News
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Global Insight: 17th December 2018
This will be the final Global Insight for this year and also the final Global Insight ever. The IGov project will be running until end September 2019 but we have decided – although GI’s are popular – that we should spend our time producing other outputs (such as blogs, research, presentations) which will continue to be posted on the IGov website. For those of you who wish to keep up with US news, the best websites to follow are Utility Dive, CTN (Clean Technica), RMI, RAP and Naruc. For Australia, RenewEconomy, The Guardian, for markets
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Global Insights: 11th December 2018
AUSTRALIA South Australia Electricity report released Last year’s increase in rooftop PV and domestic battery storage, along with increased renewable generation, are changing the dynamics of the South Australian (SA) power system. This year’s electricity report highlights the need for system strength to be more actively managed, the increased need for fast-start and rapid-response technologies and the possibility of a new interconnector to New South Wales. The steps taken within the report show a positive response to the large amount of variable generation. The Hornsdale Power reserve has shown the range of services able to
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Global Insights: 4th December 2018
AUSTRALIA Australian DER now stands at 2 million households The success of the solar industry in Australia has now reached new heights with the Clean Energy Council announcing on Monday that 2 million Australian households now have solar installed on their roofs (there are approximately 9 million households in total). There is an average of six panels per minute being installed just with small-scale solar (if including large scale this jumps to 10-20 panels per minute). What is also of interest is where the solar systems are being installed and what this means politically. Two
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Global Insights: 27th November 2018
AUSTRALIA AEMO expecting a hotter than average summer The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has issued its summer energy outlook and is expecting a hotter than average summer. There is particular concern for the state of Victoria which has a 20% chance of not meeting the reliability standard. Additional reserves of 930MW are being procured through the Reliability and Emergency Trader (RERT) mechanism to cover any shortfall over the National Electricity Market (NEM). AEMO are aware that the unexpected may happen and have made plans with the wider energy industry and governments to try to
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New Thinking: The changing role of cities & local energy
The changing role of cities and local energy – does energy system governance need to catch up? Jess Britton, IGov Team, 26th November 2018 It is now widely accepted that the transformation of the UK energy system is well underway with changes to technologies and business models, as well as evolving consumer preferences, challenging many of the principles and structures of the existing centralised and supply focussed energy system. At the same time there is growing consensus that local approaches to energy system change are becoming more important. This blog reviews the changing focus in
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New Thinking: Fuel poverty indicator letting down poorer households
Fuel poverty indicator letting down poorer households Helen Poulter, 23rd Novermber 2018 Now we are in autumn, with winter and Christmas fast approaching, it’s time to batten down the hatches and keep warm and snug in our homes. A lovely time of year for some but not necessarily for those on a low income. Shorter days and lower temperatures mean increased energy costs. There are 3.5 million (12.9%) households in the UK affected by fuel poverty. The purpose of this blog is to show that the current way of assessing the fuel poor via averaged
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Global Insights: 20th November 2018
AUSTRALIA Network offers demand response incentives in NSW Ausgrid, the distribution network serving Sydney, the Central Coast and Hunter Valley in New South Wales is to offer its customers incentives to reduce their electricity use. The demand response project, part funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), will offer customers incentives to implement solar systems and efficient lighting in order to permanently reduce demand. The aim of the project is to show, by reducing demand in this way, Ausgrid will be able to delay, or avoid, network augmentation so reducing costs for customers. Consultation
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Global Insights: 13th November 2018
AUSTRALIA Renewables increasing output and reducing gas generation in the NEM The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has released the Quarterly Energy Dynamics for Q2 2018. Statistics for the quarter show an increase in renewable generation, both small and large scale; a marked reduction over the same period for gas generation and price reductions throughout the market. Drivers for the price reductions were: reduced volatility in Victoria and South Australia; increased renewable output (including hydro) and reduced demand associated with seasonal temperature decreases and a reduction in gas powered generation (GPG). Compared to the same
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Presentation: Consumer participation & market design issues
Consumer participation and market design issues From: Catherine Mitchell and Tom Pownall Presentation to: Oxford Institute of Energy Studies Electricity Day, 7 November 2018 Overview: Why this matters? Changing electricity system characteristics and needs GB Governance not fit-for-purpose Key issues for consumer participation and market design issues Is a local balancing and coordinating market helpful or unhelpful ? This presentation can be found here: Mitchell – OIES 7 November
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Global Insights: 6th November 2018
AUSTRALIA NSW launches Emerging Energy program The New South Wales (NSW) government launched its Emerging Energy program last week. The program will invest $55m on large-scale energy projects to improve the diversity of NSW energy mix. In the next 15 years 10GW of coal generation in the state will be at the end of its life. The program is designed to help replace the coal plants with large-scale, low emission, dispatchable generation. There is funding of up to $10m per capital project and $500,000 for feasibility assessments. The projects must demonstrate ‘ ‘system operational’ technology
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