Archives 2024

Solar Energy

DNOC announces storage and solar customer substation manufacturing

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Image: DNOC.
Image: DNOC.

DNO Consulting (DNOC) is an independent connection provider company specialising in high-voltage engineering, design and installation. The company works across several sectors, including solar, battery storage and data centres.

DNOC is pleased to announce that it is manufacturing 33kV customer substations for battery energy storage systems (BESS) and solar projects utilising the benefits of Digital Protection and GOOSE protocol, giving a delivery time from order to supply of 35 weeks.

This has been achieved through the standardisation of circuit breakers and protection systems.

We have noted that too often, customer substations are re-designed for each project whilst delivering very similar functionalities. This approach leads to a longer build time, increased wiring complexity and protracted testing and commissioning periods.

Image: DNOC.

Digital protection offers enhanced flexibility, reliability, simplified design and build. Utilising these benefits, Digital Protection and IEC61850 allow a design that offers the flexibility to provide comprehensive protection and control of the customer substation through a standardised approach.

Our method reduces the design and build time by many weeks for each control section and radically simplifies the inter-bus and protection cubicle wiring. This significantly reduces the need for bespoke engineering changes and accelerates the path from delivery to full energisation.

The selection of digital control extends to project-specific Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), which leverage the benefits of Digital Protection and IEC61850. The HMI panel offers SCADA control over multiple communications protocols.

Distribution Network Operators are adopting Digital Protection as an innovative control and protection solution within the UK power network.

Through DNOC’s extensive expertise in designing and delivering high-quality modular substations, this approach allows us to offer customers a significant reduction in lead time and early design freeze to aid in coordinating other contractors.

When offered in conjunction with DNOC’s proven track record of successful delivery as an Independent Connection provider, PSE 2 Consulting’s strong reputation for the delivery of design, and the excellent products offered by Ormazabal UK, we believe this is an exceptional full-service market-leading offer providing direct and indirect benefits to customers throughout their project lifecycles.

DNOC has a South Wales factory where bespoke containerised substation buildings are assembled.

As these substations are fully fitted out in the factory, they are delivered to sites as a complete, finished unit ready to be commissioned.

Over the last ten years, DNOC has connected more than 170 utility-scale generation schemes at 33kV and 11kV using its steel substations, which have been accepted across the UK.

Solar Energy

Quinbrook, E.ON partner to develop 460MWh BESS

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Quinbrook also owns Project Fortress, as well as owning battery storage optimiser Flexitricity. Image: Flexitricity.

Specialist investment manager Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has partnered with E.ON to construct a 230MW/460MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Uskmouth, South Wales.

The project, situated on the site of a former coal power station stockyard, will become one of the UK’s largest BESS projects being developed to date. It is expected to support the local area with around 140 jobs across 2024.

Under the terms of the agreement, E.ON will acquire 50% of the project capacity and jointly invest in its construction. The 2-hour duration asset is expected to be operational in Q1 2025, with construction having commenced in November 2023.

Plans for the project were unveiled in May 2022 when global sustainable energy developer, owner and operator Simec Atlantis Energy (SAE) agreed a partnership Quinbrook to pursue the project via the joint portfolio company Uskmouth Energy Storage (UES).

Since then, Quinbrook has acquired the exclusive development rights for the project and completed all major development milestones, including planning approvals, grid import agreements with National Grid, project design and equipment procurement.

As previously reported on Solar Power Portal, UES will own and operate the project.

“E.ON shares our commitment to sustainable development goals and recognises the meaningful impact that large-scale regeneration projects like Uskmouth, a former coal power station stockyard, can make to the delivery of the government’s Levelling Up ambitions,” commented Keith Gains, managing director and UK regional lead for Quinbrook.

“We are pleased to welcome E.ON as a partner and look forward to working together to complete construction of this milestone project, which will be a key contributor to achieving the UK’s net zero targets.”

Quinbrook continues to push large-scale projects in the UK

The Uskmouth BESS asset is the latest large-scale project Quinbrook is pursuing and adding to its portfolio. Perhaps the most noteworthy UK development for Quinbrook is the flagship 373MW Cleve Hill solar-plus-storage nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP).

Once complete, Cleve Hill Solar Park will have 880,000 solar panels and battery storage. The energy secretary granted it development consent in May 2020. Quinbrook acquired the project in 2021 with it first being developed via a joint venture between Hive Energy and Wirsol.

Readers of Solar Power Portal may be aware that the project recently saw its proposed battery safety management plan rejected by Swale Borough Council’s planning committee.

battery energy storage, battery energy storage system, bess, e.on, quinbrook, storage, uk, utility scale
Solar Energy

49MW Northamptonshire solar farm refused planning permission

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Anesco's Clayhill solar farm. Image: Anesco.
Anesco’s Clayhill solar farm. Image: Anesco.

The Secretary of State has refused planning permission for a 49MW solar farm to be situated in Northamptonshire.

The project, being developed by Anesco, would sit across 70 hectares of land near the villages of Gayton, Rothersthorpe and Milton Malsor.

According to documents dated 13 March 2024, the planning inspectorate had originally recommended that the appeal be allowed and planning permission be granted subject to conditions.

Simon Hoare MP, minister of state for local government on behalf of the secretary of state, however, refused the planning application for the solar farm, which also included the required substation, DNO control room, customer substation, security fencing and more.

The project was expected to bring a 195% biodiversity net gain, something the secretary of state noted should be afforded “significant weight”, but due to the change in landscape character and appearance, the impact it could have on heritage assets, and the effect it could have on agricultural land, the project was denied planning permission.

Image: Anesco.
Image of the proposed site. Image: Anesco.

EDF’s 49.9MW Northamptonshire solar farm

In July 2023, EDF Renewables received approval to develop its 49.9MW Glassthorpe solar farm in Northamptonshire.

Glassthorpe solar farm, which received unanimous approval from West Northamptonshire Council, will be located between the villages of Flore and Upper Heyford, along the M1 Corridor.

EDF Renewables said in a statement at the time that it expects construction to take around six months with hopes that the site would be fully operational by the end of 2024.

The solar farm’s connection to the grid will be made 8 kilometres east of the site at the Northampton West substation.

Solar Power Portal’s publisher Solar Media will host the UK Solar Summit on 4-5 June 2024 in London. The event will explore the UK’s new landscape for utility and rooftop solar, looking at the opportunities within a GW+ annual market and much more. For more information, go to the website.

UK Solar Summit 2024

4 June 2024
London, UK
UK Solar Summit 2024 will look at the role solar currently plays in the energy mix, how this will change over the coming years and how this aligns with net-zero and other government targets. We will break down all these challenges and help build up solutions through discursive panels, motivational keynotes and case studies, with newly added interactive sessions to get you moving and meeting your peers, making the connections you need to boost your business.
MORE INFO
Solar Energy

TagEnergy and Harmony Energy 49MW BESS goes live in Scotland

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TagEnergy’s secured BESS portfolio in the UK currently stands at 320MW/640MWh.  Image: TagEnergy.

The 49MW/98MWh Jamesfield standalone battery energy storage system (BESS), a joint venture between TagEnergy and Harmony Energy, has gone live in Scotland.

The project, located near Abernethy, Scotland, uses 2-hour duration Tesla Megapack lithium-ion batteries and Tesla’s Autobidder AI software.

Jamesfield became a joint venture with energy infrastructure developer Harmony Energy following the clean energy enterprise’s acquisition of a 60% stake in the project in November 2021.

Following £12.5 million in funding from Santander UK’s green energy initiative, the project progressively came online from November 2023 before being completed and fully energised in early February 2024.

“The completion of the Jamesfield BESS is another significant milestone for our valued partnership with TagEnergy, following the success of our other joint venture site, Chapel Farm,” said Peter Kavanagh, chief executive at Harmony Energy.

“Battery energy storage systems are vital for unlocking the full potential of renewable energy in the UK. They play a pivotal role in advancing the Net Zero transition through the reduction of Co2 emissions and are crucial for securing the future stability of the UK’s energy supply and reducing dependence on foreign gas imports.”

TagEnergy’s chief executive officer Franck Woitiez added: “Our three completed projects, together with the more than 200MW of BESS under construction in the UK, is testament both to our commitment and the success of our approach. We look forward to bringing more projects online as we focus on helping the UK move closer towards net zero carbon emissions.”

TagEnergy’s secured BESS portfolio in the UK currently stands at 320MW/640MWh.