Featured Posts
New report: The true affordability of net zero
This evening my latest report: The true affordability of net zero, was launched at an event hosted by The [...]
Norway turning away from electricity interconnection
Norway is turning away from electricity interconnection as its governing coalition collapses over disagreements over energy co-operation with Europe. [...]
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 [...]
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
NESO forecasting errors: the silent threat to energy security
My blog post on the threat to energy security on 8 January went viral. It’s the single most widely read thing I have ever written, and it has been widely re-shared on social media and quoted in the press. [...]
Blackouts near miss in tightest day in GB electricity market since 2011
Yesterday saw a blackout near miss in what turned out to be the tightest day the GB electricity market has seen since 2011. Wind power was 2.5 GW through the evening peak, solar was (obviously) zero and there were [...]
As Donald Trump says the UK should scrap the EPL and windfarms here are my tips for US energy policy
Writing my review of 2024 got me thinking about the link between energy and economy. Cheap energy is positive for economies while expensive energy is negative – that is not in question, and is why policy-makers are at pains [...]
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 [...]
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