Waking up on a cold winter's morning to find your car battery is flat, is dispiriting, to say the least. What would be more devastating is to wake up to find your country's battery is flat. A fossil fuelled world is becoming less attractive and sustainable with the passage of time, particularly with the dire warnings of the IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) ringing in our ears. The move to electric is progressing, but currently too slow to achieve the target set for net-zero

Infrastructure

According to the World Bank, Britain's national grid is one of the most stable in the world and one of the cleanest, as far as CO2 emissions are concerned. The problem arises when a rapid upgrade is required to meet net-zero targets. Energy sources from wind and solar need to be plugged into the grid, as do batteries for storing excess power. It's no good generating millions of volts if we can't send them anywhere. It takes 12 to 14 years for new transmission lines to go from the drawing board to being switched on.

Pylons will need to be built to link power lines. Maybe even undersea cables from offshore wind farms. And those pylons or underground cables will have to go somewhere, whether the voters like it or not. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) at least 23 million km (14m miles) of power lines will be needed by advanced economies, 80 million km (50m miles) will be needed worldwide. Battery storage facilities would need to be built.

Future generation

Coal has been virtually phased out. Gas will be the problem. Although the CO2 emissions for gas are considerably lower than coal, some gas may still be needed as a backup.

United Kingdom and net zero

There was some controversy when the government granted 100 new oil and gas production licences for the North Sea. The Prime Minister sought to defend this and claimed it was to reduce reliance on hostile states (the Russian Ukraine war was a major consideration) but it was entirely consistent with his net-zero commitment. Environmental groups rightly discounted this disclaimer. The oil would be sold on the open market and would not affect prices. The Rosebank oil field will damage climate change targets and not reduce bills, again, because of the open market. In 2022 40% of the UK's electricity came from renewables, mainly wind generation. It was the second-largest source of electricity after gas. Solar power increased to 4.4%, biomass (from wood, plants and other organic matter) 5.2% and hydro 1.8%. Biomass can be controversial because the burning of organic material generates carbon dioxide. Most of the UK's hydropower is in the Highlands of Scotland.

Batteries will be a necessary part of the mix for the storage of excess electricity. According to Renewable UK, a 50 MW battery can fully charge 2,000 electric vehicles. Research is centred on storage capacity, recharging rates (especially fast charging), and working temperature range. The problems don't end there. When the battery's life is over, the waste has to be dealt with.

Conversion to electricity
Electric vehicles.

By 2035, the sales of new diesel and petrol cars will be banned. Currently, the biggest obstacle at the moment is the cost, with electric cars costing up to 30% more than their petrol equivalent. The second problem is the range that they can run on a full charge, and the availability and convenience of charging points. Some people are electing for a hybrid, which, as its name suggests, is a combination of liquid fuel and electricity. A hybrid costs less than an electric to buy, but eventually these will also need phasing out. A charging point at home can work out cheaper and easier, but it can be a lengthy process. A 40 kW battery can take between 1 and 11 hours to charge, depending on the speed of the charger. Charging at home can cost as little as 7.5 pence (9.5 cents)per kilowatt-hour, compared to 70 pence (88 cents) at a public rapid charging point. An example given on the Money Saving Expert website quotes a Nissan Leaf, from empty to full charging at home, once a week would cost about £150 ($190) a year with a 260km (160 miles) range. There are currently 3,000, locations across the UK, offering 53,000 charging points with a capacity for 82,000 vehicles. These however are not distributed uniformly over the country, more will be found in urban/city areas than in rural. There are some free charging points, mainly in public or retail car parks. Some supermarkets also offer them. The installation of these needs to be stepped up considerably. Other benefits are car tax relief, but only until 2025. Insurance is more expensive, due to the relative scarcity and cost of spare parts and the specialist mechanic skills needed.

Railways

In 2022 35% of the UK rail network had been electrified (6042 kilometres/ 3700 miles) but this does cover 75% of the annual number of passengers. The electrification of the track needs to be doubled to meet the 2050 target of net-zero. Approximately 448 km (278 miles) will be required each year, but is currently running at 180 km (112 miles) per year. Rail electrification is not as simple as running cables along the lines. Track electrification is reckoned on average to cost £1m ($1.27m) per km ($2m per mile), which is expensive. Electrical supply and location of substations will need careful consideration. However, electrified railways are more cost-effective to operate, rolling stock is cheaper and easier to maintain.

The change to an electric-driven society will rest ultimately on the infrastructure. Renewable sources are moving forward, but the power needs to get from where it is generated to where it is needed. Governments need to get the public on their side, compromises will have to be made and voter apathy overcome. Sadly, in a lot of cases, political apathy has to be overcome. Politicians lack the courage to embrace the changes that are needed. The climate is changing now. We should not expect our children's children to pay the price