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Renewable energy output has increased by 500% – but lack of infrastructure limits growth | Personal Finance | Finance
Renewable energy has developed hugely over the past few years but the sector needs more investment to enhance the UK’s energy security, an analyst has said.
Michael Meakin-Blackwell, business services director at MHA, told Express.co.uk the UK’s renewables capacity has come a long way but more development is needed.
He said: “The lack of development and investment within the transmission infrastructure network is hindering the sector’s potentially exponential growth.
“For example, significant curtailment costs and expenses associated with requesting assets to stop generating are a direct result of the insufficient transmission network.
“This lack of development means there is an urgent need to speed up infrastructure to enhance the UK’s energy security.”
He explained how the UK has increased its renewable energy generation by 500 percent since 2010. Connected battery capacity for the UK at the end of July 2023 was at almost 3GW, or 3.5GWh.
This compares well to the US where in the second quarter of 2023 they had just 12.689GW of installed battery storage capacity, despite being a much larger country.
Wind power in the UK also made up just over a quarter of all electricity generation in 2022.
A report commissioned by the Energy Secretary, published last month, highlighted the need to speed up the creation of electricity transmission infrastructure in Great Britain.
The study recommended speeding up the delivery of these assets from a 14-year period to seven years.
Mr Meakin-Blackwell said: “In order to speed up the process to seven years, there needs to be clear and consistent messaging from the Government on how this can be achieved.
“It is also vital the UK population understands the need for this development and how the interaction with renewable assets actually happens, so the Government can help to assist this.”
He said a key advantage of investing in renewables is it will reduce the UK’s dependence on the wholesale international energy market.
He explained: “By investing in renewables, and reducing our need for fossil fuels, we can become less reliant on the wholesale market, which in turn could lower our energy bills in the future and provide more consistency.
“Increasing our data analytics via smart meter installations, where Ofgem have mandated targets to suppliers, will also help us understand our energy bills more and allow us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel generated electricity.
“However, this is likely to be a longer-term benefit as right now we are continuing to build up our renewable assets and develop our transmission networks.”
He cited another recent report commissioned by Ofgem which found there was a potential £51billion saving for consumers between 2025 and 2040 by switching to a nodal pricing method.
The energy expert said: “In a nodal system, pricing is on a micro, regional level although this would create regional disparities in pricing.
“However, more research could be done into this to ensure that renewable energy is utilised and that consumers get a fair deal.”
He said storage solutions are particularly important for wind and tidal power as they do not produce constant power.
He said: “Tidal power will fluctuate due to movements in high/low tide and wind power generation is dependent on variable wind speeds.
“To make the most out of tidal and wind energy, storage solutions should be developed. The technology behind storage solutions will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the energy captured and ultimately ensure that the power generated by wind and tidal isn’t lost or curtailed.”
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Business
IRGC Vows To ‘Kill’ Netanyahu, Trump Seeks Help To Reopen Strait Of Hormuz While Not Being Keen On Ceasefire
Iran War News Live Updates: Trump Attempt To Open Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump called on allied countries to deploy warships to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and there were no indications on Sunday that the ongoing war would end soon.
“The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday. “The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well.”
The president said military facilities on the Persian Gulf island had been “obliterated,” adding that he chose not to hit oil infrastructure “for reasons of decency.” He threatened to do just that should Iran “do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz.”
upGrad has signed a term sheet to acquire Unacademy in a 100% share swap deal.
“Neither side will disclose the valuation until closing, when the papers are filed and the transaction becomes public,” Unacademy founder Gaurav Munjal tweeted on Sunday.
“I will be staying back as Co-Founder and CEO Unacademy – with the Goal to build Great Online Products for Learners in India and Globally,” Munjal added.
upGrad co-founder Ronnie Screwvala said his firm also agreed to a break fee if the deal is not closed. “If this closes. upGrad’s integrated model with an expanded focus from K12 to forever learning will be on a strong trajectory,” Screwvala added.
“We at upGrad have signed a term sheet to acquire Unacademy in an all-stock deal, with Founder and CEO @gauravmunjal staying on to build Unacademy and focus on what it does best, creating online education products that learners love,” he added.
In January, UpGrad had called off a deal to acquire Unacademy at a valuation of around $290 million, citing valuation concerns and various business-related challenges within the Temasek and SoftBank-backed startup, according to sources.
Sources said that UpGrad changed its mind after realising the business of Unacademy is shrinking and there is fierce competition around the offline centre business of the edtech firm, which will require massive investments.
Unacademy and upGrad have signed a term sheet for upGrad to acquire Unacademy in a 100% share swap deal.
Neither side will disclose the valuation until closing, when the papers are filed and the transaction becomes public.
In the last one year, a lot has happened at Unacademy:…
— Gaurav Munjal (@gauravmunjal) March 15, 2026
This coming together will strengthen upGrad’s integrated model, with Unacademy under your leadership focusing on what it does best, building great online products. Looking forward to closing this. And Yes The Whole is Bigger than the Sum of Parts is our firm belief https://t.co/60WulJCIxV
— Ronnie Screwvala (@RonnieScrewvala) March 15, 2026
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Many areas of the city witnessed light rainfall on Sunday morning, bringing a much-needed respite from the prevailing dry conditions, the IMD said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that 5 mm of rainfall was recorded till 8.30 am.
According to the IMD data, Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded 0.8 mm rainfall each, while Palam received 0.4 mm. Ayanagar recorded 2.6 mm rainfall and Pitampura 3.5 mm, the highest among the stations.
ALSO READ: Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde Responds To Deepika Padukone’s ‘Children Are Choking’ AQI Post
Additionally, Mayur Vihar recorded 1.0 mm rainfall and Janakpuri 0.5 mm, while Ridge reported only a trace of rainfall.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 20.2 degrees Celsius, which is 5.1 notches above the seasonal average, while the maximum temperature is expected to settle around 28 degrees Celsius, the weather office said.
The AQI stood in the ‘moderate’ category at 9 am, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 190, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.
ALSO READ: Delhi Gasps For Air: AQI Over 200 On Nearly Every Other Day, Winter Peaks Hit 466
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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