A new battery storage solution for offshore wind will be developed in Scotland.

Statoil has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Scottish Government, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and Scottish Enterprise to develop the project.

Batwind will be located at the world’s largest floating wind farm, the Hywind pilot park, off the coast of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire.

Statoil will install a 1MWh Lithium battery based storage system – equivalent to the battery capacity of more than two million iPhones.

It is expected to be completed in 2018.

The project aims to improve efficiency and lower costs for offshore wind and open new commercial opportunities in the market.

Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: “This will help maximise the renewable generation of the Hywind offshore wind farm, whilst informing the case for energy storage and demonstrating the technology’s ability to support renewables in Scotland and internationally.”