Switch on for grid-scale battery storage system

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The UK’s first grid-scale battery storage system connected directly to the transmission-network has been activated as part of the £41m Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) project.

The government-backed project, led by Pivot Power, is said to integrate energy storage, electric vehicle (EV) charging, low carbon heating and smart energy management technologies in efforts to decarbonise Oxford by 2040. The system is the first to go live as part of Pivot Power’s plans to deploy up to 40 similar sites throughout the UK.

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The 50MW lithium-ion battery energy storage system - connected to National Grid’s high-voltage transmission system at the Cowley substation on the outskirts of Oxford - is the first part of what will be the world's largest hybrid battery, combining lithium-ion and vanadium redox flow systems.

Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewables, is developing the battery energy storage system together with an 8km private wire network, which will share the connection to the high-voltage transmission network and deliver power to public and commercial EV charging locations across the city. The first of these will be the UK’s largest public charging hub at Redbridge Park & Ride, which will include 38 fast-to-ultra-rapid chargers when it opens later this year.

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