Eon to test storage potential for commercial customers

Energy supplier Eon is to install a 5kW energy storage demonstration system at the site of a commercial customer to understand the benefits of storage to such customers.

The vanadium redox flow battery will be supplied and monitored by storage company RedT at the headquarters of warehousing and logistics company JB Wheaton in Somerset, as part of a trial by Eon to understand the potential for improved payback on solar PV installations.

The 5kW, or 40kWh, system is part of a project looking to overcome the challenges of commercial and industrial-scale energy storage, and will allow Eon to examine the potential of such systems in providing ancillary services to support National Grid.

The system will be used by JB Wheaton to smooth out the peaks and troughs of the company’s energy demand by storing energy generated by its 3.5MW solar panel array during the day for use charging vehicles at night.

The logistics company is also looking to minimise the amount of energy it imports from the grid at periods of high prices.

Vanadium flow batteries offer a longer life cycle and deeper discharge depth than conventional lithium-ion battery systems, providing one of the lowest levelised costs of storage.

Eon’s head of energy storage solutions Eliano Russo said: “Battery storage allows businesses to play a greater role in the energy system; adding an income stream as well as avoiding higher unit costs.

“We have recently launched a residential PV and battery storage product to our customers in Germany and as we develop our experience from this project with JB Wheaton we are interested in speaking with commercial and industrial customers in the UK who would be interested in investing in a battery storage solution.”

Yesterday automotive manufacturer Nissan entered the domestic storage market with the launch of its xStorage product.