Cleve Hill Solar Park, the joint venture (JV) of Hive Energy and Wirsol intending to develop a 350MW+ solar farm on the Kent coast of England, has yet to make any decisions regarding the battery storage element of its plans, contrary to media reports.

Softbank Energy and Kyocera, two major names in Japan’s solar energy industry, are partnering with utilities, grid operators and other stakeholders to execute virtual power plant (VPP) projects backed by the government.

Energy asset developer and owner Statera Energy has clinched a refinancing deal for its 50MW Pelham utility-scale battery storage plant in England, in a transaction which it says demonstrates both the maturity and “bankability” of the asset class.

A new study has found that the UK could meet its growing power needs predominantly with solar and wind energy, with battery storage and demand response providing flexibility.

Britain’s transmission system operator (TSO) National Grid has said it wants a new procurement process for ‘black start’ capabilities up and running by the mid-2020s, and wants it to involve renewables and battery energy storage.

South Somerset District Council in the south west of England will pay for, and build, its own 25MW battery energy storage facility.

The UK government’s head of smart energy has admitted that Brexit – Britain’s planned departure from the European Union – is causing delays in the passage of primary legislation to define energy storage, which may not be achieved until 2022.

Vattenfall has brought online its 22MW battery project co-located with the Pen y Cymoedd onshore wind farm in Wales, becoming the latest company to start delivering sub-second frequency response to National Grid in the UK.

Automotive giant Nissan has confirmed the UK launch of its home solar-plus-storage product, first revealed in February this year.

A new consortium, V2GB (Vehicle to Grid Britain), will develop driver-centred business models to support the rapid roll out of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies, enabling millions of electric car batteries to become a vital part of the UK energy system. National Grid, carmaker Nissan’s European Technical Centre, Moixa and energy consultancy Element Energy have come together to help work out how to reward drivers who use electric vehicle (EV) batteries to support the power network. Chris Wright, the Chief Technology Officer of UK home battery company Moixa, talks us through the mission behind V2GB and the potential impact of the study.