Orsted, the Danish company constructing the Hornsea 3 offshore windfarm near Norwich has made the investment decision to install a 600MWh BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) to help fill gaps in the electricity output when the wind drops, or when grid demand is peaking. Similar projects are being considered in Kilmarnock but not yet decided. These battery installations are large, comprising more than 50 containers, as shown in the picture below, and expensive, and are made by Tesla, for example. The key question is 'Why not use hydrogen storage instead'. Hydrogen in a single pressurised container can contain 40MWh of energy, much more than a single lithium battery container. Alternately, hydrogen can be fed into the new hydrogen pipe grid which is planned for the UK. Batteries are ten times more expensive than hydrogen stores and also 10 times heavier. The problem with the National Grid is that it needs £50bn to install thousands more pylons across the UK, much uglier than underground hydrogen pipes. Will David Cameron ban these, as he did onshore wind?
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