Banks Renewables has submitted a proposal to add battery storage capacity to the Barnsdale Solar Energy Park to Leeds City Council for review.
The developer previously secured planning approval for the project in 2021 and is now seeking permission to add a containerised battery energy storage system with the capacity to hold up to 40MW of the electricity generated at the site, which is enough to power around 48,000 homes for two hours during peak times.
The original Barnsdale scheme was supported by both Allerton Bywater and Kippax Parish Councils, and after being recommended for approval by the City Council’s expert planning officers, won unanimous support from the members of its planning committee.
Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at the Banks Group, said: “We’ve been continuing with the technical work required to progress the Barnsdale solar energy park and the submission of this planning application marks the latest landmark on the journey towards the realisation of our plans.
“Adding battery storage to this site will ensure the energy supply can be managed with maximum efficiency and will also reduce energy wastage, which will in turn assist in reducing the cost of energy for consumers.
“The benefits of co-locating battery storage capacity alongside solar energy generation facilities in this way are proven and accepted, and having had a great deal of local support for the Barnsdale project, we hope Leeds City Council’s planning committee will be similarly supportive of this application.”