First Bus is launching its largest battery storage site next month in Hampshire with work to begin on an even bigger unit in Aberdeen by the end of 2025.
The firm’s Hoeford depot will provide enough space for almost three bus batteries with the potential to store one megawatt of power, enough to supply the equivalent of 125 homes for one day.
By the end of this year, First Bus will have started work on an even larger battery storage unit at its depot in Aberdeen, and will explore opportunities to create more battery sites across the UK “over time”, it said.
The new facilities will use batteries to store surplus electricity so it can be distributed back into the country’s power network at peak times and help maintain power supplies. Stored electricity will also be used to power some of First Bus’ 1,200+ electric buses in its growing nationwide fleet.
Over time, batteries which have reached the end of their useful bus life will be removed from the company’s vehicles and used for power storage.
It follows a commitment to a net zero commercial bus fleet by 2035, with the firm already electrifying more than a dozen of its depots and replacing more than 1,200 diesel buses with electric vehicles.
The news of the company’s first megawatt battery storage site comes as FirstGroup Energy, a subsidiary of FirstGroup, announced an investment in Palmer Energy Technology, which designs and manufactures battery energy storage systems.
Dr Andy Palmer, who will be speaking at the Transport + Energy Forum in November, said:
|With buses at the forefront of the transition to electric vehicles and net-zero transportation, I’m delighted to welcome investment from FirstGroup Energy Ltd, as well as Barclays and Oxford University, to advance development of next generation control systems.
“This will allow us to accelerate our business and give the UK a leading position in battery energy storage system technology.”
Faizan Muhammad, FirstGroup’s Investment Director – Energy, said:
“Our investment in Palmer Energy Technology, alongside Barclays Bank and Oxford University, brings together great private sector expertise to find creative solutions to challenges facing the UK.
“This investment continues our strategy of backing new and innovative companies aimed at supporting our long-term public commitment of achieving a zero-emission commercial bus fleet by 2035. We’re really excited about this new chapter in our decarbonisation journey and look forward to working closely with PETL to continue developing this technology.”
Image courtesy of First Bus
