The British government has relaxed planning legislation, in a move that could triple the number of batteries serving the grid. Ministers have today (14 July) passed secondary legislation that removes barriers for storage projects above 50MW in England and 350MW in Wales. The government hopes that this will lead to storage cells five times
The UK's renewable generation has seen the largest ever year-on-year increase, jumping by 30% in Q1 2020. Following on from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) publishing its quarterly report, the department has now given in depth figures specifically for renewables. It found that renewable generation climbed by 9.4TWh from 31.5TWh
Batteries can offer a cost-effective option for upward and downward reserve to the UK grid, a project run by AI and automation tech firm Arenko with transmission network operator National Grid ESO has found. The trial, first announced in May, found that the Electricity National Control Centre (ENCC) can effectively request the availability of
There was a time not so long ago when EV advocates assumed plug-in hybrids would be the bridge technology between conventional cars and battery electrics. The thinking was that battery prices would remain so high that fully electric cars would take a long time to go mainstream. But a funny thing happened on the
A combination of residential solar, storage and smart controls could "dramatically reduce" the evening peak. This is according to a new report produced by the Solar Trade Association (STA), Loughborough University and Advanced Further Energy. The report looks into the grid and consumer benefits of four generations of smart home, scaled up across a
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
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
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