7. Sorting the System in the 2010s

With renewable capacity building up, despite the cuts, in the 2010s, attention moved on to system balancing and backup, so as to deal with variable renewables. A capacity market was established but was mainly focused on contracting with fossil and nuclear plants, rather than the demand management and storage options which many thought were more appropriate. However, some attention was also paid to the demand side and to heating, although there were some failures/backsliding, as with the Green Deal and the Zero Carbon Homes programme and, arguably, also the Renewable Heat Incentive. With the smart meter programme also looking less than ideal, and the Green Investment Bank being sold off, the government faced plenty of problems.