Researchers, including a DPhil student at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), have responded to the UK government’s decision to abandon zonal electricity pricing.
In an article published in The Conversation the authors argue that rather than charging different prices by location, the UK should invest in large-scale energy storage to lower costs and support renewable energy.
Cassandra Etter-Wenzel, DPhil student, and co-authors from the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford, highlight how batteries can store excess electricity during periods of high supply and release it during peak demand, reducing reliance on costly gas power. The authors also emphasise the need for protections for vulnerable households as the electricity system transitions to cleaner energy.
Read their full article in The Conversation: Zonal pricing is dead – here’s how the UK should change its electricity system instead