Electric Vehicle Surge Poised to Test U.K. Grid for Decades

Balancing supply from wind farms in Scotland and houses with solar panels in the southwest with demand from EVs in London and factories in the West Midlands will become even more complex in the future, the grid said.

Power flows will also become “more complex and potentially more volatile,” according to National Grid.

High levels of intermittent and inflexible generation will require new levels of flexibility. EVs that can be used as a way to store power and then send it back to the grid when needed could be a key feature in the future system.

Also in the report:

• Gas continues to provide more energy than electricity by 2050 as it remains the dominant form of heating into the 2030s but use for power generation drops as it’s mainly required as back up for renewables not to run around the clock.
  • “Gas networks and markets will need to adapt to accommodate changing gas flows and reduced annual demand with more pronounced winter peaks.”
• Hydrogen could heat one third of homes by 2050. This would require

coordinated action to develop city and regional hydrogen networks.