Blackhillock - Europes largest battery with Tom Palmer (Head of Business Development- Network Infrastructure @ Zenobē)

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Mar 6, 2025

Tom Palmer, Head of Business Development at Zenobē, dives into the innovative Blackhillock project, the UK’s largest battery storage facility. He discusses how it integrates renewable energy with groundbreaking grid-forming inverters. The conversation highlights the shift from traditional energy markets to new stability services, the challenges of investment, and the importance of reactive power. Palmer also explores future pathways for energy storage, emphasizing the need for strategic planning and regulatory support to foster confidence in the evolving energy landscape.

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ANECDOTE

Blackhillock Project And Location

Blackhillock is a 200 MW / 400 MWh two-hour battery located between Aberdeen and Inverness supporting a constrained part of the Scottish network.
Tom Palmer describes it as Zenobē's largest project and crucial to managing wind flows and network stability.

INSIGHT

First Commercial Grid‑Forming Deployment

Blackhillock is the first commercial deployment of grid-forming inverters in GB and holds a stability contract with National Grid.
That combination lets the asset provide reactive power, inertia and short-circuit level beyond traditional storage roles.

ADVICE

Stack Revenues And Use Locational Value

Stack revenue streams rather than relying on a single market: wholesale trading, balancing mechanism and stability contracts.
Use locational value in constrained areas to import during high wind and export later to avoid curtailment.

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As the industry evolves, the role of battery storage is expanding beyond just wholesale trading. The demand for stability services such as synthetic inertia and reactive power are increasing as more renewables enter the grid.

In this episode, we take a look Zenobē’s Blackhillock BESS project, the UK’s first large-scale battery storage project with a stability contract from National Grid. Feautring grid-forming inverters, it aims to provide crucial reactive power and inertia to support renewable energy integration.

Please note: This episode was recorded January 9th, at which point the Blackhillock project was in the final stages of commissioning. At the point of publishing, Zenobē’s Blackhillock project is now operational.

Tom Palmer, Head of Business Development in Network Infrastructure at Zenobē shares insights into the evolving landscape of battery storage, including the impact of grid constraints, investment outlook, and the role of stability services. Over the conversation, you’ll hear about:

The 200MW/400MWh Black Hillock storage project: the UK’s largest battery storage facility and the first commercial deployment of grid-forming inverters.
New stability contracts providing reactive power, inertia, and short circuit level.
Evolution of battery storage market from frequency response to wholesale markets.
The challenge of ‘skip rates’ and the impact they have on investment outlook in energy storage.
Future pathways for storage, including co-location with renewable assets and policy shifts.

About our guest

Zenobē design, finance, build and operate battery solutions. Capturing renewable energy, balancing supply on the grid and transporting it to electric vehicles. Zenobē also focus on end-of-life repurposing of battery storage systems.

Tom Palmer leads the business development team at Zenobē’s standalone storage and network infrastructure division. His team focuses on developing large-scale grid storage solutions, with a key emphasis on new revenue streams and the evolving business case for battery storage.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.