The UK’s Electricity Storage Network advocates and educates for a better understanding of the issues surrounding various storage technologies, and how they can be among a number of resources to help balance the country’s energy networks.
As a headline aim, the organisation advocates for a target of deploying around 2,000MW of electricity storage in the UK by 2020. In the short term, the debate over the UK’s electrical grid, energy security, renewable energy deployment and emissions reduction targets is obviously a lot more nuanced.
The ESN’s Dr Jill Cainey, a research scientist with a background in atmospheric science and climate change, was among attendees to a recent round table discussion on large-scale storage, hosted by the Energy Storage division of PV Tech Storage’s publisher, Solar Media.
Taken immediately after the session’s close, Dr Cainey outlines the priorities for action that ESN would like to see, in order to help the UK accommodate higher levels of renewable penetration on its grids, meet carbon reduction obligations and foster a sustainable energy storage industry that can thrive with market redesign, rather than with subsidies.
The video interview refers to a number of UK organisations and individuals that might not be familiar to an international audience – here is a brief glossary:
DECC – Department of Energy and Climate Change, government ministry.
STA – Solar Trade Association, industry body.
REA – Renewable Energy Association, industry body.
BIS – Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, government department for economic growth.
National Grid, company responsible for high voltage electricity transmission network in most of the UK.
Future Energy Scenarios, National Grid document, analysing the UK’s energy landscape and intended to inform the company’s network and investment decisions.
Electricity Storage Network on UK storage strategy, where we go from here and COP21
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