The UK National Infrastructure Commission has recommended adding low carbon, flexible technologies to the electricity system to ensure a highly renewable energy system remains reliable. Its Second National Infrastructure Assessment, a five-yearly review into the UK’s energy, transport and other key networks, also recommends creating a new strategic energy reserve to boost Great Britain’s economic security. To aid this, the commission calls for the speeding up the planning system for major projects, particularly energy transmission schemes.
This should be accompanied with regularly updated National Policy Statements from government, strategic spatial planning, more effective sharing of environmental data and clearer community benefits in return for hosting key infrastructure. The Assessment also proposes significant additional electricity storage capacity and demand side response – tools to reduce or reschedule energy usage at times of peak demand – to increase the short term flexibility of the power grid. The Commission calculates 60GW of this capacity will be needed by 2035 (up from around 15GW today). The UK Government is expected to respond formally to the Assessment within 12 months.
Credits: renews.biz [Image: National Grid]