Give excess power to homes for free, says report – Daily Business

Wind power could be better directed, says a new report

Giving households access to free electricity during periods of excess wind power would help ease cost of living pressures while making better use of the energy Scotland generates, according to a new report.

Because the way the electricity network is currently set up, it cannot always move that power to where it is needed, and some renewable generation is switched off during periods of high supply.

The report, facilitated by public sector infrastructure body, the Scottish Futures Trust, says Scotland has a major opportunity to create a more flexible energy system by encouraging greater use of electricity when renewable power is abundant.

This would mean renewable energy is used more productively, while reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering the need to pay wind farms to switch off generation.

The report says this could be achieved using more renewable energy locally by increasing Scotland’s energy demand to electricity in sectors like transport, industrial energy use and heating, as well as through flexible technologies such as battery storage and demand response.

It highlights several examples of how relatively small changes could deliver significant benefits. They include switching from gas to electric boilers, installing large-scale batteries to store excess renewable electricity, and more use of heat pumps.

Giving households access to ‘free’ electricity during periods of excess wind power could reduce wasted renewable energy while helping households heat their homes more affordably – this could save up to 630 gigawatt hours of power and £44m a year.

The report is based on insights from organisations across the energy sector, including Octopus Energy, Vattenfall, Flexitricity and SP Energy Networks.

Andrew Bruce, senior associate director at the Scottish Futures Trust, said: “Scotland’s renewable energy growth is a huge success story, but we now need to make better use of the clean electricity we produce.

“This report shows there is a real opportunity to turn today’s network constraints into economic and social benefits, from lowering costs and reducing waste to supporting businesses and helping households.

“With renewable energy generation continuing to grow, Scotland is well placed to lead the development of a smarter, more flexible energy system that works better for consumers, industry and the wider economy.”

Author of the report, Dr Simon Gill of The Energy Landscape, said: “Even relatively small changes in how and when we use electricity could unlock major benefits for Scotland. By better connecting renewable energy with demand from homes, transport and industry, Scotland can reduce waste, lower costs and create wider economic and social value.”

Commenting on the report, Rachel Fletcher, Group Director of Policy and Regulation at Octopus Energy, said: “Britain is paying wind farms to switch off while firing up gas elsewhere on the system – and customers are footing the bill.

“Almost 10TWh of Scottish wind power was curtailed last year alone – energy that could have been used to heat and power homes and support British industry.

“We need to move fast to introduce regional flexibility markets. These will enable storage and smart demand to soak up cheap renewable power where it’s generated and to fill supply gaps in places with low renewable output.

“Intelligent use of low carbon flexibility will reduce waste, lower costs and reducing our reliance on gas.”

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