The UK Solar Trade Organization has released analysis suggesting that increasing the UK’s solar generation capacity to 60 GW by 2030 could significantly reduce electricity costs.
Solar Energy UK points to research carried out by the Durham University Energy Institute and says that if 60 GW of solar capacity is installed by the year 2030, energy costs will be 12% lower than if Britain reached 47.4 GW of solar capacity as laid down in the Clean Power Plan of the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
Furthermore, the study, which used a “digital twin” of the UK electricity grid to investigate the impact of changes to the network, suggests that expanding the capacity of the battery energy storage system (BESS) could further the UK’s clean ambitions will further benefit energy and reduce energy costs. .
Solar Energy UK claims NESO’s forecasts are based on “outdated” assumptions, noting that while NESO figures indicate 15.1 GW of solar capacity has been in place to date, Solar Energy UK is close to the country’s actual solar capacity places the border. up to 20GW. In addition, Solar Energy UK states that NESO’s report does not take into account the impact of government plans to encourage the use of solar energy on the roofs of homes and businesses, such as the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund and the Future Homes Standard.
Assuming that the proposed changes to the planning system to speed up the development of energy projects work as intended and that half of the solar farms applying for approval are successfully built, Solar Energy UK predicts that 59.6 GW will be built in Britain by 2030 of solar capacity will be installed. – which amounts to 50% more growth than NESO’s scenarios. Furthermore, if Solar Energy UK’s forecast were to be realised, system costs would be just 11.7p/kWh, compared to 12.6p and 13.3p in NESO’s scenarios.
“Solar energy and batteries can be built very quickly, and offer the government a huge opportunity over the next five years to accelerate its mission to deliver clean energy. Setting a target to triple solar to 60 GW, rather than a de facto cap implied by the NESO advice, will deliver the lowest cost of homegrown energy and thousands of secure jobs,” said Chris Hewett , CEO of Solar Energy UK.
“We therefore ask the government to reject NESO’s figures and use the most up-to-date deployment estimates, with the upcoming Clean Power Plan setting a target solar range of between 50 and 60 GW. Associated reforms to the way connections to the grid are managed should not threaten viable, approved solar projects or the growing market for rooftop solar and on-site batteries,” Hewett added.
