Utility Week

8 | 19TH - 25TH JULY 2019 | UTILITY WEEK Interview their grid connection, and with that con- nection commonly up to full capacity just 10-15 per cent of the time, the addition of on-site energy storage in the form of 30MWH batteries offers the ability to pull energy off the grid as well as put energy on the grid using an import connection. "The combination means you can flatten your pro- duction curve for solar, time shi your energy for higher- value periods or stop producing energy on to the grid if the price goes really low. Being able to absorb energy as well as give it out allows you to operate in an arbitrage market – buying energy when it's cheap and selling it at peak when it's expensive." Despite its rather brutal demise, Harper is adamant the end of the FIT was good news, largely because it released the sector from the uncertainties of political change and moving goalposts. That said, he recognises that many investors in the renewable sector are strug- gling to adapt to life in the post-FIT world. "The past 10 to 15 years we've had these artificial mechanisms to stimulate that market, which have worked incredibly well. There was real certainty in your income stream backed up by this artificial prop. Today it's about the real value of the energy. But a lot of finan- ciers have only been in the industry while these stimuli have existed, and banks and investors don't know to get their heads around it." Direction of travel Harper applauds the general direction of travel set by government on environmental issues, although declar- ing a climate emergency and accepting the Committee on Climate Change's recommendations will amount to little more than "greenwash" unless it is followed through with a solid roadmap for delivering on the prom- ise of decarbonisation, he warns. Mixed political mes- sages on the environment are at best unhelpful, Harper says. "How can you sign up to the Climate Change Act and then still encourage fracking? That doesn't really make sense." Despite government rhetoric on electric vehicles (EVs), he'd rather politicians were a bit more robust on the issue. The government's Road to Zero strategy, launched in July last year, lays down its ambition to see at least half of new cars ultra-low emission by 2030 and a massive expansion of green infrastructure enabled across the country, as part of plans to make the UK the best place in the world to build and own an EV. "They have said that in 20 years you'll no longer be able to buy new petrol vehicles and they have the aspira- tion of 50-70 per cent of new vehicles being zero emis- sion by 2030. But the wordage behind that isn't really saying one thing or another," Harper complains. Harper has a particular interest in EVs, and not just because he's been driving a Tesla for the past five years. Gridserve is poised to submit its first planning applica- tion for an EV forecourt a er announcing in March that it wanted to invest £1 billion in building a nationwide net- work of 100 facilities to provide low-cost charging facili- ties powered by solar energy. The first sites are expected to be up and running by early 2020 and the full network should be operational within five years. Each Electric Forecourt will have dedicated zones for private and fleet vehicles, such as taxis, buses, delivery vehicles and trucks, and will offer sub-30-minute charg- ing times for most vehicles. Based on conventional fuel stations, forecourts will feature facilities including coffee shops and convenience supermarkets as well as offering customers an airport-style lounge with high-speed internet. Harper claims the network will make charging an EV "easier and cheaper than a petrol or diesel alternative" with pricing com- petitive to home and office charging. Gridserve is also developing an app to help drivers plan journeys, reserve charging slots and pay for ancillary on-site ser- vices such EVs vehicles as easy as using petrol stations." Charging infrastructure Gridserve is not alone in its ambition to secure a slice of the EV charging pie. In February last year National Grid said it had identified 50 strategic locations around the UK where the transmission and motorways networks overlap as it outlined proposals for a countrywide net- work of superfast chargers that could recharge EV batter- ies in as little as five minutes. That same month, all six distribution networks opera- tors said they were adopting a new standardised process for connecting charging infrastructure, as they seek to "supercharge" the rollout of EVs. Demand is clearly there – with more than one million EVs in the UK by 2020, the country needs more than 80,000 extra EV charging points demand, according to research by Emu Analyt- ics. There are currently just 16,500 points and even fewer rapid charging ports – 1,500. According to research by YouGov in January, regula- tory confusion, a lack of financial incentives and limited choice are the main reasons holding back EVs. It found that only 2 per cent of households currently own a hybrid and just 1 per cent have an EV. Just 19 per cent of car own- ers say they are "somewhat likely" to buy an EV next. Harper remains bullish that enhancing the charging infrastructure in a way that meets the needs of drivers will alleviate much of the range and charge anxiety stall- ing uptake and give individuals the confidence to transi- tion from gas guzzlers to EVs. And although Harper isn't hugely confident that the UK is on track to meet its net zero target, he accepts a fundamental shi has taken place. "The cost of renewa- bles and batteries has moved and that will change our energy sector very quickly. It's a very exciting time and for the first time the economies are on side. With a sen- sible level playing field and less meddling I'm sure what will come out of it will be very positive." Rachel Willcox is a freelance journalist "How can you sign up to the Climate Change Act and then still encourage fracking? That doesn't really make sense." Gridserve in landmark deal with Warrington Council A landmark deal with Warrington Council will see two state-of-the-art solar farms sup- ply 100 per cent of the council's electricity and generate millions of pounds to fund essential services and support economic regeneration in the area. Construction of the two largest solar farms to be built in Great Britain since 2016 was given the green light in February a•er Gridserve closed funding with a consor- tium of banks led by Investec Bank and Leapfrog Finance. The project will use large batteries and new technology including bifacial modules and single-axis trackers to maximise revenues and deliver subsidy-free utility scale solar energy. Electricity generated by the first, hybrid solar project in York will initially be sold on the open market. The secondary solar farm in Hull will supply all the council's electricity needs and is expected to cut its energy bills by up to £2 million a year. Together the two solar farms will generate enough green electricity each year to supply the equivalent of more than 18,000 UK homes, or power more than 30,000 electric vehicles, saving 25,000 tonnes of carbon per year. Warrington Borough Council will pay £62.34 million for the two assets. Gridserve will provide operation and maintenance services for the projects over their lifetimes.

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