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The UK net‐zero target requires the integration of significant renewable energy resources into the electrical grid. This, together with the projected growth in electricity demand imposes practical challenges on the power transfer capability of existing transmission feeders. For environmental and planning reasons, construction of new overhead lines is problematic, and where possible upgrading of existing substations and lines is preferred. This paper investigates the feasibility of transforming an existing three‐phase (3Φ) double‐circuit 400 kV line into a six‐phase (6Φ) feeder for a simulated future GB scenario. Results indicate a 6Φ feeder, operating at a 'phase‐adjacent phase' voltage of 400 kV can effectively solve the constraints of boundaries in transmission networks. When considering the various operating contingencies, associated with an important UK network boundary and its expected near‐future winter‐peak power transfer requirements, the thermal overload issues are mitigated by transforming a feeder from 3Φ to 6Φ. The paper demonstrates upgrading to 6Φ technology is a potential solution to certain future boundary constraints and in these cases avoids the need to build new underground or overhead AC/DC lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Green electricity tariffs are one means by which green consumers can contribute to a more sustainable future. This paper profiles potential adopters of green electricity tariffs. Potential adoption is measured in terms of respondents' willingness to pay a premium for green energy in a national survey of the UK population. Hypotheses based principally on the cognitive-behavioural literature on green consumerism and green energy markets are developed. These are tested using a broad range of variables, which are grouped into three categories (demographic, attitudinal and behavioural). Consistent with past research, the empirical analyses find that attitudinal variables best characterize potential adopters. Further, potential adopters are found to have higher income, be better informed with respect to energy matters, show concern for the environment and believe that individual actions can make a difference to environmental decay. The implications of these findings for marketing and environmental policy are explored. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of challenging targets for renewable energy generation, this paper draws out social implications of moves towards low carbon energy systems. As renewable energy develops as a heterogeneous category, many potential forms of social relation between ‘publics’ and technologies are emerging. Utilising perspectives from science and technology studies, we outline five modes in which renewable energy has been implemented in the UK and how these involve different configurations of technology and social organisation. We argue that a multiplicity of roles for ‘the public’ are implicated across this increasingly complex landscape, cutting across established categories and raising questions of meaning, differentiation, interrelation and access. Policy assumptions and conceptions are questioned, highlighting that dominant characterisations of public roles have been part of a concentration on particular socio-technical pathways to the exclusion of others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the UK net‐zero emissions target by 2050, transformations to decarbonise the energy system will be essential. A transition from generating electricity by burning fossil fuel to renewable energy sources (RESs) is one of the most effective ways, in addition to customer transformation, in which people are willing to participate to reduce energy consumption. The railway sector accounts for 0.5% of carbon emissions in the United Kingdom. In order to meet the net‐zero goal, more railway routes must be electrified, as only 38% of railway routes are electrified at present. Furthermore, clean energy is necessary. Therefore, schemes for integrating RESs into the AC high‐speed railway power supply system are proposed and simulated in a case study. Power losses in the power system are comprehensively studied and compared. Owing to the fluctuation of traction load, the power quality issue is inevitable. Thus, the voltage unbalance factor is adopted to measure the severity of the imbalance. The results from the case study demonstrate that the proposed scheme in which the RES is connected to a three‐phase railway power network generates the smallest power losses among all proposed schemes. Moreover, it also requires lower investment expenditure and provides the most significant cost saving in the long run. The results also reveal that the VUFs of all schemes based on a 400 kV transmission system are below the United Kingdom's stringent limit of 1.5%. Furthermore, the CO2 emissions are reduced significantly with RES integration by half for the case study with the 120 MW RES. Although the other proposed schemes had higher losses and lifetime costs, the differences are not significant. Each scheme has its advantages and disadvantages. Several factors need to be considered to choose the suitable scheme, such as the size of land available etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing reliance on intermittent sources of renewable energy poses challenges for developing reliable electricity networks. This study has analysed the spatial and temporal characteristics of the UK's offshore wind energy production based on reanalysis of offshore wind speeds between 2000–2017, considering both the 2019 and future distribution of offshore wind farm capacity in UK waters. The extent and frequency of low wind power events are assessed, which are shown to vary seasonally. The correlation in output from offshore wind farm pairs reduces with increasing distance between them, albeit at a slower rate than has been observed for onshore wind farms. The conditional probability between regions of low energy production is also evaluated, which reveals that regions such as the English Channel are much more susceptible to simultaneous periods of low wind energy production if there is limited wind energy production in south‐west England or in the North Sea. Nevertheless, aggregating energy production from all offshore wind farms has a positive effect in reducing the likelihood of prolonged periods of country‐wide very low energy production. Comments are made on the possibilities for regional distribution of installed capacity to reduce the overall variability of wind energy and the relevance of these findings to electricity networks with increasing penetration of wind‐generated electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power-to-gas (P2G) process, whereby excess renewable electrical energy is used to form hydrogen and/or synthetic natural gas (NG) that are injected, transported, and stored in the gas network, has the prospect to become an important flexibility option for the seasonal storage of low-carbon electricity. This study is the first to model and assess the potential of P2G when combined with gas seasonal storage operation accounting for the two networks' characteristics and constraints (including the amount of hydrogen that can be blended with NG under different gas network conditions). Power system operation with P2G is analysed via a two-stage optimisation based on DC power flow to assess the gas production from otherwise curtailed renewables, also considering impact of P2G on short-term and long-term gas prices. Additionally, impact of P2G on gas network operation and its potentially required re-dispatch are evaluated with a steady-state gas flow model. Case studies conducted on the Great Britain gas and electrical transmission networks quantify benefits and limitations of the integrated usage of P2G with seasonal gas storage under different scenarios. The proposed model thus sets the fundamentals for further development of this emerging technology as a seasonal storage option in low-carbon power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical energy storage provides a potential solution to the challenge of integrating large amounts of intermittent renewable energy into the electricity system. To make storage commercially viable, its operators will have to aggregate multiple revenue streams across the electricity industry. Arbitrage is recognised as one potential revenue stream. To date, wind power has provided a small contribution toward electricity generation in Great Britain (GB). Gas generators have delivered a significant proportion of total demand. Historic electricity prices reflect this, being driven principally by variations in gas price and daily demand cycles. The study reported here investigates the potential impact of wind power on electricity prices and arbitrage opportunities for energy storage in GB. Results indicate that increased wind power leads to higher price volatility for low electricity prices, but reduced frequency of higher prices which may be detrimental to storage revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus has been identified as one of the most promising perennial grasses for renewable energy generation in Europe and the United States [ Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 9 (2004) 433]. However, the decision to use Miscanthus depends to a considerable degree on its economic and environmental performance [ Soil Use and Management 24 (2008) 235; Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 13 (2009) 1230]. This article assessed the spatial distribution of the economic and greenhouse gas ( GHG) costs of producing and supplying Miscanthus in the UK. The average farm-gate production cost of Miscanthus in the UK is estimated to be 40 £ per oven-dried tonne (£ odt−1), and the average GHG emissions from the production of Miscanthus are 1.72 kg carbon equivalent per oven-dried tonnes per year (kg CE odt−1 yr−1). The production cost of Miscanthus varies from 35 to 55 £ odt−1 with the lowest production costs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the highest costs in Scotland. Sensitivity analysis shows that yield of Miscanthus is the most influential factor in its production cost, with precipitation the most crucial input in determining yield. GHG emissions from the production of Miscanthus range from 1.24 to 2.11 kg CE odt−1 yr−1. To maximize the GHG benefit, Miscanthus should be established preferentially on croplands, though other considerations obviously arise concerning suitability and value of the land for food production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the British government's framework for energy policy and planning laws has catapulted the country into second place in the ranking of attractiveness for investing in renewable energy. It offers information on the Energy White Paper published on May 23, 2007 that laid out the British government's energy policy. Areas in the industry that need greater action include disposal of nuclear waste and research on clean technology.

Argues against Great Britain's energy policy toward renewable energies and nuclear power. Views of scientists on renewable energies; Disagreement on the Energy White Paper proposal of the government; Opinion of Ian Fells, chairman of the new and renewable energy centre, on carbon dioxide levels; Cost of off-shore wind turbines; Percentage of Great Britain's energy that should come from nuclear power.

The article reports on the challenges of the proposed carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Great Britain. Shell Chemicals executive vice-president Ben van Beurden mentions that the real problem is how to integrate CCS in economically viable way. It states that the commercialization of CCS technologies are slow due to delays in securing funding. It notes that aside from the high costs and commercial feasibility of CCS, its imposition will also depend on the price of carbon.