The UK’s largest battery storage fund has warned that investment in the sector is at risk because the way the country’s electricity system is run means the technology is not used widely enough.
Ben Guest, managing director of the new energy division at Gresham House, said National Grid is underusing battery storage that is already incorporated in the system, although it is seen as a crucial part of efforts to cut carbon emissions.
“The underutilisation of batteries by the ESO [National Grid’s electricity system operator] risks reducing investment,” Guest told the Financial Times, adding that this was “throttling the development of battery solutions in the UK . . . not to mention slowing the UK’s legal commitment to meet net zero[carbon emissions] by 2025.”