Future Concepts
This weekend the press became very excited by an announcement from the UK Government that it is commissioning new research into space-based solar power (“SBSP”) systems that would use satellites to collect solar energy and convert it into a microwave or a laser that [...]
As we begin to emerge from the covid lockdown there is a lot of talk about a “green recovery” and “building-back green”, with a renewed focus on hydrogen. Last week the Confederation of British Industry (“CBI”) with the University of Birmingham called on the [...]
Another new year brings another look back at the past 12 months and a time to consider what the energy market outlook might be for 2020. This time last year, my predictions for the top five energy themes for 2019 were: The retail price [...]
The challenges posed to electricity grids by adding increasing amounts of intermittent renewable generation are well known, and costly to manage, however a Scottish technology company claims to have the answer. Faraday Grid, believes it can massively increase grid capacity to carry renewables at [...]
In July, National Grid published its 2018 Future Energy Scenarios, with the following headlines: Capacity could increase from 103 GW today to between 189 GW and 268 GW by 2050, with the more decarbonised scenarios requiring the highest capacities. Up to 65% of generation [...]
Yesterday came the long-awaited decision as to whether the UK Government would offer any support or subsidy to the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon scheme. There has been widespread criticism of the decision (see #SwanseaBay on twitter) with many people questioning why the Government is [...]
Nuclear power is back in the news in the UK, with reports that the Government is provide support to the new nuclear plant being developed at Wylfa Newydd in Angelsey, Wales by Horizon Nuclear Power, a subsidiary of Hitachi. According to Richard Harrington, the [...]
When people speak about the “energy transition” they mean de-carbonisation and its associated changes, however another fundamental change in the market is taking place at the same time: the digitisation of energy. Technology is enabling more and more devices to be networked, allowing people [...]
A year ago I set out my key themes for 2017, and as predictions go it was definitely a mixed bag! In this post I review the key themes of 2017 and look forward to the current year. What didn’t really happen in 2017… [...]
Back in April, the press was full of the news that a new Icelandic energy project could revive the prospects of IceLink, the Iceland - UK interconnector project. This week has seen progress in another energy project which may also be of international interest. [...]