Solar energy and energy storage developer Elements Green has secured planning permission for its Staythorpe battery energy storage system (BESS). The project will have a peak capacity of 360 MW, a storage capacity of 720 MWh and a planned operational life of 40 years. Elements Green has set a target date of 2026 for the system to be operational.
The plans include several elements that aim to benefit the community. These include more than 12 hectares of land dedicated to creating woodlands and flower meadows, planting 129 trees and creating a new tolerant footpath through the site. The site is expected to deliver a net biodiversity gain of at least 25.7%.
Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of Elements Green, commented: “Achieving planning permission is a remarkable achievement for our team. We are preparing to begin construction and bring our vision to life, not only creating a state-of-the-art energy storage solution, but also making a positive contribution to the local environment with additional planting and creating a tolerant path. By connecting to the existing national electricity grid at Staythorpe, the project builds on the Trent Valley’s long history of supplying energy in Great Britain.
“This achievement is a testament to the dedication and exceptional expertise of our UK development team,” explains Mark. “We are excited about the future and the positive impact this project will have on our organization and the broader community. The UK government has set ambitious and legally binding targets to eliminate CO2 emissions by 2050. More renewable energy is needed to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels, and energy storage and large-scale solar energy development are recognized as playing an important role in achieving this goal. .”
BESS development on the rise
Britain has been ranked as the third most attractive country in the world for BESS development, and major investment in the UK BESS sector is on the rise.
Energy producer RWE has made significant steps into the BESS sector, with the company recently announcing it is moving forward with proposals for a 350 MW BESS to be located in Wales. In March, RWE began construction on the first seven UK solar and energy storage sites, representing 330 MW of solar capacity and 45 MW of co-located energy storage capacity.
A report published in May by industry body RenewableUK found that the overall pipeline of BESS projects increased by 67.4% over the past year, with 95.6 GW of BESS capacity at some stage of development.
Small-scale battery storage installations have also seen a rapid increase, with a report from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) showing that battery storage installations increased by 707% year-on-year by March 2024.
