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Statkraft is at the heart of the UK’s energy transition. Since 2006, Statkraft has gone from strength to strength in the UK, building experience across wind, solar, hydro, energy storage and grid stability projects.  

Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations, with more than 6,200 employees in 20 countries. We’ve invested over £2 billion in the UK's renewable energy infrastructure and facilitated over 4.5 GW of new-build renewable energy generation through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). 

Across our UK businesses we employ more than 500 staff in England, Scotland and Wales.

Read more about Statkraft UK.

Statkraft’s Greener Grid Parks are designed to enable the electricity grid to be more flexible which in turn allows for more efficient utilisation of renewable energy sources.  

Our grid network needs to keep up with the rapid progress towards the UK’s Net Zero targets and the significant increase in renewable energy which is now available in the UK. 

Sometimes the National Energy System Operator (NESO), has been forced to pause wind and solar farms and run gas power stations to keep the system stable.   

To keep the system stable the electricity frequency needs to be the same when entering and exiting the system. This stability was naturally built in to gas- and coal-fired power stations, but as we look to remove fossil fuels from our power supply and reach a Net Zero carbon footprint we need to replace this stability with projects like Greener Grid Parks.  

The Greener Grid Parks mean that running gas powered stations will be progressively phased out and become a thing of the past. 

Our Greener Grid Parks can be a combination of technologies: synchronous compensators (mechanical devices which use the force of inertia to store energy), battery energy storage system (BESS) and High Voltage equipment. 

Thornton is in an area identified by NGESO with a “large growth in stability need”. This project will provide intertia to the grid which helps prevent instability, increases supply consistency and decreases future susceptibility to blackouts.

Thornton is a strong and inter-connected 400kV substation with 8 x 400kV circuits. Greener Grid Parks operate at their optimum when connected at a 400kV transmission level. At Thornton, the close proximity to the substation also avoids lengthy transmission cables and ensures efficient connection to the National Grid whilst minimising disturbance to the local environment and cost.

The project in this location will support changing demands on the grid, and increasing power flows due to increasing amounts of interconnectors and renewable energy generation. This projects ability to make renewables an even more viable option is helping to move the UK towards the government’s Net Zero target.

This development is at the forefront of innovation in the energy sector and will support renewable technologies, decarbonise the grid and save customers money.

The Greener Grid Park can provide:

- Stability to the electricity grid
- Cheaper electricity for customers
- A biodiversity net gain of 114%.

A Battery Energy Storage System uses chemical batteries to store power for when it is needed. This lets us generate energy using solar panels during the day when demand is low and add it to the grid when it is needed later in the day.  

Some of our battery sites can also be used by National Grid to help maintain the electrical grid in the event of unexpected sudden changes. You can find out more about these sites on our Greener Grid Park page. 

A solar farm doesn’t need a battery system to operate, but as the demand for energy is usually lower on sunny days when generation capacity is highest, it makes sense for us to store excess energy for use later in the day. Across the country, investment in batteries and other energy storage means that we can reduce our reliance on fossil fuel power plants by allowing us to use renewable solar energy around the clock.  

All generators and storage sites need to be connected to the energy grid, but possible connection sites are limited by the number of and locations of major substations. By building a battery storage site and a solar farm together, we can maximise the usefulness of our connection and provide energy to businesses and households whenever it is needed.  

We submitted a planning application for Soay Solar Farm and Greener Grid Park to East Riding of Yorkshire District Council in December 2021.  Our final design was informed by pre-application consultation, with a formal consultation period taking place between 20 March - 12 April 2021. We sought feedback from local residents before the design was finalised - some examples of the changes made were relocating some solar panels away from closest homes, and adjustments to the positioning of solar panels near the Public Right of Way. 

The application received permission from the Council in November 2022. We are grateful to everyone who gave their views and comments through the planning process; the feedback we received from the local community helped shape the development of the plans.

We have continued to engage with the local community and key stakeholders on the plans, creating a Community Liaison Group at the start of the construction period.

We have undertaken an assessment of solar irradiance, available grid connections and environmental sensitivities in the area which identified this site as highly suitable for solar development. The site is located in an area of low flood risk with no high value agricultural land or constraints in terms of heritage, landscape or ecology. 

This site benefits from an available grid connection at the Thornton 400 kV substation on the western side of Melbourne Road. This means that electricity generated by the solar farm can be supplied to the grid efficiently without the need for lengthy underground / overhead transmission lines / cables.

Yes. While solar development was previously focused in the south of England, improvements in solar technology mean that an increasing amount of England is suitable, including Yorkshire.

The total area of the application site is approximately 145 hectares. This includes areas for landscaping and biodiversity enhancements as well as the solar panels and Greener Grid Park infrastructure.

The Greener Grid Park site will be fenced off using high security fencing at a minimum of 2.4m high. 

The solar project is estimated to generate electricity equivalent to the consumption of approximately 18,500 homes. The Greener Grid Park allows the daytime peak of electricity generation from the Solar project to be stored onsite and released when the demand for electricity is highest.

The Greener Grid Park site will be fenced off using high security fencing at a minimum of 2.4m high. We will ensure it blends in with the natural landscape and adjacent substation. The site will also be installed with CCTV.

The site has 24/7 remote monitoring of all the system and our control centre will be alerted if there is an emergency.

Safety management is a fundamental feature of our Greener Grid Parks. Everything is done to prevent, mitigate and protect against potential hazards. Safety incidents are, on the whole, extremely rare.

Our Teams develop and operate BESS units to very high international safety standards. The safety of people working on BESS sites and those living nearby is our highest priority. Lithium-ion batteries are used safely and securely in countries across the world, on countless sites.

There are a number of measures we take to prevent, mitigate and protect against potential hazards of Greener Grid Park projects:

Monitoring – there are several layers of monitoring with every cell and whole unit being constantly monitored for changes by a Battery Monitoring System (BMS). The BMS adjust the conditions automatically to ensure the batteries are operating safely and optimally.

The BMS also works to identify problems before they occur. It allows the operators to know the health of the individual battery cells so that any deterioration or fault can be detected, and appropriate maintenance carried out.

Cooling - Energy storage systems contain cooling and ventilation systems. These maintain the batteries at a stable operating temperature and remove excess heat in the event of potential overheating.

Protection- In the unlikely event of a problem occurring and the BMS failing to prevent it, energy storage systems have additional design measures such as alarms, fire detection and suppression systems. These suppression systems use techniques such as inert gas, foam suppression, fire sprinklers or water mist etc. to control fires. Statkraft will also work with the local Council, first responders and fire services in advance of the construction project’s to ensure they understand the technologies used in a storage facility and how best to work together to deal with any problem that might arise.

To provide an additional layer of protection, batteries for energy storage systems are also generally housed in separate containers. This reduces the risk of a problem in one container spreading to the rest of the facility.

Please contact us if you have any questions about the safety of our projects.