Thanks to strong winds, Scotland has become an ideal place to install wind turbines. The data speak for themselves With an exponential increase In these almost 15 years. However, as a bagpipe, energy also goes like that air, so they have designed what will be the largest storage megabatism in Europe. And there is even more.
European megabattery. The British company, Zenobē, has announced That the energy storage plant (Bess) has begun to operate in Blackhillock, Scotland. In addition, it is the first in the world that provides complete services of active and reactive energy.
With a capacity of 300MW/600MWh at the moment it is placed as the largest in Europe. However, in the Scottish territory a struggle has opened to see who leads it.
It is not there. In its ambition, Scotland will house the three energy storage systems in largest batteries in Europe After an investment of £ 800 million by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). The projects are Coalburn 2 in South Lanarkshire and Devilla in FIFE, which will be added to Coalburn 1. Currently, the latter is under construction and with an operating date planned for October.
Each battery will have a capacity of 500 megawatts, allowing total storage of 3 GW/h to supply 4.5 million homes. Coalburn 2 is expected to enter into operation between 2027 and 2028.
The current largest on the continent. The Blackhillock plant has been launched in two phases: 200 MW of initial capacity began operating in March 2025, and phase 2 of 100 MW will be completed in 2026. This installation seeks to improve the reliability of the electrical system, taking advantage of wind energy and storing excess electricity in batteries for use at high demand.
The first in the world. As a little above, the central in operation provides complete services of active and reactive energy. In other words, since the United Kingdom He said goodbye to his gas plants They have had to find another way to generate these services. This BlackHillock Bess plant provides them and you will ask what it is. On the one hand, active energy is what is used directly for electricity consumption, while reactive energy helps keep the network tension and guarantee its stability. In summary, it helps to balance the network, especially in times of fluctuations in the supply and demand of electricity.
For this reason, they have also found their light bill will benefit. They already noticed that, independent of coal, They had to pay a high pricebut with the new storage system, they expect this to generate a positive impact.
Let’s not forget this controversy. More than a year ago, It was discovered that several wind turbines were working with diesel generators for days. This happened because network infrastructure is not always ready to handle fluctuations in renewable energy generation and distribution. For this reason, having a storage system helps prevent this situation from being repeated.
The challenge for Europe. The intermission of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, remains one of the biggest challenges globally. The phenomenon of “Dunkelflaute” Because of this situation and an aged network It positions the storage system in one of the first objectives of the European agenda. In addition, in these types of situations we must look for a solution that allows the integration of stable and accessible renewable generation. There are some European countries that have already begun to invest in energy storage such as the case of Finland or Spain. In the latter, it has been used by a more unique system as They are the reservoirs.
Forecasts Scotland, with its renewable wind excess and its limited network infrastructure, has become a strategic point for energy storage. By 2030, it is estimated that 60% of the United Kingdom’s energy will be generated by the wind, with 31% from Scotland. However, these projects have generated some opposition in local communities, concerned about safety, noise pollution and landscape industrialization. Despite this, the Scottish government highlights the importance of these systems to reach zero net, according to collect the Financial Times.
Image | Zenobē
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