Pivot Power, an EDF Renewables company specialising in battery storage and infrastructure for electric vehicle charging, has placed an order with technology group Wärtsilä to deliver 100 MW of energy storage in the UK.
The order forms part of Pivot’s plans to develop a world-first national network of grid-scale batteries and high-volume power connections for rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging. Wärtsilä will develop two 50 MW lithium ion-based energy storage systems at Cowley in Oxford and Kemsley in Kent and expects the facilities to start operating by the end of 2020.
The order is the largest energy storage deal in Europe for Wärtsilä, which has set its sights on the UK as a key new market. It will deploy its GridSolv modular storage solution equipped with GEMS energy management software at the two sites.
Pivot is aiming to build 2 GW of grid-scale storage across the UK with high volume power connections which are directly connected to the UK high-voltage transmission system. Its plans will support increased renewable energy capacity in the UK, as well as its own EV charging infrastructure.
Adrien Lebrun, Pivot Power’s Engineering Director said: “At Pivot Power we are committed to enabling a clean electric future and accelerating the expansion of electric vehicles across the UK, and as part of EDF Renewables we are making this vision a reality. These Wärtsilä energy storage systems allow us to harness cutting-edge technology to future-proof our investments in a changing energy market, supporting our long-term goal to reduce the UK’s carbon footprint and bring us closer to net zero.”
