For almost 90 years the UK’s electricity grid has served us well. So well, in fact, that it is easy to take for granted. We put the kettle on and know it will boil. Flick a switch and lo, there is light. But with the shift from fossil fuels to cleaner energy, the grid, which we rely on so much in our day-to-day lives, is in need of an upgrade.
That’s because it was originally engineered to connect coal and gas-fired power stations that were built on the coal seams running down the centre of the country. But our reliance on fossil fuels is being replaced by renewable sources of energy, which are generated in large part by offshore windfarms, as well as solar. So significant new infrastructure is needed to connect that renewable energy from where it’s generated to where it’s needed by homes and businesses right across the country.
