Can battery deployment avoid network reinforcement in an unbundled electricity system? A Great Britain case study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: By 2024, significant quantities of batteries, 3-4 GW, had been deployed on Great Britain (GB)’s electricity networks, and approaching 100 GW of battery projects have been proposed. Batteries are independently owned, and can engage in a number of activities, including wholesale trades. Using three case study periods, this study simulates the behaviour of a short-duration battery, engaged in wholesale trades, to explore whether it reduces peak flows across GB’s electrical networks, and thus would reduce or defer the need for network reinforcement. The effect of battery activity on distribution network congestion is investigated at three locations in Scotland, including demand- and wind generation-dominated networks. This study found that simulated batteries’ trades reduced peak network flows, at times, but more often, the battery activity exacerbated both maximum import and maximum export flows. The effect of battery trading on transmission network congestion was also investigated, across the whole of Scotland. Scotland has over 11 GW of wind generation capacity, commonly curtailed at times of high wind because of transmission constraints. This work found that battery exports would occur even during times of high wind generation, adding to transmission congestion at such times. In short, this work has found that GB’s single price area encourages battery actions which sometimes fit poorly with conditions on a local, regional and even national scale. Network owners should thus consider the possibility that batteries and other flexible assets may not always reduce, but in fact may add to maximum network flows and reinforcement needs.
Source: Energy Reports
Authors: Susan Brush, Graeme Hawker, Keith Bell
Institution: University of Strathclyde
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,040
Award: G392784564
OpenAlex ID: W7166436054