A failure to invest in Britain’s 70 year old grid has meant that the boom in its wind power electricty generation is not being taken full advantage of. Many of the companies who are investing in or building the 6,500 offshore turbines say that a “super-grid” is needed to connect with Europe and make sure that electricty is quickly sent to areas of the country that need it. It could cost around £15billion to upgrade the current grid system of electricity distribution.
‘Powering Britain’s Future’ is a nation-wide consultation/conversation about the energy challenges faced by the National Grid in the UK: How to continue to have secure and affordable energy while meeting the ambitious low carbon energy targets and connecting new sources of energy such as wind farm generated electricity to communities.
Many commentators think that this has all started too late. About 25 years too late and current politicians blame previous governments for not getting the bit between their teeth, grasping the nettle and preparing the grid for new sources of renewable energy. Better late than never then, I guess… Some experts say that there is a 20% chance of Britain suffering electricity blackouts this Winter, partly because electricity demand might outstrip generation, but also because wind power electricity generation is being wasted in some parts of the country because it cannot be sent to areas needing it, due to the National Grid not being up to the required task.
But the expense to update the National Grid is unlikely to be an expense bourne by the taxpayer. So investment is being sought. But investors will want a return on the money and it’s likely they will seek a minimum price charge for electricity over a fixed amount of time- perhaps 25 years? But one thing is clear, the problem is nothing to do with the clean energy of wind power and wind farms. It’s a legacy of failure of previous Governments to look into the future and grip the issue of massive investment in modernising the National Grid.
On a lighter note did you know that there was a lot of opposition to erecting pylons across Britain to take electricity to all parts of the country in the 1920s and 30s? Despite the fact that they were designed to look like the greek meaning of the word pylon- and entrance to a temple, many scholars, academics and rural people objected to them. Stephen Spender even wrote a poem about them called “The Pylons”. The first two verses are:
The secret of these hills was stone,
and cottages
Of that stone made,
And crumbling roads
That turned on sudden hidden villages.
Now over these small hills they have built
the concrete
That trails black wire;
Pylons, those pillars
Bare like nude, giant girls that have no secret.
One wonders what method of electricity distribution will be used when modernising the National Grid? Wouldn’t it be nice if it could be transported through the air, like WiFi? Or perhaps a re-design of the pylon to make it less like a giant nude girl with no secrets….
