MPs will quiz Energy Minister Claire Perry on why it has taken 18 months for a decision to be made on the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon. The UK government has been urged by members of its own party to back the £1.3bn energy project amid expectations ministers are about to pull the plug. There is speculation a decision could come later on Monday. The Welsh Tories said the lagoon, which was backed by an independent review, could “unleash an economic revolution”. Ms Perry will face questions from MPs on the Welsh Affairs and Business committees.

BBC 25th June 2018 read more »

Guardian 24th June 2018 read more »

EY’s latest attractiveness survey reveals that foreign direct investment (FDI) into Scotland is up 7 per cent – a faster rate of growth than in the UK as a whole. The news that FDI into Scotland is at a ten year high is to be welcomed.

Energy Voice 25th June 2018 read more »

London is to get its first ‘virtual power station’ that uses electricity generated solely by household solar panels and battery storage, UK Power Networks announced on Friday. Batteries will be installed 40 homes already fitted with solar panels in the London borough of Barnet, UKPN said, with a view to having the system up and running this winter. The batteries can be remotely controlled to combine the output from domestic solar panels and ensure they are fully charged for the weekday evening peak demand. This will enable local residents to both save and earn money from their batteries, which will help to balance the grid between peaks and troughs in electricity demand. The network operator said it is the first time people with solar panels and battery storage installed at home will be paid to support the distribution network in this way.

Business Green 25th June 2018 read more »

Community projects can slash household bills but the sector has ground to a halt in Britain – in contrast with schemes in Europe. The number of people generating their own power has almost flatlined, with only one new group formed in the UK last year, according to the body representing grassroots energy organisations. Cuts to subsidies for homeowners to install solar panels and a “hostile planning approach” that has in effect banned new wind turbines are behind the “wholesale decline”, Community Energy England (CEE) said in its 2018 State of the Sector report. Grassroots schemes can slash electricity bills in half at a time when the “big six” energy companies have raised their prices so that the average household is paying £1,150 to £1,200 a year. But setting up a project is risky, with the cost of installing solar panels or constructing turbines paid up-front, and nearly 30% of community energy groups saw some of their schemes fail last year, the report said.

Guardian 23rd June 2018 read more »

Backing for a tidal lagoon in Swansea could “unleash an economic revolution”, the Welsh Conservatives have said. They have urged party colleagues in the UK government to give the energy project the go-ahead amid expectations ministers are about to pull the plug. Ministers have said the £1.3bn scheme must prove it is value for money. South Wales West AM Suzy Davies said real value for money would be delivered as the UK could become the “undisputed” global centre for expertise. The project was backed in January 2017 by an independent review set up by the UK government, but ministers have not yet approved it, warning that the energy produced would cost a lot more than nuclear power. Mrs Davies claimed tidal lagoon power was no longer set to be so expensive, and would be a major boost to the Welsh economy. “The tidal lagoon is an opportunity to unleash an economic revolution in Wales, on a scale not seen since the regeneration of Cardiff Bay,” she said.

BBC 24th June 2018 read more »

MPs will tomorrow question the energy minister over delays to a £1.3bn tidal power project in south Wales. The business and Welsh affairs committees will quiz Claire Perry about the failure to make a decision over the Swansea tidal lagoon after five years of talks. The plan, backed by David Stevens, boss of insurer Admiral, and Richard Reed of Innocent Drinks, needs big subsidies.

Times 24th June 2018 read more »

Tesla’s recently announced job cuts are to fall squarely on the solar electricity business it bought two years ago in a deal that was criticised by investors. The $57 billion electric car and battery maker will close 12 solar installation facilities in the United States and will end a lucrative partnership with Home Depot that generated about half of the sales of the solar business, leaked internal documents obtained by Reuters showed. Tesla bought Solar City, a solar panel manufacturer and installer, for $2.6 billion. Investors had expressed concern about apparent conflicts of interest, given that Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, was the majority shareholder in both companies and that his cousin, Lyndon Rive, ran Solar City. Analysts suggested that Mr Musk was attempting a backdoor bailout of Solar City. Mr Musk sa id this month that Tesla would cut 9 per cent of its workforce, or 3,800 jobs, as it sought to reduce costs and turn its first annual profit after 15 years in business. Tesla is struggling to hit production targets for the Model 3, its first mass-market vehicle.

Times 23rd June 2018 read more »

Guardian 22nd June 2018 read more »

Energy giant EDF is celebrating a UK double after cutting the ribbon on two renewables projects this week. The company’s chairman and chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy was present for the official opening of both the 41.5MW Blyth offshore wind farm off the Northumberland coast and the 49MW West Burton B battery storage facility. The Blyth project (pictured) features five MHI Vestas V164-8.0MW turbines optimised to 8.3MW. The West Burton B facility will operate within the new frequency control system to be deployed across the UK to improve national grid stability. Levy said: “These two innovative projects demonstrate our expertise in renewable energies and electricity storage. They contribute greatly to decarbonisation of the energy mix in the UK, our second largest market after France.”

Renews 22nd June 2018 read more »

Wick harbour bosses have been dealt a blow after Fraserburgh was chosen to become the operations and maintenance base of the Moray East offshore windfarm.

Energy Voice 23rd June 2018 read more »

A pumped hydro storage scheme that would involve drawing water from Loch Ness could generate enough power for 400,000 homes, say its developers. Hamilton-based Intelligent Land Investments (ILI) said the construction phase of its Red John project would create work for up to 300 people. It has been proposed for a site south of Dores. A 100m (328ft) underground “power cavern” and 2,650m-long (8,694ft) pipe would be built for the scheme. More details of the plans are to be given during public displays in Dores Community Hall next week. Pump storage hydro schemes “soak up” excess power generated by wind farms, using it to pump water up to a reservoir. That water would then be released through tunnels to generate hydro-electric power at times when consumers need it.

BBC 21st June 2018 read more »