Networks accused of ‘gold plating’ grid connections

The grid connection regime is “gold plated” and designed for the last decade, the chief executive of Solar Energy UK has told MPs.

Giving evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into solar generation on Wednesday (11 January), Chris Hewett described the network’s existing design as “not fit for purpose”.

Bids by solar developers for connections are being given safety assessments by network providers on the basis that generation and any linked batteries would be exporting electricity at maximum capacity simultaneously.

This scenario, which can increase the amount of grid reinforcement required, “will never happen in the real world”, he said.

“They’re really over-designing, gold plating what is required for those connection arrangements, which are designed for fossil fuels where you can turn the tap on and off.”

Hewett also said Ofgem’s rules governing network investment must be rewritten because they are similarly designed for the “world of ten to five years ago” when network costs were a much bigger component of overall bills.

Rewriting these rules would spur development of cheap and rapidly deployable solar generation he said, adding: “When renewables were more expensive than gas it made absolute sense for Ofgem to bear down on investment in the grid because that would reduce bills. We now know that’s flipped on its head and renewables are cheaper than gas, so it’s in consumers’ and taxpayers’ interest that we invest in the grid to get renewables on the system as soon as we can because that’s the cheapest power and will bring everyone’s bills down.

“The fact we are keeping more expensive generation on the grid for an artificially long time is keeping people’s bills up. The faster we can invest in the grid, the faster we can get renewables on the grid and drive gas off.

“Let’s design the system for future technologies and not the ones being retired.”

Hewett also said there is a case for the recently established UK Infrastructure Bank, as a “short term step” that can be taken in the next six months, to invest in grid infrastructure

“This is now critical infrastructure and is really starting to slow down economic growth.”

And he called for solar farms to be developed in areas such as the East Midlands to capitalise on grid capacity built to serve coal-fired power that are currently being retired.

“It is inefficient not to use that grid capacity, which happens to be next to flat land so is an ideal place for solar and energy storage.

“We will need to utilise those transmission connections that are becoming vacant because fossil fuel power stations are being retired.”

Professor Alastair Buckley, professor of organic electronics at University of Sheffield, suggested at the same meeting that regional targets were needed for solar farm grid connections in order to help incentivise network operators to speed up decision making on such projects.