British summers could be entirely powered without fossil fuels by the middle of the century without breaking the economics of the energy market, according to a report. But while wind, solar and nuclear power would provide nearly 91% of the country’s electricity by then, up from about 50% today, gas power stations are still expected to be needed during winters. Analysts at Aurora Energy Research looked at how the wholesale power market would cope if the UK meets its target of slashing carbon emissions 80% by 2050. They found that the price of power would drop to nearly zero between April and October because of lower demand and the glut of electricity coming from solar panels and windfarms. But energy firms would still have a viable business model because the other half of the year prices would hit around £70 per megawatt hour, higher than today’s annual average of £50-60 per MWh. But because of higher demand and lower solar output in winter, gas power plants would still be needed to fill in the gaps between November and February. Their owners would need an additional payment during winter for being ready to provide backup power when needed, to make the economics work. The explosive growth of renewables in the past eight years has already dampened power prices by about £4 per MWh. But Aurora said that effect could be as much as £40 per MWh by 2050.
Guardian 2nd Nov 2018 read more »
EDF Energy is to supply power to thousands of public sector sites after being awarded Scotland’s largest electricity supply contract by annual volume for the second consecutive time. Under the agreement, EDF will supply 2.6 terawatt hours of electricity to 28,000 sites, including hospitals, schools and universities. The volume of electricity accounts for about 10 per cent of Scotland’s annual electricity consumption. The framework agreement is the outcome of a tender process run by Scottish Procurement, part of the Scottish Government. As part of the new contract, public sector sites can choose to receive 100 per cent renewable electricity.
Scotsman 1st Nov 2018 read more »