Alternative energy news: UK hosts largest energy storage experiment in Europe

Alternative energy news: UK hosts largest energy storage experiment in Europe

July 31, 2013 0 By Bret Williams

UK to host large-scale energy storage experiment

The United Kingdom is set to play host to the largest renewable energy storage experiment in Europe. The country has established a strong presence in the clean energy sector through the support it has shown to various forms of alternative energy. Because the UK is becoming more reliant of sustainable power, it has been considered the ideal location for the energy storage experiment, which comes from three companies: S&C Electric Europe, Samsung SDI, and Younicos.

Storage continues to prove itself as a major issue for the clean energy sector

The UK often manages to find its way into the alternative energy news sector because of the various projects that take place within the country. Most of these projects involve the production of electrical power through the use of renewable resources, such as sunlight, wind, and hydrogen. Storage is not typically something that generates alternative energy news headlines, but is an issue of paramount importance for countries that are becoming more reliant on clean energy. Conventional energy grids are not designed to accommodate clean technologies and the electrical power generated by solar panels, wind turbines, and fuel cells. As such, much of the electricity that these systems produce is lost when it is fed into an existing energy grid.

UK Alternative Energy NewsExperiment to test the capabilities of a new kind of battery

The energy storage experiment has received more than $13 million in support from the UK government. The experiment involves the use of a 6 megawatt battery that makes use of lithium manganese technology. The battery is designed to store energy over a long period of time. The energy stored in the battery will be produced by wind turbines and solar panels from projects that are currently active in the United Kingdom. The battery system is to be installed at the Leighton Buzzard station in Bedfordshire. The location was chosen because it hosts an infrastructure capable of supporting the experiment.

Experiment not expected to yield results until 2016

S&C Electric Europe suggests that a comprehensive energy storage solution could be a major step toward a carbon neutral future for the United Kingdom and Europe as a whole. Effective energy storage could reduce the continued need for fossil-fuels, thereby allowing the UK and other countries to phase out their use of oil and coal over time. The energy storage experiment occurring in the UK is not expected to show any results until at least 2016.

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