For decades, Britain''s energy supply has been inextricably linked with the humble cuppa. At moments of great communing, such as the climax of a big football match or a dramatic plotline on EastEnders, millions of people at a time get up and switch on their kettles. We might take the resulting tea for granted, but in control rooms across the national electricity grid, technicians are primed to protect our brews on such occasions.
The highest recorded surge in demand – known in the sector as a ''TV pickup'' – followed England''s semi-final loss to Germany in the 1990 World Cup. At 2,800MW, it was enough to power more than a million kettles. It''s not just telly; the grid recorded smaller surges – about 800MW – in 2020 when people went back inside after the weekly rounds of ''clap for carers'' to show support for NHS staff during the Covid pandemic lockdowns.
These surges are just outlying examples of the challenges the UK''s electricity grid faces every day as it powers our lives. Then, there''s another fundamental issue: is the grid that served us well in the past the grid we need to power our lives tomorrow?
To understand what we, as the company that builds and maintains the UK''s electricity grid infrastructure, are planning and why it matters to us all, let''s quickly journey back half a century
Until about 1960, coal provided the vast majority of Britain''s energy needs. Hundreds of coalmines fed vast, polluting power stations that pumped electricity from the heart of the country into the extensive grid of cables that still reach our homes today.
Britain''s energy mix has undergone a remarkable transformation in six decades. 2023 was the UK''s cleanest year on record for energy generation, with 51% of the country''s electricity coming from zero-carbon sources – including 36% from wind, hydro and solar power – and less than 1% from coal. The amount of UK electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023 dropped by 22% year on year and on 21 December windfarms generated 21.8GW of electricity – the highest ever on record.
As the climate crisis becomes ever more urgent, the shift from fossil fuels to renewables is a vital part of the UK''s mission to meet net zero targets. In 2021, the government committed to fully decarbonising the grid by 2035. Nevertheless, gas-powered stations still account for a sixth of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the UK.
At the same time, electricity now powers more of our lives. Our 2023 poll revealed that the average UK home already has 13 electrical devices, at least 10 of which get used every day.
Nationally, consumption is projected to double by 2050. Consider the transition from gas boilers to electric heat pumps, or the uptake of electric cars; there are now more than a million fully electric vehicles on our roads, with registrations tripling in just the past four years.
However, only so much can be done with a power system that evolved in a totally different era. As our reliance on fossil fuels is replaced with renewable sources of energy, which are generated in large parts by offshore wind farms as well as solar, significant new infrastructure is needed to connect that renewable energy from where it''s generated to where it''s needed by UK homes and businesses.
The grid needs to adapt to meet the rising demand for clean energy. To make sure electricity goes to the right places at the right times and at the right price, we are rethinking energy transmission.
The Great Grid Upgrade is the largest overhaul of the UK''s electricity grid in generations and is made up of 17 major infrastructure projects in various parts of the country. From Aberdeenshire and Yorkshire to Norfolk and Essex, new or improved power lines, substations, underground and underwater cables and other infrastructure will increase the grid''s capacity to transmit clean electricity more efficiently across the country, as well as to connect new wind and solar farms. New high-voltage offshore ''electrical superhighways'' will also connect parts of Scotland to northern England.
Complementing The Great Grid Upgrade, giant undersea interconnector cables that link the UK and its neighbours across the Channel and North Sea are making it easier to trade electricity to get the best supply and price. The new £1.7bn Viking Link interconnector, joining Lincolnshire and southern Jutland in Denmark, can transport enough electricity to power 2.5m UK homes and will bring more than £500m in savings for UK consumers in its first 10 years.
For almost 90 years the UK's electricity grid has served us well. So well, in fact, that it's easy to take for granted. But with the shift to cleaner energy, the grid, which we rely on so much in our day-to-day lives, is in need of an upgrade.
The drive to meet our climate targets is radically reshaping the workforce of tomorrow. What shape will it take and what opportunities will it provide for the next generation?
From cost to London-centrism, there are a lot of myths surrounding clean energy and upgrading the grid. So, which are the most common – and are they really anything more than myths?
Do you know how much energy UK households use each year to put the kettle on? Or by which year the UK has to hit its net zero target? Take this quiz to test your knowledge.
The UK has committed to connect 40GW of offshore wind to the electricity grid by 2030, making 50GW in total to meet government targets. That''s nearly enough to power every home in Great Britain* and is equivalent to taking 5.2 million petrol or diesel cars off the road, or the carbon absorption of 509 million trees over one year.**
All of this is to ensure that there''s sufficient capacity to transport the required amounts of electricity, to make sure everyone in England and Wales has access to clean, secure energy.
For almost 90 years the UK''s electricity grid has served us well. So well, in fact, that it''s easy to take for granted. But with the shift to cleaner energy, the grid, which we rely on so much in our day-to-day lives, is in need of an upgrade.
There''s never a dull moment for the UK''s electricity grid, and not just when we''re all turning on the kettle after a big TV cliffhanger. But with rapidly shifting usage and clean energy goals, what is being done to future-proof the system?
The Great Grid Upgrade comprises 17 major infrastructure projects that will both scale up the grid and update our existing networks. It will enable us to carry more clean, secure energy from where it''s generated – like out in the North Sea by wind turbines – to where you need it, boosting energy security and helping the nation become more self-sufficient.
Energy threads through everything we love to do; it lets us talk to friends, listen to music, travel to work, cook our meals and so much more. But the way we power our lives is changing.
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