However, 17,000 megawatts are unavailable because the national grid infrastructure has been badly maintained.

This should stimulate investment across the supply chain, providing opportunities for backers of grid infrastructure, manufacturing capacity and players such as port operators that will service the offshore wind industry.

Utility companies have very high start-up costs and must build the power generators as well as provide the grid infrastructure necessary to distribute electricity.

Solar power provides an opportunity for rural areas to leapfrog traditional grid infrastructure and move directly to distributed energy solutions.

Grid-enabled applications are specific software applications that can utilize grid infrastructure.