Turning off wind turbines adds £806m to UK energy bills

The cost of turning off wind farms in the UK has reached record levels, a new report commissioned by Yorkshire energy giant Drax has revealed.

The independent report by Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP) found that over the last two years curtailing wind power added £806m to energy bills in Britain.

Rising gas prices made the practice more expensive, as gas power stations were increasingly used to support the system when wind power was rolled back.

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The LCP report further claims that enough renewable power to supply 800,000 UK homes went to waste in 2020 and 2021 as wind farms were routinely asked to switch off by the Electricity System Operator.

Call for more wind turbine infrastructure.Call for more wind turbine infrastructure.
Call for more wind turbine infrastructure.

This happened as a result of constraints in the transmission system and a lack of long-duration storage capacity, which is needed to manage periods when renewable power generation outstrips demand.

An extra two million tonnes of CO2 was emitted during 2020 and 2021 as a result of gas being used to replace reduced wind power, equivalent to putting almost half a million more cars on Britain’s roads.

Britain’s wind turbines now have the capacity to provide enough renewable power for almost 20 million homes.

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But without any new long-duration storage projects built for almost 40 years in the UK, the only way to manage the imbalance when generation outstrips demand and prevent damage to the electricity grid, is to curtail wind power – a practice which could be significantly reduced if more energy storage was available.

Penny Small, Drax.Penny Small, Drax.
Penny Small, Drax.

Chris Matson, from LCP, said: “Increasing the output from wind power is essential for the UK to achieve its climate targets and ensure energy security. And yet because investment in the infrastructure needed to support this expansion has not kept pace, wind curtailment is costing the consumer and the environment.

“Every pound spent on curtailing wind power is a pound wasted.”

Penny Small, inset, Drax’s Group generation director, said: “This report underlines the need for a new regulatory framework to encourage private investment in long-duration storage technologies.

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“The UK is a world leader in offshore wind, but for the country’s green energy ambitions to be realised we need the right energy storage infrastructure to support this vital technology, make the system secure and reduce costs.

“Drax’s plan to expand Cruachan will strengthen UK energy security, by enabling more homegrown renewable electricity to power British homes and businesses, reducing system costs and cutting carbon emissions.”

Drax has recently submitted an application to construct and operate a new underground pumped storage hydro power station at its existing Cruachan facility in Scotland.