We're determined to show that working in partnership with large energy users and communities can unlock huge economic potential and deliver real local benefits.
Highlights
- £980m saving on annual energy bills
- £18.5bn gross value added to economy
(Centrica Business Solutions research supported by FTI Consulting, Modelling 2017) - 24/7 battery available to the grid 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- 3MW battery capacity
There has never been a more important time for us to work with businesses and other large energy users to develop solutions for them which can unlock new revenue streams, become a source of competitive advantage and drive growth.
Our report, ‘Powering Britain’s Economic Future’, set out to measure those impacts and demonstrate the benefits of distributed energy solutions. It assessed the potential economic benefits to the UK if three major sectors – Industrial, Health, and Hospitality & Leisure, which together represent over a quarter of the UK economy – were to adopt a range of solutions including battery storage, on-site power generation and energy saving devices.
Empowering Gateshead Council to cope with local energy spikes
Centrica has installed one of the country’s largest commercial battery storage schemes for Gateshead Council, giving it greater flexibility in managing its energy. The 3MW battery facility is equivalent to one million AA batteries and forms the final part of the Gateshead District Energy Centre, which also includes a pair of 2MW combined heat and power units.
This is a bold, imaginative scheme that means we can also store and release energy when we choose, as well as supporting the National Grid, which helps raise more income to support Council services.- Councillor John McElroy, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Gateshead Council
Centrica will manage the battery project under a 10-year contract. This scheme will help keep the national electricity network in balance by responding to any fluctuations on the system in less than a second. In time, it will also be used to strengthen Gateshead’s energy resilience by providing electricity to council-owned buildings through a private wire.