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Can renewable energy sources power the world?
Can renewable energy sources power the world?

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2 Balancing renewable supply and demand

There are plenty of problems, as well as solutions, involved in a future of balancing energy supply and demand with increasing amounts of renewables.

Watch the following video, in which the need for flexibility in demand, storage and backup supplies from conventional power stations are discussed. It also describes the very large magnitude of renewable resources and the desirability of grid links to other European countries and perhaps North Africa, in the DESERTEC proposals.

The existing grid links in Northern Europe are shown, together with the plans to expand these greatly by 2030 – including a proposed ‘offshore supergrid’ with nodes in the North Sea, the Baltic and Bay of Biscay.

The UK Government’s offshore grid initiative is also discussed. Creating an offshore grid would be a challenge, but one that is achievable, depending on the time scale.

Download this video clip.Video player: track_03_renewable_energy_and_the_uk_the_challenges_of_balancing_renewable_supply_and_demand.mp4
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What are the various energy supply pathways that UK could follow to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050? You’ll move on to that next.