As utilities turn off power to prevent wildfires, more homeowners are looking to install battery backup systems The threat of chronic blackouts is sparking a rush to install battery backup systems as California homeowners try to avoid disruptive power cuts related to wildfires. Blackouts are increasingly a part of life as Pacific Gas and
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
The European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy has adopted a report supporting a pan-European solar rooftop programme. The solar programme forms part of a wider report on energy efficiency that has now been adopted by the Committee, although the European Parliament must now vote on the report. This vote is scheduled for
A key committee of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) has voted overwhelmingly to thrust energy storage into the heart of the continent’s decarbonisation agenda, while trade group EASE has urged the EU to raise its targets on 2030 emissions reduction. Last week, the Industry, Research and Energy Committee of MEPs voted 53 to
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
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