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…
Flash update
Endurance turbine owners offered reassurance on spares and service after company goes into administration
by New Power •
Four authorised service providers for wind turbine manufacturer Endurance, which went into administration in December following the collapse of its Canadian parent company, have joined forces provide spare parts for owners. The four businesses, which between them manage over 76%…
Longread
Local authorities must be aware of ongoing cost of electric vehicle charge points, warns InstaVolt chief
by New Power •
Councils who bid for government grants to install electric vehicle charging points must be aware of the ‘sting in the tail’ of ongoing management costs, warns InstaVolt chief executive Tim Payne. In a wide ranging interview on electric vehicles with…
News
Energy suppliers offer unlimited use tariff and loyalty scheme to tempt customers
by Annabel Andrews •
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…
News
Moyle interconnector at half power after subsea fault
by New Power •
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…
News
Ofgem seeks partner to administer voluntary redress funds
by Annabel Andrews •
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…
News
Centrica plans to invest £100m in innovative tech start ups
by Annabel Andrews •
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.…
Perspective
OPINION: Please come back bankers, all is forgiven – we need wholesale market liquidity
by New Power •
Dominic Whittome, consultant and ex-energy trader, regrets the loss of banks and other third parties from commodities and power trading In November the Financial Times reported that Barclays was winding down its energy – largely oil and gas – trading business,…
Longread
Ofgem warns Oftos it may get stricter on 3rd party outages
by Annabel Andrews •
This is an extract from an article in the February 2017 issue of New Power. Regulator Ofgem has warned it may change the way it accounts for the offshore transmission cable availability during outages caused by ‘exceptional events’ like cable strikes…