Northern Powergrid has begun using a £4 million battery paid for by consumers to sell services to National Grid, just as regulator Ofgem sets out its plans to ensure distribution network operators (DNOs) are restricted from doing so directly in the future.

A new redox flow battery demonstration project was launched in Belfast this week.

Ofgem has said it will provide “regulatory certainty” for storage projects after setting out its plans for amendments to the electricity generation licence to make it fit for electricity storage to take effect as early as the first half of 2018.

Business secretary Greg Clark has announced the universities that will lead research into the next generation of battery technology at the Faraday Battery Institute.

The failure of players in the energy market to share data is costing the industry as much as £4 billion, legal practice Foot Anstey has said.

Energy storage could be considered the “great hope” for the renewable energy industry in Britain, according to the head of policy at the Renewable Energy Association (REA).

OVO Energy has partnered with Nissan with the intention of launching a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) offering for private customers buying the latest Nissan LEAF from January 2018.

A mixture of wind, marine and some hydroelectric projects will make up the Welsh government’s efforts to reach its nearly announced target of deriving 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

UK renewables provided nearly one-third of total electricity generation in Q2, setting a new record.