The connections challenge: how are we connecting more clean energy to the grid?

Connecting more clean energy projects to the electricity grid is one of the most critical issues in driving the clean energy transition. Legacy ‘first come first served’ approaches, along with a rapid growth in the number of projects looking to connect, have led to stalled, or "zombie" projects waiting in the queue to be connected - so what’s being done to resolve this?  

Across the world, it's estimated we'll need 11,000 gigawatts by 2030 to triple renewable energy capacity. In the UK, electricity capacity may need to double by 2030 to achieve net zero goals, and in the US, renewable electricity deployment needs to significantly ramp up to achieve a zero-carbon energy supply.  

To discuss the rise in connection applications and the plans to accommodate them, Laura speaks to Ruth Shaw, Customer and Stakeholder Experience Manager in Electricity Transmission at National Grid. Together they look at groundbreaking projects like Dogger Bank – the world’s largest offshore wind farm – and how these projects are providing the blueprint for a streamlined connections process.  

On the other side of the Atlantic, Carolyn is joined by Sandy Grace, Vice President of US Policy and Regulatory Strategy for National Grid, to uncover how the US is tackling similar challenges. Innovative solutions like bi-directional flows and vehicle-to-grid technology are poised to revolutionize the grid. Sandy explains how they work, and analyses the need for regulatory reforms to speed up connections to the grid. 

Find out more about the upgrades to the grid happening in the UK and US at https://www.nationalgrid.com/the-great-grid-upgrade and https://upstateupgrade.nationalgrid.com/