One of Europe's fastest growing green energy infrastructure firms is behind plans to build a major battery storage park in Aberdeen, Morning Bulletin can reveal.
Fresh from raising £200million to support its rapid expansion, Field is seeking to build a energy storage facility the size of a football field just off the A92 Parkway, at Persley.
With a storage capacity of 49.9 megawatts, up to 10,000 homes could be powered for a full day by the installation.
Following a lengthy public consultation, the plans have now been lodged with Aberdeen City Council by Pegasus Group on behalf of Persley Croft BESS Ltd.
The plans confirm that that the firm which will run the facility is Field, which was founded by Amit Gudka, the co-founder of collapsed UK energy firm Bulb. Gudka left Bulb before the company went into administration, launching Field in 2020.
Who is Field?
Field has raised £200m in equity from infrastructure fund manager DIF Capital Partners to expand its battery projects in the UK and to move into Europe.
As interest in renewable energy grows, the need for storage solutions — and investor interest in backing them — is on the rise.
In the last year, Field has become one of Europe’s fastest growing climate tech companies and has now raised £240million in total.
Field develops battery systems to store energy generated during periods of low demand, which can then be released to the grid when demand is high.
Artist impression of what the facility will look like
The grid will be in increasing need of storage systems as it begins to integrate more renewable energy sources, like wind turbines and solar panels, which don't produce consistent amounts of energy every hour or day.
Alongside selling power back to the grid at times of high demand, Field also makes money by selling regulation services to grids, such as frequency stabilisation.
Field is currently operating a 20MWh battery project in Greater Manchester in the north of England. It has another four sites under construction, totalling 210MWh of capacity, across the UK.
Climate 'imperative'
The Aberdeen battery energy storage system would be constructed at Persley Croft near the Tesco Extra in Danestone
Planning documents claim the development will help to decarbonise the economy and boost energy security.
"The proposed BESS will be able to import, store and export energy from the electricity network. It will have a capacity of up to 49.9 megawatts (MW) and provide energy security to the national grid during times of peak demand," the documents say.
"The application proposal comes forward against the background of a clear recognition at both national and international levels that there is a pressing requirement to take steps to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions.
"The development will directly support the grid network and contribute to managing the supply and demand for electricity across the network.
"The imperative need to deliver contributions from low carbon energy is a fundamental part of the Scottish Government's commitment to Net Zero by 2045.
"The application proposal contributes towards these requirements. Taken overall, the balance of planning consideration weighs heavily in favour of the benefits which would arise from this scheme."
Click here to view the planning application in full.