Allye Energy has delivered its first MAX battery energy storage system (BESS) to renewables provider OnBio.
OnBio provides renewable energy solutions, including batteries, heating and biofuel, for the UK TV and film industry. Its proprietary Orb300 battery system is offered as an alternative to diesel generators, which are a commonly used solution in production for off-grid and temporary power.
Allye’s MAX BESS is a mobile 300kWh unit that the company claims is the world’s first of its kind to use second-life EV batteries. Previous utilisations of the technology saw Allye partner with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) for on-the-go EV charging, which was put to use at Glastonbury music festival this year.
Maintaining its stake in the entertainment industry, Allye’s BESS units will power the Orb300 on film and TV sets. The clean tech has an environmental benefit but further serves the needs of the industry by eliminating noise pollution and complex logistics, both issues that diesel generators present.
OnBio said its system requires no warm-up or cool-down periods, offers immediate power deployment, and significantly reduces fuel, maintenance, and operational costs. On an average film set, a generator consumes 20 gallons of diesel every 12 hours, contributing 48% of a production’s total carbon emissions.
Managing director of OnBio, Tom Crooke, said the partnership with Allye is a “breakthrough” in sustainable production, providing not just an alternative to diesel generators – “it is a superior technological solution”.
Allye pitches its BESS offering to any industry that relies on diesel generators. Beyond entertainment, construction sites often need portable, off-grid energy, which is also needed by smaller distribution network operators (DNOs) to maintain regional networks.
Jonathan Carrier, founder and CEO of Allye, said: “We’re not just providing an alternative to diesel generators – we’re reimagining how the film and television industry powers creativity, with a solution that dramatically reduces carbon emissions while meeting the most demanding production requirements.”
As reported by Energy-Storage.News last year, Allye raised £900,000 funding primarily from Elbow Beach Capital (£650k), with support from Alpha Future Funds.
At the time, the firm said it was targeting 10,000 MAX units by 2030 with an installed capacity of 3GWh. From that year onwards, it wants to install 5,000 units annually. Target revenues for 2024 are £8.5 million and £45 million in 2025.
At the beginning of this year, as part of a consortium including OST Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Science and Negal Engineering AG, Allye was awarded £650,000 by Innovate UK to develop a modular, portable home BESS.
