Battery energy storage is the technology that water companies are “most keen” to see develop in order to transform their renewable energy strategies, delegates heard at the WWT Water Industry Energy conference. Effective on-site energy storage would help smooth out the peaks and troughs that are inherent in renewable generation via solar panels and wind turbines, the conference in Birmingham heard. It would help large treatment sites become more self-sufficient by making the most of their own generation capability in order to avoid using grid power, especially at peak times when energy is more expensive. When asked by conference chair Professor Tom Stephenson of Cranfield University to name the technology that would make the most difference to their energy strategy, batteries were the near-unanimous choice of the panel of expert speakers.
Utility Week 23rd June 2016 read more »