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
The political pressures driving new nuclear
This week has seen two significant prices of news relating to the new nuclear reactor being constructed at Hinkley Point in Somerset. Firstly, the French nuclear regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (“ASN”), has made a preliminary decision relating [...]
Sale of Centrica power stations indicates recovering CCGT economics
Last week was a busy week for Centrica. In addition to announcing the closure of its Rough gas storage facility, it also announced the sale of its two remaining CCGTs, confirming its transformation into a services-oriented company and the [...]
What does the closure of Rough storage mean?
On Tuesday, Centrica announced the permanent closure of Rough, its large seasonal gas storage facility. This is the UK’s only long-term gas storage asset, with a capacity equivalent to about 10% of winter peak demand and 70% of the [...]
The writing is on the wall for coal generation
The UK broke new ground on Friday 21 April 2017 seeing the first continuous 24-hour period since the industrial revolution when coal made no contribution to the power sector. The country which led the way in the introduction of coal [...]
The Californian electricity market is also straining under the weight of renewables
I wrote recently about the challenges being faced in Australia as a result of the rapid deployment of renewable generation. Similar problems are being seen in the Californian electricity market where progress against ambitious renewable generation targets has led [...]
Smart meter problems keep growing: time for a re-think
As the dust settles (or not) after the General Election, the wider impact on the energy sector is unclear, however one initiative continues on despite increasing calls for a re-think: smart meters. I have previously written about the technological [...]
Electricity storage on the fly
Last week saw the news that the UK is to host Europe’s largest battery flywheel energy storage system, which will provide fast frequency response services to both the GB and Irish markets. The £3.5 million project will be delivered [...]
Why the US withdrawal from the Paris agreement is not a disaster
On Thursday Donald Trump caused outrage by withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate agreement, something widely derided by politicians and the media globally as a retrograde step that literally risks the future health of our planet. Quieter [...]
Australian electricity market: struggling to cope with de-carbonisation
The words "Australia" and "energy crisis" are increasingly being used together, so it is interesting to consider how an energy rich country has found itself on the brink of energy chaos, with blackouts and brownouts occurring over the past [...]
Electric vehicle infrastructure a significant barrier to uptake
Much has been made recently about the potential for electric vehicles ("EVs") to transform transport and related industries, even going as far as to suggest that demand for oil is close to peaking as EVs displace petrol and diesel [...]
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