Railpen, formerly known as RPMI, runs the railways’ pensions schemes on behalf of its parent, the Railways Pension Trustee Company Limited. It manages £34 billion of assets on behalf of over 350,000 members.

Its investment will support AGR in achieving its target of putting over 500MW of high quality renewable assets into operation by 2029.

Railpen has committed to invest in AGR’s near-term UK solar, battery energy storage system (BESS), and greenhouse projects.    Its backing will enable construction before 2026 of 160MWp of solar arrays, of 150MW in BESS, as well as AGR’s second sustainable greenhouse.

London-based AGR was co-founded in 2011 by Oliver Breidt.

Besides bringing forward onshore wind projects in the UK and northern Ireland under the Feed-in Tariff, plus solar farms across southern England & Ireland, it is known for one of Britain’s biggest and most technologically advanced greenhouses, the Fenland Greenhouse near Ely, Cambridgeshire, pictured above.

The project spans 22 hectares and produces over 2.5 million vegetables every week at peak output. The complex is powered through a combination of water-sourced heat pumps and CHP gas engines, coupled with a back-up boiler. Fenland I greenhouse spans 60Ha and produces over 2.5 million cucumbers per week. The project was initiated in 2021 as a standalone greenfield development and delivered to Greencoat Capital, part of Schroder’s Capital, in 2022.

For Railpen, its AGR investment reflects its commitment to investing in infrastructure, including directing £500m to UK energy projects since 2019. The company will be represented on the AGR board by Lewis Vanstone and Cristiana Dochioiu. AGR’s co-founder Oliver Breidt will remain as group director.

Breidt said: “I’m incredibly pleased to announce our partnership with Railpen in what is a landmark move for us. Railpen’s investment and reputation will help propel AGR into new territories and technologies, including our 1GW pipeline in Italy, and see us expanding our presence in Germany and into further agricultural assets.

“I’m very pleased to be working with Lewis and Cristiana who bring with them a wealth of experience. This will be a transformative chapter for AGR and our mission.”

Dochioiu, investment manager at Railpen added: “AGR’s approach to sustainable infrastructure development and investment matches Railpen’s ethos for sustainability and providing essential infrastructure to the UK.

“We are excited to work with the AGR team and Oliver to further develop the pipeline at AGR and drive positive change through our investment portfolio, building the critical infrastructure needed to support the UK’s transition to net zero. Railpen’s scale and long-term approach makes us an ideal partner for AGR’s ambitions to enhance energy and food security in the UK and Europe.”

Railpen were advised by parties including CMS for legal services, Grant Thornton on financial and tax and Willis Towers Watson on insurance. AGR were advised by lawyers Eversheds Sutherland.

The post Electrifying! Rail pension fund extends platform, buys ticket to AGR’s returns appeared first on theenergyst.com.

The £300 million funding round was led by the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) and multinational energy leviathan Centrica, supported by investors including Rio Tinto, Goldman Sachs, KIRKBI and Mosaic Capital.

The investment will enable the construction of one of the world’s largest long duration energy storage (LDES) facilities in Carrington, Manchester, using Highview’s proprietary LAES technology.

Once complete, Carrington – otherwise known as the location for Manchester United’s training complex – will have a capacity of 300MWh and an output power of 50MW per hour for six hours.

Construction begins on the site now.  Full operation is scheduled for early 2026. Over 700 jobs will be supported during construction and in the plant’s supply chain.

UKIB’s investment reflects its ambition to direct private finance to help new technologies reach commercial scale, as they aid Britain’s transition to Net Zero.

With its £70 million investment, Centrica comes on board as Highview Power’s strategic partner, supporting both Carrington & an accelerated roll-out of the firm’s technology elsewhere in the UK.

Highview believes its programme sets the bar for storage energy systems around the world, raising Britain to global leadership in energy storage and managing grid flexibility.

Highview Power is now at work planning four even bigger LAES plants elsewhere in Britain. The 2.5 GWh facilities, funded with an anticipated future £3 billion, will ensure a fast roll-out of the technology to align with the nation’s LDES (long duration energy storage) goals enabling the ESO’s Future Energy Scenario plans.

Highview Power has developed its LAES technology over 17 years. The technology can store renewable electricity for as much as several weeks, longer than electro-chemical batteries. The company says it is ready to be rolled out at scale, at key grid chokepoints.

Stability services to the National Grid including system balancing, feature among Highview’s business offers, speeding the redundancy of despatchable fossil fuelled power to manage demand volatility.

More manageable storage curbs curtailment costs, too. Last year British bill payers were caught on a £800 million hook, as stilled wind farms claimed compensation simply because the NG was too full to accept their low carbon output.

Highview Power seeks completion by 2035 of its larger UK installations, timed to meet one National Grid scenario of 2GW needed from LAES. That figure would represent nearly 20% of Britain’s energy storage for longer than two hours.

“There is no energy transition without storage” declared Richard Butland, pictured, Highview’s co-founder & CEO.

 “The UK’s investment in world-leading offshore wind & renewables requires a national long-duration storage programme to capture excess wind and support the grid’s transformation.

“UKIB, Centrica and our other partners are backing Highview’s ambitions to bring renewable energy storage into Britain’s economy at scale, liberating the potential of what is both the greenest and by far our cheapest energy source.

Centrica group chief executive Chris O’Shea enthused: “The energy transition is an opportunity that could transform lives. But with the UK’s changing energy mix, and more intermittency from renewables, we have to explore new, innovative ways to store energy so our customers have electricity available when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine”.

Greater Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham weighed in too. “My vision is for Greater Manchester to be a leader in the green transition. Highview Power’s decision to build one of the world’s largest long duration energy storage facilities at Carrington is a huge boost for the region.

“This new plant will deliver renewable energy to homes and business across our region and bring world-leading technology, jobs, skills and investment to Greater Manchester. I’m delighted to welcome Highview Power”, Burnham declared.

The post Storage heavyweights Highview raise £300 million to bring UK’s biggest LAES battery to Manchester appeared first on theenergyst.com.

That’s the belief of technologists and academics backing the nation’s first ever National Geothermal Centre, launched today.

Based at Stockton-on-Tees and supported by the Net Zero Technology Centre, Durham University, SHIFT Geothermal, and the Reece Foundation, donors to engineering innovators in the north-east, the NGC aims to nurture Britain’s exploitation of shaft-delivered, subterranean heat by stimulating research and innovation. Developing expertise, and advising entrepreneurs and policy-makers in forming a policy, regulation and investment framework which enables geothermal advancement, are among the centre’s remit.

The new body will drive collaboration between government, industry, and academia, championing the integration of geothermal energy into the UK’s impending renewables mix, as a low carbon option to heat homes and industries and in power generation.

Britain’s geothermal centres look primarily at sinking shafts into hot rocks thousands of metres below the surface, and pumping up super-heated ground water & gases. Government sources assert that geothermal could contribute mightily the nation’s energy targets and economy, meeting 10GW of the projected heating demand and 1.5GW of the anticipated electricity demand by 2050.

The centre is now on a mission to engage with geothermal practitioners & developers, bidding to speed uptake of applicable projects.

NGC director Anne Murrell, second from right in the picture, said: “Geothermal energy is the foundation of energy security in the UK. It is an inexhaustible source of clean heat and power beneath our feet. The new UK National Geothermal Centre will work to unearth it.

“Already in the UK geothermal projects are providing stable, low-cost, green energy to homes and businesses. With its expert stakeholders from industry, academia, finance and government, the NGC will expand geothermal development, at speed and at scale.”

“Geothermal has been my personal passion for over 20 years”, enthused Dr Charlotte Adams, another NGC director, standing next to Murrell.  “I remain convinced of its potential for reducing carbon emissions and improving energy security.

“The timing is perfect for launching the National Geothermal Centre, it will shape and accelerate our growing geothermal sector through collaborative cross-sector working. The Centre will ultimately help to unlock geothermal for more people and secure its’ position as an essential part of our low carbon energy mix.”

Nigel Lees, Chair of the NGC, said: “The launch of the National Geothermal Centre today represents a significant step in realising the opportunities that geothermal energy provides the UK. For several decades there has been a growing and meaningful contribution to our understanding of geothermal potential in the UK, yet we remain in the nascent stages of development with pockets of knowledge and expertise.

“The Centre will embrace and build on this, working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure a common understanding of the opportunities and challenges whilst giving a consistent voice and advocacy to fully unlock the geothermal potential in the UK and play a crucial part in the delivery of our net zero ambitions.

“I am honoured to serve as Chair of the National Centre and looking forward to working with the board, the executive, and our stakeholder community in the realisation of our collective vision.”

Rebecca Allison, chief operations officer at the Net Zero Technology Cenre, said: “As NZTC continues to accelerate the development and deployment of key transitioning technologies, we are fully embracing the opportunities that come with the geothermal sector. We look forward to supporting the NGC, helping it drive change and form a significant contribution to an integrated energy future.”

The post Hot rockers! UK debuts national research hub for geothermal energy appeared first on theenergyst.com.

The cash was raised thanks to the Clean Growth Fund, Eurazeo’s Smart City fund, and Aviva Ventures. The trio join existing investor Copley Point Capital in the 12 year old company.

Cheltenham-based Rendesco works with property developers including Cala Homes & Telford Homes to install low-carbon, networks based on ground sourced heat.  It also operates networks which supply clean heat and hot water to over 8,000 homes nationwide.

As Britain’s third largest source of CO₂ emissions, ridding carbon from heating buildings is a critical challenge.  Rendesco says it is at its forefront.

Today’s new investment comes Whitehall’s closing earlier this year of final consultations on the Future Homes Standard. Its final measures will underpin the incoming government’s plans to decarbonise home heat, including banning from next January the installation of gas boilers in new homes. Similar legislative measures are also driving decarbonisation across Europe.

The cash will accelerate Rendesco’s growth plans, aimed at providing a low-carbon alternative to gas grids and cutting consumers’ bills.  Part of the money will be directed at higher tech, yielding cleverer, more consumer-focused systems to manage home energy.

The new investment is separate from, but complementary to, Rendesco’s joint venture with Last Mile Heat.  Rendesco’s new build home solutions are owned by Last Mile Heat, enabling house builders to install ground source heat solutions in their developments at a considerably lower cost than with other low-carbon heat sources.  The joint venture has already developed a pipeline of £150m worth of clean heat infrastructure, boosting futureproofed heating of dwellings.

Rendesco’s founder Alastair Murray said: “I am pleased to welcome Clean Growth Fund, Eurazeo & Aviva Ventures as investors in Rendesco.

“This funding means Rendesco is incredibly well capitalised, in parallel to the significant capital available to deploy into capex costs via Last Mile Heat.  Their collective expertise and support will be invaluable as we pursue our ambitious growth plans, rapidly expanding our clean heating solutions to reach millions of homes.”

Susannah McClintock of specialist investors the Clean Growth Fund enthused: “Decarbonising heat is critical to achieving Britain’s Net Zero targets. Rendesco’s heat network solutions provide a cost-effective, efficient route to delivering the low carbon heat required for the transition away from gas to renewables. This investment aligns with our commitment to empower early-stage entrepreneurs to tackle the climate change crisis.”

The post Rendesco pumps up £6m to expand low carbon heat networks appeared first on theenergyst.com.

The Danes today confirmed their investment go-ahead to co-locate the 300MW/600MWh storage system, among Europe’s largest, on the Norfolk site.  No cash value was disclosed.

Commissioning the devices is timetabled for late 2026. Co-locating both facilities will minimise disruption during construction and later during operations.

At 600MWh, the Tesla-built battery will host clean wind power in quantities enough to power a nominal 80,000 homes.

Ørsted sees gargantuan coulomb crèches like Swardeston as natural partners for its 12 wind farms now generating in British waters.

The company has 660MW/1,850MWh of batteries either under construction or already in service across the UK and US.  Over 2GW of further amp hotels are in various stages of development in the same regions, plus Ireland.

The departing Sunak administration intended to multiply the nation’s present offshore generation capacity fourfold by 2030, reaching 50GW.  In their manifesto due tomorrow, Labour are expected honour that target.

Duncan Clark, Ørsted’s boss in UK & Ireland, said: “The Swardeston battery will help ensure renewable energy is used in the best possible way by storing it when demand is lower and then releasing it back into the system when really needed. This maximises the potential of renewable energy whilst providing increased energy security and value to consumers. “

Mike Snyder, Megapack senior director at battery providers Tesla, said: “We are excited to be part of this industry-leading project with an exceptional partner. This project demonstrates the value and flexibility of Tesla’s best-in-class power electronics, providing enhanced grid stability and enabling more renewables on the grid.”

The post Ørsted to pump Hornsea 3 juice into 600MWh battery near Norwich appeared first on theenergyst.com.

The new tariff, Empower Exclusive, is designed to spur yet more uptake of Britain’s estimated 1.2 million homes fitted with solar PV arrays.

Exclusively available to new customers who install a panels-plus battery bundle through EDF’s in-house installer, Contact Solar, the Empower Exclusive tariff is promoted as saving a standard home more than £800 per year against EdF’s standard variable tariff.

EdF is also offering £500 off a new panels-plus-battery installation to the promotion’s first 500 customers, and without any deposit before installation.

EdF bought Chorley-based Contact Solar earlier this year and has integrated it into its operations.  The supplier says more price & package deals related to home solar are in the offing.

This first deal helps customers charge their batteries overnight, providing three hours of discounted, zero carbon electricity for three hours starting at 1:00am.  By charging the battery more cheaply overnight, the discount helps householders reduce their reliance on external supply during peak hours.

With systems available for on average £8,500 for a typical 3-bedroom house, Contact Solar’s package offer includes 10 panels, a 5kW hybrid inverter and 5.32kWh battery, all installation and scaffolding costs, a 10-year battery and inverter warranty, a 25-year panel warranty, virtual and technical survey costs, and access to a system monitoring and performance app.

All combinations of solar and battery installs will also benefit from 0% VAT.

Tom Taylor, director at Contact Solar, said: “We’re delighted to now be a fully integrated part of EdF, bringing exceptional new benefits to customers such as this new exclusive energy bundle.

Philippe Commaret, EdF’s managing director of customers, added: “We know more and more people are looking for ways to save cash and carbon, which is why we’re pleased to bring this unique solar product bundle to the market.

To check eligibility for the tariff, click here: Tariff Eligibility Criteria | EDF (EdFenergy.com)

For more information or to sign up to the Empower Exclusive tariff, click here: https://www.EdFenergy.com/solar#empower

The post EdF debuts UK’s first PV tariff without a standing charge appeared first on theenergyst.com.

In new research published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, they show that electrifying Ukraine’s steel sector to have near zero emissions would generate $164 billion worth of additional gross value added, compared to a pathway based on traditional coal-based steelmaking.

Electrifying eastern Ukraine’s coal-fired forges to run on low carbon renewables could radically also shift the nation’s steel industry from the coal fields of the Donbas towards western and southern regions, and accelerate economic growth.

Robust production of green steel would have ripple effects across Ukraine’s entire economy, argues lead author Dr Alli Devlin, from Oxford University’s Department of Engineering Science

“The vast destruction of Ukraine’s iron and steelmaking assets represents a stark opportunity to rebuild a thriving industrial sector which is independent of fossil fuels”, writes Dr Devlin.

“Ukraine is well positioned to supply European green steel markets, which will provide employment throughout the value chain, and deliver returns to the economy well beyond the original investments.”

Steel makes up a big chunk of Ukraine’s economy. Before Putin’s psychosis, its 21.4 million tonnes produced in 2021 ranked Ukraine as the world’s 14th biggest producer.  But its steel is among the world’s dirtiest, with 2020’s 48 Megatonnes of CO_{2 equivalent}, making up 15% of the country’s entire carbon emissions.

Ukraine wants to join the Eurpoean Union. When it succeeds, it will become subject to the trading block’s EU Green Deal’ target, which mandates for steel at near zero emissions by 2030.

Curiously, south Wales nurtured eastern Ukraine’s early history of producing iron, then steel in industrial volumes, first for Imperial Russia, then for the Soviet Union.

Donetsk, capital of the Donbas coalfield, was named Yuzovka for nearly 50 years until 1919, in honour of Merthyr Tydfil-born John Hughes. Hughes was the forgemaster who sailed from Britain in 1869with over 100 of his countrymen, miners and skilled iron smelters, to set up one of Imperial Russia’s first high-volume iron furnaces.

A Welsh-speaking community in eastern Ukraine with an English-language school and churches dedicated to saints David & George, prospered until 1919. In that year Russia’s new Bolshevik government nationalised the town’s iron works, forcing many families to return to Wales.

So great was Donetsk’s affinity with Britain that, after Putin’s annexation of the Donas region in 2014, locals even jokily campaigned to have Britain assume sovereignty of the city, in view of the region’s debt to John Hughes.

In their new paper, Dr Devlin & colleagues suggest new electrified steel mills should be situated close to cross-border rail hubs and close to the best sources for solar & wind energy.

This strategy would significantly increase demand for land and sea transport services, re-routing them towards Western/EU markets, and also create new demand for the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia for fossil-free fuels.

The report lays out an investment bill of $62 billion over 20 years for Ukraine’s full recovery in steelmaking: $46bn for renewable energy kit, $7bn for energy storage, and $9 billion for electric furnaces. Based on recent performance, the team believe every $1 invested in Ukraine’s basic metals industry would yield an additional $3.28 elsewhere in the economy.

The World Bank estimates that Ukraine’s full post-war recovery and reconstruction needs will require $486 billion.

The Oxford paper says Ukraine’s green steel requirements amount to only 6% of the country’s total $486 bn post-war reconstruction bill, as calculated by the World Bank for the nation’s first decade free of Russian attack.

Ultimately, says the paper, Ukraine could provide the world’s template for the urgently needed transition towards low-emission steel . Now comprising around 8% of total global emissions, steel ranks top of all human production sectors, at 2.8 Gigatonnes of CO₂ per year. In comparison, air transport accounts for only 2.5%.

The war-ravaged country last year outranked England in the new capacityof onshore wind capacity which it commissioned.

With prospective international donors and private investors gathering in Berlin today and tomorrow for the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 , the Oxford researchers hope that green steel will be high on the agenda.

“This research is not just another feasibility study”, declared report co-author Dr Vlad Mykhnenko, the university’s associate professor of sustainable urban development.

“It is a call to action for steelmakers, investors, and politicians to ensure that after the war we really build back better.

“Green steel would become a sustainable growth promotion machine for Ukraine’s post-war development, and would generate almost twice as much economic growth than the traditional coal-based steel. This means more income and higher living standards for all Ukrainians”.

Through its research commercialisation arm Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the number one filer of patents among Britain’s universities.  It’s ranked first in Britain too for commercial spin-offs, having created more than 300 new companies since 1988. Over a third of those have sprung into life since 2019.

The post New green steel capacity ‘can turbocharge Ukraine’s post-war recovery’; say Oxford researchers appeared first on theenergyst.com.

Backed by investment group Eurazeo, the seven year old start-up operates services including microgrid trading of clean power generated on office campuses & industrial estates up and down the country.  Linking generating commercial tenants to consuming companies in neighbouring or adjacent premises is a key offering.

UrbanChain’s founders Somayeh Taheri and Mo Hajhashem, pictured, described the licence grant as a major milestone. It permits UC Energy Ltd to supply to non-domestic premises, elevating the quality of its product array offering to customers, while ensuring more control for its generator clients.

The two originators met at Manchester University and launched Urban Chain in 2017. It is based on the city’s Science Park.

Chief operating officer Mo said: “Obtaining our electricity supply licence from Ofgem ranks extremely high, as you have to pass a very rigorous due diligence process. It’s a major turning point for us.”

“This step will enable us to step up our ability to offer customers a real traceable choice of energy and advance UrbanChain’s plans for granular ESG ( – environmental, societal & governance  – ) tracking.”

UrbanChain’s deeptech platform for peer-to-peer energy exchange uses integrated smart contracts and machine learning to match generators of renewable energy and consumers on a half hourly basis – resulting in secure energy prices and secure physical flows for energy generators.

Local government organisations, companies from across the private sector, generators of renewable energy, energy suppliers and domestic households all trade within the regulated platform.

Two months ago, the company allied with business supplier Equans & Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council to create a virtual power plant (VPP) across council-owned buildings & homes on the West Midlands authority’s Brockmoor estate.

Reacting to Ofgem’s licence grant, the recipient’s portfolio director Garry Pickering explained:

“With UrbanChain now an official energy supplier, it ensures we have full control of our peer-to-peer matching process which enables greater security for generators of renewable energy.

“We will also have clearer transparency on data flows and it will allow us to roll out a new suite of products, ensuring generators have true choice in where their generation goes.”

UrbanChain employs 30 people. This month it revealed it is gearing up for a Series B funding round push towards the end of this year.

It follows last year’s successful raising of £5.25 million, led by Eurazeo.  Further backing comes at present from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero and Innovate UK.

Somayeh Taheri, UrbanChain CEO, said: “We started UrbanChain with a mission to alleviate fuel poverty and to fix a broken inefficient energy market model.

“Our social responsibility values haven’t wavered and we see ourselves as more than a platform or an energy exchange, our role is to create communities.

“Renewable energy is not just for the well off and we are tackling this. Our goal is to connect as many generators as possible to their regional communities and local businesses.

“Peer-to-peer energy exchange is a choice in itself and if we can help all parts of society become renewable prosumers then we are succeeding in our core missions.”

The post Microgrid clean power traders UrbanChain secure supplier licence appeared first on theenergyst.com.

So says analysis released this week by research firm Rystad Energy.  It finds that 1GW of electrolysis capacity has already been installed in China.

However, Rystad also notes that most of this capacity will be built in the north, where wind and solar resource is high, and not co-located with the likely demand centres for hydrogen in transport and industry in the eastern cities.

It notes that provincial targets combined would produce a million tonnes a year by 2025. The northern regions of Inner Mongolia and Gansu alone respectively aim for 480,000 tonnes and 200,000 tonnes of green H₂ a year by 2025, not only exceeding national targets, but local demand too.

As such, the research firm highlights that China’s energy companies are putting more effort into linking up supply and demand via new hydrogen pipelines.

These include Sinopec’s planned 400km pipeline between Inner Mongolia and Beijing — which would be able to initially carry 100,000 tonnes a year from 2027 before scaling up to 500,000 tonnes a year — as well as its subsidiary China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Corporation’s proposal for a 6,000km network by 2050.

Rystad also tracks a 737km hydrogen pipeline from the province of Zhangjiakou to the port of Caofeidian, which traffics both international and domestic cargo, to be developed by Tangshan Haitai New Energy Technology at a cost of $845m. “If realized, it would be the world’s longest hydrogen pipeline,” the research firm notes.

While the Beijing government set its green hydrogen targets as part of a wider push to peak the country’s emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060, Rystad warns that stricter standards and faster deployment of renewables will be needed to prevent extra emissions from electrolysers’ demand on the grid.

The research firm says that 217GW of new solar and 76GW of new wind power were installed in 2023 to decarbonise China’s grid — although coal still dominates the country’s power generation. It also estimates that a million tonnes a year of green hydrogen production capacity would need 20GW of extra onshore wind.

“Consequently, hydrogen projects compete directly with other substantial electrification needs throughout China,” the research firm warns.

Additionally, the country currently has separate standards for “low-carbon” hydrogen, which is given a threshold carbon intensity of 14.51kgCO₂e/kgH₂, and “renewable” or “clean” hydrogen, which must have a carbon intensity of at most 4.9CO₂e/kgH₂. However, it is unclear whether these also account for potential induced emissions from using grid electricity and upstream methane emissions.

The post China “to install 2.5GW of green hydrogen projects this year”: analysts Rystad appeared first on theenergyst.com.

Included in its electoral demands issued today, trade body SolarEnergyUK says a new administration should establish and share its roadmap for solar generation within 100 days of taking office.

Britain needs in short a government that fully embraces solar “so we can reap the benefits for our economy, people and environment”, in the words of chief  executive Chris Hewett, pictured.

Rescued from limbo, the body believes, must be 15 months of detailed output from an industry-government Solar Taskforce, convened in spring 2023.  With an initial brief to speed more arrays on commercial roofs, the taskforce’s remit quickly expanded to cover detailed work in areas such as developing solar’s UK supply chain & better trade skills.

Confusion was thrown on the Taskforce’s work first by the resignation of energy minister Graham Stuart in April, then by Sunak’s surprise election call last month.

As next year dawns,  the UK will have about 20GW of solar generation capacity in place, supplemented by 8GW of big batteries.  By 2030, Britain needs 50GW of solar , plus 30GW of zero-carbon energy storage, the lobbying group believes.

Those numbers are in line both with the Sunak administration’s target of 70GW of generating PV arrays  by 2035 and the National Infrastructure Commission’s recommendation of 60GW of short-term flex by 2035.

According to SolarEnergyUK’s manifesto, steps to deliver them must include ;

Embracing UK solar

Private investors including from overseas are willing to fund  UK solar and storage at all scales, the group believes. But deterrents persist, which only government leadership can remove.

Resolving Britain’s inconsistent planning regime is among them, as is joined-up thinking on too-fragmented current relationships between energy security, food security and restoring nature.

“We do not have to choose one over the other,” says the manifesto.

Consistency in planning decisions is also key.   Officials Failing to respect established national policy has led to more refusals for solar being overturned more than any other kind of development, wasting private and public money, and needlessly extending the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Rooftop solar power is hugely popular, the PV advocates claim. Over 1.5m small  solar installations sit on homes, businesses and community buildings, almost half of them installed after the end of subsidies in 2019.

But poor households, and community activists investing in solar on local public buildings & schools look to be missing out at present, says SEUK.

Building standards need urgent overhaul, and peer-to-peer energy trading must be enabled to allow schools, community projects and businesses to buy and sell power locally.

Congested distribution & transmission networks mean solar farms are built quickly but languish for far longer as they wait for a grid connection. The effect is to delay ground-mounted and roof-mounted commercial arrays, as well as grid-facing batteries.  Without radical improvements, Net Zero by 2035 could be in danger, the blueprint warns.

Ofgem must solving this problem by improving service from grid operators, including by compelling them to release data on local usage and upgrades.

The skills needed for British green jobs is another topic requiring immediate attention by  D-ESNZ chiefs.

Renewables is the engine for a decade-long jobs boom.   But the route to a just transition which retrains workers mid-career or brings on school-leavers is not as clear as it should be

Incoming ministers should work with solar practitioners, says SEUK,  setting up with a chain of regional training centres to promote career opportunities.

While it’s probably not economic to make solar arrays in Britain, SolarEnergyUK says there’s a case for Whitehall to foster manufacturing of switchgear, cabling, batteries and mounting systems.

On inward investment, the manifesto warns Britain must not fall in attractiveness behind the EU, US, China, India and other emerging supplier nations. Ensuring that solar and energy storage has a level playing field with other energy technologies overseas is essential, says the document.

Effective incentives must exist to spur new solar installation at utility scale, it goes on. Over 11GW of solar capacity is approved and awaiting construction. But the Allocation Round 6 of the Contracts for Difference reverse auctions will see less than 2GW of that total built, putting targets at risk.

The next government should also ensure that the Electricity Generator Levy, the Capacity Market, Balancing Mechanisms and the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) attracts investment in clean energy, with storage and flexibility to provide backup.

Read SolarEnergyUK’s manifesto here.

The post “Share Britain’s solar roadmap by October, then stick to it”, PV chiefs urge new government appeared first on theenergyst.com.

The planned project, covering parcels of land near Gainsborough on the Notts-Lincs border, is nearly ten times bigger than the 50 MWp threshold below which officials of West Lydney district council could reach a judgement.

Qualifying thus as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), and in line with trends for ever bigger solar farms, West Burton will need to be judged by Whitehall’s Planning Inspectorate.

Its recommendation is expected early in August.  Whoever is then the new government’s planning & housing minister thereafter will have until November to decide on granting a consent order.

The West Burton farm compromises three electricity generating stations, with associated development including grid-scale batteries, and grid connection equipment.

Those batteries mean the solar park could usefully replace 24% of the output of EdF’s now closed coal-fired West Burton A power station.  If approved, the project will supply the National Grid with clean electricity in amounts meeting the needs of over 140,000 homes.

West Burton lies at the northern end of  the Trent Valley, dubbed “Megawatt Valley” by locals since the 1960s due to the cluster of generating stations built there. They were first  fuelled by coal from seams under Nottinghamshire.  That legacy of high capacity generation favours below average waits for renewable energy projects seeking connections to the National Grid.

Coal-fired West Burton A finally closed in March 2023, having been kept running for an extra six months at D-ESNZ’s request, in response to Putin’s war on Ukraine.  Demolition begun in January is expected to last until 2028.

Tara Sethi, regional infrastructure technical director at Lanpro, commented, “Lanpro has worked with Island Green Power on the creation of the West Burton solar project for three years.

“This substantial project has the potential to provide affordable, clean power to hundreds of thousands of homes in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.  In doing so, it has a significant role to play in meeting the country’s Net Zero target. We’ve been privileged to work with Island Green Power on this and Cottam solar schemes and we look forward to a successful outcome later this year.”

Advising Lanpro in drawing up the planning application have been lawyers Pinsent Masons, land referencing specialists Dalcour Maclaren and communications firm Counter Context.

Pictured is an earlier Lanpro solar farm, a 20MW project completed at Lisburn, in northern Ireland, in 2017.

The post West Burton’s 480MWp solar leviathan reaches Planning Inspectorate appeared first on theenergyst.com.

The Scottish government’s eagerly anticipated overhaul of permitted development rights (PDRs) for rooftop solar has now officially come into force.  Previously there was a 50kWp upper limit for permitted rights for rooftop solar on homes and some non-domestic buildings, above which full planning permission was required.

The changes will have a really significant benefit for business and commercial rooftops to help reduce energy costs. This move follows the removal of non-domestic rates for rooftop solar in last year’s budget, which industry also campaigned for. Both these changes will eliminate considerable barriers to rooftop installations.

Thomas McMillan, chair of Solar Energy Scotland, welcomed the announcement: “Simplifying the planning process for rooftop solar will make a substantial difference to Scotland delivering 6 gigawatts of solar by 2030.

“With energy costs continuing to be stubbornly high, solar remains one of the most effective ways of reducing the charges of running residential and commercial buildings: this change by the Scottish Government makes the process of installing solar quicker and easier and is warmly welcomed.”

Flat roof systems can also be installed under permitted development, provided they do not protrude more than one metre from the roof surface.

Even solar in conservation areas can be permitted development under certain circumstances, such as not being on primary elevations or fronting roads. Only World Heritage sites and listed buildings are exempt from the new changes.

Solar Energy Scotland has long advocated this change. The new rules remove costly, time-consuming red tape which will speed up the deployment of solar panels on rooftops and help Scotland achieve its climate and solar deployment targets, as well as enabling easier access to cheaper energy for consumers and businesses.

Only Northern Ireland now retains an upper system limit on permitted planning guidelines.  The three other home nations continue with differences based on the type of building affected, however.

Other changes to the solar landscape include free-standing solar panels permitted within the curtilage of non-domestic buildings, covering areas of up to 12 square metres, and restrictions relaxed for PV canopies.

Solar installers & suppliers are eager for continued dialogue with Holyrood officials on whether the curtilage limit could be extended in future.

The post Sky’s the limit for Scottish rooftop solar, as Holyrood cuts planning red tape appeared first on theenergyst.com.

The trade body’s First 100 Days ask list is organised across its five strategic pillars of power and flexibility; circular bioresources; heating & cooling; transport; and other cross topic objectives.

It sets out a comprehensive policy platform, delivering long-term assurances to the clean energy participants, ensuing the UK is once more positioned as a global leader in the energy transition.

Each Strategic Pillar document outlines an overarching objective for the upcoming government, and details a series of steps and policy actions intended for swift implementation and for immediate impact.

In power & flexibility, the REA calls for complete establishment of the National Energy System Operator (NESO), to provide independent advice on delivering an energy system fit for the future.

The incoming government must “turbocharge work streams to overcome constraints on grid capacity”, to be backed by an annual report to Parliament.

Next, D-ESNZ’s long-running Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) must be concluded imminently to identify practical workable options for change. Earlier this year generators & distributors were options due for publication this year.  Market participants must be re-assured with on a sensible timetable for implementation, says the REA.

Ministers must establish too, says the REA, a rolling timetable & budget for Contract for Difference (CfD) auction rounds (ARs) to secure new renewable investment at scale. AR6 due later this year follows last year’s doubling to yearly of the process’s frequency.

Targeted tax breaks for utility-scale solar, wind and thermal must be included in the new Chancellor’s first Budget. Long duration storage needs too a cap-and-floor auction mechanism, replicating new clean generation capacity.

Easier pathways to market for bio-energy CCUS and stronger planning directives from D-HLU favouring clean energy add to the REA list of demands

REA head Dr Nina Skorupska CBE observed: “Our action plan is a comprehensive vision, able to galvanise the sector across multiple technologies. It is no secret the UK’s status as global leader in Net Zero has been called into question.

“We strongly urge the next government to implement the policy steps outlined in the plan, if it is serious about putting the energy transition front and centre of its legislative programme”.

Read the REA’s full list of demands here.

The post REA pinpoints key priorities for new PM’s first 100 days appeared first on theenergyst.com.

As Britain’s greenest university, Manchester is top-ranked in the UK and third in the world for its benchmarks achieved against the independent 2024 QS World University Sustainability Rankings.   All its degree programmes are certified against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

“She’s electric. Can I be electric, too?”

Now all its buildings and institutes – including part of the world-ranking Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, the Alliance Business School, the John Rylands Library and the Schuster physics labs where the Nobel-prize winning material graphene was developed by UK-citizens Professors Andre Geim & Kostya Novoselov in 2004 – will from autumn 2025 be powered by clean electricity made from Essex’s light.

Famously rainy Manchester’s biggest university has signed a deal with PV park developers Environmena, to buy four-fifths of the 58GWh output of the developers’ approved solar farm at Medebridge, close to South Ockendon and the Thames.

Expected to generate first late next year, the Medebridge project’s 104,000 solar panels will cover 175 acres of low-grade agricultural land – around 70 football pitches’ worth – next to a landfill site. At just over 46GWh every year, the Essex farm’s low carbon current will meet 65 per cent of the University’s power needs.

Enviromena says Medebridge will deliver greater biodiversity to Essex’s estuary edgelands. Preserved native grasses and wildflower meadows will surround the panels’ racks, encouraging nesting sites & rearing of wildlife, including bugs at the bottom of food chains.

“All I need is the air that I breathe”

Off-taking most of the farm’s clean power for a committed decade will speed Manchester University on its journey to intended carbon neutrality by 2038.  In 2022 the uni voted to terminate its investments in coal, oil and gas, and to reduce the carbon intensity of its other endowments by 37%.

Professor of climate and energy policy Carly McLachlan, the university’s academic lead for carbon, observed: “The important thing for us in developing this relationship (with Enviromena) was that our commitment would add new renewable energy capacity to the UK electricity system. Through our long-term purchasing commitment, we have played a key role in bringing this development forward – maximising the positive impact of our purchasing power.”

Baggy, not boggy. Still “mad for it…”

Finance manager Lee Barlow, the university’s lead on the Essex-sourced deal, added: “After nearly three years of rigorous procurement negotiations, we are proud to announce this landmark agreement, which (delivers) price certainty and supply stability.

“Securing this 10-year corporate PPA despite such adversity is a huge accomplishment and holds special significance as we celebrate the University’s bicentennial year.”

Enviromena’s chief commercial officer Lee Adams responded: “This significant partnership with the University of Manchester demonstrates the shared commitment of an influential, large-scale organisation, which, at the time it celebrates its 200-year anniversary, is taking steps towards reducing its carbon footprint through the technologies of tomorrow”

Founded in Britain by Sami Khoreibi in 2007, Enviromena is privately owned by investors Arjun Infrastructure Partners.

The developer currently manages over 300MW of renewables projects, including in the UAE, Egypt & Jordan. In the UK and Italy alone it is bringing forward elements in a 3GW-plus pipeline of green energy projects.

Straight outta Purfleet, twisting my melons

For investors Arjun Infrastructure, head of ESG Rhyadd Keaney-Watkins commented: “For Arjun and our investors, this deal between Manchester University and Enviromena is an exciting example of the positive real-world outcomes which infrastructure can deliver.

“With a fivefold increase in the UK’s solar generation capacity needed by 2035, and with more and more institutions following Manchester University’s leadership in decarbonising operations, there is an important role for developers such as Enviromena to deliver the ‘green electrons’ needed as part of net zero and the energy transition.”

Interest declared: the author was educated in south Essex and in Manchester

The post “Soundddddd, our kid!” Manchester Uni sorts itself for PV & watts…from Essex appeared first on theenergyst.com.

Reading-based Enviromena is developing and constructs renewable energy projects in the UK and Italy. Across Britain alone, by next year it intends its portfolio to exceed 500 MW.

The firm prides itself on recruiting staff from outside the renewables sector, offering opportunities for people to diversify their skills.

Now the company is launching an apprenticeship programme which it hopes will attract a new wave of talent keen to get involved in an exciting and emerging sector.

First up is a role within the developer’s finance department.  It will combine on-the-job training at Enviromena’s head office in Grazeley, Reading, offering study to secure a Level 3 AAT Accountancy Diploma. Tuition will be delivered by accountancy training provider First Intuition in Reading.

“This is a great opportunity for a hard-working problem solver who is interested in business and finance to start a rewarding career in accountancy” said James Armitage, the firm’s financial controller.

“Enviromena is growing rapidly and this is a very exciting time to join the renewables industry. The successful candidate will study for a professional qualification while gaining hands-on work experience in our fast-paced business.”

The firm’s senior finance officials will support the apprentice’s development, in a role offering exposure to a wide range of areas within the finance function.

The apprenticeship is expected to last 18 months. Enviromena offers competitive pay, 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays.  On achieving AAT Level 3, the right candidate would be supported with AAT Level 4 study.

Applicants will need a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, including Maths and English, and preferably three A-Levels at grades A to C. Good team players, they should have strong written and verbal communication skills, great attention to detail and be highly motivated.

“With students completing their exams soon and thinking of their next move, I’d highly recommend this opportunity to anyone looking to build a career in finance. There has never been a better time to join the clean energy industry and be part of its incredible growth trajectory,” said James.

A full job description is here. Applicants are invited to email their CV and a few details about why they would like to work with Enviromena.   Email those documents to ukfinance@Enviromena.com.   The closing date is 30 June 2024.

The post Enviromena seeks apprentices for solar expansion appeared first on theenergyst.com.