GB grid ‘can address major power constraints’ - expert

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to announce a new government body to invest in Britain's electricity grid at today’s (29 September) Labour conference.

‘Great British Grid’ will be unveiled as a publicly owned company. 

Professor Jacopo Torriti, an expert in energy systems at the University of Reading, assesses how the new body may impact Britain’s power supply and demand. 

For interviews, contact the University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk. 

Professor Torriti said: "The Prime Minister's proposal to introduce GB Grid can address the problems associated with connection queues. Inadequate power connections have become a major constraint on grid and network development, holding up new power plants, as well as projects that change how and when we use electricity, both of which are vital for moving to clean energy.

"Expanding network capacity is essential, but flexibility remains equally important. A larger grid needs smarter balancing of demand and supply. The UK has already made good progress on this, with the energy regulator, the government and the national grid operator bringing in new rules that make it easier to match supply and demand.

"The next step is to make more of new ideas such as Demand Turn Up, which pays households and businesses to use more electricity when there is plenty of wind and solar power. This makes better use of cheap, clean energy that might otherwise be wasted, and helps keep costs down for everyone."