Proposals to cut UK's energy bills with 'community batteries'
The plans come as peaks in demand are anticipated with the largest-ever football World Cup kicking off this week.
Community batteries would allow multiple homes to access stored, locally generated, renewable energy – for example by capturing excess solar power during the day and using it later – meaning households can make better use of clean, cheap energy and cut bills.
The UK Government has launched a call for evidence to explore how these community batteries can be rolled out at to support working people, including renters or those living in flats.
This call for evidence, which closes on 30 July, seeks to gather information on the community batteries landscape, the opportunities and benefits, the barriers to delivery and how safety can be ensured. It also publicises UK and international community battery case studies and solicits further examples.
The news comes as energy analysts at the Electricity National Control Centre forecast soaring energy demand with football fans across Great Britain gearing up to cheer on England and Scotland in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Analysts anticipate that each of Scotland and England's group games could see a national electricity pickup of around 600 MW - the equivalent of the total electricity demand for the cities of Glasgow and Leeds, combined.
As the largest World Cup ever staged - with an extra 40 games compared to any previous tournament- there could be as much as 60% more electricity demand across the tournament. That means 18GW more electricity used across the 39 days compared to Qatar 2022.
Demand often rises at both half and full-time, as people head to the kitchen to open the fridge or put the kettle on. Technologies such as batteries and pumped hydro storage help keep the system balanced.
Around 40-50% of the electricity used is expected to come from renewables. And thanks to more efficient TVs and devices, around 20% less electricity is estimated to be used to watch matches than in 1998, when Scotland last played in a World Cup - even though the population has grown by 11 million over the last 50 years.
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