The REA has been active in the renewable power space since our inception in 2001, and was involved in championing and informing key policies such as the Feed-in Tariff, Renewables Obligation, and tax and grant schemes.

Our present electricity-sector work focuses on solar PV, biomass conversion, wave and tidal, landfill gas, gasification & pyrolysis, and energy storage. The REA’s work in electric vehicle charging infrastructure is also closely aligned.

A core cross-technology workstream for the REA is in promoting electricity system flexibility. The REA has led and supported the development of a number of crucial reports in this area, and is in regular contact with Government and Ofgem on the topic. The benefits of a smart, flexible electricity system are modelled in the National Infrastructure Commission’s seminal Smart Power report of 2016.

In 2019, the REA led on the development of:

• Developing flexibility: the new cornerstone of the grid (June 2019, see here)
• Flexible Futures: using data to understand and navigate the new power market (October 2019, see here)
• The Energy Transition Readiness Index (November 2019, see here)

The REA has also supported the commissioned work of our members in this area. Key resources include:

• BNEF: Beyond the tipping point: flexibility gaps in future high-renewable energy systems in the UK, Germany and the Nordics (2017)
• BNEF: Flexibility Solutions for High Renewable Energy Systems (2018)
• BNEF: Sector Coupling in Europe: Powering Decarbonization (2020)

See the resources and news sections below for our latest work in this area.