Seizing the Opportunity: Battery Energy Storage Systems

The UK continues to make significant strides in renewable energy generation, particularly in wind and solar. However, the intermittency of these energy sources poses a challenge for grid stability and efficient power utilisation. Battery storage offers a compelling solution by capturing surplus energy during peak generation periods and releasing it during periods of high demand, reducing the strain on transmission infrastructure. BESS can therefore play an important role in meeting climate change targets, as well as facilitating the transition to a low-carbon economy and enhancing energy security.

JLL’s Planning team has consented in excess of 3.5 GW’s of installed renewable energy capacity over the last 10 years across the UK, sufficient to power more than 1 million homes. We are involved in a number of BESS schemes, either co-located with solar and wind generation, or increasingly as stand-alone developments.

As the UK continues its journey towards a more sustainable and flexible energy system, those who seize the BESS opportunity are well-positioned to shape the future of the country's green energy landscape, while enjoying attractive returns which can exceed agricultural and even industrial land values.

BESS schemes are typically characterised by storage units not dissimilar to modern shipping containers. Land requirements for viable schemes can be as little as 1.5 acres, although access to grid capacity is fundamental. Landowners can generate income by managing BESS schemes through to development, or simply by leasing land to an energy partner. Construction works are modest and BESS can therefore be an ideal solution on sites which are otherwise constrained for development. The unused corner of an industrial estate, a brownfield site with construction limitations: the opportunity to facilitate the journey to net zero through BESS delivery may be closer than you think.

For more information on topics discussed by this article, please visit here or contact Steven.Black@jll.com or Fraser.Blackwood@jll.com (Planning, Energy, and Infrastructure Advisory team) who can advise on initial feasibility, options and next steps.