Conservative think tank Bright Blue calls for more funding and regulatory incentives to drive investment in green gas for heating UK homes. Ending the UK’s dependency on natural gas will be essential if the country is to meet its long-term climate targets, and as such a sweeping new plan is required to overhaul regulatory incentives to spur investment in greener technologies, introduce stronger emissions criteria for public procurement, and rethink how new houses are valued. That is the conclusion of a new report by conservative-leaning think tank Bright Blue today, which argues the government should take steps to increase the supply of low carbon gases such as hydrogen and biomethane while reducing demand for natural gas in the heating sector. The report calls for new government investment and incentives to encourage gas network decarbonisation as an “urgent priority” in regulator Ofgem’s next price control framework, which runs from April 2021. It makes the case for a new ‘low carbon gas obligation’ on gas suppliers with a requirement to deliver a steadily increasing proportion of biomethane, bioSNG, and hydrogen to the gas network.

Business Green 15th Feb 2019 read more »

A dramatic decline in the buildout of renewables is jeopardising Britain’s world-leading progress on decarbonisation, researchers from Imperial College London have warned. According to the latest edition of the quarterly Electric Insights report, the UK is now at risk of missing its legally-binding climate change targets despite record-high renewable output last year. The report, produced on behalf on Drax, says the carbon intensity of the GB power grid averaged 217gCO2/kWh in 2018 – an 8 per cent fall on the year before. This represents the slowest rate of decarbonisation since 2013. To meet Committee on Climate Change’s target of 100gCO2/kWh by 2030, the figure must be cut by 6 per cent per year over the intervening period. But the report says it is currently projected to fall by just 5 per cent annually after new wind and solar installations hit an eight-year low in 2018. The government’s own forecasts show this slump continuing into the next decade.

Utility Week 14th Feb 2019 read more »

Dave Elliott: The UK has a very good wave energy regime, with big swells from the winds rolling over long fetches of the Atlantic. In principle, this could generate the equivalent of up to 20% of UK electricity, or perhaps more. Back in 1978, Glyn England, chairperson of the nationalized utility the Central Electricity Generating Board, said that in theory wave power systems could “supply the whole of Britain with electricity at the present rate of consumption”. It may be worth looking back at what happened. So what’s the bottom line? If the original 1970s programme had been allowed to continue, would we have large-scale wave power now? The assessments of wave energy that were made then have been subject to much debate and there does seem to be evidence of some errors and perhaps even bias. However, subsequent programmes – albeit of a limited scale – have not led to very significant improvements. That may still happen, although it might take some time. At the moment there is very little UK funding available for this area, although work at EMEC on the Orkneys continues. In theory, wave projects can apply for support under the Contracts for Difference (CfD) system, but none have so far – their costs are still too high. Even tidal stream projects, which are somewhat more developed, have not so far been able to get support under CfD. So, barring more funding and some technological breakthroughs, sadly it doesn’t look too promising for wave energy in the immediate future.

Physics World 13th Feb 2019 read more »

Consumers in a Brixton housing estate will soon be able to trade solar power amongst themselves as an EDF Energy-backed, blockchain-enabled pilot project gets underway. Project CommUNITY, as it has been dubbed, will see EDF work alongside community renewables firm Repowering London and University College London’s Energy Institute on a peer-to-peer trading platform using electricity generated from a rooftop solar installation at Elmore House. Power from the install will be used by the residents of Elmore House and stored in domestic batteries, ready to be shared between residents as and when it’s needed.

Solar Portal 14th Feb 2019 read more »

Ingka Group, the holding company which owns most IKEA stores worldwide, has snapped up a 25 per cent stake in one of Germany’s biggest offshore wind farms, after the current owners agreed to sell 80 per cent of their shares to a consortium of investors. IKEA said in a statement it paid more than €200m for quarter stake in the 402MW Veja Mate offshore wind farm, which completed commissioning in the German North Sea in 2017.

Business Green 15th Feb 2019 read more »

Our organisations are all strong advocates for European policies that give citizens and businesses control over their energy future through efficient, competitive and digital solutions. Demand-side flexibility and system efficiency are remarkable resources that not only benefits and empowers consumers, but also reduces total system demands and costs, enables renewables integration and contributes to building Europe’s clean and smart energy leadership. The National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) foreseen by the Governance Regulation are an excellent opportunity to unleash its potential and address structural market failures in this area. Because they will shape national energy policies for the next decade, they can be the cornerstone of the New Deal for Energy Consumers promised by the Clean Energy Package for all Europeans. However, most draft plans submitted so far by Member States fall short of this objective. They usually lack a proper assessment of system flexibility challenges and of the necessary infrastructure investments for energy grids and, especially for the local distribution network levels. Neither do they provide estimation of current and expected development of demand-side resources to match those current and future needs. They further fail to identify entry barriers and often assume that the market for these solutions will develop on its own.Not delivering this demand-side potential would undermine Europe’s decarbonisation efforts and limit its competitiveness in developing this important industry sector. NECPs represent a straightforward and immediate first step to grasp growth opportunities associated to its development. By putting in place concrete policies, Member States have a unique opportunity to accelerate the development of a clean energy system based on end-consumer empowerment.

Smart Energy EU 13th Feb 2019 read more »

Good Energy has turned to Belectric and Powerstar to help bolster its C&I battery storage offering. The clean energy utility selected the duo following a competitive tender and procurement process, and they will be tasked with helping Good design, install, operate and maintain commercial and industrial-scale battery storage projects in the company’s pipeline. Powerstar, which manufacturers a containerised battery storage solution alongside voltage optimisers and distribution transformers, will supply equipment for the installs while Belectric, which has a reputation throughout Europe for its work as an engineering, procurement and construction specialist in the solar and storage fields, will provide those services.

Solar Power Portal 14th Feb 2019 read more »

Germany’s first large facility to convert wind power to alternative hydrogen fuels will shortly enter development. Power and gas grid firms Amprion and Open Grid Europe (OGE) said they are now ready to apply to build a 100MW hydrogen plant. The ‘hybridge’ site in Lingen, north-west Germany, is expected to enter operations from 2023. The firms say converting electricity to hydrogen makes it much easier to store and transport than alternative mechanisms, as well as having the benefit of reducing the strain on traditional power cables. They say this will become increasingly important as more renewables are put onto the grid.

Energy Live News 13th Feb 2019 read more »

Royal Dutch Shell will join forces with renewable energy developers to build an €18m (£15.7m) floating wind project off the coast of Norway by next year. The Anglo-Dutch fossil fuel giant will take a majority stake in the development company that hopes to prove that the cost of floating wind projects could fall significantly using innovating approaches. Shell has increased its share of the project from an initial one third stake to almost two thirds, alongside German renewables company Innogy and Denmark’s Stiesdal Offshore Technologies. The project company plans to test the new wind power technology six miles off the Norwegian coast by 2020.

Telegraph 13th Feb 2019 read more »

Energy giants Shell and Innogy have teamed up with Stiesdal Offshore Technologies (SOT) to invest in an €18m demonstration project they hope could slash the costs of installing floating wind turbines. The trio yesterday announced the final investment decision on the TetraSpar floating wind project, firing the starter gun on work to install a turbine with a floating foundation off the Norwegian coast.

Business Green 14th Feb 2019 read more »