A new report from RenewableUK sets out the case for reforming the planning system to encourage more battery storage (BESS) and green hydrogen projects to “co-locate” with offshore wind farms, sharing existing grid infrastructure to save time and cut costs.
The report aims to address the challenges developers face when building battery storage and green hydrogen projects alongside offshore wind farms in the UK.
Entitled “Offshore wind co-location: integrating offshore wind with flexibility”, the report explains how energy storage plays a critical role in providing greater flexibility to the UK’s energy system.
Batteries can provide short or long-term power, and green hydrogen generated using renewable electricity can be stored and used whenever it is needed, boosting the UK’s energy security, RenewableUK said.
Currently, just 3MW of operational battery storage capacity is co-located with offshore wind in UK waters.
A further 600MW of potential battery storage has consent to go ahead, and several offshore wind developers are exploring opportunities for co-location with green hydrogen.
The report contains policy recommendations for the government, Ofgem, The Crown Estate, Crown Estate Scotland and local planning authorities.
These include reforming Contracts for Difference (CfD) auctions to encourage the co-location of energy storage and offshore wind.
The report also recommends improving the efficiency of the planning system by enabling developers to seek consent for offshore wind and energy storage projects simultaneously rather than separately.
The author of the report, RenewableUK’s senior policy analyst Yonna Vitanova, said: “The UK has a great opportunity to build a more resilient energy system by integrating batteries and green hydrogen projects into offshore wind infrastructure, either at sea or near substations onshore.
“But at the moment neither the CfD process nor the planning system are set up in a way to encourage this.
“This report provides a blueprint for government to address the challenges renewable energy developers face when considering co-location as part of their business plans.
“With clearer rules and regulations in place, the UK can unleash the benefits co-location can provide to the system and ultimately to billpayers.”