© Supplied by DCT Media/Invinity E In this week’s Charging Forward, Invinity Energy Systems has announced that nine developers have selected its Endurium flow battery for bids as part of the UK government’s long duration energy storage (LDES) cap and floor scheme.
Elsewhere, Highland councillors have voted to oppose Statera Energy’s plans for a pumped storage hydro project on Loch Ness.
Plus, London-headquartered Voltwise has acquired a 460 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) portfolio from SMS.
Aco-locating battery storage with renewable energy projects leads to increased support from local communities in England, according to a poll.
This week’s UK energy storage headlines:
- Invinity vanadium flow batteries selected for nine LDES cap and floor bids
- Battery storage increases renewable energy support, poll finds
- Highland councillors oppose Statera Energy pumped storage hydro project
- Costain to design Storengy underground hydrogen storage project
- Voltwise acquires 460 MW UK BESS portfolio from Glasgow-based SMS
- UK industrial strategy overlooks behind-the-meter generation
- Solid-state battery industry set to reach $9bn global market value by 2035
- International news: Malta Inc gains support from BBVA for long-duration thermal energy storage demonstrator in Spain
Invinity flow batteries selected for nine LDES cap and floor bids
UK-listed battery manufacturer Invinity Energy Systems has announced that nine LDES developers have selected its Endurium battery for their LDES cap and floor bids.
Invinity said the bids from the nine UK battery storage developers are each “at or above” the minimum 400 MWh capacity requirement for the cap and floor scheme.
Frontier Power and Root-Power are among the firms to publicly announce a partnership with Invinity for UK LDES projects.
Invinity chief executive Jonathan Marren said: “”Since this LDES scheme was first launched, the Invinity team has been engaging closely with numerous developers to submit high quality bids ahead of the deadline.
© Image: Invinity Energy Systems“We are delighted with the positive feedback that we have received from our partners, with significant quantities of our UK-made vanadium flow batteries being proposed for this important scheme as a result.
“Should these bids be successful, we believe the build out of our ENDURIUM batteries across the country will not only help to lower energy costs for consumers but also help to provide wider economic benefits across the UK as we scale our operations.”
UK-manufactured Endurium vanadium flow battery
Invinity launched the Endurium vanadium flow battery in December last year, marketing it for use in large-scale energy storage projects up to 1 GWh “and beyond”.
Designed alongside wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa, the Endurium can be configured for discharge durations spanning between four and 18 hours.
For the UK and European markets, Invinity manufactures the Endurium flow battery at its production facilities in Scotland.
The company operates two manufacturing sites in Scotland’s Central Belt at Motherwell and Bathgate, alongside factories in Canada and the United States.
© Mathew Perry/DCT MediaInvinity said the “significant level of interest” from UK battery storage developers has “validated the company’s previous decision to release a product in Q4 2024”.
The company said Endurium was developed with the cap and floor scheme, “and others like it”, in mind.
The application for the LDES cap and floor scheme closed in early June, with Ofgem set to complete the final assessment phase and announce the winners in 2026.
Compared to lithium-ion batteries, vanadium flow batteries have lower efficiency but do not degrade over time, giving them a much longer lifespan.
Vanadium flow batteries are also non-flammable and made from common commodity materials which can be easily recycled and reused.
However, lithium-ion batteries have a higher power and energy density than vanadium-flow batteries, and significantly lower costs.
Battery storage increases renewable energy support, poll finds
Co-locating battery storage with renewable energy developments like onshore wind and solar increases support among members of the English public, according to a poll.
UK battery storage developer Root-Power commissioned the poll from Savanta, which also found English councillors are more likely to support solar projects with battery storage.
According to the poll, 75% of English councillors surveyed said they would support a solar farm with battery storage being developed in their area.
The figure falls to just 62% for a solar farm without battery storage.
Meanwhile, 65% of the general public surveyed said they would support the development of a battery storage project in their area.
© Supplied by Root-PowerThe poll found Labour voters are most supportive of battery storage projects (71%), followed by the Green Party (70%) and then Conservatives (66%).
Reform UK voters were the most opposed to battery storage, however 64% of respondents still said they support them.
Those in favour of battery storage projects cited greater energy security (37%), reduction in energy prices (33%) and jobs and skills for local people (30%) as their main reasons for support.
‘High level of support’ for English battery storage projects
Root-Power managing director Neil Brooks welcomed the “high level of support” among both councillors and the general public in England.
“For many battery storage projects are a ‘no-brainer’, they bring a whole range of benefits to help support the energy transition with support for projects cutting across party lines and different age groups,” Brooks said.
“What we really need now is a concerted effort from local and central government to embrace this support and help the sector to bring more developments forward.”
Brooks also called on the UK government to introduce planning changes to allow for more battery energy storage system (BESS) developments on brownfield land.
Councillors oppose Statera pumped storage hydro plans
Members of Highland Council have object to plans from Statera Energy to build a pumped storage hydro project at Loch Kemp, near Loch Ness.
The Scottish government, which will determine whether the project goes ahead, consulted Highland Council on the plans for the 600 MW Loch Kemp Storage project.
A planning committee voted 8-2 in favour of a motion opposing the Statera proposal due to concerns about its impacts on tourism and wildlife.
Highland Council officials had recommended councillors raise no objections to the plans.
© Supplied by StateraAird and Loch Ness councillor Chris Ballance, who put forward the motion, said plans to increase the water level of Loch Ness as part of the project could impact ancient woodlands.
Ballance also said wildlife, including otters, could be affected.
Loch Kemp Storage project
Ness District Salmon Fishery Board, which opposes pumped storage hydro developments on Loch Ness, welcomed the Highland Council committee decision.
The group’s director Brian Shaw told the BBC it was “absolutely the right decision”.
Meanwhile, Statera Energy development director Andrew Troup told the BBC that the company was disappointed by the decision and had engaged directly with statutory consultees to resolve all issues raised.
“We are committed to our pledge to Highland Council to ensure the project delivers tangible local benefits, including our £15 million investment in housing and roads,” Troup said.
“This is alongside the creation of long-term jobs, a boost to the local economy, and a wide-ranging compensation package agreed with NatureScot for Ness Woods.”
Several developers are proposing pumped storage hydro projects connected to Loch Ness, including Glen Earrach Energy and Statkraft.
Voltwise acquires 460 MW UK BESS portfolio from SMS
London-headquartered battery storage developer Voltwise has acquired a 460 MW UK BESS portfolio from Smart Metering Systems (SMS).
Voltwise said the deal, for an undisclosed amount, marks a key step in its ambitions to become a “leading BESS-focused, independent power producer across Europe”.
The SMS portfolio consists of seven operating BESS projects with a capacity of 320 MW/350 MWh, alongside four projects under construction representing 140 MW/280 MW of capacity.
© Supplied by VoltwiseIt also includes several development assets, expanding the existing pipeline of Voltwise.
Voltwise chief executive Russell Alton said the deal marks an “exciting moment in the evolution of our business” and delivers a platform “well placed to drive future expansion and profitable growth”.
Founded in 2023, Voltwise operates across the UK and Germany with offices in London, Munich and Berlin.
The firm is wholly owned by American private equity firm Sandbrook Capital.
Meanwhile Glasgow-based SMS was taken over by another US private equity firm, KKR, in a £1.3bn deal last year.
Costain to design North West underground hydrogen storage
Gas storage developer Storengy UK has contracted infrastructure service firm Costain to deliver development work on an underground hydrogen storage project in Cheshire.
The Keuper Gas Storage Project (KGSP) plans will use 19 underground salt caverns to store up to 400 million cubic metres of hydrogen.
Alongside the salt caverns, the KGSP also includes hydrogen treatment, compression, dehydration and transfer facilities.
In total, the KGSP facility near Northwich could store the equivalent of 1.3 GWh of hydrogen once complete.
Storengy, a subsidiary of French firm Engie, is developing the KGSP alongside Ineos subsidiary Inovyn.
Inovyn secured a development consent order to store natural gas at the site in 2017, but the company is now looking to amend its plans for hydrogen storage.
Costain will deliver two front end engineering and design (FEED) contracts for Storengy to support the KGSP development.
UK industrial strategy overlooks behind-the-meter generation
UK battery storage developer Balance Power has said the UK government’s industrial strategy will not tackle an overreliance on the national grid.
In response to the modern industrial strategy, Balance Power chief executive Phil Thompson welcomed the government’s commitment to cutting energy bills for businesses.
However, he said the planned changes “don’t tackle the root of the energy cost problem”.
“While exemptions from environmental levies offer some immediate relief, they don’t tackle the root of the energy cost problem – continued reliance on an overworked and over-constrained grid system,” Thompson said.
© Supplied by EDF Renewables“The most effective long-term method to bring down costs, cut carbon emissions, and build energy resilience, is to encourage businesses to generate their own renewable energy onsite.
“This ‘behind-the-meter’ system reduces the need for expensive and delayed grid connections for projects and offers businesses long-term price stability and reduced exposure to market volatility.”
Behind-the-meter generation allows firms to better control and manage their energy consumption, reducing costs and potentially even generating additional revenue.
Thompson called on the UK government to mirror the strategy used by Ofwat to encourage water companies to generate on-site energy for their needs.
“This is the way to a clean and resilient industrial energy system, and a high-growth and high-investment economy,” he said.
Solid-state battery market to reach $9bn globally by 2035
UK forecasting firm IDTechEx predicts the global market for solid-state batteries (SSBs) will reach $9bn (£6.6bn) by 2035, up from $1.1bn in 2024.
SSBs are a type of rechargeable battery that uses a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid or gel electrolyte found in traditional lithium-ion batteries.
The technology has captured widespread attention in the battery sector due to their promise of high energy density, enhanced safety, and flexible designs.
However, the journey toward full commercialisation has been slow and many current SSB models are actually semi-solid, relying on liquid electrolytes.
Furthermore, some SSBs fail to deliver significant improvements in energy density compared to advanced liquid-electrolyte-based lithium-ion batteries.
However, as lithium-ion technology continues to evolve, some analysts question whether SSBs are “overhyped”, according to IDTechEx.
But with many Western governments looking to reduce their reliance on Chinese supply chains, SSBs are emerging as a strategic option, particularly for EV manufacturers.
In the storage market, complex manufacturing processes for SSBs continue to prevent scaling and cost reduction.
International energy storage news
Malta Inc long-duration thermal energy storage tech
Thermal energy storage developer Malta Inc has signed a deal with Spanish financial services firm BBVA to develop and LDES demonstration plant in Puertollano.
The demonstrator plant will be the Massachusetts-headquartered Malta Inc’s first project in Spain.
Malta Inc has developed a thermal energy LDES solution which leverages steam-based heat pump technology, known as the steam energy management and storage (SEMS) system.
© Supplied by Malta IncDesigned to accelerate decarbonization, the company claims its Malta SEMS offers grid-scale, synchronous, long-duration storage with “unmatched adaptability”.
Announcing the deal, BBVA said it represents a “decisive step toward the commercial deployment of thermal energy storage technologies”.
The 14 MWhe Puertollano demonstrator will use a closed-loop system of molten salts and steam to store electricity and help stabilise the power grid.
Malta Inc chief executive Philippe Delleville said the agreement marks a “turning point” in the company’s journey to commercialise its technology.
“With BBVA’s backing, we’re demonstrating that long-duration storage is ready to deliver—providing the firm, flexible energy Europe needs to decarbonize industry, balance renewables, and strengthen energy sovereignty and reliability,” Delleville said.
Charging Forward, bringing you the latest in UK and international energy storage news, is kindly sponsored by ABB BESS-as-a-Service.
