https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/net-zero-blackouts-bills-national-grid-z88zz3l8v
The report, disclosed to The Times by a whistleblower, revealed the National Energy System Operator (Neso) cannot accurately model the modern power system as the government pursues a drive towards renewable energy sources.
The whistleblower claimed Neso, which is government-owned, was “flying blind” in its ability to correctly forecast supply and demand.
The report found inaccurate forecasts were pushing up costs for consumers and raising the risk that Neso would be unable to keep the network stable to keep the lights on safely.
Cornwall Insight, the energy consultancy, was commissioned by Neso and completed its report weeks before last month’s heatwave, when whistleblowers and experts claim Britain came close to blackouts.
Internal Neso reports show that on June 23 the electricity grid breached five operational safety constraints and system security was compromised.
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Professor Dieter Helm, the Oxford economist and energy expert, said Neso was never “going to be any good at predicting” supply accurately as the growing reliance on intermittent wind and solar meant the grid was “bound to be much more unstable”.
Neso instead needed to put in measures to handle greater variability, he said. “The problem for Neso is it means admitting [renewables are] going to cost a lot more, and that doesn’t fit with the story that it’s all going to be cheaper because we’re going to have renewables.”
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Spain and Portugal suffered a major blackout in April last year, which led to a debate about the countries’ increasing reliance on renewables.
