- government awards £10 million for cutting-edge
electricity storage facility, creating 200 jobs and
helping better harness green energy generated by UK
renewables
- CryoBattery to bring greater flexibility to UK’s
energy grid, by storing enough electricity to power
200,000 homes
- smart battery technology uses liquid air and provides
longer energy storage compared to traditional lithium
batteries
The world’s largest and first commercial liquid air battery
facility is planned for Trafford, Greater Manchester,
creating over 200 jobs and putting the city at the
forefront of the latest green technologies.
Backed by £10 million of government investment, the
revolutionary CryoBattery project will be run by energy
storage company Highview and will help the UK make the most
of the energy generated from its world-class solar and wind
sectors.
The CryoBattery offers a means of storing that excess
energy and will do so on a far larger scale and for longer
than existing batteries.
Energy and Clean Growth Minister said:
This revolutionary new Cryobattery facility will form a
key part of our push towards net zero, bringing greater
flexibility to Britain’s electricity grid and creating
green collar jobs in Greater Manchester.
Projects like these will help us realise the full value
of our world-class renewables, ensuring homes and
businesses can still be powered by green energy, even
when the sun is not shining and the wind not blowing.
The CryoBattery works by using electricity to cool and
compress air, turning it into liquid and storing it in
industrial sized containers. It then feeds the liquid
through a turbine, turning it back into electricity and
pumping it back into the grid when it is needed.
This will give the UK far greater flexibility in helping
meet the country’s electricity needs from the grid and when
up and running could be used to power as many as 200,000
homes for 5 hours a day.
The UK is now home to the world’s largest offshore wind
farm, and a third of the country’s electricity needs are
now met from renewable sources. But the unpredictable
nature of wind and solar power means that energy can be
produced when it is not needed by the grid.
Harnessing storage technologies is a key part of meeting
the UK’s legally-binding target to reach net zero carbon
emissions by 2050.
Notes to editors
The project will be managed by energy storage company
HighView and its partner Carlton Power, both UK firms.
The CryoBattery project is funded through
the BEIS Energy
Innovation Programme.
About Highview Power
Highview Power is
a designer and developer of the CRYOBattery™, a proprietary
cryogenic energy storage system that delivers reliable and
cost-effective long-duration energy storage to enable a
100% renewable energy future. Its proprietary technology
uses liquid air as the storage medium and can deliver
anywhere from 20 MW/100 MWh to more than
200 MW/2 GWhof energy and has a lifespan
over 30 years. Developed using proven components from
mature industries, it delivers pumped-hydro capabilities
without geographical constraints and can be configured to
convert waste heat and cold to power.
