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First Bus has built a new battery storage facility at its Hoeford depot in Hampshire that will store surplus electricity so it can be distributed back into the country’s power network at peak times.

Batteries which have reached the end of their useful bus life can be removed from the company’s vehicles and used for power storage at the site, giving them a new lease of life.

This stored electricity will also be used to power some of First Bus’ nationwide fleet of more than 1,200 electric buses.

The Hoeford depot will provide enough space for almost three bus batteries with the potential to store one megawatt of power – enough to supply the equivalent of 125 homes for one day.

First Bus has already electrified more than a dozen of its depots and replaced about 1,200 diesel buses with electric.

By the end of this year, First Bus will also start work on an even larger battery storage unit at its depot in Aberdeen, as well as explore opportunities to create more battery sites across the UK.

In addition, FirstGroup Energy has made a recent investment in Palmer Energy Technology, which designs and manufactures battery energy storage systems.

Faizan Muhammad, FirstGroup’s Investment Director (Energy), said: “Our investment in Palmer Energy Technology, alongside Barclays Bank and Oxford University, brings together great private sector expertise to find creative solutions to challenges facing the UK.

“This investment continues our strategy of backing new and innovative companies aimed at supporting our long-term public commitment of achieving a zero-emission commercial bus fleet by 2035.”