Europe's 'largest' shared battery installed in Nottingham

The battery will be able to store and deliver energy within the housing development

What is thought to be Europe's largest community energy battery has been lifted into place in Nottingham.

The two-megawatt-hour battery is part of a renewable energy network in a 500-home development in the Trent Basin.

It is hoped solar panels, heat stores and ground source heat pumps will supply power at the site which is 30% cheaper than normal.

The battery, made by Tesla, will store excess power to be used in homes or sold back to the National Grid.

Made of 10 separate units, the battery will be linked to a network of smart meters which will monitor power use in the estate's homes.

It is due to go live at the beginning of April.

What can the battery do?

• It has a storage capacity of two megawatt hours, generated from solar panels on the site

• Deliver a maximum 500 kilowatts of power for four hours, enough to keep about 750 fridge-freezers going.

• Act as a storage facility for power which can be sold to National Grid

The £6m project, designed to test the commercial viability of such systems, has been developed by the University of Nottingham and business partners.

The development's residents have the option to join a community energy company and share in any profits as part of the scheme.

Prof Mark Gillott, from the university, said: "It's an exciting day because after months of planning we are finally getting the batteries on site.

"This is a game changer. We are looking at new technology, deployed in the community, with new business models."

In December Tesla switched on a 100-megawatt battery in South Australia, which can power up to 30,000 homes for an hour when charged.