An antiquated energy grid and outdated planning rules are undermining efforts to tackle the climate crisis in Britain

3 thoughts on “An antiquated energy grid and outdated planning rules are undermining efforts to tackle the climate crisis in Britain”

1. Difficult to know where to start. I’ll preface this with: I am an ex-Uk DNO systems engineer. I used to design & operate power networks up to 33kV.

   “Renewed support for small-scale community energy projects”. Funny that, I’m currently designing one. The problem is not “subsidies”(PV & wind can stand on their own two legs – without subsidies) but funding to design the system is needed. Successive toryscum governments, including the mendacious Fatberg’s, have reduced local government funding to pitiful levels (exception: local gov’ run by toryscum). This makes it very difficult for local gov to support community developments. But hey, you won’t see that in the British/English mass media.

   As for the “grid connection costs … can be too high” there are plenty of work-around solutions. & the problem is not planning or forcing councils to engage, it is a council (not in England btw) that is funding our work. As for access to grid capacity – plenty of big companies (EdF) hog capacity on the transmission network – Hunterston & its double circuit 400kV connection is a good example – EdF is paying Nat Grid to stop others getting access to unused capacity Hunterston is closed – but hey – that’s the market working yeah?

   As for the DNO (distribution network operators), their modus operandi is no different to the mafia’s – demanding money with menaces. They also have the rather nice angle: you need a connection – you pay & then they own it & they get a revenue on that asset. For clarity: this system was designed by ….a toryscum government – which is now complaining… about a system it designed. Typical toryscum.

   Ofgem: nutless, gutless and brainless. In fairness, this is how the org was designed. I know, I have to speak to the utterly useless idiots.

   As for the UK being a world leader in managing energy suppliers, erm no. Another example of deluded thinking in the UK. Denmark leads the pack, its so good, even the Germans are jealous. But there again, it leads the pack in so much to do with renewables. Gosh maybe the Uk could learn something? Nah.

   Reply

   1. Mike, thanks so much for writing this. I was a bit concerned by this article but really didn’t know all the context. I hope others react as well. Interesting points you make in your last paragraph

      Reply

      1. Thanks. In the interim I have had an exchange of e-mails with Ofgem. Regarding a RES community project. Not good. I also speak to other regulators, indeed I talk to some very senior EU regulators and these discussions suggest that, from a regulation PoV we are in a very very bad situation. They think that marginal changes will get us to where we need to be. They won’t.

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