Power Interconnectors to Help Balance UK’s Electricity System

Construction of electricity links between Britain and its surrounding markets could be perceived as a solution for exporting excess electricity that is hard to predict and cannot be stored, a manager at National Grid stated according to Reuters.

In cases when renewable energy production, such as wind or solar power, exceeds demand levels, interconnectors to continental Europe and Scandinavia can assist in balancing Britain’s electricity system. They also allow Britain to import extra electricity when green energy output is low during times of weak wind or cloudy weather.

Craig Dyke, strategy development manager at network operator National Grid, said that it is most likely that Britain would need more interconnectors than the new ones planned for Norway, Belgium and France, however exact figures have not been determined yet.

According to the estimates made by the government, 31,000 MW of onshore and offshore wind power capacity could be expected to be available in the UK by 2020.

The benefit of building interconnectors for managing excess green energy output compared to other technologies, such as huge batteries, would be financial.

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Offshore WIND Staff, March 14, 2012; Image:  DNV