Are we overcomplicating the path to cheaper, cleaner energy?

Trevor Wills, CEO of Pulse Clean Energy, explains why the priority now should be to scale proven technologies and build the flexibility needed for a lower-cost, more resilient energy system.

The UK’s energy system looks very different today than it did 20 years ago. As decarbonisation efforts have accelerated, we have seen a shift from a centralised, one-way power system to a decentralised model with many distributed resources. The technology mix has changed too. In 2025, nearly 40% of the UK’s electricity was generated by wind and solar facilities, reflecting their growing role in modern power systems.

Even with much progress, significant challenges remain.

One of those challenges is our continued vulnerability to imported energy costs. The surge in energy prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a recent example of how disruption to international energy supply chains can send shockwaves through national economies.

More recently, conflict in the Middle East has reinforced the message: events far beyond national borders put direct pressure on household finances here at home. Ofgem raised the energy price cap by 13% for July to September 2026, citing higher wholesale gas prices caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. For October to December, the cap is equivalent to £1,723 a year for a typical household paying by direct debit.

For as long as energy systems remain dependent on imported energy, they will remain inherently vulnerable to external shocks, with consumers exposed to the risk of shouldering higher costs. Investing today in low-cost, locally produced energy will increase security and sovereignty while lowering costs by reducing dependence on increasingly expensive and volatile external supplies.

Society’s growing cost burden from energy

Energy costs are a growing burden on society. For much of the twentieth century, the amount we paid for energy remained relatively stable at less than 4% of global GDP. This was underpinned by abundant fossil fuel supplies moving across global energy markets. Energy costs were both low and predictable. The oil shocks of the 1970s marked a turning point, driving a sharp increase in global energy prices. Suddenly, 8-9% of global GDP was consumed by energy expenditure as economies faced spikes in imported fossil fuel prices following geopolitical tensions in major oil-producing regions.

Although energy costs gradually eased, they failed to return to their previous baseline levels of less than 4% of global GDP. Instead, energy spending has moved upwards in increasingly volatile cycles ever since. Crises push costs higher, markets then stabilise, but each cycle raises the price floor above the last. The result has been a gradual upward ratchet, with recent shocks pushing global energy expenditure towards 12% or more of GDP.

These are striking numbers. Energy spending in the range of 8-12% of global GDP translates to between $10 trillion and $15 trillion USD. That is the amount we are spending globally to keep the lights on. Every single year.

Our task as an industry and as a society is to reduce this cost burden. Lower energy bills for consumers, businesses and governments also mean that we can spend this wealth in other areas that create socio-economic benefits: healthcare, education, transport and public infrastructure. Investment in these areas contributes directly to socio-economic progress and improvements in living standards.

We have the technology available today to deliver increases in domestic energy production while simultaneously lowering costs. New wind, solar and batteries can deliver power more cheaply (with faster construction timelines) than any other technology. In addition to being cheaper, local production can increase system stability, security and sovereignty. We have a generational opportunity to drive major improvements in living standards by reducing energy costs for consumers and freeing up capital across the economy.

This should not be politicised, and we must not move the goalposts. Buoyed by public support, this should be a shared long-term goal of government, regulators and industry. Collaborating to improve our collective outcomes has never been more important. This is not about scoring points; it is about working together to make our country more resilient, stronger and more prosperous.

How storage fits into the puzzle

Against this backdrop, the case for deploying new energy technology is clear. Domestically deployed batteries, wind and solar facilities are secure, sovereign assets that are proven to decrease total system costs.

Wind and solar have generated nearly 40% of the UK’s electricity for the last two years running, saving us billions of pounds in avoided fuel costs. In fact, British wind and solar ‘shielded’ the UK from an even higher price cap increase in July 2026. As we continue to do this work, the savings will only increase.

However, without sufficient flexibility on the system, the value of adding more wind and solar to the mix begins to diminish. Physical grid constraints have led to the need to curtail renewable generation. The UK is forecast to spend £4-8 billion annually on managing grid constraints by 2030 without more flexibility coming into the system.

This is where energy storage can play a critical, enabling role. By storing excess power when generation is high and releasing it back to the grid when it is needed, storage complements the variability of renewables and reduces our reliance on higher-cost alternatives. Energy storage plays an essential role in delivering more flexible, efficient and lower-cost energy that meets our modern system’s needs.

At Pulse Clean Energy, we believe that energy storage is a keystone in modern energy systems. As renewable penetration has increased, energy storage has become as important as energy generation itself.

Under the government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, it’s estimated that we’ll need between 23 GW and 27 GW of battery storage by the end of the decade, compared to the approximately 7 GW we have today. The scale of this need demonstrates how central storage has become to delivering a more secure, affordable electricity system.

Capturing the low-hanging fruit

The energy transition is often framed as a race to net zero, as though progress depends on a series of future technological leaps still waiting to happen or that achieving anything less than a zero-emissions outcome would be a failure.

This is not the case.

The technologies required to deliver substantial progress are available to us today. Battery energy storage systems (BESS), solar photovoltaics and both onshore and offshore wind are mature, commercially proven solutions with strong global track records. The primary constraint on our progress is deployment. Often, the conversation is too focused on achieving full decarbonisation and the challenges that lie ahead. The more immediate priority should be how we scale to the 60–80% that is already within our reach. Perfect must not be the enemy of progress.

A significant share of the pathway to lower-cost, lower-emissions energy is already economically viable. Solar and battery storage are investable today, supported by sharp cost reductions in BESS technology that have strengthened the commercial case for deployment at scale. In many markets, the question is no longer whether these systems work but how quickly they can be delivered into existing grids.

The opportunity now lies in shifting the focus from pipeline to execution. We must capture the low-hanging fruit, grasping the opportunity that is already within reach. With coordinated action between government, industry and investors, there is a clear opportunity to move at pace and to build an energy system that delivers sovereign, low-cost energy. This will make our country stronger, more competitive and more resilient. The opportunity is here. We must not wait.