VLC Energy has announced that two new battery projects will be connected to the grid by the end of 2017. The two energy storage plants – at Cleator in Cumbria and Glassenbury in Kent – were awarded contracts in National…
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Demand response providers face new Capacity Market challenge
by New Power • • Comments Off
As small-scale generators prepare for potentially big changes in their revenue from so-called ‘embedded benefits’, industrial and commercial customers who use backup generation to help provide demand response are also facing a financial challenge. Scottish Power has proposed tightening the…
Energy switchers hit six-year high amid spring price hikes
by Annabel Andrews • • Comments Off
Some 7.7 million gas or electricity switches took place in 2016, according to new data from Ofgem. This is 1.7 million more switches than the previous year, a rise of 28%. This means switching rates last year reached their highest…
Lords committee: hold competitive auctions for power generation capacity and make security of supply the priority
by New Power • • Comments Off
“Security of supply should be the first and most important consideration in energy policy,” the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee says in its new report The Price of Power: Reforming the Electricity Market. The committee says “Intervention by successive governments…
Offshore Wind Accelerator launches £2.4m project to cut cost of deep water foundations
by Annabel Andrews • • Comments Off
The Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator has launched a new £2.4m project aiming to cut deep sea offshore wind costs by improving foundation design. The three-year project, called Improved Fatigue Life of Welded Jacket Connections (JaCo), aims to cut the cost of offshore…
Fossil generators’ system stability role could be fulfilled by renewables, says UKERC report
by New Power • • Comments Off
The ‘inertia’ that fossil fuel plants provide to the electricity system, which keeps the system in stable operation and allows it to ‘ride through’ disturbances, can largely be replicated by very fast response frequency control systems and synthetic inertia, according…
Energy suppliers offer unlimited use tariff and loyalty scheme to tempt customers
by Annabel Andrews • • Comments Off
Green Star Energy has launched a new ‘unlimited tariff’, as British Gas announced a new £100m customer reward programme. The new Green Star Unlimited 12M tariff, available only through comparison site comparethemarket.com until 5 March 2017, gives customers unlimited energy use…
Moyle interconnector at half power after subsea fault
by New Power • • Comments Off
The Moyle Interconnector, the 500MW electrical link between Northern Ireland and Scotland, is operating at a reduced capacity of 250MW. The fault occurred on Saturday 18 February when one cable tripped. Initial investigation has indicated that there is a cable…
Ofgem seeks partner to administer voluntary redress funds
by Annabel Andrews • • Comments Off
Ofgem has today published a contract notice for the procurement of an independent organisation to manage and allocate voluntary redress funds, which are paid to charitable bodies by energy companies in lieu of a penalty following wrong-doing or a failure…
Centrica plans to invest £100m in innovative tech start ups
by Annabel Andrews • • Comments Off
Centrica has announced a new venture, Centrica Innovations, that will identify, incubate and accelerate new technologies and innovations. The new business unit will include a venture fund of up to £100 million to invest in start-ups, in exchange for access to technology and entrepreneurial capability and resources.…