Interesting links, articles, news and blog posts sent out to members on 08/06/23.
Briefing: The case against hydrogen blending: A costly distraction – E3G
8 June 2023, Juliet Phillips, Vilislava Ivanova. Blending hydrogen into the UK’s gas grid is the wrong approach to building the hydrogen economy. A 20% blend could increase household gas bills by 7–20%. Emission reductions would be a maximum of 7% – and likely a lot less. Moreover, blending could greenwash fossil gas, in turn derailing heat decarbonisation. A fairer, more strategic approach is required to support hydrogen deployment where it is most needed for net zero:
Link: https://www.e3g.org/publications/the-case-against-hydrogen-blending-a-costly-distraction/
News: Ofgem given net-zero duty in government U-turn – Edie.net
7 June 2023. Ofgem will be legally required to consider the UK’s net-zero carbon emissions target in all decision making, after the UK Government backed down to widespread pressure:
Link: https://www.edie.net/ofgem-given-net-zero-duty-in-government-u-turn/
News: England ‘4,700 years from building enough onshore windfarms’ – Guardian Online
7 June 2023, Jillian Ambrose. Thinktank says effective ban on planning permissions means country is way behind on much-needed renewable energy:
News: Labour government could deter investment in new energy projects, report warns – City AM
7 June 2023, Nicholas Earl. Some $30bn (£24.2bn) of investment in new UK energy projects is at risk if Labour wins the next election, a top energy consultancy has warned:
Link: https://www.cityam.com/labour-government-could-deter-investment-in-new-energy-projects-report-warns/
Guidance, Factsheet: Energy Security Bill: factsheets – Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
6 June 2023. Factsheets relating to the Energy Security Bill (now known as the Energy Bill) introduced to Parliament on 6 July 2022:
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-security-bill-factsheets
News: Keir Starmer says nuclear power is ‘critical part’ of UK’s energy mix – Guardian Online
4 June 2023, Ben Quinn and Kiran Stacey. Labour leader pledges to get stalled projects operational to boost energy security, cut costs and create jobs:
Research briefing: Government policy on reaching Net Zero by 2050 – House of Commons Library
2 June 2023. A debate on Government policy on reaching net zero by 2050 will be held in Westminster Hall on Tuesday 6 June 2023:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2023-0124/
News: National Grid’s electricity system operator to allow energy firms to connect new projects – City Am
2 June 2023, Nicholas Earl. Developers of new renewable energy projects could be empowered to build their own connections to the grid, as part of a series of reforms unveiled today by National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO):
News: Germany’s proposed de facto ban on new fossil boilers from 2024 meets fierce resistance – Energy Post
2 June 2023, Sören Amelang. As Sören Amelang at CLEW explains, the up-front cost of a new clean heater can be double that of existing mass-produced fossil equivalent, so home owners are resistant:
News: UK considers axing VAT on battery storage co-located with home solar – Edie.net
31 May 2023, Sarah George. The UK Government is consulting on whether VAT on batteries installed for solar panels should be zero-rated for homes and small businesses, following a long campaign by MPs:
Link: https://www.edie.net/uk-considers-axing-vat-on-battery-storage-co-located-with-home-solar/
News: North Sea oil and gas projects essential to UK’s energy future, warn academics – City Am
31 May 2023, Nicholas Earl. Halting future investment in North Sea oil and gas projects jeopardises the UK’s supply security and undermines its ambitions to transition to net zero, according to leading academics studying the energy sector:
Link: https://www.cityam.com/north-sea-oil-and-gas-projects-essential-to-uks-energy-future-warn-academics/
News: The ‘exploding’ demand for giant heat pumps – BBC News Online
30 May 2023, Chris Baraniuk. There are 2.5 million litres of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. If for some reason you wanted to bring it from a pleasant 20C to boiling point, German firm MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) has a heat pump that could do it:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65321487
News: Solar will soon eclipse all other forms of energy – Positive.News
30 May 2023, Robin Eveleigh. Solar energy is forecast to be the world’s largest single source of electricity by 2027. From powering Europe with Saharan sun to sending orbital arrays into space, here are five of the most exciting recent developments in the sector:
Link: https://www.positive.news/environment/solar-will-soon-eclipse-all-forms-of-energy/
News: UK pubs and restaurants plead for government action on energy as bills soar 81% – The Independent Online
30 May 2023, Henry Saker-Clark. Industry bodies reveal that less than a third of hospitality businesses are optimistic about their future:
Link: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/pubs-energy-bill-ukraine-war-b2347969.html
News: Labour confirms plans to block all new North Sea oil and gas projects – Guardian Online
28 May 2023, Peter Walker. Party says details of how UK can become ‘world leader’ in green energy transition will be announced soon:
News: Energy companies making ‘war profits’ – Reeves – BBC News Online
27 May 2023, James Gregory & Faisal Islam. Energy firms are making “war profits” from the surge in oil and gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the shadow chancellor has said:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65730950
News: CCC: ‘Government support could see more than 700k jobs from net zero’ – Future Net Zero
24 May 2023, Kiran Bose. With the right level of government support, net zero could lead to 725,000 new jobs in green sectors:
News: UK net zero ‘requires huge grid upgrade’ – ReNews
24 May 2023. Net zero will require a transformation of the UK energy grid on a scale unseen since the 1960s – but these upgrades are possible and will bring huge benefits, analysis by Regen has found:
Link: https://renews.biz/85941/uk-net-zero-requires-large-scale-grid-upgrade/
Research and analysis: Understanding the challenges faced by fuel poor households – Committee on Fuel Poverty
24 May 2023. Report and findings of a research project exploring the energy and affordability challenges faced by fuel poor households during the winter of 2022 to 2023:
News: SSE unveils redevelopment plans for Sloy Power Station – Energy Global
23 May 2023, Jessica Casey. SSE Renewables has unveiled plans to convert its 152.5 MW Sloy Power Station, Britain’s largest conventional hydro power plant, into a new pumped hydro storage facility:
News: ESO’s five-point plan speeds up grid connections for 95GW of energy storage – Energy Live News
16 May 2023, Dimitri Mavrokefalidis. Changes announced today are predicted to fast-track nearly 70% of future grid projects by two to ten years:
Document: Delivering for 2035: Upgrading the grid for a secure, clean and affordable energy future – National Grid
May 2023. The UK stands at a critical juncture. Significant progress has already been made towards transforming our power system, with a huge expansion in clean energy and substantial investment in our electricity networks. But the scale and pace of the transformation needed over the next decade and beyond is a fundamentally different challenge to what has been done to date: