How does standalone Battery Storage work?
The UK generates electricity in several ways from coal, gas, nuclear, and renewable resources. The electricity system is balanced in real-time, and so matching demand with supply can be particularly challenging.
The purpose of a battery storage system is to store electricity that has been generated from various means, so that it can be stored and then exported back to the grid at times of high demand/low generation. As the electricity that is generated from renewable sources is subject to peaks and troughs, depending on climatic conditions, the system is able to store electricity when generation is high and then supply energy when less electricity is being generated or when there are additional or higher demands on the grid.
The UK Government is committed to a rapid transition towards a zero-carbon economy; a significant expansion in low carbon electricity generation is a key part of the Governments’ energy strategy. Consequences of this expansion include changes to the daily electricity demand and supply pattern, an increasingly volatile generation mix and greater issues with geographical concentration of generation. Transmission network constraints occur when network infrastructure limits the ability of the network to transmit all the available power to where it is needed.
There is a growing need for technologies that can respond quickly to balance generation and load in the system. This is to ensure grid stability and security of supply, ultimately avoiding the need for extreme demand-reduction measures, which can include blackouts.
Battery storage offers an efficient and responsive solution to actively manage grid demands by storing surplus electricity for distributing back to the grid in times of peak demand. This system caters for the inherent intermittency of renewable energy sources, helping to balance transmission requirements and Lithium-ion battery storage is currently the most suitable technology.
Benefits of Battery Storage
The battery storage facility can import or export large amounts of electricity with no time lag and has the following benefits:
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Battery storage system
The proposed battery storage system will be made up, principally, 30 battery storage containers, 30 inverter/Power Control System (PCS) containers (comprising of transformer/inverters/monitoring systems), palisade and wooden fencing, parking facilities for limited maintenance vehicles and CCTV monitoring system. The battery storage containers dimensions will typically be 12.2m x 2.44m x rising to 3.1m and the PCS containers typically ranging from 7-10m x 2.2 -3m rising to 3m in height.
Grid Connection
The proposed battery storage system will require a Distribution and client-side substation to connect to the distribution network via a transformer. The proposed development will require a cable easement of 1.5km to connect to the substation which is located just to the south of the Site.
Access track
A 4 m wide permeable access track will be installed to provide access to the compound.
Fencing
A 2.4m palisade security fence and double gates will be erected around the development area for health, safety and insurance purposes.
CCTV
A series of CCTV cameras will be installed throughout the site. The CCTV arrangements are based on infrared technology so no lighting will be required at night-time.
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Local and national planning policy states that developments within an area designated as Green Belt, even one as benign as this for a battery storage scheme, must demonstrate that ‘very special circumstances’ justify the location. In this instance, the need for the development, form part of the very special circumstances for this proposal. The site is needed in order to provide much needed grid infrastructure improvements which will facilitate renewable energy generation/supply to meet local and national ‘net zero’ energy targets. Further details of this will be provided within the Planning, Design & Access Statement to be submitted with the planning application.
Landscape
No public footpaths run through the Site. A full landscape and visual impact assessment (LVIA) will form part of the planning application.
The purpose of the LVIA is to identify where the development will be potentially visible from in the surrounding landscape, and the extent to which visibility can be reduced either by adjustment to the positioning of the development or by landscaping, such as tree and hedgerow planting. The LVIA will assess landscape resources, character and potential visual impacts, providing a conclusion of the likely effects of the scheme, including reference to sensitivity, magnitude and significance in the landscape.
Initial landscape assessment work has informed the location of the development as proposed. Appropriate new boundary planting, together with the retention and protection of existing trees and hedgerows will soften the boundaries of the site to assist the projects integration into the landscape.
Ecology
Our objective is always to mitigate any potential impacts on wildlife and habitats. Battery storage system developments encourage biodiversity as they are tranquil sites that do not require heavy machinery or intensive farming for maintenance over the 50-year lifetime of the development. Existing hedgerows and vegetation are retained for the most part and additional site-specific measures will be included in a Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) for the site. These measures combined enable local flora & fauna to flourish in the surrounding area thus increasing biodiversity. The proposed development will provide biodiversity net gains. The application will be submitted with an Ecological Impact Assessment which assesses the site’s ecology, including its potential to support protected and notable species. The findings and recommendations of the report have guided the positioning and design of the proposed development, and will help us achieve our objective to improve the environment and biodiversity of all our development sites.
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The UK is undergoing a major change in the way it meets its energy needs. In order to meet the emission targets, set by the Paris Agreement in 2015 and the most recent climate change conference, COP27, the UK has a responsibility to increase the amount of renewable energy generated power available and reduce the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels. The COP27 targets outline the need to invest in renewable energy now, in order to ensure that the target of global net-zero emissions can be achieved by 2050.
The Climate Change Act 2008 is the basis for the UK’s approach to tackling and responding to climate change. It requires that emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are reduced and that climate change risks are adapted to. In 2019 the Government amended the Climate Change Act to commit the UK to achieving net zero by 2050 (in comparison to emissions at 1990 levels). The Climate Change Act requires the government to set legally-binding ‘carbon budgets’ to act as stepping-stones to 2050. A carbon budget is a cap on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the UK over a five-year period. The latest (sixth) Carbon Budget was published in April 2021 and enshrined in law in June 2021. This commits the UK Government to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels.
To meet the national need caused by these trends we need to adapt our infrastructure to offer clean, low carbon sources of energy generation that are fit for the future. The proposal constitutes development required for the exploitation of renewable energy and will make an important contribution to ensure that South Staffordshire District Council can meet their own planning objectives by minimising greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the use of renewable energy.
On a local scale, South Staffordshire District Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 with an aim of decarbonising the grid by 2035. South Staffordshire District Council’s adopted Core Strategy (2012) has policies focussed on combatting climate change and facilitating renewable energy generation, including Policy EQ6 which supports proposals related to renewable energy generation, subject to consideration of detailed matters and constraints, such as the historic environment, landscape and amenity. Policy NB5 of South Staffordshire District Council’s emerging Local Plan outlines specific support for battery storage proposals in the District, subject to consideration of other Local Plan policies and detailed considerations and constraints.
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Engaging with our host communities will be vital to the success of this carbon-saving facility. We would like to hear your views on the proposal and how it might benefit not only the wider environment but its immediate surroundings.
We would like to invite you to complete the survey provided on this website. This will help us understand your views on renewable energy and will give you a chance to suggest how the development can best be made to work for the good of the community.
A community digital consultation is ongoing via this website where you are able to make comment on the proposals directly to us via the survey provided or via email. These comments must be submitted no later than 31st July 2023.
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Site Location
The Site is situated to the west of Castlecroft and Lower Penn, located c. 2km south-west of the centre of Castlecroft, c. 800m west of Lower Penn and c. 5.8km south-west of the centre of Wolverhampton.
Size of the Site
The red line boundary is 4.72 ha and the likely developable area will be approximately 2.1hectares once areas of landscaping and enhancement have been designed.
Temporary Development
Planning permission is being sought for the development with an operational period of 50 years.
Site Access
The site will be accessed for construction and operation via The Roughs on the south-west corner of the land holding.
Construction Period, Construction & Operational Traffic
During the construction period, which is estimated to take approximately 12 weeks, delivery vehicles and construction staff will make vehicular trips to the site. Most of the deliveries will be undertaken by HGV. It is envisaged that over the busiest construction period there will be an average of 2 HGV movements (1 arrivals and 1 departures) per day. During the 50-year operational life of the project it is envisaged that in addition to average traffic there will be, on average, 2 vehicle movements (car/van) per month related to the ongoing operation and maintenance of the installation.
Decommissioning the site
At the end of the proposed 50-year operational period, the battery storage system and its ancillary equipment will be decommissioned, dismantled and removed and the site fully reinstated to the satisfaction of the local planning authority.
It is estimated that decommissioning of the proposed The Roughs project will take approximately 4 months to complete. Subject to best practice at the time, it is anticipated that decommissioning will involve:
Generating Capacity & CO2 Savings
With a peak output of 100MW, the battery stprage system has the potential to provide enough power for over 26,000 average UK homes at any moment in time.
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Noise
Each battery container and inverter station will contain a small fan, these would be positioned away from sensitive noise receptors and the project will be compliant with the noise limits set by the Council. A Noise Impact Assessment will be submitted with the application addressing noise related considerations.
Emissions
No greenhouse gas emissions will be emitted by the development. There will also be no odour.
Is there an increased risk of flooding around battery storage system?
The site is located in Flood Zone 1, an area at least risk from flooding. A Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy will be submitted with the planning application, which will include appropriate design recommendations for the development and any mitigation measures where needed, to ensure the proposal is acceptable in respect to flood risk and drainage in the context of the area.
Highways and access
A Construction Traffic Management Plan will be submitted with the planning application and will set out the access strategy for the development. It will confirm the traffic numbers and vehicle types forecast to access the site during both the construction and operational periods, and review potential routes to the site access point for any local highway safety concerns. It will conclude by setting out the mitigation measures to be carried out to ensure that construction vehicles enter and exit the site in a safe and appropriate manner.
CLOSE
How does standalone Battery Storage work?
The UK generates electricity in several ways from coal, gas, nuclear, and renewable resources. The electricity system is balanced in real-time, and so matching demand with supply can be particularly challenging.
The purpose of a battery storage system is to store electricity that has been generated from various means, so that it can be stored and then exported back to the grid at times of high demand/low generation. As the electricity that is generated from renewable sources is subject to peaks and troughs, depending on climatic conditions, the system is able to store electricity when generation is high and then supply energy when less electricity is being generated or when there are additional or higher demands on the grid.
The UK Government is committed to a rapid transition towards a zero-carbon economy; a significant expansion in low carbon electricity generation is a key part of the Governments’ energy strategy. Consequences of this expansion include changes to the daily electricity demand and supply pattern, an increasingly volatile generation mix and greater issues with geographical concentration of generation. Transmission network constraints occur when network infrastructure limits the ability of the network to transmit all the available power to where it is needed.
There is a growing need for technologies that can respond quickly to balance generation and load in the system. This is to ensure grid stability and security of supply, ultimately avoiding the need for extreme demand-reduction measures, which can include blackouts.
Battery storage offers an efficient and responsive solution to actively manage grid demands by storing surplus electricity for distributing back to the grid in times of peak demand. This system caters for the inherent intermittency of renewable energy sources, helping to balance transmission requirements and Lithium-ion battery storage is currently the most suitable technology.
Benefits of Battery Storage
The battery storage facility can import or export large amounts of electricity with no time lag and has the following benefits:
CLOSE
Battery storage system
The proposed battery storage system will be made up, principally, 30 battery storage containers, 30 inverter/Power Control System (PCS) containers (comprising of transformer/inverters/monitoring systems), palisade and wooden fencing, parking facilities for limited maintenance vehicles and CCTV monitoring system. The battery storage containers dimensions will typically be 12.2m x 2.44m x rising to 3.1m and the PCS containers typically ranging from 7-10m x 2.2 -3m rising to 3m in height.
Grid Connection
The proposed battery storage system will require a Distribution and client-side substation to connect to the distribution network via a transformer. The proposed development will require a cable easement of 1.5km to connect to the substation which is located just to the south of the Site.
Access track
A 4 m wide permeable access track will be installed to provide access to the compound.
Fencing
A 2.4m palisade security fence and double gates will be erected around the development area for health, safety and insurance purposes.
CCTV
A series of CCTV cameras will be installed throughout the site. The CCTV arrangements are based on infrared technology so no lighting will be required at night-time.
CLOSE
Local and national planning policy states that developments within an area designated as Green Belt, even one as benign as this for a battery storage scheme, must demonstrate that ‘very special circumstances’ justify the location. In this instance, the need for the development, form part of the very special circumstances for this proposal. The site is needed in order to provide much needed grid infrastructure improvements which will facilitate renewable energy generation/supply to meet local and national ‘net zero’ energy targets. Further details of this will be provided within the Planning, Design & Access Statement to be submitted with the planning application.
Landscape
No public footpaths run through the Site. A full landscape and visual impact assessment (LVIA) will form part of the planning application.
The purpose of the LVIA is to identify where the development will be potentially visible from in the surrounding landscape, and the extent to which visibility can be reduced either by adjustment to the positioning of the development or by landscaping, such as tree and hedgerow planting. The LVIA will assess landscape resources, character and potential visual impacts, providing a conclusion of the likely effects of the scheme, including reference to sensitivity, magnitude and significance in the landscape.
Initial landscape assessment work has informed the location of the development as proposed. Appropriate new boundary planting, together with the retention and protection of existing trees and hedgerows will soften the boundaries of the site to assist the projects integration into the landscape.
Ecology
Our objective is always to mitigate any potential impacts on wildlife and habitats. Battery storage system developments encourage biodiversity as they are tranquil sites that do not require heavy machinery or intensive farming for maintenance over the 50-year lifetime of the development. Existing hedgerows and vegetation are retained for the most part and additional site-specific measures will be included in a Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) for the site. These measures combined enable local flora & fauna to flourish in the surrounding area thus increasing biodiversity. The proposed development will provide biodiversity net gains. The application will be submitted with an Ecological Impact Assessment which assesses the site’s ecology, including its potential to support protected and notable species. The findings and recommendations of the report have guided the positioning and design of the proposed development, and will help us achieve our objective to improve the environment and biodiversity of all our development sites.
CLOSE
The UK is undergoing a major change in the way it meets its energy needs. In order to meet the emission targets, set by the Paris Agreement in 2015 and the most recent climate change conference, COP27, the UK has a responsibility to increase the amount of renewable energy generated power available and reduce the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels. The COP27 targets outline the need to invest in renewable energy now, in order to ensure that the target of global net-zero emissions can be achieved by 2050.
The Climate Change Act 2008 is the basis for the UK’s approach to tackling and responding to climate change. It requires that emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are reduced and that climate change risks are adapted to. In 2019 the Government amended the Climate Change Act to commit the UK to achieving net zero by 2050 (in comparison to emissions at 1990 levels). The Climate Change Act requires the government to set legally-binding ‘carbon budgets’ to act as stepping-stones to 2050. A carbon budget is a cap on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the UK over a five-year period. The latest (sixth) Carbon Budget was published in April 2021 and enshrined in law in June 2021. This commits the UK Government to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels.
To meet the national need caused by these trends we need to adapt our infrastructure to offer clean, low carbon sources of energy generation that are fit for the future. The proposal constitutes development required for the exploitation of renewable energy and will make an important contribution to ensure that South Staffordshire District Council can meet their own planning objectives by minimising greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the use of renewable energy.
On a local scale, South Staffordshire District Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 with an aim of decarbonising the grid by 2035. South Staffordshire District Council’s adopted Core Strategy (2012) has policies focussed on combatting climate change and facilitating renewable energy generation, including Policy EQ6 which supports proposals related to renewable energy generation, subject to consideration of detailed matters and constraints, such as the historic environment, landscape and amenity. Policy NB5 of South Staffordshire District Council’s emerging Local Plan outlines specific support for battery storage proposals in the District, subject to consideration of other Local Plan policies and detailed considerations and constraints.
CLOSE
Engaging with our host communities will be vital to the success of this carbon-saving facility. We would like to hear your views on the proposal and how it might benefit not only the wider environment but its immediate surroundings.
We would like to invite you to complete the survey provided on this website. This will help us understand your views on renewable energy and will give you a chance to suggest how the development can best be made to work for the good of the community.
A community digital consultation is ongoing via this website where you are able to make comment on the proposals directly to us via the survey provided or via email. These comments must be submitted no later than 31st July 2023.
CLOSE
Site Location
The Site is situated to the west of Castlecroft and Lower Penn, located c. 2km south-west of the centre of Castlecroft, c. 800m west of Lower Penn and c. 5.8km south-west of the centre of Wolverhampton.
Size of the Site
The red line boundary is 4.72 ha and the likely developable area will be approximately 2.1hectares once areas of landscaping and enhancement have been designed.
Temporary Development
Planning permission is being sought for the development with an operational period of 50 years.
Site Access
The site will be accessed for construction and operation via The Roughs on the south-west corner of the land holding.
Construction Period, Construction & Operational Traffic
During the construction period, which is estimated to take approximately 12 weeks, delivery vehicles and construction staff will make vehicular trips to the site. Most of the deliveries will be undertaken by HGV. It is envisaged that over the busiest construction period there will be an average of 2 HGV movements (1 arrivals and 1 departures) per day. During the 50-year operational life of the project it is envisaged that in addition to average traffic there will be, on average, 2 vehicle movements (car/van) per month related to the ongoing operation and maintenance of the installation.
Decommissioning the site
At the end of the proposed 50-year operational period, the battery storage system and its ancillary equipment will be decommissioned, dismantled and removed and the site fully reinstated to the satisfaction of the local planning authority.
It is estimated that decommissioning of the proposed The Roughs project will take approximately 4 months to complete. Subject to best practice at the time, it is anticipated that decommissioning will involve:
Generating Capacity & CO2 Savings
With a peak output of 100MW, the battery stprage system has the potential to provide enough power for over 26,000 average UK homes at any moment in time.
CLOSE
Noise
Each battery container and inverter station will contain a small fan, these would be positioned away from sensitive noise receptors and the project will be compliant with the noise limits set by the Council. A Noise Impact Assessment will be submitted with the application addressing noise related considerations.
Emissions
No greenhouse gas emissions will be emitted by the development. There will also be no odour.
Is there an increased risk of flooding around battery storage system?
The site is located in Flood Zone 1, an area at least risk from flooding. A Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy will be submitted with the planning application, which will include appropriate design recommendations for the development and any mitigation measures where needed, to ensure the proposal is acceptable in respect to flood risk and drainage in the context of the area.
Highways and access
A Construction Traffic Management Plan will be submitted with the planning application and will set out the access strategy for the development. It will confirm the traffic numbers and vehicle types forecast to access the site during both the construction and operational periods, and review potential routes to the site access point for any local highway safety concerns. It will conclude by setting out the mitigation measures to be carried out to ensure that construction vehicles enter and exit the site in a safe and appropriate manner.
CLOSE