The pipeline of energy storage projects in the UK that are operational, under construction, consented or being planned has doubled in the last 12 months, according to a report by RenewableUK.
The ‘EnergyPulse Energy Storage’ report shows that the total pipeline of battery projects has doubled to 32.1GW from 16.1GW a year ago.
Operational battery storage project capacity has grown by 45% to 1.6GW from 1.1GW, and the capacity of projects under construction has more than doubled to 1.4GW.
A further 10.4GW has been consented, 7.7GW has been submitted in the planning system and 10.9GW is in development but yet to be submitted.
England has the highest capacity of fully commissioned battery storage projects (1398MW) and the largest volume of planning applications (6163MW).
The report said that the growth has been driven mainly by a change in legislation in December 2020 allowing local planning authorities to determine projects with a capacity of over 50MW in England and 350MW in Wales.
Previously these were determined by central government, making the process longer and more complex.
R-UK said that as a result there has been a shift towards larger projects, with the average size increasing to 54MW.
Nearly 20% of the total pipeline of battery storage projects (6.1GW) are co-located with solar energy projects, mostly in England (5320MW).
RenewableUK director of future electricity systems Barnaby Wharton said: “The fact that the battery storage pipeline has doubled within the space of twelve months shows that the enormous appetite among investors for this technology is continuing to grow fast. But developers still need access to cheaper capital.
“Government can help by setting out a long-term vision for the sector, including a clearer and more stable route to market for energy storage.
“Although we’re making great progress, we’re still some way from delivering the 30GW of operational flexibility which the government requires by 2030.”