1. Cleve Hill solar project faces safety management planning shortcomings in mainstream media headlines.
2. The project, initially considered pioneering with over 350MW solar PV capacity, now includes 150MW/700MWh of battery storage.
3. Industry focus on fire safety, stakeholder engagement, and battery analytics to address challenges and educate local authorities on BESS projects.
A solar power project in the UK, developed by Hive Energy and Wirsol, hit mainstream media headlines due to safety management concerns. The project was initially seen as pioneering, with a capacity exceeding 350MW and later adding 150MW/700MWh of battery storage. Despite being among the largest solar projects in the UK, local authorities raised issues regarding fire and explosion risks associated with the project’s lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Planning permission for the Cleve Hill project was granted in 2020, with construction beginning in 2021. However, a recent protest over safety concerns led to the rejection of the battery safety management plan, delaying the project. The incident highlights the importance of standardized safety response plans and community engagement for energy storage projects.
In response to industry trends, system integrator Powin is developing a new, higher-power BESS product to compete with Chinese manufacturers. Additionally, analytics firm ACCURE discusses the growing impact of battery analytics on the financial success of BESS projects, emphasizing the role of analytics for CFOs.
Morrow Batteries, a European gigafactory firm, aims to target the energy storage system market with its lithium iron phosphate cells. Meanwhile, companies like Eos Energy Enterprises, ESS Inc, and Energy Vault are narrowing losses and increasing revenues on the path to profitability in the non-lithium energy storage sector.