Ofgem has given the growing electricity storage industry a boost by agreeing that some solar PV farms can gain Renewables Obligation certificates for all the power they produce, including that being used to charge storage devices.
The regulator said decisions on eligibility would be taken on a case by case basis. Three PV farms belonging to Anesco became the first to gain accreditation. Anesco’s solar farm in Northampton, which is co-located with battery storage under one grid connection, was the first site in the UK to qualify for ROCs. This was closely followed by a further two Anesco sites in Chesterfield and Stratford-upon-Avon. Each 5MW site is hooked up to a 1.1MWh battery.
Steve Shine, executive chairman of Anesco, said: “This decision is a game changer for the UK’s energy storage market.”
He added, “Ofgem will be issuing guidance to the industry on how this can work, but Anesco’s methodology cannot be published. We will very soon be talking to all our existing solar sites to offer investors the opportunity to improve their internal rate of return (IRR) by providing the flexibility the UK energy network needs.”
Ofgem promised to publish guidance on key storage considerations under the RO and Feed-in Tariff schemes “later in the year” and said it will seek stakeholder feedback.
Developers who want to discuss RO accreditations and storage with the regulator should contact: [email protected].
Further reading:
Limejump joins Anesco in push to become UK’s largest battery storage operator
Anesco and Green Hedge Energy team up to deliver four battery ‘barns’
Subscribers: login to read New Power’s interview with Anesco’s Kevin Mouatt: “We have 15 battery installations in place and will have another 100MW by the end of the year”