Yesterday, Spectator editor Andrew Neil Tweeted his disappointment in the UK’s solar power performance after it was announced that a coal-fired power plant was put on standby to provide more electricity. One reason for the use of coal was that “Last Thursday the North Sea Link interconnector (between Britain and Norway) tripped losing 1.4GW
One of the clichés of climate change reporting is climate scientists claiming to be ‘surprised’, ‘shocked’ or ‘baffled’ by extreme events happening so much faster than predicted by their models and research studies. These consistent underestimations are often explained by their ‘cautious’ approach which sounds reasonable, until you realise this has led the Intergovernmental
In 2018, one study on climate change broke ranks by integrating a range of sources to conclude that the situation was far worse than the official consensus was letting on. It went so far as to warn about widespread societal collapse. A banker for almost 30 years, it troubled me enough to give up my
Octopus Energy has called on the National Grid ESO to stop burning coal and instead use consumer energy consumption flexibility to reduce demands on the energy grid. The company implemented its ‘Saving Sessions’ – enabled by the National Grid ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) in October 2022. The scheme offered financial incentives for consumers to reduce electricity demand over peak
A new study maps the relationship between human-caused warming and California’s summer fires over the past five decades. In the past six years, California has logged three of its five deadliest fires on record, and eight of its 10 biggest. More than 100 people have died, tens of thousands have been displaced, and millions
A six-week consultation has been launched as MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) proposes to reform its scheme which sets the Standards for the installation of low-carbon installations used to produce electricity and heat from renewable sources. MCS has proposed a new, simpler scheme which will provide consistently high-quality outcomes for consumers and improve accessibility for contractors. With
State Farm will almost entirely stop issuing new policies in California – with climate-exacerbated wildfires and bad public policy a large reason why State Farm, the country’s largest property insurer, announced this week that it will almost entirely stop issuing new policies in California, the country’s largest property insurance market. The reasons for forgoing all
The UK Government has received a petition with almost 12,000 signatures calling to end the “senseless ban” on onshore wind farms in the UK. The petition was handed to Rishi Sunak by Sam Richards, a former advisor on energy and environment advisor for the Prime Minister. Pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade – set up by
Move welcomed as a way to get more renewable energy sites connected to grid National Grid ESO is introducing further targeted reforms to speed up connections to the electricity network. The ESO has written to parties seeking to connect to the transmission system to ask for updates on progress and project milestones, so that
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. MPs on the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) wrote to the Government earlier this month, warning that the UK would likely not meet its target to host