The UK has made great progress in ramping up renewable electricity generation over the past decade. Driven by strong policy tools – such as the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme – we are now a global leader in offshore wind build and have rapidly scaled up the deployment of other technologies such as solar.

However, to meet our goals of having a net zero electricity system by 2035 to power a new zero economy by 2050, we face the pressing challenge of effectively integrating renewable power into the grid. To make good use of these intermittent sources of power, we need new sources of system flexibility – such as storage and demand side response. Greater flexibility across the power system is crucial for using our low carbon energy assets efficiently and for reducing costs.