The current energy crisis and wholesale gas prices spiralling out of control have allowed farmers and landowners to take advantage of spare land by constructing battery storage facilities to inject much-needed energy into the National Grid at times of peak demand.
Secure Rents from Developers
Opportunities to secure rents from developers have been spurred on by the relaxation of rules by the government. This rule change enables National Grid to balance electricity supplies at peak times by calling on these storage sites to reinforce the capacity when needed.
The battery storage sites currently being built across the UK take on many guises, from existing farm buildings to shipping containers and purpose-built units. These generate the ground rents that appeal to Farmers.
Battery storage sites are being built across Britain to provide electricity on demand to help balance the nation’s electricity consumption. These reserves are called upon when demand exceeds supply, utilising renewable sources such as anaerobic digestion, solar, wind, gas peaking and standalone battery storage plant.
Gas peaking and battery storage plant in particular can react quickly and provide instant capacity into the grid, ensuring the supply/demand balance is maintained.
Viability
For a battery site to be viable, there needs to be an accessible connection point (substation) to the grid so that electricity can be drawn down and stored in the batteries at times when the demand for energy is at its’ lowest, and exported back into the grid at times of peak demand.
It is this expertise and knowledge that Farmers require, plus the interrogation of the red tape for the project to be realised. This is where Power Initiatives come to the fore.
Power Initiatives identify geographical areas of capacity weakness in the electricity supply grid where the need for a battery storage site is apparent and work closely with farmers, landowners and generators to develop the opportunities to be ‘Shovel Ready’.
If you are a farmer or landowner who would like to explore the options available, please contact one of the team so they can help you with your journey.
