UK set for world's first gigawatt network of grid-scale batteries and rapid EV charging points

Pivot Power has unveiled plans for a £1.6bn programme to build the infrastructure needed to support the mass adoption of electric vehicles.

The battery network will also help the National Grid to manage supply and demand, particularly with the greater use of intermittent renewable energy and mass charging of electric cars.

The company, which has secured funding from UK investment manager Downing LLP, is planning to develop 45 sites across the country, with the first likely to begin operating at a location near Southampton in 2019, according to chief technical officer Michael Clark.

A further nine sites are due to begin operating within the next 18 months, he said. “Then the ambition is that over a five-year period, we’ll have all 45 sites up and running.”

Pivot Power will install 50MWh batteries at electricity sub-stations, which will be connected directly to the extra-high-voltage transmission system. This will allow the network access to far greater capacity than would be possible if it were linked to the lower voltage regional distribution system, said Clark.