Supporting access to clean, reliable energy in the UK

Wärtsilä’s partnership with SSE Renewables, one of the UK’s largest utilities, marks an important step in the UK’s path towards net zero. To help scale renewable energy capacity, Wärtsilä delivered a 50 MW / 100 MWh energy storage system to SSE in Salisbury, Wiltshire. The system is the first directly connected to the transmission network by SSE and supports access to clean, reliable energy by balancing the intermittency of renewables.

The Salisbury energy storage system provides grid services such as wholesale market trading, which helps balance renewable energy generation throughout the day. The facility utilises Wärtsilä’s Quantum, a fully integrated, modular, and compact energy storage system, as well as Wärtsilä’s sophisticated energy management software, the GEMS Digital Energy Platform.

Who	SSE Renewables
What	50 MW / 100 MWh Energy storage system
Where	United Kingdom

This is what we are achieving

50 MW

and 100 MWh of energy storage capacity

80,000

homes powered (SSE's calculation is using OFGEMS published average household consumption figures adjusted to reflect a peak in energy demand usage, i.e. winter day time)

Battery storage has a key role to play in helping the UK to decarbonise by ensuring we make the most of the increasing levels of renewable energy coming onto the grid. SSE is investing £24bn over this decade (circa £7m a day) in low carbon infrastructure of this kind and we are delighted to be working alongside Wärtsilä to provide the balancing and flexibility services we need to help the UK get to net zero.
Richard Cave-Bigley, Director of Solar and Battery at SSE

How we did it

Challenge

Maintain frequency on the UK grid as fossil fuels come offline
Facilitate wholesale market trading to balance renewable energy generation
Assist sustainability goals

Solution

Wärtsilä’s Quantum energy storage system provides enhanced safety features and modular flexibility
Wärtsilä’s GEMS Digital Energy Platform allows SSE Renewables to remotely monitor, operate, identify, and diagnose equipment with unrivalled safety, reliability, and flexibility

Benefit

Add grid stability with instantaneous frequency regulation services
Enable more British energy consumers to access secure, low-cost renewable energy
Improve sustainability of SSE’s energy services and add more renewable energy on the grid

Questions? Contact us

The main details

Customer	SSE
Site size	50 MW / 100 MWh
Site location	Salisbury, Wiltshire
Application	Storage+
Scope	EPC (Engineering, procurement & construction)
Delivery	2022