Ed Miliband’s solar power dream could overwhelm UK grid in months | UK | News

Britain could be plagued by blackouts, power station switch-offs, and even paying households to use more power if the energy grid becomes overwhelmed by solar power this summer. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) said it would be forced to use “more tools, more often” to keep power networks stable when sunny weather caused surges in energy generation.

This includes paying households and factories to consume more power for the first time, as well as potentially issuing orders to switch off large power stations. This warning comes as Rachel Reeves travelled to Washington, where she will urge a gathering of world leaders to “follow her plan” to combat the energy crisis caused by the Iran war. At the International Monetary Fund (IMF) summit, the Chancellor is set to call for countries to embrace net zero, and pledge to “do all in her power to keep costs down for the British public”.

With Donald Trump threatening on Monday (April 13) to blockade Iranian vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, oil traders have warned that crude prices could hit $150 (£111) per barrel – up from the current $100 (£74) and well above the $66 (£49).

In its summer outlook, NESO said there were no concerns about the security of electricity supplies this summer. However, it warned that excesses of solar power and “low demand” periods were making the grid more difficult to manage as Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, rolls out new wind and solar farms in his bid to hit net zero, The Telegraph reported.

As the UK’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Mr Miliband is leading an aggressive expansion of wind and solar farms to make Britain a “clean energy superpower” by 2030. His strategy involves overriding local planning objections, fast-tracking large-scale projects and utilising Government contracts to guarantee prices for renewable energy developers. He has backed projects including the Imerys Wind Farm in Cornwall and the 800-megawatt Springwell Solar Farm in Lincolnshire.

Grid instability occurs when energy demand is low, but renewables generate large amounts of power. If not properly counter-balanced, this can cause blackouts. However, many onshore solar and wind farms are not directly connected to the main transmission system and cannot be managed by NESO, which monitors electricity demand in real time and constantly balances it with supply to keep the grid at the correct frequency and voltage.

NESO said there was a 75% chance that national demand would plunge to a record low during the late May Bank Holiday weekend, as households were less likely to be at home. The previous record of 12.8 gigawatts was set last May, but this year, grid chiefs expect it could drop as low as 11 gigawatts. By comparison, passive generation from wind and solar farms could be around 18-19 gigawatts.

One expert warned it had echoes of the mass blackouts across the Iberian Peninsula in April last year, when a chain reaction involving solar farms knocked out power across mainland Portugal and peninsular Spain for around 10 hours. Kayte O’Neill, Neso’s operating chief, said grid bosses were “confident we have the right tools to enable the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the system”, including a newly expanded demand flexibility service that will pay people to use surplus power.

A Government spokesman said: “The independent system operators have confirmed a positive outlook for the UK’s energy supply, with both electricity and gas expected to comfortably meet demand this summer thanks to our diverse and resilient energy system.

“As the conflict in the Middle East shows, the best way to increase energy security long-term is by accelerating to clean homegrown power that we control, including renewables and nuclear.”