Power
Logan’s hydrogen refuelling station to power Belfast buses
Logan Energy, an Edinburgh based specialist in hydrogen energy systems, has been contracted to supply and maintain a hydrogen refuelling station in Belfast that will support three new hydrogen-fuelled double decker buses in the city.
Gas
National Grid: 400,000 needed for ‘Net Zero Workforce’
The energy sector will have to step up on recruitment, training and communications with potential staff to fill 400,000 roles needed to meet the operational requirements of a net-zero energy system by 2050, according to a new report from National Grid.
Gas
IDNO Leep Utilities wins ‘dark kitchen’ contract
Leep Utilities, a licensed independent distribution network operator (IDNO), has won the contract to operate the electricity networks for six sites operated by commercial kitchen company FoodStars.
Power
UKPN line removal rejuvenates Norfolk marsh
UK Power Networks has removed twin tracks of overhead power lines and 24 poles that have been standing in marshland in the Norfolk Broads area since 1966, in a project it says has been a "spectacular success".
Power
Kaluza and WPD deliver first domestic battery flex service
Intelligent energy platform Kaluza has delivered the first service to offer flexibility to a distribution network operator (DNO) from a portfolio of domestic properties, in a contract with Western Power Distribution (WPD) in Lincolnshire.
Power
SSEN turns to Just Eat for power cut customers
Households in the southern England licence area operated by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) will be able to order meals on the Just Eat app and website if they experience a blackout, after the network operator signed up to a new partnership.
Power
Germany to switch on more coal-fired power despite 2038 exit
Climate activists in Germany are calling on power plant operator Uniper to abandon plans to add a new coal-fired power station to the German grid in July - a move that comes despite a political agreement finalised this week to phase out all coal and lignite generation by 2038.
Power
Low carbon jobs and revenue in growth, says ONS
New figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirm that the UK's low carbon and renewable energy sector grew steadily and created new jobs in the period from 2015 to 2018, although the comparison with 2014 looks less positive.
Power
Honda and Moixa convert Islington to smart EVs
Islington Council, Honda and smart battery electric vehicle charging specialist Moixa are collaborating on a smart EV charging project to switch the council's fleet to electric vehicles and create "vehicle to grid" (V2G) flexibility capacity.
Gas
Low carbon heat must go electric in 2020, says GSHPA
The chairman of the Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA) has told Network that 2020 will be a key milestone on the road to net-zero, when it plans to "build a significant coalition for the decarbonisation of heat through electrification".
Power
Campaign to accelerate EVs and ‘smart’ charging urged
Drivers and consumers will need more support, advice and protection from government and Ofgem to be confident that driving an electric vehicle will be a positive experience, according to recommendations in the government's Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce (EVET) report.
Gas
Cadent launches Norfolk solar farm to power its own sites
Gas distribution network Cadent is generating renewable electricity with its first solar farm, sited on one of its installations in Brisley, north Norfolk.
Power
Electricity North West signs £400m maintenance deal
Electricity North West has awarded contracts for an eight year, £400m deal to maintain and upgrade its underground power network to Network Plus Services and O'Connor Utilities.
Gas
Energy trading and asset management in a ‘flex’ market
Dominic Fava, head of marketing and propositions at Origami, a provider of energy trading platforms, looks at the difficulties of trading energy in a more flexible - and therefore volatile - electricity market, and how a new generation of smart IT systems will be needed to support energy companies.
Gas
Calculating storage and flexibility in a net-zero world
Alex Buckman, networks and energy storage practice manager at the Energy Systems Catapult, describes its new Storage and Flexibility Model, a number-crunching tool that can calculate the future storage and renewable generation capacity needed to meet variable demand in a net-zero world.
Gas
Squeezing efficiency from energy-from-waste
A high-efficiency waste gasification demonstrator project funded by the Energy Technologies Institute is producing electricity for the grid, but its sponsoring organisation was wound up at the end of December. Before closing day, ETI project manager Paul Winstanley told Elaine Knutt about what the ETI/Kew Technology Sustainable Energy Centre has achieved, and possible future milestones.
Power
WPD launches largest ever flex auction for 334MW
Western Power Distribution (WPD) is to procure 334MW of flexibility across its network through channels including the Piclo platform, the Cornwall Local Energy Market and WPD's own Flexible Power brand.
Power
Widening the pool for energy flexibility services
The UK's distribution networks need to get smarter in order to balance supply and demand, writes John Hayling of AMT-Sybex.
Gas
First live hydrogen trials on campus ‘living lab’
Keele University campus has become the site of the UK's first live trial to inject hydrogen into a gas network, in the first of a series of demonstrations by the HyDeploy consortium.
Gas
Power companies pay £10.5m for 9 August black out
Ofgem's investigation into the 9 August power outages has led to £4.5m pay outs by the owners of two generators - Hornsea One and Little Barford - that lost connection to the grid, as well as £1.5m from UK Power Networks for reconnecting customers too soon.
Gas
Queen’s Speech promises net-zero policies in 2020 budget
The Queen's Speech from the new Conservative government this week reaffirmed its commitment to achieving net-zero and investing in renewable energy, but contained little in the way of detail, promising instead that the first budget will prioritise a range of net-zero enablers.
Gas
Ofgem sets ‘tough but fair’ ground rules for RIIO-ED2
Ofgem has laid out the underlying framework for the RIIO-ED2 price control period for electricity, ahead of further consultation from the regulator next year to define the specific methodologies.
Power
Contract signed on 32.5km London Power Tunnel Phase 2
National Grid is pressing ahead with phase two of its London Power Tunnels project, by awarding a six-year, £400m contract to construct new tunnels and shaft work in south London.
Power
Council’s ‘pioneer’ subsidy free solar farm goes live
Renewable energy company Gridserve has completed and handed over a subsidy free 34.7 MW solar farm in York to Warrington Borough Council, a project that it says is the UK's most advanced solar farm to date.
Power
A new way to model Value of Lost Load
Tracey Kennelly of distribution network operator (DNO) Electricity North West, and Anuj Nayyar of energy specialist Frazer-Nash Consultancy, on their project to accurately assess the "value of lost load", and how all DNOs could benefit from the new modelling tool that will follow.
Gas
Debating the steep path to net-zero 2050
Meeting the challenge of 2050 is already top of the sector's agenda, and is likely to be in clear focus for the new government too. In February, at the Future Networks and Future of Heat conferences, the sector will have the chance to debate its response and the path ahead.
Gas
Pumping up affordable low carbon power
Graham Wright, chairman of the Heat Pump Association, on the important role heat pumps could play in the low carbon heat mix, and the need to increase the rate of installations to meet net-zero.
Gas
Why hydrogen-based fuels will be a net-zero essential
Matti Rautkivi, director of strategy and business development at Wärtsilä Energy Business, explains why the Finnish company is backing several innovators in the field of hydrogen-based fuels - and why the UK government should do so as well.
Gas
Time to regulate heat networks
New regulations planned for heat networks will protect consumers and reduce risks for developers, explains Charlotte Owen, policy officer at the Association for Decentralised Energy - in part of our Utility of the Future series.
Gas
Bristol’s bold leap of faith
Like many local authorities, Bristol City Council isn't waiting for government to lead in the net-zero challenge; it's identified £1bn of decarbonisation projects and is seeking a private sector "strategic partner" to make them happen. Councillor Kye Dudd tells Network's Elaine Knutt about the plan.
Heat
WPD sets out digital strategy for zero carbon
Western Power Distribution (WPD) has published a new digitalisation commitment describing how it will make innovative use of new technologies and an "open data" policy to deliver lower carbon energy solutions for customers.