Energy research consultancy Modo Energy has confirmed that Q4 2023 saw 420MW of new battery energy storage capacity become commercially operational.
This new capacity represents a 13% increase on the previous quarter and, in doing so, becomes the largest ever quarterly increase in operating battery capacity in GB. The previous record was set in Q2 2023 when 413MW was added.
It is worth noting that the additional capacity now means that GB’s operational grid-scale battery energy storage capacity has now reached 4.6GWh. Modo also confirmed that 1.5GW of battery storage was added across 2023 – a record for a one-year period.
In the quarter, eight new projects started commercial operation with this including two large 99MW projects from asset owner Harmony Energy Income Trust and Sosteneo Fund.
In December, Sosteneo’s Richborough Energy Park battery plugged into a local substation, as reported by Solar Power Portal. The project was acquired from developer Pacific Green in July 2023,
Another key takeaway from Modo’s Q4 statistics is that six of the batteries, representing 64% of the new capacity, had a two-hour duration. This pushes the average duration of battery storage in GB to 1.3 hours.
1.2 GW of capacity in the pipeline had expected operational dates in Q4, with a further 111MW delayed from previous quarters. However, based on historic buildout rates, Modo projects that between 250 and 500MW of this would actually become operational. The 420MW that did come online is at the top of this range, but there is still a backlog of projects due to come online.
Solar Power Portal’s publisher Solar Media will host the 9th annual Energy Storage Summit EU in London, 20-21 February 2024. This year it is moving to a larger venue, bringing together Europe’s leading investors, policymakers, developers, utilities, energy buyers and service providers all in one place. Visit the official site for more info.