Is storage required to support the onshore windfarm?

Manx Utilities is investigating energy storage options for the Island as part of our Energy Transition plans. The investigation intends to determine the appropriate storage solution for increased supply security with the added potential of aiding Demand Side Management (DSM) strategies. 

Storage can further be used to balance grid frequency in power systems with variable power sources such as wind and solar, which cannot be guaranteed.

On the Isle of Man, power system frequency is tied to the frequency of the power grid in Great Britain when the interconnector is in service. In frequency control, an interconnector can be considered ‘long term storage media’, typically available for c.98% of the year (depending on outages). The interconnector can respond to any changes in renewable output instantaneously.

In the UK, if a major power station trips, another power station is brought online. On the Isle of Man, if one of our generators trips, the interconnector immediately picks up the load without any impact on the power system or loss of supply. The Climate Act aims to decarbonise the electricity supply by 2030, drastically changing on Island electricity generation.

Any energy storage that will be considered needs to align with the Island Future Energy Scenario to address the security of supply while being economically feasible to form part of the future energy mix.

There is more information on considerations for storage in Future Energy Delivery Strategy.