Industry and businesses should review their power resilience plans following the announcement of new government initiatives to accelerate adoption of emissions-reducing technologies, according to Aggreko.
The Prime Minster this week announced a number of green initiatives designed to hasten the UK’s progress toward the Government’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. These pledges included the expansion of offshore wind power and bringing forward the phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles to 2030, with additional grant support for electric car provision and charge points.
With the UK having already experiencing power disruption due to fluctuating renewable energy provision in recent months, Chris Rason, Managing Director Northern Europe for Aggreko UK, is encouraging businesses to consider their current power contingency plans.
“The country has already made major strides when it comes to improving sustainability, and we support the initiatives proposed by the Prime Minister to accelerate this progress further,” says Chris. “However, as we gravitate toward a net zero future and incorporate more renewables into our national energy mix, we must be vigilant to power fluctuation issues that may arise from this decarbonisation process.
“The National Grid has already warned of disruption in October due to lower wind speeds, and this may become a growing concern as we increase our reliance on greener energy sources. The presence of more electric cars on the road and more charging points may also put the grid under even more strain, further increasing the chance of power fluctuations.”
Taking this into account, Chris is advising companies to consider battery-based energy storage technology as a way of negating such concerns. While previously prohibitively costly for organisations to implement on an industrial scale, progression in the rental space has made it much more accessible as a means of grid support.
“Unplanned disruption, in whatever form it takes, can impact businesses in ways they can ill-afford, especially at a time when the need to do more with less is being felt across industry. Yet the country’s rapid decarbonisation, increasing uptake of renewable energy sources and ageing National Grid has put companies in an unenviable position when it comes to potential power disruption.
“Rather than waiting for the nation’s energy infrastructure to be overhauled and adapted to 21st century demands, we would advise decisionmakers get ahead of the curve and take steps to reduce risk. Implementing battery technology provides an excellent way of doing this.”
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