Pivot Power signs Wärtsilä for pilot 50 MW battery sites

Pivot Power, the battery storage and electric vehicle charging specialist that became a subsidiary of EDF Renewables last November, has placed an order with technology group Wärtsilä to deliver 100 MW of battery storage in the UK.

27th February 2020 by Networks

Pivot Power signs Wärtsilä for pilot 50 MW battery sites

Under the deal, the Finnish company will supply two 50 MW lithium-ion battery systems, and support the projects under 10 year service agreements with flexible performance guarantees.

The battery systems are destined for the first two sites in a series planned by Pivot Power. The sites, at Cowley in Oxford and Kemsley in Kent (pictured above), are due to be operational before the end of this year.

The Kent and Oxford projects are part of Pivot Power’s programme to develop, own and operate up to 2GW of grid-scale energy storage and high volume power connections.

The sites will provide flexible capacity to support both increased renewable energy generation and EV charging infrastructure.

These Wärtsilä energy storage systems allow us to harness cutting-edge technology to future-proof our investments in a changing energy market

Adrien Lebrun, engineering director, Pivot Power

Pivot Power has previously discussed plans to install 50MW battery systems and up to 100 chargers at each of 45 sites around the country.

This is the largest energy storage deal in Europe to date for Wärtsilä, which sees the UK as a key new market.

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.”

The battery systems use Wärtsilä’s GEMS energy management software platform, which leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable the intelligent management of large-scale energy storage systems.

Andrew Tang, vice president for energy storage and optimisation at Wärtsilä Energy Business, said: “We believe that a clean energy future for the UK is not just possible, it is deliverable. These exciting projects will support a cost-effective, reliable and low-carbon energy system and promote the rapid adoption of clean transport in the UK.”

The contract is the first to be announced since EDF Renewables acquired Pivot Power in November 2019. EDF Group aims to be the leader in Europe with 10GW of additional storage by 2035.

It also supports the EDF Electric Mobility Plan, which aims to position EDF as the leading electric mobility company by 2022 in the UK, France, Italy and Belgium.

Beyond 2022, EDF Group’s goal is to provide power for 600,000 electric vehicles and 75,000 charging points.