February 22, 2017

UKERC report on renewables

‘What happens when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine?’  Intermittency is often cited as a reason why renewables can’t be relied upon for large scale electricity generation, and when UKERC published their last report on this in 2006 they didn’t anticipate deployment of renewables above about 20%.  Ten years on, the costs of many renewable technologies have come down; some countries, including the UK and Ireland, are already above that figure with many more expected to exceed it.

What has changed in the last decade?  Is intermittency really a barrier and how do we need to adapt?  What costs do variable renewables place on our power systems?  And where is the UK heading?

Speakers:
Dr Philip Heptonstall, UKERC Researcher (Imperial College London)

Dr Robert Gross, UKERC Co-Director (Imperial College London)