Tag: small modular reactors

Second Update of July 2020 – An overview of last week’s Energy news

21st Jul 2020 • 0 Comments

Below is this week’s summary. It should be a one minute read relevant to UK energy with links to documents for those who wish to read more.

(Click a bullet point to open the relevant article)

Tuesday – 7th July

The UK’s biggest energy supplier, British Gas, has ordered 1000 British built electric battery vehicles for its engineers. Vehicles will be on the road within a year. The company has the third largest fleet of commercial vehicles (12000) and aims to have them all electricity-fuelled by 2030.

Wednesday – 8th July

EU press release announces plans for net zero emissions by 2050 with emphasis upon renewable energy and hydrogen.

Thursday – 9th July

UK Government House of Commons Library has published a document summarising the Energy Companies’ Obligation (ECO). In this scheme, introduced in 2013, energy suppliers submit to a fund by raising money through energy bills. Funds are used to assist low-income households to reduce energy bills, for example through improved insulation. Almost 2.7 million energy efficiency measures have been made.

Friday – 10th July

UK Government has announced an investment of £40 million in development of the next generation of nuclear power generation. £30 million will be for research and development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) including one plant to deploy fusion in Oxfordshire. Remaining funds will be put towards new ways to manufacture parts and to strengthen the regulatory regime around nuclear power generation.

Reuters reports on findings that UK schools could save money on energy bills and emissions by making them more energy efficient and using renewable on-site generation methods such as solar panels on roofs. Article says majority of UK schools are over 40 years old.

Saturday – 11th July

Planners at Grimsby in northern England have received an application for the largest solar power generation plant in the UK involving up to 60000 solar panels including use of land, formerly a landfill site.

Sunday – 12th July

Ministers and other high-level representatives of 80% of the world economy held an on-line summit during the week focused upon plans to bring about a sustainable and resilient recovery and achieve a definitive peak in global emissions.

Third Update of June 2020 – An overview of last week’s Energy news

1st Jul 2020 • 0 Comments

Below is this week’s summary. It should be a one minute read relevant to UK energy with links to documents for those who wish to read more.

(Click a bullet point to open the relevant article)

Monday – 15th June

Bloomberg article claims UK is paying £1 billion each year in direct subsidies for electricity generation from burning wood pellets as well as £13 billion in tax breaks.

Wednesday – 17th June

Plans for UK’s biggest onshore wind farm are to go ahead on Shetland Isles north of mainland UK. 103 turbines will provide electricity generation capacity of 0.44 GW and cost £580 million to construct. Development is subject to permission being granted for an export cable connection to the mainland.

Recent sunny weather in the UK has caused records to be broken for solar power generation, reaching almost 10 GW on 20th April, approximately 30% of electricity demand at the time.

Thursday – 18th June

UK Government press release announces that construction has begun on the world’s largest liquid air battery in North West England. The plan is to use renewable energy during times of excess supply to liquefy air. Liquid air will transfer back to a gas, driving turbines to generate electricity, during periods of higher demand.

UK Government is funding research at Birmingham University into hydrogen as a fuel for trains.

Friday – 19th June

UK Energy Systems research body (“Catapult”) has made the case for increased levels of nuclear power in the energy mix in support of net zero emissions targets. The ‘Nuclear for Net Zero’ report includes support for small modular reactors (“SMR”) and hydrogen production.

Almost 2 GW of offshore wind power generation came online in 2019 bringing total capacity to almost 10GW.

Saturday – 20th June

In a BBC interview, the UK energy minister says shale gas industry is over ‘for now’.

Sunday – 21st June

A disused gas network in Teesside will be used as a pilot to test procedures for transporting hydrogen as a zero-carbon heating fuel.