Thrive Renewables has acquired the project rights to a 20MW battery storage project located on Feeder Road in Bristol. The battery will deliver between one and two hours (20-40MWh) of electricity to the grid, providing flexibility, a necessary step towards a net zero electricity system.
Feeder Road is Thrive’s second battery storage acquisition, further diversifying its existing wind and hydro portfolio. In 2020, the company also invested in new geothermal, solar and hydro projects.
Monika Paplaczyk, investment director at Thrive Renewables said, “Thrive’s portfolio reflects how the energy system is changing to allow renewables to be used more widely. Battery storage projects like Feeder Road will enable further deployment of wind and solar generation. Our hydro and forthcoming geothermal projects will provide more baseload renewable electricity. Together these types of technology will provide the backbone of the resilient, renewables dominated electricity grid the country needs going forward.”
Thrive is now working to identify partners for the construction phase which is expected to complete in Spring 2022. Bristol developers Aura Power, who developed the project, worked closely with local people, completing extensive consultation activities.
Operating under a trading model, Feeder Road will participate in wholesale market trading and future capacity market auctions. It will also provide frequency response and balancing services to the National Grid and the local distribution network. There is growing demand for both frequency response and balancing services as fossil fuelled power plants are retired and renewably sourced power progresses towards delivering the majority of UK electricity. Bristol headquartered law firm TLT and renewables consultancy Everoze are advising Thrive on the project.
