NextEnergy chooses first solar farm to be retrofitted with battery energy storage space

• NextEnergy Solar (NESF) has chosen the first of its existing solar sites to be retrofitted to include battery power storage space.

The 11MW North Norfolk solar farm will be fitted with a 6MW/12MWh battery system, with preparing permission now protected by the company and building anticipated to begin this year.

North Norfolk gets aids via Ofgem's Renewables Obligation Certificate scheme with a 1.6 banding, and the arrangement of the battery energy storage space will be developed to straighten with this.

It will the first in a variety of existing solar sites to be fitted with battery energy storage space, as the business continues to work to identify extra co-located battery storage space chances.

NESF currently has 91 UK solar assets, four of which have actually already been determined as capacities for co-located battery power storage as well as are being progressed to development phase.

Michael Bonte-Friedheim, Group Chief Executive Officer of NextEnergy Group said the North Norfolk solar farm retrofit marks a crucial milestone for the firm, as executing co-located batteries "provides an eye-catching growth possibility for NESF as these assets supply both synergies with our PV assets, in addition to using diversity to our portfolio income".

" Battery storage space is a market that NESF has actually been planning for some time, having acquired 2 tiny scale co-located batteries at Salcey Farm and also Pierces Farm in 2017, and we look forward to keeping the market as much as date on the results of this program, currently as well as in the future."

Along with its retrofit program, the solar power renewable resource investment firm is likewise developing 250MW of standalone battery storage space assets with a joint venture with Eelpower.

NextEnergy is additionally remaining to construct out its solar portfolio, with building of its 36MW bifacial, subsidy-free Whitecross solar site beginning this month as an example.

" Battery storage space is, and also will be, a strong motorist of development for NESF, especially as we aim to assist in the drive to decarbonisation and also the UK's objective to achieve net zero by 2050," added Ross Grier, UK taking care of supervisor of NextEnergy Capital.

" We prepare for that energy market volatility as well as continued need for greater quantities of renewable resource will increase our strong value proposition for battery storage within NESF's portfolio."