British village gets solar battery boost in green energy trial

By Magdalena Mis LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Villagers in northern England may soon see their electricity bills slashed by as much as 50 percent in a pilot project allowing them to use solar power around the clock. In a 250,000 pound ($307,000) trial, 40 houses in the village of Oxspring, 12 miles (19 km) north of Sheffield, will be linked in a "virtual power plant" using home batteries to store electricity generated from solar panels. Without batteries, solar power can only be used du