Why the UK needs to invest in the National Grid to reach its net zero ambitions

The clock is ticking. Earlier this month, the Climate Change Committee reported that the UK was not on course to transform its power system to net zero by 2035 and that a new climate-resilient power system was needed to decarbonise its electricity network.

The UK will not be able to speed up the delivery of renewables and meet net zero targets without addressing problems within the grid network. Our current system is ageing, with the average age of electricity transformers around 63 years old. A focus on updating and extending our infrastructure is key to upscaling the delivery of renewables and electrifying our heating and transport systems. The grid is complex and vast – it consists of 5,500 miles of transmission cabling and 500,000 miles of distribution cabling – so improvement will take significant time and investment.

Although, we’re using less power than 50 years ago, grid capacity is at its peak due to the different type and location of use. The National Grid was designed around locations of highly intensive industrial demand, but our current system is much more disparate and dispersed, meaning significantly more connections are needed for lower demands, causing more of a constraint on space. Ageing assets also play a part: the grid needs to replace or upgrade assets to begin to rejuvenate old cabling, switchgear and substations, but that are not necessarily engaging with the grid as they should.

Infrastructure

National Grid and the Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) need to make considerable physical changes to their networks to accommodate the increase in demand and generation connections, as well as reconfiguring  existing infrastructure to cope with the growing use of renewables. This means the requirement for land, space for new apparatus and time to replace/reconduct overhead lines to ensure our grid can cope.

New supergrid transformers and substations will be needed in a long-term strategy from the government. Developing new ways to store renewable energy will also be fundamental in this transition, whether through water pumps or hydrogen, to help to meet demand and providing additional resources when needed.

Growth of renewables

We already have 80GW of connected renewable generation and a pipeline of more than 350GW including wind, PV, hydro and battery storage. The problem is the intermittency of generation, and it again requiring more connections than the grid currently can provide. Ideally, more grid supply points are needed to support this generation queue, but the key will be management of grid connections for renewables. Without a whole system approach to connections, the grid will continue to be a barrier to the UK’s climate targets.

The DNOs are looking to drive this change by introducing alternative network arrangements and managing the connection pipeline more effectively through offering flexible network connections, active network management and smart grid solutions, such as a distributed energy resource management system.

While the positive engagement between distribution and transmission is progressing at a pace, it will still be some time before the system becomes more stable and accessible.

Moving forward, early engagement with DNOs is essential to ensure you secure your energy for development. By engaging with the grid earlier, you can confirm your connection capacity at the very start of a project, but continued engagement with the DNOs is key to determining where investment is needed along the rest of the journey.

Michael Lock is associate director in energy, renewables and infrastructure at Savills Earth; Chris Phillips is associate in energy at Savills Earth