Root-Power, developer of battery energy storage systems (BESS), has announced that it has submitted planning applications for 315 MW of BESS projects in the UK.
The six sites, which will be located in the English regions of North Yorkshire, Devon, Derbyshire, Bedfordshire and Gloucestershire, and Glamorgan in Wales, will cover a wide range of capabilities. The largest site, a proposed 100MW/200MWh development near Camblesforth in Selby, North Yorkshire, is close to the grid connection point for the Drax power station; If approved, the final development will result in a 13% habitat gain, 21% hedgerow gain and a 70% watercourse gain once completed.
Neil Brooks, director of Root-Power, said: “At Root-Power we believe that battery energy storage systems are the key to achieving a flexible, energy-neutral future for Britain and beyond. I am proud that our team has had another productive month. This continued growth is a testament to the skills and experience we have accumulated within our company.
Our development activities are unparalleled in the industry and will be fundamental to achieving our goal of establishing Root-Power as one of the largest owner-operators of energy storage systems in the UK.”
Quick rise for Root-Power
Root-Power was launched in July this year as a specialist BESS offshoot of YELM Energy and has experienced tremendous growth since its inception.
In August, the company announced it was working with five major planning consultancies to deliver a blitz of 40 planning applications by the end of the year. Early last month, planning permission was submitted for five BESS projects across England with a combined capacity of 210 MW; just a week later, the company celebrated another success with the announcement that it had received planning permission for a 12MW/48MWh BESS project in Surrey, England.
Through the company’s 2GW BESS pipeline, Root-Power also currently has three projects under construction. The most recent of these, an 11MW, 2-hour asset located at London Gateway on the north bank of the River Thames, commenced operations in late September.
As explored by a contributor blog from Root-Power head Neil Brooks for our sister site Current±, BESS plays a key role in Britain’s sustainable energy future. Last week, BESS developments from several companies stepped in to quickly rebalance the UK electricity grid after 1.4GW of imported power was suddenly switched off during a major interconnector trip. The UK electricity grid frequency dropped to 49.59 Hz in two seconds – well below National Energy System Operator (NESO) operational limits – but BESS’s fast-acting frequency services across the UK were able to restore the electricity grid in less than to stabilize for two minutes. .
