Energising Europe with a new era of green power
Charging ahead: how grid-scale battery storage is supporting a more affordable and secure energy future – from South Wales and Sheffield to Budapest, Bavaria, and beyond.
What do 35 million smartphones and driving around the world have in common? They both match the scale of energy stored by our latest large-scale battery projects in Hungary, Wales, and Germany.
These energy reservoirs do more than store power, they’re revolutionising the way we think about energy – ensuring security, affordability, and better use of renewable sources.
What exactly do batteries do?
Batteries play a crucial role in our transition to a more sustainable energy system. They work in two ways:
- Firstly, they can be used to make best use of the energy generated by renewable sources, like solar panels and wind farms. When it’s sunny or windy – or perhaps when demand for power is low, for example in the dead of night – then any excess energy generated can be captured and stored, ready to be used when demand rises and the electricity is needed.
- Secondly, you can use batteries to smooth out spikes in prices so there is a more consistent cost of using energy from the grid. That means charging the battery when demand is low (and prices are cheaper) ready for use at peak times when prices start to rise. This helps smooth out energy supply fluctuations, ensuring a secure flow of energy whilst reducing our reliance on non-renewable sources to meet the increased demand, or paying peak time prices.
Battery storage powering Hungary
In Soroksár, Budapest, we’re installing a battery that can store the energy from 350 solar panels on a nearby solar farm. To put that in perspective, it holds enough energy to power an electric car for an incredible 43,000 kilometres — the same distance around the Earth's equator!
With 6 megawatt-hours (MWh) of storage capacity, the system helps to ensure Hungary’s grid remains balanced, where supply can meet demand. That means fewer disruptions, making the most of the renewable energy, and a much more stable and secure power supply.
And if that wasn’t enough, this battery also paves the way for even more solar power to be connected to the grid, future-proofing Hungary’s infrastructure and enabling a more sustainable energy supply.
Powering up in South Wales…and beyond!
Closer to home, in South Wales, we’re working with Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners to develop a battery storage facility at the site of the former Uskmouth coal-fired power station. The two battery installations on the site will each hold a massive 230MWh of energy — that’s equivalent to powering 35 million smartphones!
These batteries will store energy when demand is low and can be called on to release it when the grid needs it most and when prices start to rise – helping to smooth out the peaks and troughs of energy costs. .
This project will also create 130 new jobs, contributing to the local economy – and the project has already led to an 18% increase in biodiversity at the site through initiatives such as wildflower planting, hedgerow planting, and the creation of a new water body.
…and in Germany
Our battery projects are making waves in Germany too. In Meitingen, Bavaria, Bayernwerk Natur has teamed up with German energy supplier Lechwerke AG (both of which belong to E.ON Group!) to install a 7MW battery storage facility made up of 700 lithium-ion batteries.
The Meitingen site is located near a hydroelectric power plant, with a 15-year operational lifespan, and provides flexibility to the market while boosting Bavaria’s renewable energy use.
And over at Rain am Lech, just 12 miles from our Meitingen site, we’ve taken things one step further. We’ve paired a battery storage system with the hydro power plant’s turbine control, creating a hybrid system capable of delivering 3MW of fast frequency response. This allows us to respond to grid fluctuations in 30 seconds, ensuring the power stays on without wearing down the hydropower turbines. It’s the perfect blend of traditional energy with modern technology!
What’s really neat about all these projects is their versatility. From Hungary to Wales and Germany, battery storage projects are transforming how we store and use renewable energy.
These innovative battery projects are just one of the many ways we’re working to deliver a more resilient energy system — because the future of energy is bright, and we’re the playmakers powering it.