The battery compound for renewable energy storage could be blocked due to broken views

A battery complex planned to store renewable energy and prevent blackouts could be blocked after locals complained their views of the countryside could be spoiled. Councilors will decide next week whether to grant permission for the battery complex in the countryside north of Bristol.

The 200 megawatt compound will be built at Earthcott Green Farm in South Gloucestershire and will store energy generated by solar panels. Such battery compounds are needed across the country to help transition away from fossil fuels such as gas-fired power plants.

But last month councilors on the development management committee voted to refuse permission because the batteries would “look awful”. The site is in the protected Green Belt, where new buildings can only be built in special circumstances.

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The same plans will be voted on by the zoning commission on Thursday, June 20, which could overturn last month’s denial and vote to grant the permit. In a new report, planning officers set out why battery compounds are needed to help the transition to renewable energy.

They said: “The increased use of renewable energy generation to replace conventional power stations has led to more stress events for the National Grid to address. There is great importance in being able to meet demand, to insure against future outages, for example.

“Traditionally, electricity supply was provided by gas-fired stations. Switching to battery storage is beneficial for carbon reduction. Battery storage allows renewable energy to be stored when solar production is at its peak in the middle of the day.

“However, this is not when demand is at its highest, which is later in the day. Thus, power can be stored and used without being wasted. Energy is taken off the grid and released when it is most needed.”

The National Grid is based on a fine balance between how much electricity is generated and how much is used, and supply must exactly match demand at all times. Traditionally, changes in demand have been linked to increases or decreases in the amount of electricity generated by coal and gas plants, with some being told to start or stop and remain on standby.

But electricity generated from solar panels and wind turbines is harder to turn on or off because it depends on the weather. Building such battery compounds allows the national grid to remain well balanced while also moving away from fossil fuels.

According to the Resolution Foundation, the change would reduce the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and therefore exposure to global energy shocks. As the cost of natural gas has risen since the war in Ukraine, a switch to local renewable energy could lower bills.

The battery compound would store 200 megawatts, which is enough to power 500,000 homes for two hours. The electricity would be generated earlier in the day, stored in batteries and then discharged in the late evening when people return home from work.

Since the plans were first submitted, the government has issued updated guidance on the importance of battery storage and the Energy Security Act has received Royal Assent. This means that the law now recognizes how key battery compounds are in the transition to renewable energy.

The plans include 176 battery containers, each measuring three meters high and six meters long, and a control tower and control room. The site covers less than six hectares of agricultural land. In addition to spoiled views, other concerns include fire safety, as lithium batteries can be flammable.

But Robert Miles, chief executive of Immersa, the applicants, told councilors last month that conventional gas boilers “have a higher chance of explosion and fire than the batteries we use”. Avon Fire and Rescue was also consulted and did not object to the composite plans.

Several neighbors who live nearby have written to the council objecting to the plans. Their concerns included building on the Green Belt, spoiled countryside views and fire risk.

A neighbor said: “The Green Belt restrictions are in place for a reason, I’m not sure why the developer feels in this case that these regulations don’t apply and such inappropriate development is suitable for this area. Do they live in Earthcott Green? Would they like to see that blob on the landscape when they looked out the windows?

“As residents, we accept that the world must change and we need renewable energy. However, this proposal itself is not renewable energy and will simply recklessly destroy precious Green Belt land, wildlife habitat and the tranquility of the green landscape we are all privileged to live in.

“The scale of this proposal would be visible on the landscape for miles around, affecting many areas. This proposal would also affect the property value of those properties that are on the site.”