Contributed by Rupert Pearce, CEO, Highview Power
Over the past decade, the UK has been positioning itself as a global model for harnessing wind energy. The Office for National Statistics reports that electricity from wind generation increased by 715% from 2009-2020. Due to an abundance of offshore wind resources, more than 75,000 GWh of wind energy was produced in 2020, accounting for 20% of the nation’s total generation. That’s enough to power 8.4 trillion LED light bulbs.
While the UK benefits from considerable wind resources, there are times when the wind is producing substantially more energy than can be used. The UK can mitigate this waste, without increasing its reliance on gas, while reducing energy costs and achieving energy security, by making significant investments in long-duration energy storage (LDES).
Over a nine-month period, from September 2021 to May 2022, wind turbines in the UK produced 1,300 GWh of energy that went to waste because it exceeded the needs of the grid at the time. This is enough renewable energy to power a UK city for an entire year.
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As a result of this waste, the UK paid a total of £390 million for either too much or too little wind energy. When there was too much wind, the UK paid £150 million in constraint payments to run wind generators down. And when there was too little wind, the UK powered the grid with gas, at an estimated cost of £120 million.
The bottom line is that millions of pounds are being wasted in the midst of an energy crisis because the UK does not have the ability to save excess electricity for when it’s most needed, and it’s happening when total renewable generation accounts for just 40% of our electricity. By 2030, renewable generation could double to near 80%, meaning the UK is likely to have even more periods when renewables are providing more electricity than consumers can use, at double the cost.
To meet ambitious renewable generation targets, the UK government recently announced plans to expand offshore wind farm deployment by 25% and raise output to 50 GW by 2030 as part of the British Energy Security Strategy. This is a considerable increase by any measure. As the plan states, this is “more than enough wind capacity to power every home in Britain.”
The simple truth is that increasing wind power generation can reduce the UK’s reliance on gas and leave energy consumers less exposed to the shocks in wholesale energy prices that push up bills. Full utilization of the UK’s rich renewable resources via the deployment of long-duration energy storage solutions has the potential to lead to total energy self-sufficiency.
Photo courtesy: Nicholas Doherty/Unsplash Deploying a solution that stabilizes the cost of renewables now while reducing reliance on gas is a big win for everyone. In a recent YouGov survey commissioned by Highview Power, 74% said they’re worried about energy bills this coming winter. At the same time, they want to see the UK increase the proportion of energy from renewable energy sources. Furthermore, 43% believe the UK currently imports too much gas.
Because the UK is a world leader in wind power, it is uniquely positioned to lead the world in long-duration energy storage. A commitment to a program of LDES projects would mean that the UK can save its clean energy for when it is most needed during times of peak demand while also reducing reliance on the volatile international gas markets that often undermine the country’s energy security.
The Aurora study on long-duration energy storage estimates that implementing 24 GW of LDES by 2035 could reduce reliance on imported gas by 50 TWh, reduce costs for the nation’s electricity system by around £2 billion per year and save 10 megatonnes of gas – the equivalent gas demand for over four million houses. In contrast, without sufficient storage, gas imports in the UK have increased by 312% from 2020 to 2021, making both net-zero goals and energy independence challenging to achieve if trends continue.
The cost and environmental benefits are supplemented with popular support for energy storage investment. The YouGov survey indicates that 81% of Britons support additional government investment in forms of technology that can support additional renewable energy capacity.
Fortunately, there are several LDES technologies that are already in various stages of development. Some are still in the R&D phase, while others, like Highview Power’s renewable energy power stations (REPS) based on its liquid air energy storage technology, are ready to be deployed at grid scale today, the first in Greater Manchester and the second in the Humber.
Though the UK has shown a great willingness to invest in wind, its greatest natural energy resource, it hasn’t yet built the infrastructure needed to realize its full potential and make the clean power transition. Until it does, the country will continue wasting millions on energy. Investing in long-duration energy storage to support wind power is the key to fully leveraging one of nature’s cleanest, most powerful resources.
About the author
Rupert Pearce, CEO of Highview Power, leverages his background in leadership, transformation, and business strategy to position the company as a global leader in accelerating the energy transition. Prior to joining Highview Power, he served for nearly a decade as CEO of Inmarsat PLC, the world’s leading mobile satellite operator.
