Experts largely agree that the crippling energy crisis currently facing millions of British families is mainly due to the fluctuations in the fossil fuel energy market, mainly because Russia invaded Ukraine in February. However, as the UK invests in renewable energy generation to phase out oil and gas, critics have argued that sources such as wind and solar are inconsistent and could plunge the UK into crisis “if the wind doesn’t blow.” or the sun don’t shine.”
However, Octopus Energy, a UK-based company, has answered these concerns by building the Xlinks project, which consists of four 3,800km cables that will connect the UK to a massive solar farm in Morocco.
Aside from harnessing 10.5 GW of renewable electricity from solar farms averaging 20+ hours per day, Xlinks has previously noted that the cable will provide clean, renewable energy at half the price of what the UK will pay for their upcoming Hinkley Punt C nuclear power plant.
At £48/MWH, the expected cost of the Xlinks cable’s energy is much lower than the £92.50 the government has agreed to pay for Hinkley Point C, which could help alleviate the current energy crisis affecting millions of Britons. gets into trouble. fuel poverty.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Octopus Energy said: “The sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow in the UK, but they always do somewhere in the world, with incredibly cheap power.
“The key to unlocking a low-cost energy future and a competitive economy is to build a system that is interconnected and flexible.
“By working with other countries and layering different sources of green energy and ways to store it (such as batteries), we can create a system where we can make the most of solar and wind energy where it is abundant .”
The entire project is expected to take four years to produce and cost around £16 billion, half of which is for the cable construction.
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Octopus Energy continued: “Xlinks is the future of providing the UK with consistent green energy.
“The Sahara solar and wind farm will generate enough energy to power 7 million households on average for 20 hours a day.
“We need more large-scale renewable energy projects to get rid of expensive fossil fuels for good.”