Should energy storage schemes get planning permission?

The change in the law should make it much easier for energy storage schemes to get planning permission, to attract funding more easily, and enable them to be built more quickly. The recent UK Battery Storage Project Database Report by suggested the UK has more than 13.5GW of battery storage projects in the pipeline.

What are the safety requirements for electrical energy storage systems?

Electrical energy storage (EES) systems - Part 5-3. Safety requirements for electrochemical based EES systems considering initially non-anticipated modifications, partial replacement, changing application, relocation and loading reused battery.

What are the changes to planning legislation for energy storage projects?

The changes to planning legislation for larger energy storage projects were first announced back in October 2019 to allow planning applications to be determined without going through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) process.

Should energy storage be co-located with energy generation?

From a safety perspective, consideration should be given to the nature of surrounding sites and the potential for increased risk if hazards such as fire were to propagate from one site to the other (particularly where those sites also have an elevated fire risk). Co-locating energy storage with energy generation is becoming increasingly common.

How long does it take to plan an electricity storage project?

It means that most electricity storage projects, with the exception of pumped hydro schemes, can be determined through the Town and Country Planning Act, by local planning authorities. In effect this means that planning applications for projects over 50MW should, theoretically, be decided in between eight and 13 weeks depending on their size.

What are the standards for battery energy storage systems (Bess)?

As the industry for battery energy storage systems (BESS) has grown, a broad range of H&S related standards have been developed. There are national and international standards, those adopted by the British Standards Institution (BSI) or published by International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), CENELEC, ISO, etc.