Centrica has completed installation of 3MW of battery storage at the Gateshead Energy Centre – one of “tens” of similar projects in the pipeline for the company, which has been disposing of its large-scale gas generation plant in favour of distributed energy resources on or near customer sites.

The change reflects a shift towards making more active use of customer-based small power units that can be seen across the industry, and the kind of approach that has seen Npower describe its business arm as “not just a supplier”.