A new report from Montel Analytics, Curtailed Renewables in GB and Ireland, has revealed that over 5.5TWh of clean electricity was turned off across Great Britain and Ireland in the first half of 2025, costing consumers £152m in curtailment payments. The amount of electricity instructed to switch off would have been enough to power every domestic household in Scotland for the first six months of the year. Key statistics from the report: The report, the first of its kind in assessing the turn down of all renewables across GB and Ireland, uncovers a growing disconnect between renewable generation and grid infrastructure capacity, something which has the potential to raise costs on consumer bills for years to come. This is primarily due to constraints and bottlenecks on the transmission network, which make it hard for power generated in certain areas (most notably North Scotland) to be transferred to areas where power is required for consumption. Explaining the findings, report author and Senior Energy Market Analyst at Montel Analytics, Fintan Devenney said: “The analysis shows that only 63% of the wind power which could have been generated in GB actually made it to the grid. The cost of turning down that other 37% is passed on to energy bills, meaning consumers are the ones left counting the costs. Ensuring that renewables can be deployed effectively is therefore key as government looks to balance decarbonisation goals against consumer costs and security of supply. Unless policymakers pay attention to the need to marry renewable power with public systems and infrastructure, then an outdated transmission network could continue to drive up consumer bills as NESO is forced to operate a network potentially unfit for the net-zero future.” Year-on-year comparisons show that the cost of curtailment is actually falling, despite the growing volume of power which is being asked to turn off. The £152m paid to generators to switch off during H1 2025, is 7% less than the equivalent figure for the first six months of 2024. Director at Montel Analytics, Phil Hewitt added: “The price paid per MWh of curtailment has gone down on average, so the overall cost of curtailment is lower, despite the higher volumes of power that were required to turn down.   “This is due to more CfD [Contracts for Difference] offshore farms coming online, which offer cheaper bids to be turned down by the system operator (NESO) because of their subsidy contract structure. Over time, curtailment costs could become cheaper as windfarms supported by the Renewables Obligation scheme fade away and CfD supported generation continues to build out further.” The report also outlines the increasing impact of solar generation when it comes to curtailment, with Ireland seeing solar curtailment rates for June 2025 (around 24GWh) almost seven times higher than the equivalent figure for June 2024 (around 3.5GWh). Assessing the potential impacts of further curtailment as new renewables continue to connect to the grid, Fintan Devenney added: “With NESOs Future Energy Scenarios envisioning the possibility of around 15TWh of solar curtailment being required by 2050, this analysis brings the issue of renewable integration into sharp focus. “Now is the time for government to come together with industry and build the holistic view of policy which will enable the optimal siting of generation, sufficient investment in grid infrastructure and the correct investment signals to help alleviate grid constraints. The Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) and the wider reformed national market workstream will be key to achieving these aims.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

As the offshore wind industry accelerates to meet global energy and climate goals, researchers at Robert Gordon University (RGU) have published a groundbreaking study aimed at supporting safety, wellbeing, and performance for wind technicians working in high-risk environments. Dr Ruby Roberts and Professor Rhona Flin from Aberdeen Business School have published a paper entitled Human Factors in Onshore and Offshore Wind: A Scoping Review, which has identified 16 key human factors (HF), ranging from psychological and environmental to organisational, that impact technician safety and performance during operations and maintenance. Subsequent work drawing on focus group workshops with those working in the industry, highlights a growing recognition of HF as a vital component of health and safety management. It also calls for the development of a positive safety culture within the wind industry, where safety is a key priority and technicians can speak up without fear of reprisal. Dr Roberts said: “A safe and competent workforce is essential to the long-term success of the wind industry. Our findings offer a more comprehensive understanding of the human challenges faced by onshore and offshore wind technicians, providing a foundation for future safety interventions.” “It’s really about understanding the factors that influence technicians’ ability to do their job well – their skills and competencies, how they work in a team, whether they trust each other, and how their organisation supports them.” Professor Flin added: “By taking a psychological approach, we’re not just looking at equipment and design, we’re examining how people interact with complex systems in their everyday work.This is key to preventing incidents and supporting workforce wellbeing.” A human factors survey launched this week in collaboration with GWO aims to create a unique snapshot of what it is like to work in the wind sector. Asking wind workers about the human factors that they perceive to impact on their health, safety and productivity. Wind workers are invited to share their views here.  For more information or to access the full study, visit RGU’s research repository. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals