Column: Going Green [Image: Tim Foster for Unsplash]
Meeting renewable energy targets
By Martyn Williams, Managing Director, COPA-DATA UK
A
ccording to the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), Britain is capable of generating 100% of its energy supply
from clean sources or carbon neutral back-ups. However, cost is one of the biggest barriers to the adoption of renewable energy. Developed countries like the UK have a mature fossil-fuel infrastructure that’s been around for hundreds of years. Transitioning to a renewable alternative is in many cases more expensive and requires much higher initial investment. The same is true for developing countries, where renewable technology is even more cost-prohibitive. Britain’s energy infrastructure,
originally designed to run on fossil fuels, has been forced to adapt. The grid is now used to distribute energy generated from both fossil fuels and renewable sources. This has seen the introduction of smart grids (which use control and communication in a specific way) to avoid the costly expansion of existing cable and wire infrastructures.
14 July/August 2021
www.electronicsworld.com
Over the next few decades, billions of
pounds will be spent on Britain’s energy network. While some of this is required to maintain the existing system and replace ageing equipment, using smart grids will also require investment in new technologies. In fact, this requirement has
encouraged a pledge by Britain’s leading electricity network operators, including SSE Networks and UK Power Networks, to establish £17bn of smart grid infrastructure by 2050.
Managing uncertainty A key differentiator of smart grids is the integration of renewable energy sources. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable sources do not generate energy at a pre-determined level. As a result, operators cannot accurately predict their output without investing in technology. Wind farms provide a useful
demonstration of this uncertainty. Using historical data, an operator can estimate how often the farm will generate power consistently, but making accurate predictions is almost impossible. In
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