Tag: renewables

Betting on batteries: addressing intermittent inefficiencies at scale

2 June 2026

Opinion

This article has been republished with permission from ESS News.

As shockwaves from the Iran war continue to ripple through global oil and gas markets, countries across Europe have experienced soaring energy prices. Here in the UK, the average consumer’s power bill price cap has already spiked 18% per year, while businesses are experiencing increases of up to 80%.

At the same time, Spain has been largely insulated from the same supply chain disruptions. Over the last six years, it has invested heavily in renewables – predominantly wind and solar – reducing the influence of fossil generators on its electricity price by 75% since 2019. Many renewables also offer a differentiated source of domestically produced power, which reinforces energy independence and security while hedging against single-source supply chain shocks.

This is yet another proof point that weather-dependent renewables are grid gamechangers, but it’s important to acknowledge that they cannot address all of the challenges we are trying to solve in the UK. We need to keep investing in the wider system.

A high-renewables grid: managing variability with flexibility

Not only do weather-dependent renewables support energy security, but they’re now cost competitive with fossil fuels. However, because intermittent renewables are dependent on external forces like wind and sunshine, they need complementary sources of flexibility to keep supply and demand balanced in real time to address:

  • Oversupply and curtailment. When the sun is shining and the wind is blowing at full force, energy generation sometimes exceeds demand and/or grid capacity limitations. As a result, the UK spends more than £1 billion annually on curtailment, where the government pays generators to reduce or turn off output during these periods.
  • Undersupply and “Dunkelflaute” risk. The weather patterns that hinder wind and solar often offset each other, but sometimes both can falter at the same time. This occurrence – referred to via the German term “Dunkelflaute” – is more likely to occur in the winter, resulting in supply drops right when demand to heat and power homes is at its highest.
  • Day-to-day swings. In a typical day, intermittent renewables have periods of high and low production. At the same time, demand also has high and low periods. These supply low points often correlate with periods of high demand; for example, as solar generation falls away with the sunset, at-home lighting and appliance usage ramps up. This can result in grid strain and higher energy prices during the times when power is needed most but renewables are less available.

The “Duck Curve” is an industry term that refers to the shape created by the peaks and troughs of contrasting energy demand and intermittent renewable energy supply. The chart above visualizes the typical “duck” shape: a high morning peak (the tail), a deep midday dip (the belly) caused by record solar, and a steep evening ramp (the neck) as the sun sets and household demand spikes.

From national security to data security, the UK relies on consistent access to responsible, affordable power. Managing these swings is an integration challenge – not a reason to slow renewables. It’s a reason to accelerate the tools that make a high-renewables grid work to solve inefficiencies and unpredictability that can undermine the system, particularly during times of stress.

Balancing – not compensating for – intermittent volatility

Baseload generation is another key ingredient to stabilise the grid, helping to compensate for these supply swings. While this foundational support has traditionally been supplied through fossil fuels like coal, the UK has moved to more responsible alternatives like natural gas and sustainable biomass to anchor grid fluctuations.

Baseload generation supports grid stability, and weather dependent renewables are also essential but together they still cannot directly address when clean power is produced at the “wrong” time or the “wrong” place. This is where energy storage steps in.

Energy storage, including batteries, pumped hydro, thermal, and chemical solutions, complements intermittent power generation. These technologies can capture excess clean energy when generation is high and deploy it when supply is low, balancing supply and demand and helping flatten the duck curve. Energy storage solutions can extend the benefits of clean power generation and supply, meeting peak demand even when they’re not actively generating power, all while reducing reliance on baseload generation.

The UK plans to double its energy storage by 2030, and Drax is investing in new battery storage projects in the UK accordingly. Building from Drax’s existing long-term hydro storage assets, the company is investing in new projects in the UK to bolster its battery storage portfolio and improve energy security.

Looking to the future, long-duration energy storage (LDES) batteries also have a key role to play. Current economic and market structures favour lithium-ion-based short-term batteries, but it’s only a matter of time until long-term battery technologies become more efficient and affordable, and the rate of adoption is expected to grow exponentially as a result.

Recent geopolitical conflicts have reiterated the importance of a diversified, balanced energy system. Nations that adapt toward a system built on flexible generation and storage – designed to deliver reliability, affordability, and sustainability while insulating against future shocks – will have a clear advantage, both today and in years to come. We believe there is no better time than now to bet on batteries as part of the UK’s evolution to a more flexible energy system.

Why the energy transition demands a new playbook

1 June 2026

Opinion

During the last bank holiday weekend, as Britain basked in the sunshine, the national grid quietly made history. Demand plummeted to an all-time low of just 12.6GW – roughly the average daily demand of the Philippines. This was nearly four times less than we consumed on a cold, dark Thursday evening in January when the nation cranked up the heating and turned on the kettle. 

Seasonal demand swings are nothing new, and for decades have proved a rule that traditional, dispatchable assets like Drax Power Station are the backbone of our energy security. But in this week of warm weather and unprecedented low demand, solar has generated as much as half of the power Britain consumed – an unthinkable achievement ten years ago.  

Intermittent wind and solar, battery storage, electric vehicles and AI are changing our energy system profoundly and in real time. How government, the system operator and companies like Drax manage this change can be measured not in the millions but in the billions of pounds of difference to the British economy every year.  

At Drax our mission has always been to deliver what the country needs. For over sixty years, our assets have provided secure electricity to millions of the UK’s households and businesses. When climate change became a national imperative, we did what many thought impossible and transformed Western Europe’s largest coal fired power station into Britain’s largest single source of renewable electricity. Today, we are once more investing to deliver in the national interest. 

Our recommended offer for Bluefield Solar Income Fund is a key moment for our business and its next phase. This would be the largest deal in our history, and with BESS and OCGT development sites included, our renewable generation business and flexible generation assets combined will have a larger power capacity of over 3GW than Drax Power Station’s 2.6GW for the first time.

Potentially adding around 900MW of solar and wind with another 2.9GW pipeline of development, including JVs, into the Drax portfolio could mean we are able to keep the lights on whether it is a baking hot bank holiday or a damp and dreary January. And critically the cost of power generated by solar and wind is not impacted by the ongoing situation in the Strait of Hormuz. 

We’re building a diverse portfolio of hydro, batteries, gas, and now potentially wind and solar alongside a trading capability that will enable us to help deliver the UK’s energy security efficiently and affordably. We’re proud to have been at the heart of Britain’s energy system for sixty years, and we’re investing in and evolving our business now to ensure we continue to deliver what the country needs for decades to come. 

Please find the full announcement of the recommended acquisition of BSIF through the following link: https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/drax_group/news/rns/story/r7kk2zw

From boardrooms to classrooms: why energy efficiency matters now more than ever

28 April 2026

Opinion

The debate about Britain’s energy future is often framed in terms of large-scale infrastructure and national policy. But some of the most immediate and meaningful progress happens much closer to home, namely on rooftops, in classrooms, and inside the buildings we use every day. 

That is why energy efficiency is not a “nice to have”. It is one of the fastest, fairest and most cost‑effective ways to lower bills, cut carbon emissions and strengthen energy resilience, particularly for schools and households under financial pressure. 

Our Scotland Community Manager with Head Teacher and pupils from Taynuilt Primary School

Over recent years, Drax has focused on turning that principle into action. Through the Drax Foundation, we invested over £1.2 million in programmes that improve energy efficiency and tackle fuel poverty in the communities where we operate last year. In 2025 alone, 22 schools benefited from new LED lighting and or solar installations, cutting electricity bills by an average of over 60%, while also reducing emissions and improving energy literacy among pupils. Over the same period, more than 1,000 households experiencing fuel poverty received direct financial and practical support to help keep the lights on and homes warm. 

These are not abstract benefits. For schools, lower energy bills free up scarce budgets to reinvest in teaching, facilities and student support. For families facing fuel poverty, energy efficiency can be the difference between persistent crisis and long‑term stability. 

This local impact matters even more in the context of the UK Government’s renewed emphasis on rooftop solar for public buildings. The recent announcement by Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security & Net Zero, to extend solar installations to a further 100 schools and colleges recognises something we see first‑hand. Energy efficiency and on‑site renewables deliver immediate savings and long‑term resilience. 

Drax’s work with schools over the past three years reflects that same logic. By pairing physical improvements such as solar panels and efficient lighting with education and data‑led energy management tools, schools are empowered not only to cut costs today, but to embed long‑term energy‑smart behaviours across their communities. 

Importantly, this commitment starts at home. In February 2025, Drax Group approved an £850,000 investment to install solar panels across our Lanark and Galloway hydro sites –  once complete, these installations are expected to generate around 480MWh of renewable electricity. The primary aim is to displace our demand for electricity drawn from the grid, with any additional power to be given back to the grid. The project is expected to reduce annual Scope 2 emissions across eight hydro facilities by around 500 tonnes of CO₂e and support the displacement of fossil‑based generation within the national grid. 

Delivering this project has required exceptional care and collaboration, from navigating grid connection processes to sensitively installing panels on historic buildings. It highlights both the practical challenges and the long‑term value of investing in energy efficiency and on‑site renewables. Beyond the emissions savings, the project also demonstrates the strong complementarity of hydro and solar power, which generate at different times and together help strengthen system resilience. 

As pressure on public finances, households and energy systems continues to grow, the lesson is clear. Some of the most impactful climate and affordability solutions are already available. Energy efficiency is fast, proven and scalable and, when combined with targeted solar investment, it delivers benefits that communities can feel almost immediately. 

The transition to a lower‑carbon, lower‑cost energy system will not be achieved by a single policy or technology alone. But by focusing on practical action in schools, in communities, and in our own operations, we can make progress that is both measurable and meaningful.