A 25-megawatt battery-based energy storage system has been connected to the electricity grid to store surplus power from wind and solar plants. Located in a field near Taunton, it works by buying and storing electricity when it is cheap and then selling it at peak demand for a profit. It also helps the National
Solar and other renewables have made some strong progress towards decarbonisation, but there is still more to be done. Between 2008 and 2019, power emissions fell by 68%, helping to drive a general 30% reduction in territorial emissions according to the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) 2020 Progress Report. This has been helped by
Such deadly heat may become regular occurrence later this century, scientists find The likelihood of the UK experiencing deadly 40C temperatures for the first time is “rapidly accelerating” due to the climate crisis, scientists have found. The research shows that such searing heat could become a regular occurrence by the end of the century
In Q1 of 2020, renewables generated a record 47% of the UK's electricity, according to new figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Together, wind, solar, hydro and other renewables smashed last year's total of 35.9% thanks to increased capacities and higher wind speeds through February when a number of
The nights are drawing in. It's been a long spring, and exceptionally clear skies have provided a golden opportunity for a little research this year. Back in March I wondered if the lack of pollution was delivering extra energy to clients' solar panels. Sadly, careful analysis comparing cloudless days with those of a year
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our perception of what is normal and acceptable. It has forced us to re-examine our health and societal welfare systems, and reinforced the importance of the vital systems at the heart of our economies. Green energy is now at an all-time high, with the UK achieving its longest period
An enormous glacier the size of Florida may be on the brink of melting so quickly it could cause catastrophic global sea level rises, scientists have warned. While the climate crisis has seen temperatures soar and rapidly reduce ice levels in the Arctic, down in the Antarctic, far larger ice sheets containing much more
Pursuing a sustainable recovery from COVID-19 could boost economic growth, create millions of jobs and reduce greenhouse gases. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has outlined a number of measures nations around the world should pursue over the next three years to drive a sustainable recovery. These include $3 billion (£2.4 billion) worth of policy
Tesla has teamed up with global catamaran racing championship, SailGP, to help the fledgling sport’s usually diesel-fuelled mobile recharging stations switch to solar and battery storage. SailGP said it had worked with Tesla over a period of eight months to engineer the fully portable, off-grid clean energy solution, to use to recharge the batteries
Solar irradiation in the south of England in May was as much as 50% higher than normal, according to new research by Solargis. It forms just one of a number of records that have been smashed so far in 2020, with the trend likely to continue according to the data and software architects. Such