Featured Posts
Time to accept that wind farm costs are not falling
There has been a consistent narrative that the cost of building new wind farms is falling, with falling subsidy [...]
Windfall tax harms oil and gas production and must be cut
In May last year, the UK Government introduced a windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas companies [...]
Why Norway’s views on energy security should ring alarm bells across Europe
Norway's energy security would appear to be a done deal, yet the past couple of years have been very [...]
Addressing the high real cost of renewable generation
Over the past few months we have been inundated with claims from interested parties that more renewables are the [...]
Recent Posts
Review of energy markets in 2024
Every year I summarise the previous year’s energy news, and every year I make some observation about how interesting and unpredictable the market is. 2024 has been no different, but this year, politics has had a bigger impact than [...]
Fortunately AI can’t (yet) replace the Watt-Logic blog!
Trying to catch up on my CPD for the year, I just listened to a webinar about the use of AI in business. This year I have experimented more with ChatGPT in my work to see where it can [...]
Demand-side response is falling when net zero plans need it to rise
In 2022, National Grid ESO (now NESO, the National Energy System Operator) launched the Demand Flexibility Service (“DFS”) as part of its winter contingency against a backdrop of concerns over security of supply in the wake of the Ukraine war. [...]
Christmas myths and mince pies
There are many strange myths and traditions relating to Christmas, some of which I have written about before (see below). The most special Christmas myths are the personal ones we create in our own families, and in particular the [...]
Grid frequency drifting outside operational limits implies the system is running at the margins
Britain’s national energy system operator (“NESO”) has a statutory duty to maintain the frequency with which current and voltage varies on the GB grid at 50 Hz +/- 1%. It also has an operational range which it may only [...]
Unrealistic plans for the CCGT fleet
In its Clean Power 2030 plan, system operator, NESO, states that materially all of the existing fleet of CCGTs will be required to run approximately 5% of the time in order to meet demand on days when renewables output [...]
Challenging the myths of the renewables and interconnectors model
In the past few years, we have been repeatedly told by the system operator, now known as NESO (National Energy System Operator) that the GB power grid can be underpinned by a combination of renewables (wind and solar) and [...]
New report highlights the need for hybrid heat pump solutions
Today I have published a new report into the heat pumps market and the UK’s policies for decarbonising heating. The UK Government has set ambitious targets for the deployment of heat pumps as the main route to decarbonising home [...]
Broken retail prices cap increases again
With the start of October, the new retail price cap for British households comes into force. The cap level for Q4 24 is £1,717, £149 more than for Q3 2024, for an average dual fuel household paying through standard [...]
What’s next for European gas prices?
European gas prices have fallen significantly from the highs of 2022 but have yet to return to pre-crisis levels. In fact, they have become more volatile, less predictable, and arguably, less reflective of market fundamentals. In this post I [...]
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