Regen has worked with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and Environmental Project Support on this SIF Discovery phase project looking at non-network solutions to the barriers facing renewable energy generation on the Isle of Wight.
The Isle of Wight has a significant resource for renewable energy generation and has made good progress in deploying assets, currently dominated by solar power generation. However, there is a limit to how much of this renewable electricity can be connected to the network due to the available capacity of the cables that connect the Isle of Wight to the mainland.
The island’s electricity network has been constrained on generation for 10 years, making it difficult for new generators to connect on a non-curtailable basis. In 2022 Regen was commissioned to undertake a review of planned and aspirational growth of electricity demand, generation and storage across the Isle of Wight. There was consensus that the Isle of Wight is a good place to develop renewables and that grid constraints are preventing strong projects in a supportive local authority area from coming forward.
With support from the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), the Discovery phase of Project UN:LOCK reveals there is potential for smart solutions to create network capacity and enable new renewable generation to connect on the Isle of Wight.
The project team researched six non-network solutions and narrowed them down to three, which they hope to take forward to the Alpha stage for further development. These include a ‘demand turn up’ flexibility service and a local smart tariff.
The team also developed an assessment tool that can help others quickly identify solutions to generation constraints in other locations across Great Britain so that renewables can get connected faster. You can read the supporting documentation for this tool here.
To discuss this area of our work, reach out to Tamar Bourne, Regen’s head of innovation.