News

The UK is well and truly in the midst of a green energy revolution. In 2024, for the first time ever, more than half of the nation's electricity came from renewable sources – a truly monumental achievement! As we look towards a net-zero future, the industry is buzzing with innovation and expansion. Here are five key trends shaping the UK's renewable energy landscape right now:

Offshore Wind: The Dominant Force Continues to Surge

Offshore wind has long been the powerhouse of the UK's renewable sector, and its dominance shows no signs of waning. With vast stretches of coastline and strong winds, the UK is perfectly positioned to harness this clean energy source.

We're seeing continued investment in massive projects like the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, set to become the world's largest, and the progression of floating offshore wind technology in the Celtic Sea, unlocking even more potential in deeper waters. The focus isn't just on new developments, but also on expanding the capacity of existing wind farms and bolstering the UK's supply chain and port infrastructure to support this growth.

Solar's Shining Moment: From Rooftops to Large-Scale Farms

Solar power is experiencing a significant surge across the UK, driven by decreasing costs, technological advancements, and supportive government policies. From residential rooftops to sprawling solar farms, installations are breaking records. The integration of battery storage with solar is a game-changer, addressing the intermittency challenge and ensuring a more consistent power supply.

Government incentives like the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme and the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) are encouraging further adoption, making solar an increasingly attractive and viable option for homes and businesses.

The Rise of Energy Storage: Taming Intermittency

As renewable energy sources like wind and solar become more prevalent, the need for robust energy storage solutions is paramount. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are leading the charge, providing the flexibility and resilience needed to balance the grid and ensure a stable power supply, even when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing.

The UK's pipeline for battery storage projects is immense, with a significant amount of capacity either operational, under construction, or in various stages of development. Beyond batteries, there's also growing interest in other storage technologies like hydrogen, pumped hydro, and thermal storage, all playing a role in creating a more flexible and reliable energy system.

Hydrogen's Horizon: Decarbonising Hard-to-Abate Sectors

Hydrogen is emerging as a crucial component in the UK's decarbonisation strategy, particularly for "hard-to-abate" sectors like heavy industry, transport, and heating. The government is actively supporting numerous low-carbon hydrogen production projects through initiatives like the Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2).

These projects aim to use renewable energy (green hydrogen) to split water, creating a zero-carbon fuel that can power everything from distilleries to sustainable aviation fuel production. This burgeoning sector is set to attract significant private investment and create thousands of jobs, establishing clean energy hubs across the country.

Smart Grids and Grid Modernisation: The Digital Backbone

The increasing complexity of integrating diverse renewable energy sources necessitates a smarter, more resilient electricity grid. The UK is investing heavily in smart grid initiatives that enable real-time monitoring, AI-driven decision-making, and enhanced two-way communication between producers and consumers.

These advancements optimise energy flow, reduce losses, and improve reliability. The government is also prioritising grid connections for clean energy projects, aiming to cut through red tape and fast-track investments.

This modernisation is crucial for accommodating the influx of renewable power, supporting new technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps, and ultimately driving down bills for consumers.

Connecting the Dots: How Two-Way Radio Systems Power the Future

These five trends, while distinct, are deeply interconnected, forming a complex and dynamic ecosystem. And at the heart of successfully managing and expanding this intricate web of renewable energy infrastructure lies effective communication. This is where modern two-way radio systems can play an absolutely vital role, ensuring a bright future for the industry:

Offshore Wind Operations: Imagine a colossal offshore wind farm, miles out at sea. Teams are working on turbines, substations, and vessels. Mobile phone signal can be patchy at best, and satellite communication can be costly and delayed. Two-way radios provide instant, reliable, and secure communication across vast distances, even in the harshest weather conditions.

Features like group calls allow swift coordination during maintenance, emergency alerts, or routine operations, significantly enhancing safety and efficiency.

Solar Farm Management: Large-scale solar farms span considerable areas. Whether it's troubleshooting an inverter, coordinating panel cleaning, or responding to a fault, instant communication is crucial.

Two-way radios allow maintenance teams to stay in constant contact, enabling rapid deployment of resources and quicker resolution of issues, minimising downtime and maximising energy generation. Their robust and durable design makes them ideal for outdoor environments.

Energy Storage Site Operations: Battery storage facilities are critical for grid stability. During peak demand or unforeseen fluctuations, quick decisions and coordinated actions are vital. Two-way radios provide direct communication channels for operators, engineers, and response teams, ensuring immediate awareness and action. Features like GPS tracking can help locate personnel quickly in an emergency, improving overall safety.

Hydrogen Production Facilities: Building and operating hydrogen production plants involves complex processes and potentially hazardous environments. Clear, immediate communication is paramount for safety protocols, process control, and emergency response.

Two-way radios, especially those with ATEX ratings for hazardous environments, offer a secure and dependable communication solution, ensuring personnel can communicate effectively even when mobile networks are unavailable or unreliable.

Smart Grid Infrastructure Development: As the grid becomes smarter, the physical infrastructure still requires human intervention for installation, maintenance, and upgrades. Engineers and technicians working on substations, cabling, and new connection points need consistent communication.

Two-way radios facilitate seamless coordination between field teams and control centres, aiding in diagnostics, troubleshooting, and ensuring the smooth integration of new renewable assets into the smart grid. Their long-range capabilities are invaluable in dispersed network environments.

In essence, two-way radio systems are not just about talking; they are about enabling instant, reliable, and secure collaboration across challenging environments. They boost safety with features like lone worker and man-down alarms, enhance operational efficiency through rapid communication and coordination, and provide uninterrupted connectivity where other systems might fail.

For a UK renewable energy sector that is expanding rapidly and tackling ever more complex challenges, two-way radios are an indispensable tool for building a truly bright and sustainable future.

Contact Eemits today about two-way radio solutions

We partner with leaders in renewable energy across the UK to deliver improvements in worker safety, productivity, and efficiency. And we do this through the recommendation, installation, and project management of two-way communication systems.

If you'd like to hear more about this, you can contact us online, or call us on 0800 328 0100 between 8:30am and 5:15pm Monday to Friday.