The Whitelee wind farm and its battery

The ion-lithium batteries will be enclosed in a 44.5m by 34m portal frame building that will also house associated equipment and facilities. Its storage capacity will be 50 million Watt-hours, equivalent to the average hourly power consumption of 150,000 homes. The battery utility will be able to fully charge in less than an hour. Than it will be on “standby” to provide its services, for example reactive power response to National Grid, enhancing control and flexibility, it could also store wind energy during times of low demand and then injecting it into the grid at times of higher demand or when wind generation is no longer possible. 

Keith Anderson, chief executive at ScottishPower said: “By integrating storage technologies with onshore wind, we are blowing away one of the myths about renewable generation not being available when you need it. Natural resources like wind and solar are variable in their very nature, and by using a battery we can ensure we optimise our ability to use the resource most effectively “.

The goal for the UK government it to carbon neutral by 2050, to reach this they aim to decarbonize the economy, transportation and heating services. Large battery storage facilities like this one are crucial for the goal to be achievable.

The wind farm is expected to come online at the end of this year, with testing to ensure compliance with TSO grid code (UK electric system operator) due to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.