Planning rules have been relaxed to make it easier to build large batteries to store renewable energy from solar and wind farms.

The Government has relaxed planning legislation to maximise the UK’s renewable energy storage by removing barriers for storage projects above 50 MW in England and 350 MW in Wales.

The measure could treble the number of batteries servicing the electricity grid, with more than 100 large-scale batteries being built.

Minster for energy and clean growth, Kwasi Kwarteng, said: ‘The key to capturing the full value of renewables is in ensuring homes and businesses can still be powered by green energy even when the sun is not shining, or the wind has stopped blowing.

’Removing barriers in the planning system will help us build bigger and more powerful batteries, creating more green-collar jobs and a smarter electricity network.’