What are battery energy storage systems (BESS)?
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are a low-cost technology which uses groups of batteries to store excess electricity from renewable energy sources.
How battery energy storage systems work
A computer-generated image of what our batteries could look like
When required, such as when the wind doesn’t blow, this electricity can be quickly released to homes and businesses via the electricity grid.
As the UK generates more renewable energy, and demand for electricity grows, these systems are becoming increasingly important to balance the supply and demand of electricity in the grid.
The result of a balanced grid is a more secure, self-sufficient and resilient energy system for the UK.
Safety and reliability
Battery Energy Storage Systems are safe and use well-established technology found in everyday items like mobile phones and electric vehicles.
Safety is built into the design, with multiple layers of protection including monitoring and fire suppression systems that would only activate in the very unlikely event of overheating.
Batteries are housed in secure, self-contained units, and our site is located well away from residential properties.
Comprehensive risk assessments are carried out and shared with insurers for independent assurance.
In the unlikely event of a fire, it would be contained within a single battery container, with built-in monitoring and suppression systems providing multiple layers of protection to prevent spread and minimise any risk to the local community.
Project timeline
Why Thorpe Marsh?
Energy storage systems are positioned as close as possible to the electricity network to ensure the system will be as efficient as possible. Thorpe Marsh was therefore identified as an ideal location for a new BESS due to the proximity to National Grid’s Thorpe Marsh substation, which is our connection point into the grid.
As well as this, the site is also located on former industrial brownfield land, outside of any local or national environmental designations, has good road access, a long history of energy generation and is well separated from residential properties.
Our Thorpe Marsh site
Thorpe Marsh was the site of a coal-fired power station that operated until its closure in 1994.
The ash left behind from decades of power generation has now been reclaimed and recycled to form the foundations of our site, marking a significant step in repurposing the land for modern energy needs.
You can see an image of the site before our project began below.