en.Wedoany.com Report on Mar 27th, The UK's largest community-owned solar park, the Ray Valley project, is seeking investors to install a 12 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), aiming to enhance the revenue of this 19 MW power station. The developer, Low Carbon Hub, plans to achieve the UK's first community-owned co-located battery storage through this initiative and is currently raising £500,000 in funding.

Since its establishment in 2011, Low Carbon Hub has raised over £10 million in community investment. The public and organizations can purchase shares in its Community Energy Fund through the platform Ethex, with a minimum investment of £100 and a maximum of £100,000. The Ray Valley solar project became operational in 2022, but grid constraints have impacted its revenue. Therefore, the developer plans to use the BESS for arbitrage, selling electricity when prices are high.

According to Low Carbon Hub, the battery storage will increase revenue to support public welfare initiatives. Predictions indicate that adding the BESS could contribute an additional surplus of over £1 million for community benefits over the project's lifetime, bringing the total estimated community benefits to approximately £13 million. Barbara Hammond, CEO of Low Carbon Hub, said: "This latest fundraising provides an opportunity to invest in the next phase of community energy. Solar power has historically relied on sunlight, but battery storage makes clean electricity more reliable and stable."

As a leading community-owned developer in the UK, Low Carbon Hub has built over 50 clean energy projects in Oxfordshire. This round of community share offering will continue until June 26, 2026, aiming to promote the integrated development of renewable energy and energy storage.