Pylon the Agony?

To reach net zero, as well as protect itself from the vagaries of oil/natural gas prices, the UK must make a quick switch to using renewables. The country's current National Grid was designed in the days, when much electricity was generated in coal-fired power stations. Now an urgent overhaul is needed to transmit electricity from a proposed array of solar farms; battery storage facilities and windfarms (onshore and offshore). The currently planned £30bn overhaul, means erecting 420 new pylons, largely through rural areas of Nottinghamshire; Derbyshire; Lincolnshire; Norfolk and Suffolk. Many people are very unhappy at the prospect. They claim it will damage views and could impact on tourism and farming (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/20/pylon-english-councils-fight-ed-miliband-clean-power-revolution-rural-areas). At one time, there were also concerns about the impact of pylon-carried power lines on the health of folk living in the vicinity. Alternatives to pylons are available. Cables could go underground or, in some places, be located on the seabed. These would, however, be markedly more expensive and much slower to put in place. It might also make locating and correcting faults more difficult. The world has changed, however, since the early days of industrialisation. The UK is a small, crowded location. Some clever 'footwork' will be needed to get an upgraded National Grid in place.