UK needs eightfold rise in power storage capacity – Aurora

Developers call for incentives to kickstart investment in storage and balance intermittent renewables

The UK could need up to 24GW of long-duration energy storage (LDES), equivalent to eight times its current installed capacity, to integrate wind power into a secure net-zero electricity system, according to consultancy Aurora Energy Research. Aurora defines LDES as technologies such as pumped storage that can store electricity for four hours or more and supply firm, flexible and fast-responding power to the grid. Deployment of significant LDES capacity on the UK power system by 2030 could cut emissions by 10mn t/yr and reduce system costs by £1.13 bn/yr ($1.54bn/yr), or 2.5pc, Aurora says. LDES deployment could also reduce reliance on gas-fired generation by 50TWh/yr, it says. “The UK’s net-