North Wales tidal stream energy project, Morlais, has signed up three new turbine developers. French firms Sabella and HydroQuest, and Spanish developer Magallanes, all aim to deploy devices on a commercial scale at the Crown Estate-designated zone off the coast of…
News
System Operator seeks new options to manage low demand: negative capacity reserve and accessing distribution assets ‘on the table’
by New Power • • Comments Off
National Grid ESO said that a ‘Negative Capacity Reserve’ was one option on the table to help manage expected prolonged periods of low demand over the summer due to Coronavirus measures. It asked industry members for their suggestions on new…
Environmental Audit Committee wants evidence on low-carbon innovation and offshore wind
by New Power • • Comments Off
The Environmental Audit Committee has launched a new inquiry, Technological Innovation and Climate Change,considering how British innovation could tackle climate change, and is inviting written evidence. The UK is expected to exceed the target set out in the third Carbon Budget…
Community energy enterprises make fast grants to Corona Crisis funds
by New Power • • Comments Off
In the first week of the lockdown, a ‘collective’ of local energy enterprises mobilised £100,000 of Corona Crisis Funds to support those facing hardship in their communities. The community-owned enterprises were able to mobilise funds from by community-owned solar arrays quickly…
Aggreko offers gensets left idle by event cancellations for Covid-19 test stations
by New Power • • Comments Off
Temporary power units that were earmarked for summer events like the Glastonbury festival have been offered ‘pro bono’ to power planned Covid-19 testing sites across the UK. But government would have to cover freight costs to move the units to…
Centrica cancels dividend, cuts operating costs, to navigate pandemic
by New Power • • Comments Off
Centrica has cancelled a proposed 2019 final dividend payment of 3.5 pence per share as part of efforts to cut cash expenditure in the year by around £400 million, to provide flexibility to navigate the impacts of the pandemic. The company said…
Elexon acts on fears lack of access to read electricity meters could bog down settlements process
by New Power • • Comments Off
Electricity industry body Elexon has agreed new flexibility measures in its processes, because suppliers who cannot get site access to read meters during the Coronavirus pandemic feared data errors could impede settlement of bills within the industry. Suppliers have to…
Alpha acquisition consolidates small onshore power projects
by New Power • • Comments Off
Alpha Real Renewables has acquired operational wind and solar assets located across Wales and the North West. The transaction, with TLT as adviser, comprised a portfolio of mixed clean energy technologies from individual operators, including wind farms with private wire power purchase…
National Grid: depressed demand in summer due to Covid-19 a ‘challenge’ to system stability
by New Power • • Comments Off
Low electricity demand in the summer could present a challenge to managing the electricity system, system operator NGESO said in its weekly Covid-19 briefing. The balance of supply and demand in the summer has been a growing problem over recent…
Adjustment to thousands of small power plants to raise stability suspended, but System Operator will call for action at key sites
by New Power • • Comments Off
A site-by-site programme to upgrade small-scale power generating plant so it “rides through” disturbances has been suspended because it requires engineers to visit thousands of power sites. But National Grid is in discussion with BEIS, Ofgem and other major stakeholders over…