United Kingdom: Energy Minister Suggests Penalizing Intermittent Renewables

What does Amber Rudd’s speech mean for renewables? (Greenpeace)

"We want intermittent generators to be responsible for pressures they add to system when wind doesn’t blow or sun doesn’t shine”.

U.K. energy secretary, Amber Rudd (Courtesy Nick Ansell/PA)

In a speech by the U.K. energy secretary, Amber Rudd on Wednesday it was indicated that the government is going to penalise intermittent renewables generation for its intermittency. She stated: “we also want intermittent generators to be responsible for pressures they add to system when wind doesn’t blow or sun doesn’t shine”.

It’s not clear yet what that means, but it could be some kind of a charge to renewable power producers to cover the costs of balancing supply.

The CCC said in its recent scenarios report that though “It is possible to ensure security of supply in a decarbonised system with high levels of intermittent and inflexible generation”, there are costs associated with variable output. They estimate this would represent around £10/MWh for both wind and solar for the deployment levels in its 2030 decarbonization scenarios.

Energy experts seem to agree that making renewable generators pay for intermittency would be inefficient and expensive – even though opinion differs on whether renewables or the system as a whole should compensate for intermittency.

The British government also announced plans to shutter all coal-fired power plants in the country by 2025, phasing them out with tighter restrictions two years before that.

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