I wasn't aware of this but seems it takes years for all these solar and wind farms we are building to get plugged into the national grid just wondered if anyone can shed anymore light on the matter with opinions good and bad.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/sci...
Regards
Andy
I think the position is much improved now.
AFAIK the very long dates that were being quoted in 2023 were peak silly - loads of projects requesting connections, a clunky first in first out queue for grid connection allocation, with that queue full of projects nowhere near completion (or even starting build), and probably a primitive method of guessing how long each connection would take (based on a set of worst case calculations). Result being that new projects were being given possible connection dates at the very end of a long queue that was full of junk.
NG have been given permission to kick junk projects out of the queue, and connect new projects early on 'restricted' connections (which in reality are likely to work just fine!), which means it is much quicker these days.
One thing is for sure, National Grid (LON:NG.) have a decent pipeline of work coming.
The crazy thing is, you can install upto 1MW of solar on a factory roof (couple thousand panels) and you don't need planning permission. However, if you install more than 9m2 of ground mounted solar panels (about 4 panels) then you need planning permission.
Also, if you install more than 3.68kW of solar per phase then you need permission from your DNO (Distributed Network Operator) which takes time whilst it checks that the power cables from the premises back to the substation can handle the power. Sometimes cable upgrades and transformer upgrades are required.
David.
I recently heard Greg Jackson of Octopus state that they wanted to build a new solar farm somewhere in the north-west, it was all permissioned and ready for the work to start on it, but they wouldn't be able to get it connected to the grid until 2037.
Stuff like that is crazy bearing in mind the fact the powers that be want to push forward with mandated electic car sales.
A lot of materials are going to be required in order to build such a solar farm of course.
More over all of these materials require oil, natural gas or coal in their production processes...
Maybe this is why Ed Miliband has spent £630m acquiring the National Grid’s electricity system operations unit?
Held National Grid (LON:NG.) for years and would have carried on holding it for a long time but sold it due to political risk which has proved to be the right decision Miliband and his meddling has only just started and he dose not inspire any confidence in me whatsoever in short “he hasn’t got a scooby doo”
