Misslebrooks
battery storage.
the scheme.
Misslebrooks Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is located in North Baddesley, Hampshire, at the postcode SO52 9LY. The proposed BESS will cover an area of 4.9 acres (2 hectares).
This project was granted planning permission on the 5th April 2024. Construction is anticipated to take approximately 6 months.
Battery storage technology has a key part to play complementing renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Supporting the grid with frequency response and reactive power before, during and after a fault on the grid. This would mitigate any risks of local blackouts on the local electricity network.
At a local level this scheme will support the Council’s strategic vision for rapid decarbonisation to build climate resilience. At a national level, the UK Governments energy security plan, Powering Up Britain (March, 2023), seeks to improve national energy security, create greater energy independence consistent with net zero and reduce the risk of higher electricity bills.
megawatt-hours of Low-Carbon
Electricity storage (2-hour)
FULLY
REVERSIBLE
DEVELOPMENT
Net Zero
Target
Preserved
public rights of way
Additional Trees
& Hedgerows
Planted
enhanced
biodiversity gains
All statistics shown are on an annual basis.
LOCATION – why here?
HARVESTING ENERGY IN BALANCE WITH NATURE.
Tackling climate change requires unprecedented and urgent action. To thrive, the UK will need to support the growth of new sectors. The transition to powering our homes and businesses with low-cost, low-carbon electricity generated from renewable energy sources is an essential part of the UK’s climate change strategy and needs to be delivered at pace and scale.
Brownfield and rooftop solar schemes are rightly being developed however these schemes cannot deliver at the pace or scale required to meet net zero. Many brownfield sites are not available for development or may not be suitably located for connection of an electricity generation project into the high voltage electricity grid.
It will therefore need to be a mixture of projects on suitable and available brownfield, rooftop, and carefully selected and designed projects on greenfield sites, such as this scheme, that will be required to deliver the energy transition in the UK.
This site has been carefully selected as part of a detailed feasibility process. Consideration has been given to a number of factors including:
BENEFITS & DESIGN
DIVERSIFY FARMING.
This scheme will assist the Council’s ambition to deliver zero carbon emissions by 2030 whilst delivering a completely carbon neutral area by 2050 to align with local and national targets. This scheme will therefore contribute to the UK’s urgent need to transition to a sustainable, clean future.
The anticipated construction period will be approximately 6 months. Local highway restrictions will be followed and a construction traffic management plan will be agreed with the local highway authority to ensure that our construction plans are appropriate.
Supporting the natural landscape, we use existing access tracks where possible, design around existing trees and hedgerows whilst planting additional screening to support the rural aesthetic of the existing landscape. Therefore, whilst there is an initial change to the countryside, upon operation, this scheme will fast become a haven for wildlife. The proposal include planting of trees and hedgerows around the northern, southern and western perimeter of the battery compound and within the gaps of the existing field boundary. This planting would strengthen the existing habitat connectivity and would screen the proposals from the adjacent highway, particularly as the planting becomes established beyond year 5 of its implementation. On the land to the north of the battery compound there will be a 1.1 acre wildflower meadow (0.45 hectares), delivering a biodiversity net gain of approximately 15%.
This is a temporary, fully reversible development. At the end of the project lifespan, equipment will be removed, and the field can return to its current condition. This explicitly means that the status of the land once decommissioned will not be classified as a brownfield site and will retain greenfield status, protecting the land from other forms of development. It is impossible to say if the same planning processes will be in place at the end of the project lifespan, however, under the current planning legislation, if anyone wants to build on the same land upon decommissioning, a new planning application will need to be submitted.
The complete battery system is extremely advanced with cutting edge technology, but when broken down, the individual lithium-ion battery cells are exceptionally similar to those found in many products, such as battery drills, battery hoovers and even battery cars, the difference being that there are many thousands / millions of them grouped and managed together.
Battery storage is either coupled to renewable energy sources or it is directly connected to the electricity network. This project is a stand alone facility directly connecting to the grid. At times when there is surplus electricity available, the batteries are charged, this allows the energy to be discharged or called upon by the electricity network on demand for both emergencies and grid balancing (keeping the grid stable, responding to sudden changes or fluctuations). Additionally this would be to simply meet the daily peak demand, usually around 6pm when most cookers, kettles and even 1st generation battery cars and chargers all start demanding electricity.