London Energy Storage Mobile Power Supply

100MW / 331MWh battery storage system is now operational, forming a key part of BW ESS' UK investment programme. London, 18th February 2025 — BW ESS has announced the energisation of its innovative 100MW / 331MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) near Bramley, Hampshire.

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are crucial for the energy transition, providing flexibility and stability to the grid. They store energy from renewable sources like solar and wind, and release it when needed, helping to balance supply and demand. In the UK we are due to energise our first two UK batteries, based in Scotland, in spring 2025.

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), for every £1 the UK has spent on renewables it has spent only 25p on cables and power lines. This imbalance highlights the urgent need for grid expansion and smarter policies to accelerate battery deployment, to ensure the grid can balance supply and demand and keep the lights on.

Allye's Max is a mobile energy storage system with a capacity of 300kWh. This capacity is enough to power a typical factory for two days or 40 homes for a day. The capacity can be increased by connecting several units together.

According to the company, this puts it at 10 times the size of the largest battery currently operating in the UK. Indeed it will dwarf the UK's biggest active project so far, the 50MW / 75MWh Thurcroft battery storage site in South Yorkshire, which was recently acquired by stock exchange listed specialist fund Gresham House Energy Storage.

The UK's National Energy System Operator (NESO) says achieving a clean power system in 2030 will require installed clean energy generation and storage capacity of around 210GW to 220GW, with around half coming from wind and solar. But the UK grid currently lacks the capacity to accommodate a massive renewables energy push.