Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1141870
NETWORK / 14 / JULY/AUGUST 2019 ENERGY Putting the focus on flexibility The Energy Institute's incoming president Steve Holliday reflects on the Energy Barometer 2019 and calls for a renewed and visionary focus on flexibility. T he great success sto- ry of the UK's transi- tion to low carbon so far is indisput- ably in the power sector. So much so that it is tempting to think 'job done' and time to shi• our focus towards decarbonising heat and transport. It is certainly true that over the decade I spent heading up National Grid and since, the transformation of our power system has been astonishing. The UK's conventional, cen - tralised power stations and the main transmission system are still incredibly important pieces of national critical infrastructure and, with reliability of supply last year at 99.999975 per cent, they're the envy of the world. But three stunning facts illustrate the new landscape unfolding before our eyes: First, growth in wind and so - lar has pushed renewable gen- eration from single digits to a third of the UK's electricity mix last year. (Add in the nuclear component and we're beyond 50 per cent low carbon.) Second, we've seen an extraordinary proliferation of generation facilities – from some 80 or so power stations to more than 900,000 today, in - cluding many consumers acting as microgenerators, producing power on their own premises. Third, this has pushed gener- ation deep into the distribution networks, making more than 10 per cent of the electricity we use invisible to the main transmis - sion grid and putting the spot- light firmly on the DNOs. Put these changes together and you have what I've termed a 'chaotic revolution' that is switching the balance of power from the centre to the edge of the grid - for the better. Excit- ingly, there's much more to come, with cost reductions put- ting clean energy technologies within reach for more busi- nesses and households. While this all bodes well for the shi• to low carbon, there's still a lot of work to do to ensure FUTURE OF FLEXIBILITY