Thursday 30 January 2014

UK should have 10 million homes with solar panels by 2020, experts say http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/uk-should-have-10-million-homes-with-solar-panels-by-2020-experts-say/



Ten million homes in the UK should have their roofs covered with solar panels in the next six years, if the country is to fulfil its renewable energy potential, energy experts said on Wednesday.

That number – of more than a third of households generating energy from the sun – would allow the UK to produce about 6% of its annual electricity needs from solar power, with as much as 40% coming from the panels on sunny days in summer, by 2020. These figures are comparable to those of Germany, which has made a major push on solar power in the last decade.


Installing more solar panels brings the costs of the technology down dramatically, because of economies of scale, as the example of Germany and other countries shows. By 2030, the cost of solar should be comparable to that of even the dirtiest forms of coal, and of gas, said Ajay Gambhir, of Imperial College London.


Nearly half a million homes in the UK have solar panels installed today, recent figures show.



via UK should have 10 million homes with solar panels by 2020, experts say | Environment | theguardian.com.



UK should have 10 million homes with solar panels by 2020, experts say

UK prompt power price surges 8% as wind output set to more than halve http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/uk-prompt-power-price-surges-8-as-wind-output-set-to-more-than-halve/


The price for day-ahead baseload surged higher Wednesday morning amid forecasts that wind power generation is set to more than halve from current levels above 4 GW to less than 2 GW, market sources said.


On the OTC market, day-ahead baseload was last heard 8% higher on the day at GBP49.40/MWh by Platts 11.00 GMT close, while peakload power rose to GBP55.70/MWh from GBP52.50/MWh at Tuesday’s close.


Strong gains were also seen on the N2EX day-ahead baseload power auction which outturned at GBP54.02/Mwh, from Tuesday’s GBP45.87/MWh result.


Power prices rose despite softer NBP gas prices as Thursday’s generation mix was expected to include a stronger share of more expensive gas-fired power when wind output falls.



via UK prompt power price surges 8% as wind output set to more than halve – Electric Power | Platts News Article & Story.



UK prompt power price surges 8% as wind output set to more than halve

Wednesday 29 January 2014

True greens should embrace fracking, says minister http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/true-greens-should-embrace-fracking-says-minister/



True greens should embrace fracking for shale gas in order to combat climate change, the energy minister has said.

Greg Barker said ideological convictions rather than sound science motivated anti-fracking campaigners, and urged an expansion of fracking in the UK.


“If you are really against climate change, then to be anti-fracking is incredibly dangerous,” he said. This was because coal-fired power generation could be replaced with gas, which burns with lower carbon dioxide emissions. “The knee-jerk reactions to fracking is [based on] ideology, it’s not science-based.”


Barker, one of the architects of David Cameron’s pledge to lead the “greenest government ever”, said environmentalists needed to cheer up.


He warned of a tendency for greens to “slit their wrists at every opportunity”, to see the world as “going to hell in a handbasket” and to imagine that the green agenda had been “thrown out the window” when it had not been.


At a meeting of the all-party parliamentary environment group, Barker also defended the green deal, the government scheme by which households can access loans to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes.


Tuesday is the first anniversary of the policy’s launch. There were 1,612 households with green deal plans in progress at the end of December, the government reported last week.



via True greens should embrace fracking, says minister | Environment | theguardian.com.



True greens should embrace fracking, says minister

Could ‘Crowdfunding’ Answer the UK’s Green Energy Demands? http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/could-crowdfunding-answer-the-uks-green-energy-demands/




Crowdfunding websites such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo work on a relatively simple premise; someone with the idea for a product or service turns to the masses on the internet to gain the means, with each ‘backer’ promised something in return for their investment.


The idea has proven massively popular for content creators, independent film makers and the video game industry – but could crowdfunding be used to tackle something as big as the UK’s renewable, commercial energy goals?



via Could ‘Crowdfunding’ Answer the UK’s Green Energy Demands?.



Could ‘Crowdfunding’ Answer the UK’s Green Energy Demands?

Monday 27 January 2014

Fracking firms 'should pay £6bn a year tax to compensate for climate change' http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/fracking-firms-should-pay-6bn-a-year-tax-to-compensate-for-climate-change/



Shale frackers operating in Britain should be paying £6bn a year in taxes by the middle of the 2020s to compensate for the damage wreaked on the environment, according to a study from Cambridge University.

The government has made clear drillers such as Cuadrilla Resources and IGas should provide sweeteners to local communities affected by their activities but it would also be right for shale gas producers to pay for contributing to global warming, argues Chris Hope, a parliamentary adviser and reader in policy modelling at the Judge Business School in Cambridge.


“Shale gas will contribute to climate change in two ways, from carbon dioxide emissions when the gas is burned, and from the fugitive emissions of underground methane that leak into the atmosphere when the gas is extracted,” he says.


“Under the Institute of Directors’ central production estimate and with a central methane leakage rate of 2%, the tax revenues for the UK will be about £6bn per year in current prices by the time shale really gets going in the latter half of the 2020s.”


Hope says that even though there is uncertainty about various aspects of climate change, the social cost of carbon produced when oil and gas is burned has been well assessed and is calculated at $100 a tonne of carbon dioxide.



via Fracking firms ‘should pay £6bn a year tax to compensate for climate change’ | Environment | The Guardian.



Fracking firms 'should pay £6bn a year tax to compensate for climate change'

The truth about David Cameron's fracking fairytale http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/the-truth-about-david-camerons-fracking-fairytale/



Davos tends to turn the hardest of heads. During the annual meetings, where businesses pay big bucks to rub shoulders with political leaders and thinkers, a contagious aura of smugness fills this Alpine valley like a fog, killing much sense of reality.

Politicians need a quick corridor story to sell their country’s virtues, and David Cameron has landed on a peculiarly ill-informed one. Most narratives are falsifiable only with the passage of time, but Cameron’s story is demonstrably a fairytale right now.


The Cameron song is that Britain is going to be “re-shoring” businesses – the opposite of offshoring – in part because of cheap gas as fracking takes off: prices will fall as they have in the US, where they are just a third of Europe’s prices. British consumers, whose bills will be halved, will doff their caps to Tory ministers who made possible this revolution of cheap energy. Grateful billionaires will come gambolling back to bring new business to Bradford and Bolton.


This is not a vision but a fantasy. Britain’s geology has not yet been proved as suitable for fracking. Poland underwent a frenzy of over-excited hype about its shale gas deposits, only to be cruelly disappointed by the detailed geology. The same may happen here.


Assume, however, that our shale deposits are frackable. The second problem is that we have eight times as many people per square mile as the US, and those pin-striped protesters in Balcombe, Sussex, are rather more likely to notice the lorry traffic needed to supply a big shale gas pad than the good folk of Oklahoma.


Those irate British nimbys, along with the green groups who want to leave fossil fuels in the ground, are quite capable of making life miserable for the shale prospectors. They have to get planning permission, and then face tricks such as buying up tiny strips of land and claiming trespass.


In the US you drive by signs saying “Top dollar paid for gas rights”. Companies can buy from residents who own the mineral rights under their own land. In the UK, mineral rights were nationalised during the first world war so people have little incentive to back exploration.



via The truth about David Cameron’s fracking fairytale | Chris Huhne | Comment is free | The Guardian.



The truth about David Cameron's fracking fairytale

Friday 24 January 2014

Green energy taking giant leaps forward to 2020 http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/green-energy-taking-giant-leaps-forward-to-2020/



UK GOVERNMENT figures show confident strides taken by the Scottish renewable energy sector mean green power could provide more of the country’s electricity than any other source within the next few years.

This year is already looking promising. Department of Energy and Climate Change statistics show renewable energy is on track to become Scotland’s main source of power, and is already generating the equivalent of 40 per cent of our electricity needs. That’s more than coal, more than gas – and is the strongest signal yet that we’re well on our way to meeting the ambitious target of generating 100 per cent by 2020.


Not only are we producing low-carbon energy for households and businesses and helping meet European targets of reducing emissions and tackling climate change, but renewable energy is delivering opportunities for people who want to work in the sector.


In what is the most comprehensive study to date, Scottish Renewables has published findings which suggest there are now 11,695 people working in renewable energy in Scotland. This is a 5 per cent growth on the previous year’s figures, and the surest sign yet that we are creating opportunities in the labour market. Major reforms in the electricity markets – leading to uncertainty in the industry – make this rise even more laudable. The 5 per cent growth in renewables jobs is higher than the growth in Scotland’s overall employment rate.


The most mature of the renewable energy sectors, onshore wind, was the greatest source of employment (39 per cent), with offshore wind (21 per cent), bioenergy (9 per cent) and marine (9 per cent) all contributing.



via Green energy taking giant leaps forward to 2020 – The Scotsman.



Green energy taking giant leaps forward to 2020

Davey defends ‘technology neutral’ emissions stance http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/davey-defends-technology-neutral-emissions-stance/



Energy Secretary Ed Davey says the UK’s drive against new binding EU renewable energy targets, will make it cheaper to tackle climate change.

Proposals for curbing global warming up to 2030, published by the European Commission yesterday, included plans for an EU-wide binding target to meet 27 per cent of energy consumption from renewables by 2030.


But green groups have criticised lobbying from a number of countries including the UK that prompted the commission to back away from setting binding renewables targets for individual countries, which had been included in a similar EU package of climate measures for 2020.


The UK had argued for a 40 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030, with a potential increase to 50 per cent if a global deal on tackling climate change could be agreed in Paris at the end of 2015, and Davey was unapologetic about the government’s opposition to country-specific renewables targets.


“Today’s proposals are a step in the right direction towards an ambitious emissions reduction target for Europe,” he said yesterday. “They provide the flexibility to tackle climate change in the most cost-effective way, so that British consumers aren’t paying over the odds to go green.


“A 40 per cent greenhouse gas target for Europe is a good start which the UK fought hard for, and will lead to massive investment in low-carbon energy, including many more renewables. Yet Britain has been clear that Europe must be ready to adopt a 50 per cent target if the rest of the world is prepared to sign an ambitious global climate deal in 2015.”



via Davey defends ‘technology neutral’ emissions stance – E & T Magazine.



Davey defends ‘technology neutral’ emissions stance

Thursday 23 January 2014

SSE upbeat despite fall in customer numbers http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/sse-upbeat-despite-fall-in-customer-numbers/


Energy supplier SSE today said it lost 250,000 customers in the nine months to December, but it remained on course to grow its profits and dividends.


The Perth-based group had 9.47 million retail customers across the UK and Ireland at the end of last month, down from 9.22 million a year earlier.


Households that stayed with the firm used less power, it added, with average electricity consumption down about 4.3 per cent. Gas consumption was estimated to have fallen by 9.5 per cent.


SSE also said there was “greater uncertainty” about its capital and investment programme for the five years from 2015 because of concerns over UK government policy.



via SSE upbeat despite fall in customer numbers – The Scotsman.



SSE upbeat despite fall in customer numbers

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Cameron say's lets go for Shale... http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/cameron-says-lets-go-for-shale-2/



Cameron is also expected to announce that revue generated from allowing fracking sites could even potentially be paid, in cash, directly to homeowners needy to the area.

Fracking, or the process of shale gas extraction, is a highly-controversial topic on the commercial energy agenda at present. Widespread in remote regions of the Middle East, fracking has become more frequent in regions of the US with reported adverse effects as severe as increases in earthquakes and irreversible damage to the water table in the region.


With that in mind, environmentalists have seen the move to pass revenue on to councils and members of the public likely to be effected by new fracking sites as little more than a bribe.



via Cameron say’s lets go for Shale….



Cameron say's lets go for Shale...

Businesses face EMR ‘price hike’ - £30 per MWh being added to the cost of wholesale electricity for businesses http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/businesses-face-emr-price-hike-30-per-mwh-being-added-to-the-cost-of-wholesale-electricity-for-businesses/



The Contracts for Difference and Capacity Mechanism elements of electricity market reform may result in £30 per MWh being added to the cost of wholesale electricity for businesses by 2020, according to a report by npower.

The findings, which follow the closure of the government consultation on EMR, are based on roundtable discussions with businesses whose combined total volume usage is 10.5TWh and the company’s own research, taking in its latest Pulse survey.


On CfDs, the researchers found businesses feel there is a danger of “volatility” being introduced to electricity costs. They also warn of a reduced incentive for generators to enter long-term power purchase agreements.


A key concern in the area of CM was impact on wholesale markets, “shifting volatility from commodity to non-commodity costs”.


It is also feared that the structure of CM charges could negate “any incentive for businesses to participate in demand side initiatives, which could be an important way to manage system demand at peak times”.


Npower said that based on its own investigations, the system as proposed by Westminster will result in a price hike of around £30 per MWh on wholesale electricity for UK businesses by 2020.


Wayne Mitchell, director of industrial and commercial sales and marketing at npower, said: “Our roundtable and associated report clearly show UK businesses still have serious concerns about the implications on future costs and forecasting abilities for their organisations.


“Getting the electricity market right is essential for the competitiveness of UK businesses. It is therefore crucial to understand from a business context the impact of DECC’s policy proposals around EMR.”


Elsewhere, one of the main findings from the latest Pulse survey, which covers July to October 2013, is that businesses are concerned about the impact EMR will have on UK competitiveness in global markets.



via Businesses face EMR ‘price hike’ – Politics | ReNews – Renewable Energy News.



Businesses face EMR ‘price hike’ - £30 per MWh being added to the cost of wholesale electricity for businesses

Monday 20 January 2014

Cameron say's lets go for Shale... http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/cameron-says-lets-go-for-shale/



Fracking in the UK to Become WidespreadIn news sure to have huge knock-on effects for the UK commercial energy economy, prime minister David Cameron has announced that the coalition government is “going all out for shale”. Number 10 is expected to announce new fracking sites and a strutted system that will entitle local authorities to 100% of business rates generated from fracking in their boundaries. The news brings a positive outcome to the story featured almost six months ago that local councils were losing say on whether fracking could be carried out in their jurisdiction. See our previous article on Fracking Controls lifted.

via Cameron say’s lets go for Shale….



Cameron say's lets go for Shale...

Energy grid firms set for a grilling from MPs http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/energy-grid-firms-set-for-a-grilling-from-mps/



At a select committee hearing next week, the Energy and Climate Change Committee will question the firms that manage Britain’s energy distribution network, as well as executives from energy regulator Ofgem, over contingency planning, the response to the storms, customer communication and compensation.Committee chairman Tim Yeo said: “We will be questioning the distribution companies, asking them to explain why there were delays in restoring power to thousands of customers who were cut off over Christmas.”The chief executives of ScottishPower Energy Networks, UK Power Networks, Electricity North West and Western Power Distribution will be questioned, along with Scottish and Southern Energy’s managing director for networks.The interim chief executive of regulator Ofgem, Andrew White, will also appear before the committee.The electricity distribution ­network operators are working with the Government on a review into the impact of the storms.The Energy Networks Association ENA, which represents the grid operators, said that chief ­executive David Smith will speak at the hearing and that he will try to set the storms in context and convey the severity of the challenges industry engineers faced in trying to reconnect customers.“It was sustained and relentless weather over quite a long period, it wasn’t just one hit over one night but lasted the best part of two weeks,” an ENA spokesman said. He stated that storms and winds made it difficult for engineers to get households reconnected.

via Energy grid firms set for a grilling from MPs | City & Business | Finance | Daily Express.



Energy grid firms set for a grilling from MPs

Energy firms botch supplier switches http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/energy-firms-botch-supplier-switches/



Tens of thousands of households suffer bungled switches when they change energy supplier, the Telegraph can disclose, while others are moved to new providers without consent. Many of these errors can be traced to incorrect national databases that store meter information.

Over the past two months our mailbag has contained a worrying number of cases in which households that attempted to cut their energy costs suffered problems switching to a cheaper provider.


In some cases, they faced bills for hundreds of pounds after two energy companies charged them at once, or a bill bore no relation to their meter readings.


We launched an investigation to discover the causes and uncovered a widespread problem with incorrect transfers.


More than five and a half million households switched energy supplier in 2012, according to figures from the Department of Energy & Climate Change. Simultaneously, the number of botched switches was 0.7pc, energy regulator Ofgem confirmed.



via Energy firms botch supplier switches – Telegraph.



Energy firms botch supplier switches

Friday 17 January 2014

npower tops energy companies’ complaints table – again http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/npower-tops-energy-companies-complaints-table-again/



Energy giant npower has continued to receive the highest number of complaints, with a 25% rise in the number of unhappy customers.

New statistics from Consumer Futures show the supplier received 253 complaints per 100,000 customers between July and September, up from 203 the previous quarter.


The figure was eight times more than complaints recorded by SSE, the best out of the Big Six suppliers, which only received 32 per 100,000 customers. It was followed by ScottishPower (46), British Gas (55), E.ON (62) and EDF Energy (74).


npower was also the most complained-about energy firm in the previous survey between April and June, blaming the low performance on a new computer system.


Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Futures said: “While npower has acknowledged and apologised for its poor billing systems and agreed to pay vulnerable customers who have been disadvantaged, its deterioration in performance is still wholly unacceptable and the company must address the failure of its systems, processes and customer service to put things right.”



via npower tops energy companies’ complaints table – again | Energy Live News.



npower tops energy companies’ complaints table – again

Thursday 16 January 2014

Japan's Toshiba to buy 60% stake in UK nuclear venture http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/japans-toshiba-to-buy-60-stake-in-uk-nuclear-venture/



Japan’s Toshiba has agreed to buy a controlling stake in UK nuclear venture NuGeneration, which aims to build three power plants in north-west England.NuGeneration is set to construct three new nuclear plants at the Moorside site in West Cumbria.Toshiba is to buy a 60% stake in the project, in a deal worth about £102m.Toshiba has been looking to develop its overseas nuclear business after the 2011 Fukushima disaster dampened demand in Japan for atomic power.Toshiba shares rose to a six-month high in Tokyo trade following the news.NuGeneration is currently owned by France’s GDF Suez and Spain’s Iberdrola.

via BBC News – Japan’s Toshiba to buy 60% stake in UK nuclear venture.



Japan's Toshiba to buy 60% stake in UK nuclear venture

David Cameron's 'all out' dash to embrace fracking is a risky gamble http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/david-camerons-all-out-dash-to-embrace-fracking-is-a-risky-gamble/



The message from Downing Street could not be clearer: David Cameron announced on Sunday the government would be going “all out” for fracking, in an effort to bring to the UK the shale gas revolution that has sent gas prices plummeting in the US, and transformed huge swathes of its landscape.

Cameron’s plans involve a giveaway of millions to communities that allow fracking, through a scheme whereby councils will retain all of the business rates liable on the sites, and payments to local communities from fracking companies of £100,000 upfront and 1% of revenues thereafter. These measures are supposed to unleash a wave of investment in hydraulic fracturing, the controversial method of extracting gas from dense rocks by blasting them with high-pressure water and chemicals.


The timing could not have been better, as the French company Total confirmed plans for the first big investment by a major oil company in fracking in the UK.


If the prime minister’s plan is to win over opponents of fracking, he has plenty of work to do. The first major poll on fracking, carried out by the Guardian last year, found public opinion evenly split, with 40% in favour of fracking near their homes, 40% against and the rest undecided. Protests around the country have resulted in arrests, gathered angry meetings in town halls, and given rise to warnings from environmental campaigners of the dangers of water stress, pollution and climate change.


Cameron’s enthusiasm for fracking – in stark contrast to the Conservatives’ increasing rhetoric against renewables and “green” energy – highlights the number of unanswered questions on fracking in the UK.



via David Cameron’s ‘all out’ dash to embrace fracking is a risky gamble | Fiona Harvey | Environment | theguardian.com.



David Cameron's 'all out' dash to embrace fracking is a risky gamble

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Catalyst Business Energy Market Brief January 2014 http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/catalyst-business-energy-market-brief-january-2014/


Milder weather and strong wind speeds reduce short-term power prices




Despite higher day-ahead gas prices, lower than expected demand and high wind output pushed short-term baseload power prices downwards. Month-on-month the day-ahead power contract fell 5.9% to average £49.7/MWh in December. The contract is now 14% higher than the 2012 average of £43.7/MWh.


In contrast, short-term gas prices increased during the month as a result of low LNG deliveries and outages at Norwegian gas facilities. Day-ahead gas prices climbed 1.9% to average 69.4p/th in December, compared to 68.1p/th in November.



via Catalyst Business Energy Market Brief January 2014.



Catalyst Business Energy Market Brief January 2014

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Catalyst Business Energy Market Brief January 2014 - Annual Power Rises on Carbon, Coal and Gas http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/catalyst-business-energy-market-brief-january-2014-annual-power-rises-on-carbon-coal-and-gas/




Rising commodity prices fed through into the wholesale power and gas markets during December. Long-term power contracts climbed on the back of an increase in fuel prices, especially gas and coal. Annual April 14 baseload power increased 1.4% to a monthly average of £53.1/MWh in December. Annual gas was pushed upwards by rising oil prices. Monthly average annual April 14 gas was up 1.7% to 68.2p/th in December. The contract reached an eight-month high of 68.5p/th on 18 December.



via Catalyst Business Energy Market Brief January 2014.



Catalyst Business Energy Market Brief January 2014 - Annual Power Rises on Carbon, Coal and Gas

Monday 13 January 2014

Why power blackouts would be GOOD for Britain: Ed's aide sparks fury as we brace ourselves for winter's first Arctic blast http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/why-power-blackouts-would-be-good-for-britain-eds-aide-sparks-fury-as-we-brace-ourselves-for-winters-first-arctic-blast/



One of Ed Miliband’s most senior advisers sparked fury yesterday by saying that power blackouts would be good for the country.

Sir John Armitt argued that the blackouts would be the ‘best possible thing’ because they would bring home the scale of the energy crisis facing the country.


Sir John’s inflammatory remarks – which coincided with forecasts of the first Arctic blast of the winter – revived the fierce debate over energy prices and supplies which was triggered by Mr Miliband’s party conference pledge in October to freeze gas and electricity bills.


The Conservatives immediately lept on Sir John’s comments, claiming that blackouts would be an indictment of Mr Miliband’s failure to plan for the future when he was Energy Secretary.


Sir John, who is advising Labour on the future of the country’s long-term infrastructure needs, said: ‘In harsh political terms [blackouts] would be the best possible thing because this country is extremely good in a crisis.’


In the interview with construction industry magazine Building, he added that the UK was nearing the crisis because too little was being done to replace ageing coal-fired and nuclear power stations.


He said: ‘We are down to (just a) 4 per cent (surplus of energy capacity) because we’ve gone slower than we should have done on nuclear.’



via Why power blackouts would be GOOD for Britain: Ed’s aide sparks fury as we brace ourselves for winter’s first Arctic blast | Mail Online.



Why power blackouts would be GOOD for Britain: Ed's aide sparks fury as we brace ourselves for winter's first Arctic blast

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Winds farms set new record by generating 17% of the country’s electricity supply http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/winds-farms-set-new-record-by-generating-17-of-the-countrys-electricity-supply/



Love them or hate them, wind farms have become a part of our landscape. And our energy supply chain.

The next time someone moans about wind farms being useless, think on this – last month, wind power supplied 10% of Britain’s total electricity demand. Yep, that’s quite a significant chunk.


To put it into perspective – that’s around 5.7 million homes in Britain that could have been powered by much-decried wind farms.


But December was a record-breaking month all-round. Over the course of one week, wind power generated 13% of Britain’s total electricity demand. And on one spectacularly unusual day – the Saturday before Christmas – 17% of the nation’s total electricity demand was produced from wind power, smashing previous records.


The wind power is generated from 5,282 turbines, of which 4,207 are onshore and 1,075 offshore.



via Winds farms set new record by generating 17% of the country’s electricity supply | ampp3d.



Winds farms set new record by generating 17% of the country’s electricity supply

Carbon reduction commitment — an update on the latest developments and issues http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/carbon-reduction-commitment-an-update-on-the-latest-developments-and-issues/


There was little mention made in the autumn statement of the carbon reduction commitment (CRC) scheme, but the government did announce that it would introduce a climate change agreement (CCA) for the data centre sector by the end of 2013.


TechUK (the UK trade association for the ICT industry, formerly known as Intellect), of which Wragge & Co is a member, has been collating data on the energy intensity of data centre operators and lobbying the Department of Energy & Climate Change for the introduction of a CCA for data centre operators in the UK for the last few years.



via Carbon reduction commitment — an update on the latest developments and issues | Briefings | The Lawyer.



Carbon reduction commitment — an update on the latest developments and issues

SSE confirms £50 energy price cut for customers http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/sse-confirms-50-energy-price-cut-for-customers/



SSE has confirmed an average price cut of 3.5% for gas and electricity, finally passing on the green tax savings to its customers.

A typical annual dual fuel householder will see their energy bill fall from £1,224 to £1,186 and will also receive a £12 government rebate as a result of the Warm Home Discount being paid for through general taxation.


SSE said that unlike some of its competitors, it would pass the savings on to all its customers including those on fixed tariffs.



via SSE confirms £50 energy price cut for customers | Energy Live News.



SSE confirms £50 energy price cut for customers

Eight Member States Push EU for Renewable Energy Target http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/eight-member-states-push-eu-for-renewable-energy-target/



In addition to goals for recycling and carbon dependency, ministers from some of Europe’s most influential countries are lobbying the EU to set a target for renewable energy.A letter signed by ministers from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Portugal is calling on Brussels to set a 2030 goal for renewable energy use. The ministers involved in constructing the proposition say less reliance on fossil fuels will only boost the European economy and create new jobs in the commercial energy sector

via Eight Member States Push EU for Renewable Energy Target.



Eight Member States Push EU for Renewable Energy Target

Tuesday 7 January 2014

RWE slashes capacity at North Sea wind farm http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/rwe-slashes-capacity-at-north-sea-wind-farm/



German utility RWE will reduce capacity at its planned Triton Knoll offshore wind farm in the North Sea by up to half, it said on Monday, weeks after it scrapped another wind project in British waters.

Triton Knoll’s capacity is now expected to range between 600 and 900 megawatts (MW), instead of 1,200MW, RWE’s renewable energy subsidiary Innogy said in a statement.


Offshore wind farm developers have now largely finalised British site assessments and industry experts say that project capacity reductions and cancellations are inevitable as investors decide which wind farms are best to take forward. “The recent optimisation work is part of a project review to make the site more competitive and more economic in line with government proposals to bring down the cost of offshore wind,” RWE Innogy said.



via RWE slashes capacity at North Sea wind farm | Business | The Guardian.



RWE slashes capacity at North Sea wind farm

Wind power was Spain's top source of electricity in 2013 http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/wind-power-was-spains-top-source-of-electricity-in-2013/



Remarkable new figures from Spain’s grid operator have revealed that greenhouse gas emissions from the country’s power sector are likely to have fallen 23.1% last year, as power generation from wind farms and hydroelectric plants soared.

Red Eléctrica de España (REE) released a preliminary report on the country’s power system late last month, revealing that for “the first time ever, [wind power] contributed most to the annual electricity demand coverage”. According to the figures, wind turbines met 21.1% of electricity demand on the Spanish peninsular, narrowly beating the region’s fleet of nuclear reactors, which provided 21% of power.


In total, wind farms are estimated to have generated 53,926 gigawatt hours of electricity, up 12% on 2012, while high levels of rainfall meant hydroelectric power output was 16% higher than the historical average, climbing to 32,205GWh.


“Throughout 2013, the all-time highs of wind power production were exceeded,” the report stated. “On 6 February, wind power recorded a new maximum of instantaneous power with 17,056MW at 3:49 pm (2.5 per cent up on the previous record registered in April 2012), and that same day the all-time maximum for hourly energy was also exceeded reaching 16,918MWh. Similarly, in January, February, March and November wind power generation was the technology that made the largest contribution towards the total energy production of the system.”


An increase in wind power capacity of 173MW coupled with an increase in solar PV capacity of 140MW and solar thermal capacity of 300MW meant that by the end of the year renewables represented 49.1% of total installed power capacity on the Spanish peninsula.


In contrast, the preliminary figures show that power output from combined cycle gas plants fell 34.2% year-on-year, coal-fired plants saw generation fall 27.3%, and nuclear power output fell 8.3%.



via Wind power was Spain’s top source of electricity in 2013 | Environment | theguardian.com.



Wind power was Spain's top source of electricity in 2013

Npower to become latest energy supplier to announce price cuts for millions this week http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/npower-to-become-latest-energy-supplier-to-announce-price-cuts-for-millions-this-week/



Energy giant npower will reveal a price cut for millions of customers this week.

The firm will shave around 2.6% off the average bill as it becomes the latest supplier to pass on savings from cuts to green levies.


But the reduction only partly offsets a 10.4% price hike in December.


So although bills are coming down by around £50, the average customer will still be nearly £90 worse off this year.


Scottish Power yesterday confirmed it will knock 3.3% – or £42 – off a typical dual-fuel bill from January 31 to reflect lower green levies announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his autumn statement.


But, like npower, Scottish Power customers are still out of pocket because it jacked up bills by 8.6% on December 6.


Scottish Power boss Neil Clitheroe said: “We will try to avoid any further rises in 2014 but this will depend on increases in wholesale energy prices.”



via Npower to become latest energy supplier to announce price cuts for millions this week – Mirror Online.



Npower to become latest energy supplier to announce price cuts for millions this week

Monday 6 January 2014

Scottish Power to cut prices by 3.3% http://www.energy-broker.co.uk/scottish-power-to-cut-prices-by-3-3/



Energy firm Scottish Power is planning to cut its prices by 3.3% following criticism that it had failed to pass on savings from the government’s rolling back of green levies that were added to power bills.

The move will reduce typical household gas and electricity dual fuel bills by around £42 and Scottish Power is also expected to pass on a further £12 rebate to all customers for the Warm Home Discount, which the government has said will be funded through general taxation instead of through levies on energy bills.


A spokesman for Scottish Power said: “We are committed to delivering the reductions as agreed with the government and will make an announcement this week.”



via Scottish Power to cut prices by 3.3% – Easy Branches.



Scottish Power to cut prices by 3.3%