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An electricity market is a system that enables the exchange of electrical energy, through an electrical grid. Historically, electricity has been primarily sold by companies that operate electric generators, and purchased by consumers or electricity retailers.
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The National Grid is the high-voltage electric power transmission network serving Great Britain, connecting power stations and major substations, and ensuring that electricity generated anywhere on the grid can be used to satisfy demand elsewhere. The network serves the majority of Great Britain and some of the surrounding islands. It does not cover Northern Ireland, which is part of the Irish single electricity market.
The base load is the minimum level of demand on an electrical grid over a span of time, for example, one week. This demand can be met by unvarying power plants or dispatchable generation, depending on which approach has the best mix of cost, availability and reliability in any particular market. The remainder of demand, varying throughout a day, is met by intermittent sources together with dispatchable generation or energy storage.
The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), supporting the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, is the government regulator for the electricity and downstream natural gas markets in Great Britain. It was formed by the merger of the Office of Electricity Regulation (OFFER) and Office of Gas Supply (Ofgas).
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Hartlepool nuclear power station is a nuclear power station situated on the northern bank of the mouth of the River Tees, 2.5 mi south of Hartlepool in County Durham, North East England. The station has a net electrical output of 1,185 megawatts, which is 2% of Great Britain's peak electricity demand of 60 GW. Electricity is produced through the use of two advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR). Hartlepool was only the third nuclear power station in the United Kingdom to use AGR technology. It was also the first nuclear power station to be built close to a major urban area.
Energy in the United Kingdom came mostly from fossil fuels in 2021. Total energy consumption in the United Kingdom was 142.0 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2019. In 2014, the UK had an energy consumption per capita of 2.78 tonnes of oil equivalent compared to a world average of 1.92 tonnes of oil equivalent. Demand for electricity in 2023 was 29.6 GW on average, supplied through 235 TWh of UK-based generation and 24 TWh of energy imports.
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The National Grid covers most of mainland Great Britain and several of the surrounding islands, and there are interconnectors to Northern Ireland and to other European countries. Power is supplied to consumers at 230 volts AC with a frequency of 50 Hz. In 2023 about a third of electricity used in Britain was generated from fossil gas and two-thirds was low-carbon power. Wind generates the most low-carbon power, followed by nuclear some of which is imported from France. The government is aiming for greenhouse gas emissions from electricity in Britain to be net zero by 2035.
Variable renewable energy (VRE) or intermittent renewable energy sources (IRES) are renewable energy sources that are not dispatchable due to their fluctuating nature, such as wind power and solar power, as opposed to controllable renewable energy sources, such as dammed hydroelectricity or bioenergy, or relatively constant sources, such as geothermal power.
Catherine Isabel McClay is the Head of Futures at the National Grid. She is focussed on the energy transition and decarbonisation. She was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2019 and appointed Order of the British Empire in 2021.
The Energy Act 2023 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
References
- ↑ "New publicly owned National Energy System Operator to pave the way to a clean energy future". GOV.UK. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ↑ "ESO announces the name of the forthcoming Future System Operator". www.nationalgrideso.com. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- 1 2 Ambrose, Jillian (2024-09-13). "UK government to buy electricity system operator from National Grid for £630m". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ↑ "Energy Act 2023, Part Five". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ↑ "Becoming the National Energy System Operator (NESO) | ESO". www.nationalgrideso.com. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ↑ "Decision notice to establish National Energy System Operator (NESO)". Ofgem. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
