Renew Extra Weekly

131 new renewable energy projects have been approved in the UK’s new Contracts for Difference auction, surpassing the 92 projects in the previous auction in 2023, when no offshore wind projects were backed. In the new round, 9 offshore wind projects (5GW in all) got contracts, including Hornsea 3 and 4 off the coast of Yorkshire- which when built will be  largest and second largest wind farms in Europe. Floating wind also got a 400MW project in Scotland.  With 3.3 GW in all backed, solar also did very well, better than in the previous round. With planning rules now changing, the new round backed over ninety 5MW or more PV projects, including some large solar farms (of up to 49MW). With planning rules also changing for on shore wind, it’s also did well, with 22 projects, 990MW in all, 1 in England, 3 in Wales, the rest in Scotland, including 120 and 130MW projects. And in terms of new technology, 28 MW of tidal stream got backed, with HydroWing set to deliver 10 MW in Wales, w...

A new Danish study comparing nuclear and renewable energy systems (RES) concludes that, although nuclear systems require less flexibility capacity than renewable-only systems, a renewable energy system is cheaper than a nuclear based system, even with full backup: it says ‘lower flexibility costs do not offset the high investment costs in nuclear energy’.  It’s based on a zero-carbon 2045 smart energy scenario for Denmark, although it says its conclusions are valid elsewhere given suitable adjustments for local conditions. ‘The high investment costs in nuclear power alongside cost for fuel and operation and maintenance more than tip the scale in favour of the Only Renewables scenario. The costs of investing in and operating the nuclear power plants are simply too high compared to Only Renewables scenario, even though more investment must be put into flexibility measures in the latter’.  In the Danish case, it says that ‘the scenario with high nuclear implementation is 1.2 bil...

As I have noted in earlier posts , there is a green skills gap opening up in the UK, and it seems to be an expanding problem, as indicated by a report by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) and National Engineering Policy Centre, which I mentioned in an earlier post. It's worth looking at in detail. It says that  ‘about an additional 200,000 workers are needed by 2030 to meet expansion demand on top of those required to replace the existing ageing workforce.’ However, instead, it noted that there were ‘declines in key parts of the workforce and high rates of hard-to-fill vacancies in critical occupations such as engineering project managers, electrical & mechanical engineers, engineering technicians, welding and engineering construction trades (e.g. crane drivers, steel erectors) alongside a wide range of other occupations key to energy transition’.  At the same time, it said ‘we are seeing stagnation or reduction in the supply of young people into these roles. Appr...

China has been pushing ahead with renewables on a very large scale- stunningly so. Four times faster than the G7 country norm. It’s on track for having 1,200GW of wind & PV installed  by the end of 2024 - 6 years ahead of its government target. But there are issues- so far it’s not been enough to meet rising demand and there are problems with rapid expansion.  As I noted in an earlier post , although its renewables capacity is expanding rapidly, the actual amount of power delivered to users in not increasing quite so fast- power is being lost due to poor grid links, congestion and curtailment. Major efforts are being made to deal with this, with a vast new supergrid network being built to link to remote areas where much of the green energy resource is located. However, some say that the data we have available on the final result in terms of green power usage is not always reliable and some has allegedly been blocked .   A perhaps an even more worrying issue from...

A report by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the National Engineering Policy Centre on the ‘Rapid decarbonisation of the GB electricity system’ sees offshore wind as the main way forward for the UK, but also says that ‘onshore wind and solar can be built quickly and help to provide a step change in delivery of renewable generation, especially if built in places where the transmission grid already has capacity to absorb it.’ It notes that ‘hitherto, the constraints have been grid connections and planning and consenting, with the planning system treating wind and solar quite differently’, so Labour’s ‘post-election amendment to the National Planning Policy Framework & announcement of an intention to consult on returning onshore wind to the NSIP regime is therefore a significant step’.   However, offshore wind will continue to lead, although it says  ‘the UK needs to significantly accelerate progress towards already stretching plans for 50 GW of offshore wind by 203...

 The new Labour government is pressing ahead quite forcefully with its green energy programme and that has led to some conflicts- some of them perhaps rather surprising.  For example, the Co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Adrian Ramsay MP, recently called for a ‘pause’ in constructing pylons across East, Anglia meant to link offshore wind projects to the national grid. He wanted a review of options. This led to a rebuff by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who saw building new green infrastructure as vital, and, if there was ever a red-green honeymoon period, it’s now over!  RenewableUK’s Policy Manager for Networks & Charging, also pointed out that ‘ National Grid ESO has already carried out a detailed study of the options in the East Anglia area, so a new review isn't needed.’ It had looked at the idea of going for predominantly on shore links or via offshore cabling, the latter being double the costs, and there would still be some on shore links. And...

In its new Future Energy Scenarios report, National Grid’s Electricity System Operator (ESO) maps three potential pathways to meet the UK’s 2050 net-zero target. Electric Engagement is weighted towards the electrification of sectors such as heating, transport & heavy industry. Hydrogen Evolution prioritises the use of hydrogen instead. Holistic Transition is a mix.  Renewables dominate across the board, with wind and solar at 150-250 GW by 2050, depending on the scenario. Total energy supply and demand is highest in the Hydrogen Evolution pathway. Electrifying sectors is seen as inherently more efficient than producing hydrogen, since doing so can be energy-intensive, using scarce green energy to make expensive fuel, or carbon-intensive fossil gas.  Indeed, as Edie notes , though natural gas supply in the Hydrogen Evolution pathway is two-thirds lower in 2050 than at present, it is still over double the level in the Electric Engagement/Holistic Transitions. But in Ho...