By the middle of the century, British summers could be powered entirely by clean energy, without "breaking the energy market", according to a report.
The report aims to answer the burning question, whether the country can manage the ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction target to 80% of 1990 baseline level by 2050.
The analysis used in the report considers a 2050 scenario with a combined total of 130GW of solar, wind and nuclear capacity in Britain. A significant spike from 40GW used today. The predictions set out that power demand will increase by two thirds and the use of cars and household heating will be 80% electrified.
The report focuses mainly on the state of the energy market once Great Britain has committed to a very high input of renewable energy into the grid. Under these predictions, the price of power could drop to nearly zero between April and October due to lower demand and a great share of energy produced by solar and wind installations.
Energy firms would still continue to have a viable business model because for the other half of the year, where there would be increased demand for gas to support the energy production, prices could spike up to £70 per MWh. Higher than the current annual average of £50-60 per MWh.
The report finds that the implementation of a much greater share of clean energy might not mean that the overall energy bill will be lower. The wholesale part of an energy bill would certainly fall, but other components such as backup power payments, renewable subsidies and network costs could increase.
Cedrec's take
Where this prognosis can be a ray of light on the grim predictions that Britain will not be able to transform into clean energy by 2050 and the 80% reduction target is seen to be achievable, there are a few issues with that prediction.
Whereas some could argue whether nuclear energy is "clean", the other issue is the target itself. While 80% carbon emissions reduction is a great step, there are calls for the whole UK to be carbon zero by 2050, as announced in 2016 by the Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom. This was following the Paris Agreement, to amend the target in the Climate Change Act 2008. The new target, if introduced, is based on the implementation of new technologies that have not been invented yet.
Also with the cuts to the subsidies for the renewable energy installations, while allowing conventional energy production as usual and fracking for shale gas to continue, even the 80% target could seem far-fetched for some.
