An energy storage system for the scottish isle of Gigha

The areas of the United Kingdom that are best suited to renewable energy generation tend to be away from population centres. Here, electricity networks increasingly find themselves having to limit renewable energy ambitions; often there is no simple solution. Given the long life of many network assets, change is either slow or expensive. The wholly community-owned Isle of Gigha in Scotland today finds its renewable energy ambitions limited in this manner. This case study sets out the rationale for an Energy Storage solution for this community that would enable increased renewable energy capacity, yield and value; with the potential to explore many of the other benefits cases attributable to Energy Storage at the weak edge of the electricity network. In March 2013 this project was awarded Feasibility Stage funding under the Department for Energy and Climate Change´s Energy Storage Demonstration Programme [1].