Pillswood, a battery energy storage system developed by Harmony Energy Limited is now operational.
A strategic project
Pillswood, near Hull in East Yorkshire uses a Tesla Megapack system. The battery energy storage system has the capacity to store up to 196MWh of electricity in a single cycle. Thus, the site is able to supply approximately 300,000 British homes for two hours.
The Pillswood project will provide critical balancing services to the UK power system. In addition, it will allow the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy. In addition, it is the largest battery energy storage in Europe.
The site is located next to National Grid’s Creyke Beck substation. This is the proposed connection point for phases “A” and “B” of the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm. In addition, the wind farm will be operational in the first phase in the summer of 2023.
A project for the winter
Tesla is managing the construction of the Pillswood project. The project was originally scheduled to become operational in two phases in December 2022 and March 2023. However, the schedule is accelerating to allow both phases to start this month.
The goal is to support National Grid in its efforts to provide stable and secure power. Indeed, the timetable put forward will support the efforts of British households during the winter period. For example, Peter Kavanagh, Director of Harmony Energy, states:
“The completion and energization of the Pillswood project, the largest of its kind in Europe in terms of energy capacity, is a significant milestone for Harmony Energy Income Trust, the first of six similar projects the Trust intends to complete in the coming year. It is also a significant achievement for Harmony Energy Limited: this project is the third, and largest, battery energy storage project we have developed and then delivered to construction. All stakeholders recognized the importance of powering up this project before winter, and we would like to thank Tesla, G2 Energy, and Northern Powergrid for their efforts to complete the project ahead of schedule, despite a very challenging geopolitical environment and global supply chain.”
Autobidder, Tesla’s algorithmic trading platform, operates the project. The platform has proven itself over the past two years in the management of the Holes Bay and Contego projects. These are two existing battery storage projects also developed by Harmony Energy Limited in collaboration with FRV.
