Nordhavn project in Denmark.
In February this year, the company announced that it intends to set up a 1MW storage pilot project in Taiwan. In addition, if the Bay State Wind offshore wind project in the US is realized, Ørsted said it will build a 55MW storage project in connection with the wind farm, with the battery supporting the grid by delivering frequency response.