The use of renewable energy as a power source in the UK is on the rise. The supply
of electricity from these resources differs from conventional power generation in
that the power comes from a large number of smaller sites spread over many locations.
Furthermore many renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind energy, are more
intermittent in their nature.
This raises a number of issues for the current power networks which are not built
for this purpose. The development of smarter electricity networks are needed to
accommodate larger quantities of renewable energy efficiently. An efficient buffer
or storage mechanism would also help to regulate supply.
Alongside techniques such as pumped storage and compressed air, batteries may
have a role to play in storing electricity especially in small isolated systems.
However, traditional battery technology is heavy and expensive, however, significant
progress has been made in developing capacitors, supercapacitors and new battery
technologies. The research challenges mostly relate to materials and once overcome
can not only be used for renewable energy supply but can also be used in battery
powered road vehicles and other systems.
To address the issues surrounding the current power networks, we have built up
a portfolio of 27 projects totalling £32.5 million. We have invested £11.3 million
in two SUPERGEN consortia which focus on both the integration of renewable energy
sources into current network systems
(flexnet) and the co-ordination of small distributed energy resources
(supergen-hdps) to form
a highly distributed power system.
13 projects in sustainable energy networks are involved in industrial collaboration,
24 separate companies are engaged, leveraging an additional £8.7 million of funding.
We are also collaborating with China on sustainable electricity supply.
In order to address the issue of energy storage we are currently funding 14 projects
worth £13.4 million, including £2.2 million in the
energy storage SUPERGEN
consortium.
By continuing a combined and focused approach to tackling the current issues
surrounding energy networks and storage, we aim to ensure that the UK is fully prepared
for the future of renewable energy.
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