UK and rewenable energy: record production but network problems

2020 was a record year for renewable energy in the UK. Infact, for the first time renewable energies have overtaken coal and natural gas. However, a study by Imperial College London for the British electricity company Drax Group says that renewable energy still has to be coupled with other sources, because storage and distribution systems aren't yet mature.
Wind power produced a quarter of the UK's electricity last year. However, the increase in output has led to an expense of over 250 million pounds (about 289 euros) for the costs of «removal» of excess energy to balance the network.

Iain Staffell, a teacher at Imperial College London and an energy expert, said: «The next steps we need to take towards a zero-emission energy system will be more challenging. Eliminating the latest fossil fuels will require us to go beyond the mere availability of more wind and solar energy».

Without storage systems, there would be an unstable production of energy, also due to the weather conditions.

According to National Grid, an electric operator in the UK, the winter months could be the most problematic. In fact, they are those in which the energy demand is highest, and also those in which wind and solar production is usually lower. Also in this case, there could be increases in costs for consumers, since the energy systems will have to be paid by the network operator to stop production.