Getting the most from the renewables stack

Over the past two decades, the UK’s electricity grid has undergone substantial change in the way it generates power. Across our four nations, we now have thousands of solar panels covering all types of irradiated surface. Wind farms, too have grown in number, despite facing onshore planning and develop restrictions over the past few years onshore. The growth in this clean, intermittent form of power will push out its fossil-derived counterpart produced by coal, oil and natural gas. This has been largely welcomed; however, we know much more needs to be done to reach the UK’s ambitious net-zero targets. As an island with proximity to the North Sea, we’ll build more wind – 50GW more according to the latest British Security Strategy. But demand for power will also increase as industry and transportation undergo further electrification. The transmission network will need to adapt to these fundamental changes and the rise in volatility caused by both supply and demand. Grid-scale battery technologies capable of responding within seconds of a disturbance will become increasingly valuable as they shift energy to high demand periods and make up shortfalls caused by intermittent renewables. Despite this ‘seeming’ inevitability, batteries requiring millions of pounds of investment will need guaranteed grid connection capacity and clear price signals before they are deployed. This is where optimisers – who manage the charge and discharge of battery assets – are key. Limejump, in particular, is uniquely positioned to fully support a developer’s battery project throughout its life from inception through to its retirement.