What is Power Storage?
ENGIE is a UK market leader in energy storage and flexibility across both gas and electricity.
Power storage, also known as energy storage, is the process of capturing electricity to store and use at a later time. It plays a vital role in low carbon energy systems because energy is stored when it is green and plentiful and used when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining.
Storage also helps to balance supply and demand on the electricity system, ensuring that energy is available when it is needed most.
Pumped Storage Hydropower
Pumped storage hydro uses water, gravity and and a pumping/turbine system to store and generate electricity.
There are two reservoirs of waters at different heights. When electricity is needed, water is released from a high point to a low point, causing turbines to spin. This produces energy.
Then, during periods of low demand on the electricity system, when there’s lots of renewable energy flowing, water is pumped back up to the higher reservoir, ready for when it is needed again.
Pumped storage is like a natural battery and is essential for a net zero grid of the future because it offers huge amounts of clean energy at very short notice.
ENGIE owns and operates two pumped storage hydro plants in Wales that provide instant, low carbon flexibility and are critical to ensuring a stable and secure national electricity system.
Pumped Hydro Storage
What are Battery Energy Storage Systems?
At ENGIE, battery storage plays a pivotal role in our commitment to flexibility and the energy transition. Batteries enable us to capture and store energy, particularly renewable energy like wind and solar.
This is important as we transition to a low carbon energy system, because no single technology source can provide 24/7 power. There are days when it is still and cloudy, where we need other sources of energy. Traditionally gas fired power plants would be used to fill these gaps but increasingly we can use battery technology instead, reducing carbon emissions and increasing the amount of renewable energy we use.
ENGIE is due to energise its first UK battery storage sites in spring 2025.
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)