A group of MPs has predicted the UK could have 12GW of battery storage by 2021 with the right government policies in place.
The report by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on energy storage and the Renewable Energy Association claims achieving 12GW of storage would have a positive impact on UK energy security and “empower consumers”.
According to the report, there was around 3.23GW of existing energy storage capacity in the UK and of that, around 60MW is battery storage.
The report contains three different scenarios for the future of battery storage.
The “high-deployment” scenario predicts 12GW of additional battery energy storage by 2021, based on more projects being co-located at solar and onshore wind sites and larger-grid connected projects.
However, the report concedes a “medium deployment” scenario of 8GW of battery storage is more likely.
It also contains a “low deployment” scenario, which forecasts just 1.7GW of storage with minimal regulatory change.
The report states policy is the “largest barrier to deployment” as the international EV supply chain developments, batter technology improves and costs fall.
APPG chair, Peter Aldous, said “significant battery storage deployment” is possible if the government keeps to the targets and timelines it has already set out.
“Twelve Gigawatts of battery storage would improve the UK’s energy security, would help us maximise our energy self-sufficiency, and empower consumers across the country as they are more able to manage their bills and take personal action to reduce carbon emissions,” said Aldous.
“Such a significant amount of battery storage deployment would also support the government’s ambitions to develop the UK into a battery manufacturing powerhouse, evidenced in the Faraday Challenge funding announcements, last week.”
The chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association, Nina Skorupska, added: “The UK Government and many in the industry significantly underestimated how cheap and popular solar PV was to become.
“Analysis at the start of the decade by the energy regulator, Ofgem, expected between 2GW and 7GW of solar to be deployed in the UK by 2030, instead over 12GW was deployed by the end of 2016.
“The technology and deployment patterns for battery storage and solar PV are similar, and this report is intended to drive big thinking and put the UK on the front foot, rather than react after-the-fact.”
Earlier this month, National Grid published the pre-qualification registers for the upcoming capacity market auctions.
More than 27GW of new build projects have pre-qualified for the four-year-ahead (T-4) auction, according to analysis by Aurora Energy Research, including more than 4.6GW of batteries and 11.4GW of combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs).