Grid connection reform with Ed Birkett ( Director of New Project Development @ Low Carbon)

With only around 200 GW of the potential 700 GW pipeline needed to meet Great Britain's electricity demand, many projects will never reach completion. Many of these projects will never be completed, and some ‘zombie’ projects that are stuck in the queue with no real chance of progressing take up valuable grid connection space.

It's becoming clear that the current system, where projects are connected on a ‘first in, first connected’ basis, is creating major delays. As critical deadlines approach, there’s growing pressure to add more renewable energy and improve the grid connection process.

In this episode, Ed Porter is joined by Ed Birkett, Director of New Projects at Low Carbon, UK Development. Over the conversation, they discuss:

• How changes in Contracts for Difference auctions could help reach net zero targets.
• Issues with long lead times for integral equipment needed for grid connections.

• The current state of the grid connection queue and what could be done to improve the system.
• Insight into the types of costs involved at each stage of the development process for solar.

• Why we need to find a balance between strategic planning and the market-based approach to connecting to the grid.

About our guest

Low Carbon’s mission is to create renewable power capacity for the world, at scale. Through building, developing and managing solar, wind and waste-to-energy projects, whilst limiting environmental impact. Low Carbon also has a dedicated Asset Management team that oversees a ~1GW portfolio of operating renewable energy assets. For more information on what they do, head to their website.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy provides forecasts, benchmarking, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.

Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain and ERCOT.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin or Twitter. Check out The Energy Academy, our video series of bite-sized chunks explaining how different battery energy storage systems work. For more information on grid connections, check out our written research.