Over the past decade, the UK has positioned itself as a model for harnessing wind energy, with the Office for National Statistics reporting a 715% increase in wind power generation from 2009 to 2020. Due to the abundance of offshore wind resources, wind power generation in 2020 will exceed 75,000GWh, accounting for 20% of the UK's total power generation.
Although the UK benefits from considerable wind resources, sometimes wind power generation greatly exceeds the usable range, resulting in curtailment of wind. The UK should reduce curtailment of wind, reduce dependence on natural gas, reduce energy costs and achieve energy security by means of Significant investment in long-term energy storage.
In the nine-month period between September 2021 and May 2022, UK wind generated 1,300GWh of curtailed wind, enough to power a UK city for a full year.
In total, the UK has paid £390m for too much or too little wind power as a result of this situation. The UK paid £150m in restrictive payments to keep wind turbines out of service when there was too much wind, and powered the grid with gas when there was too little, at an estimated cost of £120m.
In the energy crisis, huge resources are wasted because the UK does not have the ability to store excess electricity when it is needed most, and this happens when only 40% of electricity is generated from renewable sources. The share of renewable energy generation could double by 2030, to close to 80%, meaning there could be more periods in the UK where renewables provide more electricity than consumers can use at doubling costs.
To meet ambitious renewable energy generation targets, the UK government recently announced plans to expand the deployment of offshore wind by 25%, to 50GW by 2030, as part of the UK’s energy security strategy.
Increasing wind capacity could reduce the UK's reliance on natural gas and make energy consumers less of a price shock. By deploying long-term energy storage and making full use of abundant renewable resources, it is possible to achieve complete energy self-sufficiency.
As the UK is a world leader in wind power, it is uniquely positioned for long-duration energy storage deployments. The commitment to long-duration energy storage means the UK can conserve clean energy until peak demand, while reducing reliance on volatile international gas markets and ensuring energy security.
It is estimated that deploying 24GW of long-duration energy storage by 2035 could reduce reliance on imported gas, reduce costs for the nation's electricity system by around £2bn a year and save tens of millions of tonnes of gas. By contrast, without adequate energy storage, UK gas imports have increased by 312% from 2020 to 2021, making both net-zero emissions targets and energy independence difficult to achieve if trends continue.
