About

About me

The content of this website only represents my own analysis and not necessarily that of any of my past or present employers. You can find out more about me and connect with me on LinkedIn using the following link:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/afcrossland 

Funding

MyGridGB is mostly funded through my own pocket and via kind donations.

In December 2016, MyGridGB was awarded funding from the Durham Energy Institute (DEI). As a PhD student, I was supported by the DEI and retain a position there as an Associate Fellow. The DEI have no influence on the material which I publish

Durham Energy Institute draws on the expertise of world-leading researchers across Durham University with a membership spanning departments in Science, Social Science and Humanities. We emphasise a ‘Science and Society’ approach to energy which tackles the societal aspects of energy technology generating insights into how technology is shaped by, adopted by, and influences society. We also undertake research developing new energy technologies and solutions for the benefit of society including renewables generation (wind, solar, geothermal, bio-fuels) and integration, transmission and distribution, smart energy systems, carbon capture and storage, unconventional hydrocarbons, and nuclear fusion.

Carbon Targets

I assume our 2030 carbon target to be 50-100 grams of CO2 equivalent per kWh. This value is taken from the Committee on Climate Change in this report.

Grid data

GB electricity is provided from a number of sources (gas, coal, nuclear etc). The amount that each produces is adjusted in real time in response to the amount of demand, the availability of equipment, maintenance, in response to weather etc. MyGridGB attempts to summarise the amount of generation from each source on a regular basis via Twitter and on this website.

Data about the generation of all sources of energy (except solar) are collected from BM Reports (http://bmreports.com/) via Elexon who work on balancing the supply for electricity with the demand for electricity. They report the total generation from different sources of electricity every 5 minutes. As of November 2019, I no longer include an estimate of embedded wind in the data.

Solar Data

Solar generation is not presently measured and reported by BM Reports alongside other forms of generation. MyGridGB gets its solar outturn data from the Sheffield Solar Group at the University of Sheffield.

Sheffield Solar has been analysing the performance of operational solar PV systems in the UK since 2010. They now provide National Grid with solar outturn data for their control room. National Grid need this as solar is embedded in the distribution network so its outturn data is not available to the system operator. Sheffield Solar’s analysis combines generation data from around 20,000 systems with installed capacity data to give GB national solar outturn. They also provide PV_Regional, a regional PV outturn and short term PV forecast services (PV_Forecast). The regional forecast is used for understanding where pinch points may occur on the grid, while PV_Forecast is used by energy industry stakeholders to anticipate future demand, accounting for solar.

The solar generation figure is an estimate, and one that will be refined by the University over time.

Carbon Dioxide equivalent estimation

Carbon Dioxide equivalent is the combined effect of all greenhouse gases (not just CO2) from different electricity generation sources over their lifetime. Where CO2 figures are reported, values are taken from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life-cycle_greenhouse-gas_emissions_of_energy_sources.