Project Fortress: UK’s largest solar park to include battery storage

London-based investment firm Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has acquired a 350MW solar and battery storage project in the UK which, upon completion, is expected to be the largest single site solar PV installation in the UK.

Quinbrook revealed on Tuesday that it had acquired the already consented 350MW solar and battery storage project, known as Project Fortress, located in the southeast of England in Kent, which was originally developed as a joint venture between Hive Energy and Wirsol Energy.

Project Fortress is expected to generate enough renewable power each year equivalent to the needs of approximately 100,000 UK homes, while helping to reduce carbon emissions by 164,450 tonnes in its first year of operations alone.

It also includes an extensive landscape and biodiversity management plan that has been designed in collaboration with Natural England, Kent Wildlife Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and the UK’s Environment Agency.

“We believe Project Fortress is a landmark transaction on many fronts and represents a new frontier in UK solar teamed with large scale battery storage,” said Rory Quinlan, one of two Founders of Quinbrook.

“We have been immersed in large scale solar and storage in the US for many years and we can apply our significant experience in project design and equipment selection to ensure Fortress becomes the new benchmark for renewables that support the UK grid rather than challenge it.”

Project Fortress follows in the footsteps of Quinbrook’s massive Gemini solar and battery storage project in Nevada, US, which is currently under construction after it received approval to go ahead in May 2020.

With 690 MW of solar PV and 380MW of battery storage system believed to be the largest co-located solar PV and battery storage project in the United States.

“Fortress is an excellent example of the scale of new renewables impact the UK needs to build not only to rapidly decarbonize the UK power sector, but also to meet the 13% increase in electricity demand that the Ten Point Plan is expected to create by 2030,” said Quinlan.

“The acute power price volatility and security of energy supply concerns we have seen in the UK these past weeks highlight how critical new capacity investment in the UK will be to deliver the energy transition without further disruption.”

Quinbrook also plans to add several additional innovations to Project Fortress including real-time measurement and reporting of carbon emissions in the UK power grid and the 24/7 tracing and tracking of the renewable provenance of the power sold to the project’s off-takers.