Featured Posts
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 [...]
Energy security strategy: worryingly vague, worryingly long-term and worryingly still supply focused
Last night the Government announced its much anticipated energy security strategy, with the full version appearing this afternoon. The [...]
Price cap subsidies for every household as default tariff hits record highs
This morning Ofgem has announced a record increase in the level of the default tariff price cap, from £1,277 [...]
Recent Posts
EFR: what we learned from the first auction
The first auction for enhanced frequency response (“EFR”) in the UK closed at the end of August, with just over 200 MW being secured by National Grid under 4-year contracts, at unexpectedly low prices. All of the winning sites [...]
Transmission matters: it’s not just about capacity
Transmission systems are key to delivering security of supply and yet tend to be treated as an afterthought - note for example Germany's massive deployment of renewables in the north of the country without a corresponding investment in the necessary [...]
Turndown DSR should be a no-brainer, so what’s holding it back?
Turndown DSR is what most people think of when demand-side response is mentioned, ie reduction of demand by consumers in response to either price signals or instructions from the system operator. As it involves reduced consumption and moving consumption [...]
Creating investment signals: proper price formation in electricity markets
I’ve been thinking a great deal recently about how policymakers can address the challenges of stalled investment in the energy markets. My post yesterday on system tightness underlines the importance of the challenge, so I was pleased to come [...]
Tight system sees power prices spiking
Does the current tight system give a flavour of the winter ahead? This week has seen high peak power prices, with day-ahead prices in the N2EX auction spiking at £999/MWh yesterday, as the system was shocked by a combination [...]
Roughing it: what will the loss of Rough gas storage mean this winter?
When people think about energy storage, their minds tend to leap to electricity storage technologies like batteries or pumped hydro, however energy is also stored in raw material form...piles of coal by a power station or as gas. In [...]
National Grid to recover most but not all black start costs
Back in June I described the increasing costs National Grid is incurring to protect the UK’s black start capabilities. Over the summer, Ofgem issued its decision on cost recovery, and ruled that while National Grid could recover the costs [...]
Intriguing ideas and energy innovations of the future
The energy sector is undergoing a period of significant change with the rapid emergence and adoption of renewable technologies, notably solar PV and wind. Developments in storage promise significant disruptions in the medium term, alongside smart grids, and by [...]
Making waves with tidal power
The idea of tidal power has fascinated me since I was told (by a tour guide) that the tidal range of the Thames at Tower Bridge was 10 metres. In fact it’s “only” 6.6 metres, but watching the daily [...]
Through the looking glass: transparent solar PV
The speed with which solar PV has taken off has surprised most analysts, with the cost curve coming down far faster than expected as materials technology develops. When people think of solar PV, they tend to think about roof-top [...]
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