
There is now over 7GWh of grid-scale BESS capacity online in the UK, but 2024 saw a slowdown in both capacity additions and overall pipeline growth, while Ireland saw growth.
That’s according to the latest figures from Solar Media Market Research’s UK Battery Storage Project Database Report, covered in a blog on our sister site Energy-Storage.news this week.
Around 1.5GW of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity was completed in the UK in 2024, 28% lower than in 2023. The average size of project increased year-on-year, from 52MWh to 62MWh.
BESS capacity submitted for planning applications also fell, down 21% by the number of projects and down 40% by the MWh capacity. The slowdown in applications could show that developers are now focusing on the build-out of projects, noted Solar Media analyst Charlotte Gisbourne.

Last year saw more BESS capacity receive planning permission than any other year, and there are now 101GWh of projects have been approved and over 18GWh are currently under construction.
Ireland
In Ireland, the market is at an earlier stage of buildout. Just over 1GWh is now online, including a 300MWh project energised by utility ESB in Cork, which meant a 11% year-on-year growth in capacity additions.
Submitted capacity meanwhile soared 63% to 7.4GWh, including a 1GWh proposal from developer FuturEnergy for a project using the novel ‘iron-air’ battery technology from US company Form Energy.

See the full blog on Energy-Storage.news here, which goes into more detail on all of the figures above and more.