UK Energy

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/59254732

Heads up, one of the largest U.S. consulting firms with a complicated relationship to Musk's DOGE is set to shape the future of your electricity market.

There is little middle ground in the battle over zonal pricing – and the energy secretary has only months to settle dispute

The UK and Ireland have announced closer collaboration on subsea energy infrastructure to “harness the full potential” of the Irish and Celtic seas as part of ongoing efforts to reset post-Brexit relations.

The countries will enter into a new data-sharing arrangement to lay the groundwork for connections between the growing number of offshore windfarms and onshore national energy networks. They say it will cut red tape and minimise “the burden of maritime and environmental consent processes for developers”.

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The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, are expected to outline the deal on Thursday morning at an inaugural British-Irish summit in Liverpool intended to reduce the trade barriers that Brexit created.

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Martin said the cooperation would also include a joint initiative to map the sea basin to improve the interoperability of energy interconnectors.

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He also announced closer cooperation on the EU’s Horizon Europe science research programme to identify joint initiatives with Northern Ireland on energy, climate, water and food sustainability research.

BP has announced it will cut its renewable energy investments and instead focus on increasing oil and gas production.

The energy giant revealed the shift in strategy on Wednesday following pressure from some investors unhappy its profits and share price have been much lower than its rivals.

BP said it would increase its investments in oil and gas by about 20% to $10bn (£7.9bn) a year, while decreasing previously planned renewables funding by more than $5bn (£3.9bn).

The move comes as rivals Shell and Norwegian company Equinor have also scaled back plans to invest in green energy and US President Donald Trump's "drill baby drill" comments have encouraged investment in fossil fuels.

Murray Auchincloss, BP's chief executive, said the company had "fundamentally reset" its strategy to focus on boosting returns for shareholders.

He added the energy giant would be "very selective" of investment in businesses working on the energy transition to renewables going forward, reducing funding to between $1.5bn and $2bn per year.

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The environmental group Greenpeace UK has warned BP could expect "pushback and challenge at every turn if it doubles down on fossil fuels - not just from green campaigners but from its own shareholders".

Senior climate adviser Charlie Kronick said: "Government policies will also need to prioritise renewable power, and as extreme weather puts pressure on insurance models - policymakers will be looking to fossil fuel profits as a way to fund extreme weather recovery. BP might want to seriously put the brakes on this U-turn."

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It is over 20 years since former chief executive Lord John Browne said BP could stand for "Beyond Petroleum" as he launched the company's first tentative moves away from oil and gas.

Today's strategy shift could be dubbed "Back to Petroleum" - to the delight of some shareholders and to the dismay of others.

Eileen West has a strange object in her home in Aberdeenshire - a scale model of a huge electricity pylon, built as part of a local campaign against the "monstrous" metal structures.

A new pylon line is proposed just a few hundred metres from her home. The steel towers will typically be 187ft (57m) high - significantly taller than most pylons in Scotland. Some could be as high as 246ft (75m).

They are part of a planned 66-mile (106km) route - between the town of Kintore and the village of Tealing - to transfer power from wind farms off the north-east coast of Scotland to where the electricity is needed.

"I think we're being sacrificed," says Eileen, a member of Deeside Against Pylons.

The plans are part of one of the government's key missions, a drive to decarbonise the UK's electricity system by 2030. Just over half of our power currently comes from wind, solar, nuclear and biomass - organic matter. The government wants to raise that to 95% by 2030 - just five years' time.

The target is ambitious, and controversial. Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, told the BBC it is essential to "cut bills, tackle the climate crisis and give us energy security".

But are local concerns being overlooked to meet national objectives?

BBC Panorama has travelled across the UK - to Aberdeenshire, Lincolnshire and Suffolk - to hear from people in landscapes bracing for change, including Oscar-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes.

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In Aberdeenshire, Eileen West denies she is a Nimby, she says the pylons should not be built anywhere.

"These things will be standing for another 100 years. That's not a legacy we want to leave our future generations."

While not against green-energy ambitions, she argues that the government should be exploring alternatives that are less disruptive to the landscape.

"This is outdated, archaic technology. In Europe they do better, investing in proper, modern undergrounding and offshore," Eileen says.

People living in some of Britain's most picturesque villages have been divided by plans for a one of the biggest solar parks in the country.

Developers want to build solar panels on 2,000 acres of farmland near Malmesbury in the Cotswolds, producing enough energy for 115,000 homes.

Rosie Clark is one of hundreds of local campaigners who believes it will "decimate the local area".

But supporters of the scheme, including the former mayor of Malmesbury Lesley Bennett, accused opponents of being "well-connected people" whose leaflets are "full of mistakes".

The government wants to quadruple the amount of solar power generated in the UK. But wherever developers propose new solar farms, opposition springs up.

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Meanwhile, Lesley Bennett is one of a few people who will speak up for the solar scheme.

"It's nimbyism, it's perfect nimbyism," she said.

"We need clean energy. We need to be energy independent."

The campaign to Stop Lime Down is well organised. Hundreds of people have been signed up, leaflets printed, there are signs everywhere in these north Wiltshire villages.

But Mrs Bennett thinks there are many silent solar supporters, who dare not speak up.

"It's a few well-connected rich people who've created a brilliant campaign," she says.

"But it's an illusion. This leaflet is full of mistakes."

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/22853681

A proposed law requiring all new homes to have solar panels suggested by Cheltenham's MP has been rejected.

The New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill, brought by Liberal Democrat Max Wilkinson, was debated in parliament on Friday during its second reading.

The so-called "Sunshine Bill" could help the country tackle the "twin crises" of the cost of living crisis and climate change, Mr Wilkinson said.

But while minister for housing and planning Matthew Pennycook said the government was "extremely sympathetic", it was rejected by officials.

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Similar changes have been signalled by the government which could become part of new building regulations to be amended later this year.

Just seen this and though it was worth sharing here.

I totally feel for this guy. But the real crime here is successive governments that have completely failed in holding the housebuilders to account with tougher specs for new build houses.

Why the hell a 2020 newbuild house needs any space heating at all is beyond me. Should just be passive, with electric heater for the shower.

The big picture is that we are shipping great wealth to fuel-producing countries because politicians are too lazy or corrupt to insist on modern building methods and standards that are properly enforced.

Plunging temperatures and high demand for gas-fired power are the main factors behind the low levels, Centrica said, adding that the need to replenish stocks could lead to rising prices ahead.

The UK is heavily reliant on gas for its home heating and also uses a significant amount for electricity generation.

National Grid data on Friday showed that natural gas accounted for 53% of power in the UK's system, with renewables offering just 16% of the country's needs.

Following the UK's decision to ditch carbon intensive coal from its energy mix, extra strain is heaped on gas during cold snaps because wind generation can often be lower due to high pressure weather systems.

Earlier this week, the UK's electricity grid operator issued a rare notice to power firms that sought higher output to prevent a greater risk of blackouts within the network.

As of 9 January, UK gas storage sites "were 26% lower than last year's inventory at the same time, leaving them around half full," Centrica said.

"This means the UK has less than a week of gas demand in store."

source: grid.iamkate.com

Previous record was 21.81GW - at time of posting we're generating 21.85GW and rising

When the mass roll-out started, the decision to use radio signals across northern England and Scotland - rather than the mobile technology further south - was because it was thought the signals would be able to travel far across the hills and mountains, reaching more rural communities more easily.

But Energy UK admits there are problems regarding how the radio signals transmit. “There are issues in the north,” chief executive Dhara Vyas told us.

She said there were “live conversations” within the industry about increasing the network range in the north of England and Scotland.

This technological divide has been experienced by smart meter engineers who have spoken anonymously to Panorama.

One engineer, “Ahmed” told us there were more problems in northern England and Scotland on average, adding that the technology further south was more up to date.

“You can end up going to someone’s house at the bottom of a mountain in the north and the radio frequency can’t get through. But there could be a good 3G signal nearby and that could get through - the customer doesn’t know that,” he said.

Another engineer, “Steve” working for a major energy supplier in Merseyside, who has experience of installing meters in homes on both sides of the regional divide, told us it was “far easier to complete a successful installation” in the south and Midlands where he could use the cellular network.