One week ahead of when the UK government is expected to publish its ‘Renewable Energy Strategy’, a new report Managing Variability, by energy analyst David Milborrow, claims that the UK’s grid could cope with the variable energy input generated from wind farms.
The report commissioned by WWF, RSPB, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth looks at the options already available to manage variability on the system, identifies solutions for the future and assesses ways to minimise costs.
Summary of Findings:
•Wind Power can significantly reduce our climate damaging emissions.
•Fluctuations in wind strength can be managed technically and at modest and declining cost.
•High proportions of wind power in our energy mix are feasible, and are already successfully integrated in other countries.
•A range of technological developments already underway could allow for a steadily increasing use of wind power and the phasing out of conventional carbon based fuels as backup technology.
Conclusions:
•There is no technical barrier to accommodating large amounts of wind power in our energy mix. We can keep the lights on.
•Even at relatively high levels of wind in the energy mix, the need for backup capacity is modest, with most backup needs being met by the existing pool which supports all forms of power generation.
•The cost associated with managing the variable nature of wind power are modest and can be expected to decline as new technologies including a supergrid, smart grid and improved energy storage are developed.
•As other variable renewable technologies are developed, it is expected that these too would be suited to displace conventional power stations.
•Other European countries are already using large proportions of wind power in their energy mix and see no technical barriers to increasing to higher levels.
Recommendations:
•Ensure that the energy market is able to deliver a massive expansion of renewables. This must include ensuring that the energy regulators main task is to cut climate change emissions by prioritising renewables and energy efficiency.
•Grant priority access to the energy market and electricity grid system for renewables ahead of conventional dirty power.
•Deploy continued and substantially increased financial support and regulatory incentives for renewable energy beyond 2020.
•Secure attractive grants and green loans for energy efficiency measures and research and development for renewable technologies.
•Enable better planning for renewabels, including spatially based approaches to ensure timely delivery and facilitate appropriate siting.
•Create an industrial strategy that will establish skills and manufacturing in the UK, addressing shortages in the supply chain for renewables and boosting jobs and the economy.
Click here for the full report Managing Variability by David MilborrowThe report commissioned by WWF, RSPB, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth looks at the options already available to manage variability on the system, identifies solutions for the future and assesses ways to minimise costs.
Summary of Findings:
•Wind Power can significantly reduce our climate damaging emissions.
•Fluctuations in wind strength can be managed technically and at modest and declining cost.
•High proportions of wind power in our energy mix are feasible, and are already successfully integrated in other countries.
•A range of technological developments already underway could allow for a steadily increasing use of wind power and the phasing out of conventional carbon based fuels as backup technology.
Conclusions:
•There is no technical barrier to accommodating large amounts of wind power in our energy mix. We can keep the lights on.
•Even at relatively high levels of wind in the energy mix, the need for backup capacity is modest, with most backup needs being met by the existing pool which supports all forms of power generation.
•The cost associated with managing the variable nature of wind power are modest and can be expected to decline as new technologies including a supergrid, smart grid and improved energy storage are developed.
•As other variable renewable technologies are developed, it is expected that these too would be suited to displace conventional power stations.
•Other European countries are already using large proportions of wind power in their energy mix and see no technical barriers to increasing to higher levels.
Recommendations:
•Ensure that the energy market is able to deliver a massive expansion of renewables. This must include ensuring that the energy regulators main task is to cut climate change emissions by prioritising renewables and energy efficiency.
•Grant priority access to the energy market and electricity grid system for renewables ahead of conventional dirty power.
•Deploy continued and substantially increased financial support and regulatory incentives for renewable energy beyond 2020.
•Secure attractive grants and green loans for energy efficiency measures and research and development for renewable technologies.
•Enable better planning for renewabels, including spatially based approaches to ensure timely delivery and facilitate appropriate siting.
•Create an industrial strategy that will establish skills and manufacturing in the UK, addressing shortages in the supply chain for renewables and boosting jobs and the economy.
