RES is exploring the potential for an energy storage project on land adjacent to the Berryburn Electricity Substation, near Dunphail, south of Forres, Moray.

The plan to the right shows the site location.

The energy storage project is expected to cover a total area of 2 to 3 hectares and have a capacity of 49.9MW.

The site lies outside of any international, national or local environmental designations and there are no nationally important heritage designations in the immediate vicinity.

                          Click on image to enlarge

The plan to the right shows the current layout for the 49.9MW Corshellach Energy Storage project. Final surveys are still underway and as such the layout is still subject to change.

The proposed system is a containerised scheme, involving proven lithium ion battery technology which RES has deployed at multiple projects around the world.

The infrastructure would include:

• Battery enclosures
• Power Conversion Systems and Transformers
• Customer Substation
• Auxiliary Transformer
• Grid Compliance Equipment
• Grid Connection Infrastructure
• Security System
• Drainage Scheme
• Landscaping

  Click on image to enlarge

RES will design the energy storage system so that it will fit sensitively in the surrounding landscape.

A number of surveys and assessments have been carried out to ensure any potential impact upon the environment, landscape, heritage and local residents is appropriately assessed and mitigated.

The assessments carried out include:

• Ecology
• Landscape
• Heritage & Archaeology
• Flood Risk & Surface Water Management
• Cumulative Impacts
• Noise & Vibration
• Transport

We are proposing that all delivery traffic will access the site via the existing access through the Altyre estate, which runs north-south from the A940.

This route avoiding the narrow Divie Viaduct to the west and has previously been approved for use for windfarm construction.

The plan to the right shows the proposed transport route.

Throughout the construction phase there will be a combination of HGVs (for the component and material deliveries) and cars/vans (for construction staff), on site. Typically, there is peak HGV movements during the first few weeks of construction whilst car/van movements are expected to be constant throughout.

A Transport Statement will accompany the planning application which will outline the overall framework for managing the safe movement of construction and delivery traffic as well as itemising the expected number of traffic movements and timing restrictions.

                                Click on image to enlarge

Our energy system is in a transitionary period.

Ageing infrastructure is being replaced and greater flexibility introduced into our networks via technological advances, such as energy storage, to manage the increasingly complex supply and demand needs of the 21st Century.

Energy storage is crucial in enabling the rollout of zero carbon energy and supporting the UK’s net zero emissions target.

Renewable energy technologies are needed to replace electricity generation from fossil fuels, however, they can generate electricity intermittently depending on weather conditions, which can cause imbalances in the electricity network.

Energy storage works by storing energy at times when generation exceeds demand and then releases electricity back to the electricity network when demand exceeds generation.

Electricity is not physically generated on site.

To support sustainable energy storage, the industry is working hard to establish a circular economy for industrial batteries. It is now widely accepted that lithium cannot remain a ‘throwaway’ material; it must be a circular material, recycled and reused indefinitely. There are current directives to ensure battery producers are responsible for minimising harmful effects of waste batteries on the environment and they must accept batteries for recycling and disposal at the end of life.

Recovered materials can be used to make new batteries from recycled batteries, reducing manufacturing costs, the quantity of materials sent to landfill and our reliance on mining. As the battery markets grows, we are already seeing the number of techniques available for recycling increase.

Broxburn Energy Storage System, Scotland. Photo credit: Keith Arkins