Anglian Water is partnering with Open Energi and redT on on an integrated energy storage project which will see a 60kW/300kWh redT energy storage machine  installed alongside a 450kWp solar panel PV system at one of its water treatment works.

Investing in energy storage infrastructure will enable the water company to increase onsite solar generation by 80% at the ‘pathfinder’ site in Norfolk from 248kWp to 450 kWp and also gain access to all available revenues streams within the UK grid services market.

redT’s energy storage machine will create additional value for Anglian Water by providing real-time balancing services to take advantage of wholesale energy price arbitrage. In total, the project is expected to reduce site electricity costs by 50% per annum by 2040.

This will enable the company to store excess solar generated during the day and use it at other times, thereby reducing the site’s reliance on the grid. As the largest power consumer in the East of England, reducing reliance on volatile grid electricity will enable optimisation of a £77 million energy bill, which is one of the company’s most significant operational costs.

Anglian Water has become the first water utility to benefit from AI-powered energy storage infrastructure that offers reliable, renewable ‘baseload’ power.

Maximisation of renewables generation and consumption is part of Anglian Water’s strategy for delivering Carbon Neutrality by 2050.

Over the next 18 months, the company will be building over 30MWp of solar under a 25-year PPA contract with HBS New Energies & Macquarie Principal Finance. The programme of work will reduce carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes of CO2e and increase renewables generation by approximately 25%, delivering annual savings in excess of £1 million.

This will be followed by a second significant solar programme which will shortly be put out for tender. This additional generation for solar will supplement the increasing amount of renewable power that Anglian Water is generating from its wind turbines and its fleet of Combined Heat and Power engines powered by biogas.

Revenue streams from UK grid services market

In addition to making secure infrastructure returns, the water company will also gain access to all available revenues streams within the UK grid services market providing valuable merchant revenue upside for the project.

The machines will optimise energy consumption for the site and stack together several revenue producing grid services, including Firm Frequency Response (FFR), and participation in the Capacity Market (in which flow machines receive the highest possible rating). In addition, the redT system can also be used for behind-the-meter arbitrage, energy trading and emergency site back-up.

Anglian Water and redT are partnering with leading energy tech company, Open Energi, to ensure maximum benefits are derived from the pathfinder. The flow machine will be fitted with Open Energi’s innovative Dynamic Demand 2.0 software which harnesses artificial intelligence to optimise energy consumption and stack multiple demand-side value streams.

The redT machine is sustainable and non-degrading and can provide at least 5 hours of energy storage, which makes it ideal for use alongside on-site generation, such as solar PV. It is also fast responding and flexible enough to react to real-time energy trading opportunities.

The machines have a lifespan of 25 years and do not degrade like conventional lithium or lead-acid batteries, so there is no marginal performance cost to stacking multiple value streams or changing activities over the life of the project, delivering the greatest end-user benefit.

redT’s CEO, Scott McGregor said:

“Our machines work alongside on-site generation to give businesses their own local energy infrastructure and create the environment for ‘baseload’ renewables, this system will allow Anglian to harness more cheap solar on site and increase generation from 248kWp to 450kWp. Open Energi’s intelligent software means these assets can be flexibly managed to deliver the best possible outcome for businesses, cutting costs, creating revenue and making the most of renewable power generated on-site.”

David Hill, Commercial Director at Open Energi added:

“Energy storage puts businesses in control of their energy use like never before and redT’s machines offer scope for businesses to stack value streams and shift consumption off-grid for significant periods of the day. We’re excited to be working with customers to deliver value and create an energy system where renewable generation is delivering power 24/7.”

Jason Tucker, Director of Alliances and Integrated Supply Chain at Anglian Water said that under the ground-breaking project, the pathfinder integrates, rather than simply co-locates, storage and solar. The approach will enable Anglian to develop future-proof solutions for managing energy more flexibly and efficiently, whilst increasing resilience, he added.

Using redT’s flexible energy storage infrastructure alongside Open Energi’s smart software will allow it to unlock more solar power, as well as allowing the firm to participate in grid services to further reduce its energy bills.

Jason Tucker continued:

“ Most importantly, this collaborative project will provide us with invaluable insight to support our future energy strategy, as one of the largest energy ‘prosumers’ in the East of England.”