ESB Networks has announced that the Irish electricity grid now has 1 GW of energy storage available from various battery energy storage systems (BESS).
This figure includes 731.5MW of battery storage projects and 292MW from the Turlough Hill pumped storage power station – which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Large-scale battery energy storage projects and Turlough Hill pumped hydro stations are working together to provide flexibility and support more renewable energy sources in Ireland’s electricity system.
Energy storage facilities are connected across the grid to both the transmission and distribution systems, which are operated by EirGrid and ESB Networks. As it stands, peak demand on the Irish electricity system is around 5.5 GW.
According to a report from the International Energy Agency (IEA)Irish electricity demand has increased by 2%, making it one of the few countries in Europe to record an increase in 2023. For the full year, coal production fell 17% year-on-year, alongside a modest 1.2% decline in gas-fired production.
Ireland is predicted to have the highest growth rate in Europe in electricity demand and consumption, with an average annual increase of almost 7%.
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Interestingly, data centers are expected to contribute immensely to this, with the country bracing for rapid expansion in this sector. Irish data centers are estimated to have consumed approximately 5.3 TWh of electricity in 2022, an increase of 31% compared to 2021.
This is about 17% of the country’s electricity demand and almost equal to the consumption in all urban homes, the IEA said.
With a strong pipeline of further energy storage projects, Ireland’s electricity system will become more flexible, easing the transition to using renewable energy.
Nicholas Tarrant, Managing Director of ESB Networks, said: “This is a really important milestone for us at ESB Networks and our partners involved in connecting one gigawatt of energy storage to the Irish electricity network.
“This figure includes sites such as ESB’s Turlough Hill hydropower station, but what we have seen in recent years is a big push from the wider industry to deliver large-scale battery energy storage projects which we have been able to support through network connections.”
Bobby Smith, Head of Energy Storage Ireland, commented: “Energy storage is a key enabler of our clean energy future, and this achievement is a major step on that journey. Our members, together with ESB Networks, are delivering the energy storage projects needed to reduce fossil fuel use and lower energy prices while ensuring a safe, stable electricity system.”
This article first appeared in Solar Power Portal’s sister publication Current±.
