News

New stats reveal growing shortfall in government emissions targets

The UK now looks all but certain to miss emissions reductions targets out to 2032, new statistics out today have revealed. And the fresh projections compiled by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) confirm that “projected shortfalls” against the country’s fourth and fifth carbon budgets, for the periods 2023 – 2027 and

U.S. energy storage market to double two years running

The U.S. energy storage market nearly doubled in 2018 and is expected to double again in 2019. This is according to Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and the Energy Storage Association’s (ESA), “U.S. Energy Storage Monitor 2018 Year-in-Review.” The report found that 777 megawatt-hours of grid-connected energy storage were deployed in the U.S. in 2018,

Farewell FiTs: Industry leaders embrace a ‘new era’ for UK solar

UK solar is entering a “new era” following the closure of the feed-in tariff last weekend, and industry leaders are prepared to embrace the sector’s subsidy-free future. Chris Hewett, chief executive, the Solar Trade Association: “Having grown accustomed to the ups and downs of the UK solarcoaster, perhaps it was too much to expect a

Battery storage now looks like a bargain

The sun provides us generously with more than 5000 times as much energy as we need. Deserts alone receive solar energy in excess of 450 times our annual usage. When factoring in wind energy on top of this, we have access to an abundance of renewable energy - much more than humanity will ever be

Shell quits major US oil lobby over climate change

London (CNN Business)Royal Dutch Shell says it's quitting a major US oil lobby because it disagrees with the group's policies on climate change. The energy company said Tuesday that it would not renew its membership in the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers lobby next year because of "material misalignment." Shell (RDSA) CEO Ben Van Beurden

IKEA shutters solar offering as result of FiT closure

Furniture giant IKEA closed its solar panel offering in the UK on 1 March citing the closure of the feed-in tariff (FiT). In a statement to Solar Power Portal a company spokesperson said the commercial proposition no longer stacked up. “At this point in time, we do not feel that the majority of new home

Plastic pollution persists for billions of years, claims study

A new study has revealed just how prolonged single-use plastics’ impact on the natural environment really is. The study, conducted by packaging supplier Rajapack, highlighted how long it takes for various plastic products to degrade. It identified objects such as microplastics, plastic straws and polystyrene cups as among the worst culprits, with microplastics leaving a

BNEF: Battery storage costs have ‘plummeted’ in past year

The average costs associated with building and operating large-scale lithium-ion battery storage arrays has fallen by 35% since last June, paving the way for more government and business support for the technology. That is a key finding of new research by Bloomberg NEF (BNEF), which claims that both battery storage and offshore wind have made

Battery Power’s Latest Plunge in Costs Threatens Coal, Gas

London and New York, March 26, 2019 – Two technologies that were immature and expensive only a few years ago but are now at the center of the unfolding low-carbon energy transition have seen spectacular gains in cost-competitiveness in the last year. The latest analysis by research company BloombergNEF (BNEF) shows that the benchmark levelized

Summer Outlook 2019: Solar PV stable but whole system approach now critical

National Grid expects minimum summer transmission system demand in 2019 to fall broadly in line with last year’s, owing to a collapse in new solar deployment. The Electricity System Operator (ESO) has also paid testament to its advanced, machine-learning forecasting tools, but said whole system thinking will need to become far more prevalent as the

Go to Top