This report, compiled using data from the UK Government’s Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), looks at how the data collected can help the process of deploying smaller-scale renewable energy projects.
This research aims to inform the set up of renewable energy projects in the UK by examining data on two renewable electricity sources, onshore wind and solar photovoltaics (PV), showing developers where to initiate new projects. The report does this by:
- explaining the two technologies, including their deployment history and future prospects;
- exploring the role of the electricity distribution network and the challenges it presents to renewable electricity projects;
- using data from the REPD to develop grid constraint maps for a number of regions based on the renewables projects that are in the pipeline.
The grid maps show:
- the location of renewable electricity projects at all stages of the planning process;
- the location and capacity of major substations;
- the location of energy storage projects.
A further aspect of our research identifies how a consortium of developers would be able to share data from the REPD, enabling grid connection costs to be shared across a number of queued projects, thereby reducing grid-connection fees significantly for individual small-scale developments.
The report concludes that in order to support renewable electricity developments, comprehensive and high-quality data on the capacity of the network and on planned operational projects will need to be maintained and utilised.
This report is available free of charge. Please provide a few details about yourself and one of the team will email you the full report shortly.
