Energy Sharing Communities could take some of the weight off rewiring Britain
By generating more of our renewable electricity locally through energy sharing, we can lessen the pressure on national grid infrastructure.
Earlier this week, the Guardian reported that the UK is lagging behind other countries in the race to rewire grid infrastructure so that it can keep up with the rate of electrification.
Citing a report by Bloomberg NEF, the article claims that for every pound the UK currently spends on new renewable energy projects only 25p is spent on cables and powerlines to support them, putting the country behind Germany, China, Italy, Spain, the US, Australia, and Brazil in terms of grid construction.
The need to catch up on grid infrastructure partly reflects the UK’s relative success in building new renewable generators, but until there is sufficient cabling in place we will continue to see billions spent on turning off turbines in windy weather because the electricity they generate cannot all be exported.
The scale of the task should not be understated. According to the Guardian article, preparing the global grid to meet the needs of net zero could require up to $21.4 trillion, and would need enough cable to stretch from Earth to the sun (152 million kilometers).
The effort and expense are to some extent inevitable, but there are also ways we can increase the UK’s renewable energy generation and move towards net zero while reducing the additional demand on the grid. This can be done by increasing the amount of energy generated (e.g. through rooftop solar) close to where it is consumed, and one way of doing that is with Energy Sharing Communities.
Taking strain off the grid with energy sharing
An Energy Sharing Community involves putting solar panels on the roofs of public buildings and businesses such as schools, hospitals, and supermarkets so that they can meet their own immediate energy needs and export any surplus to their local community at an affordable rate.
Crucially, this localised generation doesn’t require any additional electricity to be sent along the high voltage grid because it is only supplying nearby consumers. In fact, not recognising this is the only thing currently standing in the way of bringing energy sharing to the UK. In order to establish these communities we don’t need to wait on any new infrastructure or technology. We simply need to make locally generated electricity exempt from the transmission costs that disincentivise potential participants from installing solar PV.
A spokesperson for the Government told the Guardian that they “will work with industry to rewire Britain and upgrade our outdated infrastructure to get renewable electricity on the grid.” And while we applaud their commitment and are ready to help in any way we can, we are also preparing a first-of-its-kind energy sharing pilot in the UK that will prove this approach’s potential for bringing more renewable electricity into the system while reducing strain on the national grid.
Upgrades will need to happen, but we are working to find complementary solutions that can take at least some strain from the network, the Government, and the planet. Because it’s on us to make new energy work.