There’s theory and then there’s reality. In theory, renewable energy could meet all of humanity’s needs for electricity. In reality, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle that have to fit together before that can happen. First there’s generation, then there’s distribution, and finally comes storage. Making them work together reliably and at the lowest possible cost is a daunting task. In the UK, the Orkney Islands, located off the northern tip of Scotland, are being used as a laboratory to learn how to make all the components of a fully renewable energy network function together in harmony. Funded by a £28.5 million grant from UK Research and Innovation, the Responsive Flexibility (ReFLEX) and Virtual Energy System (VES) programs will link local renewable energy generation with transportation and heating networks on the islands. Claire Perry, energy and clean growth minister for the UK, tells Forbes, “What we are seeing here on Orkney is a test bed for the energy system of the future. These smart systems are a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy and will provide cheaper, greener and more flexible access to energy for everyone. What we learn from these innovations could one day be rolled out across the UK and exported around the world and we’ll be able to say it was ‘Made in Orkney’.”
Clean Energy 16th April 2019 read more »
