Minety BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) now 150MW capacity
Minety BESS came online in July 2020 with 100MW offtake capacity. A 50MW expansion to the site located here near Swindon now provides 150MW output. The site operates with three 50KW ternary lithium battery systems housed in recycled shipping containers. Located near Swindon in South West England its owned by Penso Power. The purpose of the site will be to stabilize electricity demand in the UK. BESS combined with renewable energy production are key to the UK’s transition to net-zero carbon emissions.
The latest lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4)/ ternary lithium battery technology is utilized to store the electricity. Multiple inverters are used to discharge the power in AC (alternate current). Excess electricity generated from renewable sources will be stored by Minety BESS. It has the Capacity to supply up 15,000 homes with electricity for a full day when fully charged. Battery technology is advancing all the time and we have an almost limitless supply of shipping containers to house BESS. Needless to say, they faster such installations can be rolled out across the UK and wider world the better.
Companies and Organizations involved
- UK based Penso Power is the site developer.
- China based Huaneng Group is the main contractor.
- China based Contemporary Amperex Technology and Korean Samsung manufacturers supplied the lithium batteries.
- China based Sungrow integrated the battery systems.
- UK based G2 Energy designed and built the 132kV substation.
- UK based Eclipse Power carried out grid connection.
- Dutch Shell subsidiary Limejump installed its Virtual Power Platform to optimise power output.
- Dutch Shell subsidiary Shell Energy Europe will off-take electricity from the installation.
- National Grid and Scottish and Southern Energy to receive evacuated energy.
Says Catherine Newman, CEO of Limejump;
Delivering the Minety project during COVID-19 has been an amazing team effort, and with our colleagues at Shell, we can now focus on optimising Minety’s performance and supporting National Grid ESO.
Says David Wells, VP Shell Energy Europe;
Flexible storage and supply systems such as Minety have an essential role in balancing supply and demand – especially as renewable power sources become increasingly central to the UK’s energy needs.
Conclusion
Worldwide new BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) developments are coming online every week. Huawei have just signed up to develop the world’s largest BESS with a capacity of 1.3GW to be built in Saudi Arabia. Developments in Australia, Africa and North America have all been announced recently. It’s an exciting time to be working in the BESS industry.
We specialize in BESS
Visit our BESS production services page if you’d like to learn more or please call our dedicated sales team on +44 (0)1606 272864, we’ll be delighted to hear from you.
Further reading:
https://www.jpsil.co.uk/blog/bess-installation-approved/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-57847700
https://www.esi-africa.com/renewable-energy/why-battery-energy-storage-systems-should-not-be-overlooked/