Post - Blog
Grid stability is a challenge, but the UK is ahead of the curve
- a day ago (2026-10-06)
- Junior Isles
By Tony O’Carroll, CEO at Conrad Energy
Mediterranean Offshore Conference and Exhibition 2026
From the impact of the solar eclipse on renewable supply, to the surges in power triggered by mass World Cup audiences, the issue of grid stability has been firmly under the spotlight in recent times.
These moments have been important reminders of the challenges amid power demand fluctuations and increasing renewable integration – and indeed, there is still much progress to be made. The UK has made a strong start with its infrastructure strategy to face these challenges. It is crucial to build on this momentum and increase the speed of delivery of these projects, especially future grid stability programmes.
The importance of inertia
Grid equipment needs to be highly sensitive to different conditions to keep the network running successfully. But this also makes it vulnerable to sudden changes of frequency, which can significantly damage the infrastructure and lead to temporary losses of power.
Inertia has to date been key to mitigating this risk – a byproduct from spinning gas, coal, or nuclear-powered turbines. Inertia acts as a de facto shock absorber for sudden drops in frequency. For instance, if there is a fault with a power source somewhere on the grid, inertia has typically been naturally “on hand” to absorb this as an emergency circuit breaker, as a function of these large spinning turbines. It is a vital risk management system and has been contributing heavily to a stable energy system.
Now, the demand for inertia and baseload power is increasing, just as the supply from these sources is actually dropping. These traditional energy sources are being more and more replaced by renewables. However, neither solar nor wind power produces a substantial amount of inertia; and at the same time the intermittency of these renewables means the stream of power through the grid is no longer as predictable as we have been used to.
During the eclipse, for instance, NESO had to pay £6.2m for extra power . In this instance we knew the eclipse was coming and could plan sufficiently far ahead, but typically wind and sun-powered generation can spike or plummet with little advance notice. Wind speed in particular is notoriously hard to forecast even a few days ahead, and certainly not a month or more in advance.
The success of the energy transition will therefore not just rely on the scale of renewable generation and generators – but how reliably and efficiently we can harness the energy supplied in the long term, distribute it across the UK, and maintain the levels of stability we have been used to.
The UK is ahead of the curve
Renewables now generate over half of the UK’s electricity . But despite their less predictable nature, the UK is building infrastructure which means that the risk of blackouts and brownouts – can still be largely kept at bay.
Synchronous condensers are at the heart of these solutions. These provide kinetic energy in the form of rotating mass, which offers an automatic and virtually instantaneous response to sudden frequency fluctuations. They are an electromagnetically coupled rotating machine if a fault occurs, they maintain stability throughout the network.
These systems can also be bolstered by synthetic inertia, or reactive power, via other battery-based clean stability solutions. For example, grid-forming battery inverters can boost system stability in real time, whilst Battery Energy Storage Systems can store and then release energy virtually instantaneously.
With the UK’s current infrastructure and energy strategies which underline an ongoing focus on our energy capability, and NESO’s procurement programmes for stability solutions (including inertia), our grid infrastructure is evolving and innovating. NESO deserves credit for pushing the grid stability programmes we have in the UK to date.
Maintaining momentum and staying ahead
We must not rest on our laurels. Much greater amounts of stability are planned for in the UK grid and need to be delivered as the share of renewables grows dramatically. Planned projects in the pipeline need to be delivered to time, without delays. And these delays typically come from other grid works, for example with connections, sub-stations, or simply the availability of engineering work and the queue that results.
What’s exciting, is that this case for championing grid infrastructure delivers several fundamental benefits. First and foremost, it supports efforts to secure crucial nationwide energy supply. Secondly, intensifying climate imperatives also demand an expansion of our renewable potential within the grid and a continued push to decarbonise the network. Added to these factors, ongoing infrastructure development will also attract valuable and significant investment, whilst creating a wide range of highly skilled jobs.
All in all, we have the chance to cement the UK’s position as one of the leaders in global grid development and clean energy technology. We have built ourselves a strong foundation to make the most of this opportunity to date – and need to press home this leadership and deliver a grid that supports the renewables we have committed to.