Case Study: National Grid achieves lower-cost grid stability and reactive power support with Zenobē's Capenhurst battery

National Grid secures 40 MVar reactive power with Zenobē's 100 MW Capenhurst battery

The UK's Electricity System Operator, National Grid, faced a growing demand for reactive power services to manage voltage levels due to increased renewable power generation. Through its Pathfinder programme, it tendered for a solution in the Mersey region, seeking innovative outcomes from new technology businesses like vendor Zenobē.

Zenobē built a 100 MW battery facility, the first in the world to hold a commercial contract for absorbing reactive power directly from a transmission network. This innovative solution, which also provides active power services, delivers reactive power at a substantially lower cost to consumers. Over 15 years, the project is forecast to save approximately 1.34 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and it was the largest transmission-connected battery in Europe at the time of its development.

National Grid (UK’s Electricity System Operator)