Trent Basin in Nottingham, UK will soon be receiving a $130 million housing development project, which will include a 2 MWh Tesla Powerpack Energy Storage System (ESS).
The new Nottingham project will create around 500 homes, which means there will be an average of 4 kWh of the Energy Storage System per home. Solar Power Portal states that the new Tesla Energy Storage System will be the largest community battery in all of Europe. It will also be combined with 375 kW of solar rooftop, ground solar installations and geothermal heat pumps.
The company leading the project, Blueprint, says that the battery will store energy from local renewable energy projects. The energy will be used at the housing site, but the storage system will also be used to perform grid arbitrage and regulate the ups and downs of energy supply and demand.
“The way we generate and distribute energy in the UK is inefficient and carbon intensive. It doesn’t have to be like this. With new technologies, especially in renewable energy and storage, it is possible to do better,” said Nick Ebbs, Blueprint’s chief executive.
The pilot program was created to demonstrate how residents could better engage with the energy they use while simultaneously reducing a housing site’s carbon footprint and being cost-effective. Residents who wish to partake in the ESS will have solar panels installed onto the roofs, then be given smart meters which they can access the live data via a voice control. Homeowners are expected to save around 30% compared to traditional homes.
The Tesla Powerpack ESS will be installed this September, and city officials are excited about the project.
“I am delighted that Nottingham has been chosen to pilot this innovative scheme. This highlights that the city is at the cutting edge of energy innovation, having the right people and infrastructure to get these types of projects off the ground,” said Councilor Alan Clark, portfolio holder of energy and sustainability at Nottingham City Council. “This growth in community renewable energy will help to sustain our status as the most energy self-sufficient city in the UK.”
