Renewable energy will be part of the energy mix for the UK since the government and all political parties have committed themselves to the Kyoto agreement. Renewable energy is from diverse sources and can be captured at a variety of scales - micro to multi-megawatt. Large renewable energy farms could connect to the National Grid; however, most generation schemes will connect at lower voltage levels. The UK best renewable energy resources tend not to be co-located with load, so this will require new distribution and transmission networks. Renewable energy technology has some technical differences to conventional generation, and the volume and cost of connections necessary to achieve the government's targets for renewable generation are driving innovation into electricity networks. A spin-off effect is to evolve the electricity network into a more costeffective, actively managed system with lower capital costs and higher utilisation rates, without compromising safety or reliability.
The implications of renewable energy on grid networks, Page 1 of 2
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