REPORT: “The transition to Net Zero is asking a huge amount from local communities; more than we have ever asked of them before”. That was the warning from Phil Watson, strategic energy projects lead at Suffolk County Council, in a…
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Communities invited to bid by end March to host ‘next step’ fusion project
by New Power •
Communities have until the end of March to put forward proposals to host a fusion project, the so-called Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), intended to be a major step towards commercialisation. The process is being run by UKAEA, which is looking…
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Energy efficiency investor to install rapid charging points for BP, take availability revenues
by New Power •
SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust (SEEIT) has signed an agreement with BP’s Chargemaster EV charging point operator to install “a significant number” of rapid and ‘ultra-fast’ EV charging locations, to be built by The Electric Vehicle Network (EVN) and contracted through a 20-year, fixed price,…
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MED plans to site small reserve power plants ‘at scale and pace’ following listing
by New Power •
MAST Energy Developments (MED) has said it will have 49MW of small generation providing reserve power in operation within a year, following a planned listing on the London Stock Exchange on 14 April. The company said it has raised over £5…
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Green Homes Grant closes on 31 March: the industry responds
by New Power •
The Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme, launched last year, will close to new applications on 31 March at 5pm. BEIS said the scheme “was designed to provide a short-term economic boost while tackling our contribution to climate change. Applications made…
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Development sites sold as NextEnergy fund reaches 150MW subsidy-free PV target
by New Power •
NextEnergy Solar Fund has announced two newly approved subsidy-free development assetsthat are about to start construction and are due to go into operation in early 2022. The assets have an approximate investment value of £45M and comprise: Whitecross, 124 acres in…
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ScotWind lease fees could rise to £100k/km – auction window set to open in April
by New Power •
Crown Estate Scotland has increased tenfold the upper limit on lease fees it will charge offshore wind developers, as it prepares to open a competition to allocate seabed areas for development. The maximum fee that might be paid will increased from…
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‘Beacon’ energy efficiency projects needed to give DNOs alternatives to reinforcement for electric heating, says Sustainability First
by New Power •
Local electricity networks should lead local partnerships to deliver ‘beacon’ energy efficiency schemes over the next five years, according to Sustainability First, to show that they are “workable and replicable” in offsetting the need to reinforce the network to accommodate more…
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Crown Estate begins work on leasing round for large-scale floating wind in Celtic Sea
by New Power •
The Crown Estate is starting work on a new leasing opportunity for early commercial-scale floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea. The leasing process will step up the scale of such projects to around 300MW (three times larger than previous rights). The Crown Estate said this was…