National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios 2021
National Grid has published its Future Energy Scenarios 2021. We intend to do a full analysis at another time, but a first reading suggests that it picks up on last year’s report, with three net-zero scenarios. However it perpetuates a number of the errors of previous analyses, including:
- Relying on imports during times of system stress, on which we cannot rely, see here;
- Ignoring the need to put balancing and stability services onto grids BEFORE electricity from renewables gets onto those grids, see here;
- Over-reliance on technologies with un-proven business cases at suitable scale, see here and here;
- Inadequately considering issues of duration and inertia for back-up and balancing services, see here;
- Failing to “stand back” from the ultra-detailed models, seeing the wood as well as the trees, such as here and here;
- Failing to consider how flexible plant can achieve the grid’s needs much better and more cheaply, instead focusing on less-flexible and less-capable plant, see here;
- Believing that distributed technologies can deliver much of the required flexibility, ignoring that all distributed systems rely on the grid for back-up, leading to the ultimate question: what is on the grid providing that back-up?
Storelectric’s technologies address all those issues and many more, thereby enabling the energy transition and net-zero grids to be affordable, reliable and resilient.
Consultations from BEIS
It is excellent that the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is consulting on substantial changes to the energy system in order to facilitate the energy transition. In this last week they have published:
- Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan (including two appendices)
- Energy Digitalisation Strategy
- Call for evidence: Facilitating the deployment of large-scale and long-duration storage:
- Energy Future System Operator Consultation
- Consultation on the Design and Delivery of the Energy Code Reform
- Call for evidence: Role of vehicle-to-X technologies in a net-zero energy system
Much of what we have written about in newsletters and blogs are very relevant to these: please send evidence accordingly, so that our voices may be heard and the energy transition may be much more affordable, reliable and resilient.
Other opportunities
In the meantime, Storelectric continues to pursue its many opportunities in the UK, EU, North America, Middle East and SE Asia…
Mark’s Interview with TechRound
In case you missed it, Mark’s interview with Tech Round is here.
Correction
In last month’s newsletter, I warned of impersonators seeking to raise funds in our name in an unauthorised manner. By error, I mentioned Chris Starkey <chris@burevalleygroup .com>) as doing so; in fact, they have been supporting us and he had honourably and correctly brought our attention to the matter.
More Awards
Storelectric has been awarded Most Outstanding Renewable Energy Storage Solutions Provider – UK by the 2021 Global Business Insight Awards – yet another award validating our solutions.
Storelectric has also been selected as finalists in the Energy Tech Challengers competition, from over 300 entrants. Although the category is entitled “Top 10 Battery Challengers”, in fact it’s “… Storage Challengers”.
Thought Leadership Blog
As the world prepares for the COP26 conference, Mark reflects on some of the fads and fallacies that have entered into the decarbonisation agenda, and how a realistic strategy will use each technology for its strengths rather than consider a few as “magic wands”.
