UK power storage needs could hit 500GW by 2050
Battery storage key to smooth out demand peaks as electrification at least doubles demand
The UK’s electricity network by 2050 could require 200-500GW of storage capacity as annual demand in a net-zero energy system doubles from current levels to around 600TWh a year, according to independent think tank Energy Systems Catapult. Of the total storage needs, about 50GW would need to be in the form of batteries, with hot water tanks, gas storage, and other technologies providing the remainder, according to Catapult’s chairman Nick Winser, a former director and UK CEO of National Grid. Under this 2050 scenario, battery capacity would be nearly equivalent to the current total installed generation capacity on the UK system of about 80GW. 600 TWh – projected UK electricity demand i
Also in this section
1 May 2024
Abundant storage and low cost of capturing CO₂ from sharply rising gas production mean NOC’s ambitious CCUS targets look well within reach
29 April 2024
Decarbonisation push and shifting multilateral trade policy sharpens continent’s need for carbon trading
29 April 2024
Canada’s oil sands producers need policy certainty to make the multibillion-dollar investments needed to achieve net zero, Pathways Alliance president Kendall Dilling tells Carbon Economist
25 April 2024
Carbon capture rates forecast to rise steadily from end of decade, but policy tools to drive large-scale deployment have yet to take shape, according to DNV