By 2035 there will be periods when lack of wind and solar generation is low and electricity supply falls dramatically short of demand. But those times are far outweighed by periods when the GB system has a large excess of…
Longread
Analysis, interviews, thought leadership
INTERVIEW: Robert Ogden, chief executive, Renewable Exchange, on trading costs and the importance of machine-readable data
by New Power • • Comments Off
In September, community energy company Egni Co-op caused a stir when it actioned new power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 25 solar farms simultaneously, using Renewable Exchange’s online platform. In October, PPAs for 157MW of renewable power were successfully executed through…
INTERVIEW: Elexon’s Peter Stanley on opening up the settlements process ‘black box’
by New Power • • Comments Off
The GB settlement process is a hard-wired ‘black box’, mostly invisible to participants, dating back to the start of the competitive industry. But October should see the beginnings of an open flexible approach that allows new participants access to much…
INTERVIEW: Sarah Merrick, Ripple Energy
by New Power • • Comments Off
This week Ripple’s chief executive Sarah Merrick became the Business Green Leaders Award ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’. In April 2019 she spoke to Janet Wood about how to give consumers a small stake in a large wind farm. Will a…
Opinion: A tidal wave of EVs will drive the flexibility market
by New Power • • 1 Comment
James Johnston, chief executive and co-founder of Piclo, looks forward to the system benefits of electric vehicles The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is finally upon us. EVs are now a common sight throughout the UK and this is reflected in…
Climate change: the race is on, and clean energy investment is ramping up
by New Power • • Comments Off
Kay Hobbs, partner at UK law firm TLT, says the finance sector is stepping up to invest in green energy The recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made for grim reading. It declared that climate change…
INTERVIEW: Aggreko’s Carsten Reincke-Collon on hydrogen options for short-term power needs
by New Power • • Comments Off
Responding to the government’s Hydrogen Strategy, launched in August, temporary utilities equipment specialist Aggreko highlighted its investment in hydrogen-for-power options, including hydrogen gensets and a hydrogen cell integrated with battery storage. Janet Wood spoke to Carsten Reincke-Collon, Aggreko’s director of…
Gwynt y Mor OFTO reveals battle to insure offshore wind cables: 40% premium hike and scores of providers decline
by New Power • • Comments Off
Concern over outages in cables connecting the UK’s offshore wind farms to the onshore network have been laid bare by the company that owns the link to Gwynt y Môr wind farm, which argues that a series of repair outages…
INTERVIEW: Monika Paplaczyk, investment director, Thrive Renewables
by New Power • • Comments Off
Janet Wood talked to Thrive Renewables investment director Monika Paplaczyk about the barriers and opportunities in investing behind the meter in storage and generation and the company’s move into battery storage Thrive Renewables’s aim is to help individuals and businesses…
INTERVIEW: Nicola Pitts, INA
by New Power • • Comments Off
Independent network operators provide a large proportion of utility connections for new buildings, and in some cases operate those networks under licence. That puts them at the sharp end of delivering both our net zero ambition and other needs such…