I thought connections to Scotland were being re-enforced using a new d.c. link down the Irish sea...

    - Andy.

The grid certainly needs a lot of investment to increase the capacity.  They also need to look into ways of storing the energy maybe a water resevoir with turbines built at height which can pickup the slack at busy times when it is not windy on sunny enough. 

In other words, pumped storage hydroelectric power stations.  We have a few in the UK.  But not many suitable places, especially in England.

I wonder if they will use T-Pylons when the do the upgrade?

Worth looking into a company called AssetCool.  They are working on Photonic Cooling of overhead power lines

Put some in Scotland

Photonic Cooling or as those of us less easily impressed would call it IR coloured paint.

Similar wavelength selective ( i,e, colours, but infra-red ) coating ideas  are used to fool IR cameras in military applications.

The idea being a reverse greenhouse effect of reflecting at the solar incident wavelengths while still sweating off heat by radiating well at other wavelengths where there is less background radiation to absorb,

I'd expect most overhead cable cooling to be convective at least on planets with an atmosphere and near ground level, so I'd be surprised if the technique does more than wind out ratings by a few per percent on earth, - which may stiill be worth it on a long run I suppose. I've contacted them for the white paper, I'll let you know if I get anything interesting.

Mike.