Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

silverwhistle

Should do my SSE shares a bit of good with progress already well under way with Coire Glas.

Martyn1981

Some big news yesterday for renewable projects, with OFGEM keeping their word on a reform to clear 'zombie projects' from the queue, allowing other schemes to progress quicker.

This should particularly help the PV industry which has been slow in the UK to scale up.

Ofgem: Grid connection reform to unlock 65GW of utility-scale solar PV

Ofgem, the energy regulator, has officially approved plans to spike ‘zombie’ projects from the grid connection queue and streamline the connection of renewable energy projects that are most needed, which could result in a sizeable increase in utility-scale solar PV proposals.

The long-anticipated grid connection reforms were first put forward by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) with the aim of reducing the number of projects awaiting connection to the UK electricity grid.

According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), companies are currently waiting up to 15 years to be connected, with the length of the queue growing tenfold in the last five years.

Ofgem said that as of February 2025, 756GW worth of projects were in the queue, with 587GW at transmission and 178GW on the distribution network. These figures far exceed what is needed for either Clean Power 2030 (CP30) or net zero by 2050.

However, it is not just solar PV that stands to benefit from the grid connection reforms. Indeed, the reforms will see a notable rise in battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity, a key technology in complementing and shoring up variable renewable energy generation and maintaining grid reliability.

Research from UK independent power producer (IPP) Root-Power has found that 7.6GW of projects, across 174 projects, will likely be made offers to connect before 2030. The CP30 plan’s target is to have 11GW of BESS operational by 2030.

This article is related (partly) as it gives a bit of background on the amount of roofspace / land needed for the 'highest ambition target' for PV capacity that the UK needs ~2050.

Study: 90GW solar capacity requires under 1% of UK’s land

A study by Lancaster University shows 90GW of solar capacity would need just 0.39% of the land not already hosting a solar farm in the UK.

The study found that if solar deployment continues with the same proportion of rooftop PV to ground-mounted as it has thus far (ground-mounted accounting for about 55% of the total), then to meet the ambitious 50GW capacity targeted for 2030, just 0.22% of additional land would have to host solar generation technology.

Martyn1981

Further to the two articles I posted earlier, I think this article on UK battery storage deployment probably fits well. No surprises (or prizes for guessing) that Scotland is the standout.  In general, I was particularly surprised at the speed in which scheme size is growing - the batts are getting bigger, quickly.

The evolving regionality of the UK battery storage market

With over 9GWh of operational grid-scale BESS (battery energy storage system) capacity in the UK—and a strong pipeline—it’s worth identifying the regional hot spots and how the landscape may evolve in the future. 

This article shows the regional divide of energy storage in the UK, delving into both operational capacity and the pipeline. Our data shows that three different regions lead for operational capacity, under-construction capacity and submitted capacity respectively.

There is over 120GWh of BESS capacity in Scotland’s pipeline, although 60% is at the pre-application stage. When ignoring the pre-application sites—and focusing on projects that are likely to be completed sooner—Scotland still has the highest capacity by region in its pipeline at over 47GWh. The region also had the most approvals last year at over 8GWh. 

Overall, regardless of where a site is located, a general trend in the UK is the move towards larger project sizes. The average capacity of projects under construction is 203MWh. This marks a large increase in the average size of BESS completed in 2024, at just 69MWh.

Martyn1981

Another (internal) UK interconnector is now operational. The 0.5GW Greenlink between Wales and N. Ireland has finished testing, and is now operating commercially.

[Edit - Many thanks to @wakeupalarm for the correction. M.]

Greenlink starts operations

Ireland's Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O’Brien (pictured) has welcomed news that a new subsea electricity interconnector linking Ireland and the UK has commenced operations.

The 500MW Greenlink Interconnector recently entered its "commercial operations" phase following a successful testing period, and a three-year construction period.

wakeupalarm

Martyn1981 said:

Another (internal) UK interconnector is now operational. The 0.5GW Greenlink between Wales and N. Ireland has finished testing, and is now operating commercially.

Greenlink starts operations

Ireland's Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O’Brien (pictured) has welcomed news that a new subsea electricity interconnector linking Ireland and the UK has commenced operations.

The 500MW Greenlink Interconnector recently entered its "commercial operations" phase following a successful testing period, and a three-year construction period.

Greenlink’s 504MW interconnector is transferring power between UK and Ireland.

The interconnector will help boost the UK and Ireland’s energy security and resilience.

Greenlink’s connection to the high voltage network in Wales and England was made possible by an innovative set of upgrades by National Grid to its 400kV Pembroke substation.

At the Irish end of Greenlink’s 200km span – 160km of which is under the sea – the interconnector connects into EirGrid’s Great Island substation in County Wexford.

70sbudgie

Martyn1981 said:

Some big news yesterday for renewable projects, with OFGEM keeping their word on a reform to clear 'zombie projects' from the queue, allowing other schemes to progress quicker.

This should particularly help the PV industry which has been slow in the UK to scale up.

Ofgem: Grid connection reform to unlock 65GW of utility-scale solar PV

Ofgem, the energy regulator, has officially approved plans to spike ‘zombie’ projects from the grid connection queue and streamline the connection of renewable energy projects that are most needed, which could result in a sizeable increase in utility-scale solar PV proposals.

The long-anticipated grid connection reforms were first put forward by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) with the aim of reducing the number of projects awaiting connection to the UK electricity grid.

According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), companies are currently waiting up to 15 years to be connected, with the length of the queue growing tenfold in the last five years.

Ofgem said that as of February 2025, 756GW worth of projects were in the queue, with 587GW at transmission and 178GW on the distribution network. These figures far exceed what is needed for either Clean Power 2030 (CP30) or net zero by 2050.

However, it is not just solar PV that stands to benefit from the grid connection reforms. Indeed, the reforms will see a notable rise in battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity, a key technology in complementing and shoring up variable renewable energy generation and maintaining grid reliability.

Research from UK independent power producer (IPP) Root-Power has found that 7.6GW of projects, across 174 projects, will likely be made offers to connect before 2030. The CP30 plan’s target is to have 11GW of BESS operational by 2030.

This article is related (partly) as it gives a bit of background on the amount of roofspace / land needed for the 'highest ambition target' for PV capacity that the UK needs ~2050.

Study: 90GW solar capacity requires under 1% of UK’s land

A study by Lancaster University shows 90GW of solar capacity would need just 0.39% of the land not already hosting a solar farm in the UK.

The study found that if solar deployment continues with the same proportion of rooftop PV to ground-mounted as it has thus far (ground-mounted accounting for about 55% of the total), then to meet the ambitious 50GW capacity targeted for 2030, just 0.22% of additional land would have to host solar generation technology.

The most interesting thing that I have recently discovered about the CP30 plan and target solar capacities is that it does not include rooftop solar. I have yet to find confirmation on the logic, but from what I have found, I think it is because the generation numbers that account for solar generation can't "see" rooftop solar as generation, rather it shows up as a reduction in demand. Even for large scale industrial roof mounted PV which passes the 1MW threshold. 

Martyn1981

70sbudgie said:

The most interesting thing that I have recently discovered about the CP30 plan and target solar capacities is that it does not include rooftop solar. I have yet to find confirmation on the logic, but from what I have found, I think it is because the generation numbers that account for solar generation can't "see" rooftop solar as generation, rather it shows up as a reduction in demand. Even for large scale industrial roof mounted PV which passes the 1MW threshold. 

That is interesting, especially if the demand figure and its growth, reflects the impact from demand side reduction.

Going back, the PV estimates on most sites were based on location of PV, local weather, and then estimated. I think Sheffield University were involved, not sure if they are still are to help with UK estimates.

Just checked the iamkate site, and it seems to say similar:

Solar panels are connected to the local distribution network rather than the national transmission network, so their reported power generation is an estimate from National Grid ESO, based on weather conditions and observed transmission network demand.

that would mean, I assume, that both the PV supply and national demand figures are estimated taking into account the PV, and not just 'demand side PV' as I think of it (homes, businesses etc) but all PV including farms, that are connected to the distribution network (not transmission network). Live and learn.

70sbudgie

We are only just seeing solar farms being connected to the transmission network (as opposed to the distribution network). This doesn't usually happen until they are about 100MW. Which is a large area. 

One of the recent changes provides a land energy density guidance. For distribution connected PV, a minimum of 1.2 acres /MW is required, for transmission connected PV, a minimum of 2 acres per MW. 

I think the difference is due to the relative sizes of the ancillary and connecting equipment.

(So a 100MW solar farm would have a land area of ~200 acres)

Martyn1981

Large pinch of salt time, but this could be big.

It's possible that China has reached peak coal (they appear to have already reached peak oil). This article warns that it gets complicated, but suggests that electricity demand for Q1 is up ~1% (but grid supply down ~1%), helped by the massive rollout of demand side PV ...... but coal generation has dropped ~5%.

This was certainly something that was suggested might happen in 2025, as China's RE capacity rollout was now exceeding their growth in demand. But again, don't get too excited yet, till we get deeper into 2025, and more data comes out.

China’s Coal Generation Dropped 5% YOY In Q1 As Electricity Demand Increased

China’s coal-fired electricity generation took an unexpectedly sharp turn downward in the first quarter of 2025, signaling a potentially profound shift in the world’s largest coal-consuming economy. This wasn’t merely a seasonal dip or economic distress signal; rather, it represented a clear and structural turning point. Coal generation fell by approximately 4.7% year over year, significantly outpacing the overall grid electricity supply decline of just 1.3%. However, electricity demand, a better measure, went up by 1%. What gives?

Notably, that modest decline in grid electricity supply wasn’t evenly distributed across the entire quarter—it was confined to two of the three months, where heating requirements were softened by warmer than average months in January and February. This detail matters, indicating that the reduction in coal-generated electricity wasn’t primarily driven by a widespread drop in economic activity or power use, but rather by underlying transformations in China’s energy supply.

Looking ahead, there is strong evidence to suggest that China’s coal-fired electricity generation has now peaked after seeing very modest 0.2% growth in 2024 due to an extended heat wave combined with weaker than expected hydroelectric, entering a permanent decline trajectory. A combination of continued aggressive renewable installations—both large-scale and distributed—as well as policy mandates to peak coal consumption and emissions by mid-decade, reinforces this conclusion. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has noted similar structural shifts globally, but China’s scale and speed are uniquely impactful. China’s policymakers remain committed to ambitious renewable capacity targets, efficiency improvements, and structural energy reforms, positioning the country for sustained coal generation declines year over year from now onward.

Martyn1981

I think this pumped hydro scheme has been mentioned before, but there are a few Loch Ness schemes, so worth monitoring progress. This is the big one at around 2GW/34GWh.

GEE files plans for 2GW Scottish pumped storage

Glen Earrach Energy (GEE) has submitted its application for a 2GW pumped storage hydro (PSH) project near Loch Ness, Scotland.

If approved, the project will deliver over £20m annually over its 125-year life cycle to Highland communities through a community benefit fund.

GEE’s PSH will account for nearly three-quarters of the total PSH storage planned for Loch Ness (34GWh out of 46GWh) and two-thirds of its generating capacity, while utilising only half the water.

The site’s unique topography and 500 metre gross hydraulic head allow for a more efficient design that generates more power and stores more energy than all other Loch Ness projects combined. 

GEE’s 2GW capacity is equivalent to the output of around 800 onshore wind turbines (2.5MW) currently operating in the Highland Council area.

“The Highlands deserves the best project, and we remain on track to deliver it, with the first power being produced in 2030.”