Connection reform is one of the major challenges facing the energy industry in Great Britain. Only an estimated 200 GW out of the current 700 GW connection queue pipeline will ever be needed to meet Great Britain's electricity demand. This means many projects will never reach completion, with ‘zombie’ projects stuck in the queue with no real chance of progress taking up valuable grid connection space.
It's become clear that the current system, where projects are connected on a ‘first in, first connected’ basis, is creating major delays. As critical deadlines approach, there’s growing pressure to add more renewable energy and improve the grid connection process.
In this episode, Ed Birkett -Director of New Projects at Low Carbon, UK Development, joins Ed Porter, Over the conversation, they discuss the state of the grid connection process today, and more:
- How changes in Contracts for Difference auctions could help reach net zero targets.
- Issues with long lead times for integral equipment needed for grid connections.
- The state of the grid connection queue and what can be done to improve the system.
- Insight into the types of costs involved at each stage of the development process for solar.
- Why we need to find a balance between strategic planning and the market-based approach to connecting to the grid.
Mentioned in the episode
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About our guest
Low Carbon’s mission is to create renewable power capacity for the world, at scale. Through building, developing and managing solar, wind and waste-to-energy projects, whilst limiting environmental impact. Low Carbon also has a dedicated Asset Management team that oversees a ~1GW portfolio of operating renewable energy assets. For more information on what they do, head to their website.
About Modo Energy
Modo Energy provides forecasts, benchmarking, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.
Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain and ERCOT.
All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin or Twitter. Check out The Energy Academy, our video series of bite-sized chunks explaining how different battery energy storage systems work. For more information on grid connections, check out our written research.