Developers in South Lanarkshire are building one of Europe’s largest battery farms to store excess wind energy, aiming to stabilize the UK’s renewable power grid.
In short:
- The Coalburn site will store enough electricity to power 3 million homes and will be constructed in two phases.
- Excess power from wind farms will charge the batteries, which will discharge during high demand or when renewable generation is low.
- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners is also developing a similar battery project in Fife, aiming for a total capacity of 1.5 gigawatts by 2027.
Key quote:
"By helping to supply reliable and secure power to our homes and businesses, well-located storage systems, such as batteries and pumped hydro storage, can move us closer to net zero and directly support the communities around them."
— John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland
Why this matters:
Renewable energy sources like wind are intermittent, making large-scale battery storage essential to balancing supply and demand. The shift from coal to battery storage underscores the broader transition to cleaner energy systems as the UK pushes for a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.
