Energy storage firm awarded £9m for innovative project

An innovative energy storage project developed in Edinburgh has been awarded £9.4m by the UK government.

Synchrostor plans to build a 1MW demonstration plant which will have the ability to charge, store and discharge energy for a period of 10 hours.

The test facility has been designed to outperform current battery technology.

The funding has been awarded under the Longer Duration Energy Storage competition.

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Energy Security Minister Graham Stuart described the business, which will create a Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) system, as "pioneering".

He added: "Storing energy for longer periods is vital to build a robust and secure energy system and ensure that renewable energy is used efficiently.

"I'm delighted that Scotland's PTES Demonstrator project is receiving government backing to make it a reality - there is a lot of talent in our UK industries and it's great to see them playing a role in the nation's energy security."

The government said maximising the potential of renewables would increase the resilience of the UK's electricity grid, while maximising value for money.

Home-grown energy

The funding will enable Synchrostor to prepare their technology for the energy market with a view to encouraging private investment and creating new green jobs. 

The firm said it was grateful for the funding which will "significantly accelerate [its] research and development capabilities".

"Our aim is to make this technology even more affordable across industry and move into large-scale manufacture," a spokesman said.

"Scaling up pumped thermal electricity storage will, we believe, be a game-changer not just for the renewables sector: we believe innovation here can open up a wide range of new value propositions beyond electricity storage."

In November East Lothian-based company Sunamp received £9.25m to help trial its advanced thermal storage system in 100 UK homes.

And StorTera in Edinburgh was awarded £5m towards a prototype demonstrator of its single liquid flow battery technology.

The UK government said flexibility from technologies, such as electricity storage and electric vehicles, could save up to £10bn per year by 2050.

This would be achieved by reducing the amount of energy and network needed to create a secure, home-grown energy system.