DRS/UK Net Zero Review/vanadium flow batteries & focus on long term energy storage

25th January 2023

Re-reading this week’s ‘bits, it occurs to me that if the Government were to implement enough of the recommendations of Chris Skidmore’s review, we would be a lot less likely to suffer disasters such as British Volt. COMPANY NEWS Lightsource bp closes first tax equity deal with Wells Fargo for 481 megawatt solar portfolioLightsource bp … Read More

hydrogen hubs/CES/solar prices/electrolysis & focus on BNEF review of 2022

6th January 2023

Encouraging to start the year with record levels of wind generation in the UK. Good news, but might it be seen as a metaphor for some turbulence to come? There are plenty of challenges ahead as highlighted in the Focus section below. COMPANY NEWS Insurance giant Chubb launches global climate businessProperty insurance giant Chubb has … Read More

Busses/UK solar/heat pumps/chemicals/LNG/wave power & focus on COP27

11th November 2022

I suppose that any revolution has its casualties, but it is still sad to see electric van pioneer Arrival join BritishVolt in the intensive care ward. COMPANY NEWS Equinor and Hitachi Energy formalise collaborationEnergy company Equinor and technology company Hitachi Energy have signed a strategic collaboration agreement. It includes developing standardised base designs for transmission … Read More

battery optimisation/solar/solid state batteries & focus on Sweden

21st October 2022

Enjoy a few minutes of politics free reading COMPANY NEWS Lloyds is UK’s first bank to shun fossil fuelsLloyds Banking Group has become the first full-service British bank to walk away from directly financing coal, oil and gas projects.New North Sea greenfield oil and gas developments permitted after 2021 now fall outside the banking group’s … Read More

solar link/heat network/electrolysers/lobsters & focus on US-China trade

5th August 2022

I keep trying to peddle good news stories here, yet the politicians seem determined to undo it all. COMPANY NEWS UK pension funds buy 12.5% Hornsea 1 stakeOctopus Energy Generation and GLIL Infrastructure have acquired a 12.5% stake in UK offshore wind farm Hornsea 1 from Global Infrastructure Partners.Octopus made a £200m investment on behalf … Read More

rooftop solar/curtailment/battery efficiency/flooding & focus on food waste

10th June 2022

My wife showed me a piece this week in Remodelista about a gorgeous off-grid hut in Majorca HERE which included a novel power system: In fact the architect, Mariana de Delás makes an interesting point: the wheelbarrow contains power banks which run all electrical requirements in the hut, which involves wheeling the power to the user.. … Read More

electrolysers/AD/transparent solar panels & focus on global EV sales

6th May 2022

Apoliogies for smaller and late Titbits. Been a busy week UK news Scottish hydrogen network trial gets underwayHydrogen from Grangemouth site to be transported along 29 kilometre section of previously decommissioned gas pipelinesPlans to build a network of hydrogen pipelines across the UK took a step forward today, with the start of a Scottish pilot … Read More

undersea cables/seagrass/electrolysers & focus on learning curves and renewables

1st April 2022

A couple of readers last week spotted that the link to the best heat pumps review was missing. Apologies, you can find the article HERE Company news Macquarie takes stake in Island Green PowerMacquarie Asset Management has reached an agreement to acquire a 50% stake in UK renewables developer Island Green Power.The investment, via the … Read More

tidal/solar tiles/China & focus on heat pumps

28th March 2022

So, we have survived the Spring Statement, which could have been better but could have been worse. Now we need to see some proper green initiatives with money backing them from the Energy Security Strategy. Now that we can get loans and zero VAT for domestic heat pumps, I thought a quick buyers guide might … Read More