Battery energy storage for a UK wind farm: 55.9 tonnes of CO2 avoided and 86% less fuel

The challenge: a turbine with no grid still needs power

Until a wind farm is commissioned and connected, there's no mains power on site. The turbines still need it. Once the blades are fitted, a turbine has to keep facing into the wind, so its yaw motors can switch on at any time, and a hydraulic pump runs around the clock to keep the system pressurised. Testing and commissioning add more and longer motor activity.

Wind farm projects need a temporary power supply through construction, preservation, and testing and commissioning. Think Hire's hybrid systems are built to support them. A standard generator running constantly is inefficient here: the average load is low, but the turbine needs high peak power on demand. This customer wanted a more sustainable, cost-effective solution that cut emissions and noise without slowing the site down.

The solution: battery storage takes the load, the generators step back

Think Hire installed eight SiteGrid X45 battery energy storage systems (BESS) on a UK wind farm, with backup generators on site as part of a hybrid setup. The battery storage covers the load, so the hybrid generators run for a fraction of the time: between 4% and 26% of each unit's period. Think Hire monitors and manages the units remotely through Think Energy Panorama and reports all stats, including fuel, runtime and carbon, to the customer.