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Net Zero - Technical Annex: Integrating variable renewables into the UK electricity system

Published claims resting on this source

• CLM-1423 The UK's climate advisers said in 2019 that fitting large amounts of wind and solar power into the grid adds roughly 10 to 25 pounds to each megawatt-hour they produce, when wind and solar supply up to about half to two-thirds of the year's electricity. They also said there is little UK evidence for shares above about a third.
• CLM-1424 The UK's climate advisers broke the extra cost of wind and solar into parts: backup power for peak demand, wasted output and keeping spare plant running, and new power lines. They warned that the parts overlap, so they cannot simply be added up.
• CLM-1425 The UK's climate advisers estimated that a nearly carbon-free power system in 2050 would cost about 4 billion pounds a year more than one built on gas, and that the cost of coping with changeable wind and sun is under a tenth of the total.

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