bp to deploy AI for battery to grid flexibility
Pillswood BESS. Image courtesy HEIT.
bp has entered an agreement with Harmony Energy Income Trust to offer power trading and optimisation services for two battery storage systems, making use of a previously acquired AI-based platform to support the power grid during hours of peak demand.
Battery energy storage system (BESS) projects Hawthorn Pit and Wormald Green will collectively add 80MW/160MWh of flexibility to the GB power grid, scheduled to become operational in the first half of 2024.
The assets, with a total capacity that can power 200,000 homes for two hours, will bolster the grid during periods of peak demand, contributing to grid stability and helping manage fluctuations in renewable energy supply.
bp will be deploying software developed by Open Energi, which the oil giant acquired back in 2021, to connect the battery asset to power markets through bp’s trading business.
The projects mark the first new BESS assets bp has contracted to optimise since its 2021 acquisition. Open Energi’s software will enable “real-time insight and decision-making”, states bp in a press release, to connect the battery projects.
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Open Energi’s platform uses real-time data to optimise the performance of energy assets, connecting to power markets and providing flexibility at times of low renewable generation and during price peaks.
It also accumulates data and learns how best to further optimise the energy use of different assets over time.
Hormoz Ala, senior manager in European power at bp, commented on the deal, emphasising its significance in supporting the stability of Britain’s power grid as the transition to a net-zero future progresses: “This project is also an example of how real-time decision-making, provided by bp’s power trading team and the Open Energi platform, allows new ways for us to provide grid support optimisation in the future. As bp looks to transform into an integrated energy company, it is vital that we continue to develop and diversify our own business to continue to perform for customers, investors and the energy market.
“Signing this agreement with a leading battery owner such as Harmony Energy Income Trust confirms market confidence in our optimisation capabilities in this rapidly growing market.”
Paul Mason, managing director of Harmony Energy Income Trust’s investment adviser, added: “As we move into a period of increased market complexity, with a wider range of revenue streams available to BESS projects, selecting the right revenue optimisation partners is increasingly important.
“This agreement embodies a shared focus on innovation and sustainability, which is underpinned by the sophistication and experience offered by bp’s Open Energi platform and our rapidly growing portfolio of two-hour duration batteries.”
