British power generation and energy storage system

Can the UK achieve a clean power system in 2030?

The UK’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) says achieving a clean power system in 2030 will require installed clean energy generation and storage capacity of around 210GW to 220GW, with around half coming from wind and solar. But the UK grid currently lacks the capacity to accommodate a massive renewables energy push.

How big is battery energy storage in the UK?

Currently in the UK, there is 1.6 GW of operational battery storage capacity mostly with 1-hour discharge duration, i.e. 1:1 ratio of energy to power, GWh to GW. The maximum installed volume of PHS is 25.8 GWh with 2.74 GW of capacity, a much higher ratio. In recent years, there has been a surge in the pipeline of battery energy storage projects.

What does energy security mean to Britain?

That is what energy security means to this government, and that is what this Clean Power Action Plan delivers. Clean Power means that by 2030, Great Britain will generate enough clean power to meet our total annual electricity demand, backed up by unabated gas supply to be used only when essential.

What is great British Energy's 'Local Power Plan'?

Today (21 March 2025) the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has announced around £180 million of funding from Great British Energy, aimed at powering community clean energy projects across the UK. This is the first major investment under Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan, which is set to deliver clean energy projects nationwide.

How much battery storage is needed in Great Britain?

Currently, there is 4.5 GW of battery storage capacity in Great Britain [footnote 96], the majority of which is grid-scale. Based on NESO and DESNZ battery storage growth scenarios for 2030, we expect 23-27 GW of battery storage to be needed by 2030 to support clean power, a very significant level of increase.

Will a clean power system make Great Britain a net exporter?

We expect delivering a clean power system with these characteristics will make Great Britain a net exporter of electricity and will reduce the carbon intensity of electricity generation from 171gCO 2 e/ kWh in 2023 [footnote 13] to well below 50gCO 2 e/ kWh in 2030, well within the Climate Change Committee’s Carbon Budget 6 advice [footnote 14].