Forming part of the Waterside Innovation Hub bringing green innovation to Wiltshire.

Zenobē, the EV fleet and battery storage specialist, and Public Power Solutions (PPS), the development arm of Swindon Borough Council (SBC), today announce that construction is underway for a 12MW/24MWh battery at the Waterside Innovation Hub in Swindon.

The ground-breaking project, the first of its kind to be part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in the UK, marks an important milestone in Swindon Borough Council’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Zenobē’s battery is part of the new zero carbon electricity infrastructure at the Waterside Innovation Hub, which also includes eight new double-headed electric vehicle (EV) charging points, a 2.5MW solar farm at the nearby Barnfield landfill site, and a solar canopy to be installed later this year. The installation is transforming a brownfield site adjacent to Swindon’s Waste Recycling Centre, bringing green innovation to the local area.

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) can help balance power generation with consumer demand, lowering costs for consumers and providing a secure and reliable source of power. This project will supply power for over 3,000 local homes for two hours. When the project goes live in early 2023, the battery will be one of the first to enter the UK’s balancing mechanism market as well as providing frequency balancing services.

With Zenobē’s battery, the new charging points, and the solar farm and canopy, the Waterside Innovation Hub marks a significant step forward in the Council’s Net Zero Emissions Action Plan. The cutting-edge technology and newly formed partnerships in Swindon create a sustainable model for energy and demonstrate the commitment from Swindon’s leaders to innovation and decarbonisation.

James Basden, Co-Founder and Director of Zenobē, said:

“We’re thrilled to be helping Public Power Solutions drive local sustainable innovation by providing cleaner, greener energy. Our battery supports Swindon’s forward-thinking shift to a low carbon economy and demonstrates how battery storage can make clean power more accessible.

“We are committed to driving the transition to a zero-carbon society. Installing our battery at the Waterside Innovation Hub shows how organisations can work together across the public and private sector to make clean power both economically and environmentally sustainable.”

Steve Cains, Director of Power Solutions at PPS, said:

“The Waterside Innovation Hub aims to create a demonstrator which can be scaled and replicated as a sustainable future energy model, encompassing battery storage, EV chargers and a solar canopy on the same site.

“We’re very pleased to be working with Zenobē to deliver the next phase of the project and grateful to ERDF for part-funding the battery installation, enabling us to continue driving forward the green infrastructure Swindon needs to reach its Net Zero ambitions.”

Councillor Keith Williams, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Finance and Commercialisation, said:

“We are committed to supporting a low carbon future in Swindon. The culmination of Zenobē’s battery, the new EV charging points and the solar farm demonstrates our progress towards a secure, green future.

“We want to lead by example and show organisations and residents that a transition towards cleaner energy is not only possible, but is already taking place.

“However, we recognise that local people also have a big part to play and our ‘Be the Change’ climate campaign encourages residents to make small changes to their lives to reduce their energy consumption. A good example of this is through our recently-launched Solar Together group-buying scheme for solar panels and battery storage, which has received a fantastic response from residents who are interested in finding out if this clean energy source is right for them.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information, please contact the relevant press team:

For Zenobē: zenobe@standagency.com | 07811 042 863

For PPS: sophy@sfwcommunications.co.uk | 07979 368 238

About Zenobe Energy Ltd. (Zenobē):

Zenobē is an international EV fleet and battery storage specialist, headquartered in the UK with operations in Europe and Australasia. It has c.235 MW of contracted storage assets and 1GW in development, around 25% market share of the UK EV bus sector and c.540 electric vehicles contracted globally. The company is the largest owner and operator of EV buses in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Zenobē’s fleet solution is driving the adoption of electric vehicles and reducing emissions from the transport and logistics sectors. Its ETaaS (Electric Transport-as-a-Service) solution provides fleet operators and local authorities with a full solution for a pay-per-month fee including charging infrastructure, battery replacement and award-winning software. The company’s pioneering battery storage offering enables power grid operators to provide clean, secure and affordable power, accelerating the global transition to Net Zero energy systems. Zenobē is also a leader in repurposing EV batteries after their first life, providing incremental power solutions to large business and the film and events industries.

For more information, please visit  www.zenobe.com

About Public Power Solutions

Public Power Solutions (PPS) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Swindon Borough Council, offering innovative solutions for public sector organisations in the areas of renewable energy generation and storage.

Find out more at: www.publicpowersolutions.co.uk

European Regional Development Fund

The project has received up to £2,394,383 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.

European Regional Development Fund
esif@communities.gov.uk