Keeping the power of energy storage safely in your own hands
Ahead of the Low Carbon Agriculture 2023 Conference on February 7 and 8, at Stoneleigh, a specialist in the renewables and energy development sector for Davidson and Robertson has been reviewing how this dynamic market can benefit landowners and provides advice on how best they can grant rights to developers over their land. Here, Derek Bathgate sets out the case for farmers becoming more involved in energy storage systems ...
THE UK Government strategy to be net zero by 2050, includes plans to decarbonise UK power system by 2035.
Unveiled in October, 2021, ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, the aim is to build a home-grown energy sector that is greener and will also help mitigate against global wholesale energy price rises.
In Scotland, the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is accelerating, with many developers approaching landowners for rights over land to create wind and solar farms. In addition, battery energy storage sites, close to large electricity sub-stations are much sought after by developers.
Landowners are being enticed by developers with what can look like an appealing opportunity to secure long term revenue from relatively small areas of land, as well as helping the UK reach net zero carbon goals.
While viable solar sites require in excess of 90 acres of Grade 3 agricultural land (or poorer) and a nearby and low cost grid connection, battery storage sites can be viable over as little as 2-3 acres (albeit five acres is a better planning figure).
In seeking to transform the UK’s energy infrastructure, Scotland is already leading the way with on-shore wind energy and battery storage. There are also numerous off-shore wind projects in planning, including the ScotWind offshore ‘farm’ which will create an additional 25gW of renewable energy capacity.
Europe’s two largest battery storage facilities, known as the ‘Scottish Green Battery Complex’ at Hunterston and Kincardine, in Central Scotland, are due to be operational in 2024. They comprise of two 400mW battery facilities, each providing 800mW hours of energy storage capacity, which will help balance energy supply and demand.
For landowners with substations close by, leasing land for battery storage can deliver a very attractive and substantial revenue stream from their land, provided that professional advice has been taken on the commercial and legal terms that form the agreements with the developer. If developers haven’t already been knocking on these farmhouse doors yet, it is likely they soon will be.
Whilst the majority of developers are keen to
air, flying past the motley crew of farmers still trudging through the boggy quagmire below.
Over taking at a rate of knots, he was soon positively sprinting away up the hill in the distance, leaving the rest of the team in his wake. The farmers could only look on with huge admiration, completely oblivious to the cause of his sudden spurt, as they saw their valiant friend take off in the distance, impressed by his Olympian prowess.
The huge bellowing cry that accompanied, as it flew from the depths of his lungs, could easily have been mistaken as a war cry to call the Almighty Haggis into battle, as to the rest of the group it appeared sheer bravery had taken over, as his flowing crop of thick red hair looked like a flaming torch leading the way into the distance up that hillside.
In all honesty, from the base of the hill, it appeared their friend was going to take on the almighty haggis alone. Try as they might, the rest of those farmers simply didn’t have the huff or the puff to pick up their pace to be by his side as he seemingly rose into battle.
Way up at the top of the hill, the Farmer was finally able to catch up with his little legs, calm them down, slow them down, and gently lower them, in a jellied heap, to a seat beside the trig point at the very top of the hill.
Way, way below, in the moonlight he could just about make out the rest of his hunting team making their very best efforts to clamber up the hillside, slipping and sliding, huffing, and puffing, and frequently pausing to catch their breath.
The Farmer reached into the depths of his jacket pocket and pulled out his hip flask. He carefully unscrewed the lid, his fingers still trembling from the shock of that fence far below, he managed to raise a wee nip of amber nectar to his lips, before the flask slipped from his grip, falling into the long grass.
Unbeknown to him, the group of hunters were not the only ones to have been impressed with his newfound speed and agility. As he reached for his flask in the undergrowth, he was sure he spotted a few twitching whiskers.
It is well documented that haggis and whisky pair together beautifully, and soon the farmer was surrounded by dozens of twitching whiskers. Soon, the whole hillside was twitching, as those haggi slurped and guzzled on the whisky that had spilled around the farmer.
By the time the rest of the crew finally made it to the top of the hill, their newly acclaimed ‘chief hunter’ had somehow, mysteriously mastered every intricate step of the happy Dance of the Hairy Haggis. The hunt also proved to be one of the most successful haggis hunts to date, as those farmers made their way home, pockets bursting with plump, fresh haggi.
So, at Persabus this year we will be enjoying the delights of haggis and mince in bolognaise, haggis and mince in chilli, haggis and mince crofter’s pie and, of course, good old haggis, neeps and tatties too. Slainte.