Britain’s growing reliance on wind power brings a challenge that’s hard to ignore: what happens when the wind drops and stays low for days, or even weeks?
We’ve submitted written evidence to the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee’s inquiry into Dunkelflaute and the risks of electricity intermittency.
Our message: no single technology solves a prolonged renewable shortfall. What the system needs changes as an event unfolds. First, it needs rapid stability support, then several days of stored energy, and then deep strategic reserves if the shortfall continues.
That’s what our MESH project is designed to provide. It combines compressed air, hydrogen and natural gas storage in offshore salt caverns to deliver flexible power from seconds to seasons.
- Our submission sets out several priorities for Government before 2030:
- Value strategic reserve for availability and energy depth, not just running hours
- Expand the LDES Cap and Floor scheme, with a rolling schedule and Window 2 opening as early as possible
- Set a resilience standard for multi-day and multi-week low-renewable events
- Fix grid connection and planning bottlenecks for LDES, not just for wind and solar
- Treat LDES and low-carbon dispatchable power as one resilience challenge
Last year, switching off wind farms and replacing their output with gas power cost consumers more than £1.5 billion. That figure could pass £8 billion by 2030. Quick decisions now will give investors the confidence to deliver storage projects in time for the 2030s.
Source: EnergyPathways
