These pages set out our wider thinking on issues relating to innovation, governance and practice for a sustainable, secure and affordable energy system.
New Thinking
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New Thinking: Transformational Regulation- comparing the NY REV & RIIO
Transformational Regulation – comparing the NY REV & RIIO (Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs) Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 11th August 2016 IGov has published a number of blogs etc about the New York Reforming the Energy Vision (NY REV), and in particular NY’s new, regulatory value proposition, distribution service providers. When discussing the NY REV in GB with various stakeholders in different forums (for example, the DSO versus DSP workshop), the comments received can be divided into four general streams: 1. a general feeling of not understanding what the NY REV is
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New Thinking: The embedded benefit saga
The embedded benefit saga: why GB needs a progressive energy vision Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 8th August 2016 Over the last few weeks, new possibilities have been injected into the energy policy debate, and now is the time to forge a progressive UK energy vision. Theresa May, our Prime Minister, said in her inaugural speech: ‘’We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives. When we take the big calls, we’ll think not of the powerful, but you.’’ A few days later, she set out the principles of her economic
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New Thinking: What I wanted to say on the Today programme this morning
What I wanted to say on the Today programme this morning Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 29th July 2016 I was just on the Today programme at 8.54 am, and was not able to give my view on George Monbiot’s proposal that we restart an Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) programme to solve the twin problems of using up our stockpile of nuclear waste, and have a long term source of energy. My answer to this would have been that the problem with using nuclear waste as a fuel in reactors is that it makes the fission
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New Thinking: Giving control back to the people – why the Government should ditch HPC
Giving control back to the people – why the Government should ditch HPC Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 29th July 2016 EDF has just given the go-ahead to investment in Hinkley Point C (HPC, a new build nuclear power plant). However, the GB Government has announced that it is going to ‘think carefully’ and will announce its decision in the Autumn. This is a good decision for multiple reasons (see past blogs, here, here and here). In her inaugural speech, our new Prime Minister Theresa May said: ‘’We will do everything we can to give you
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New Thinking: The changing role of consumers in the energy system
Rethinking the role of consumers in our evolving energy system Richard Hoggett, IGov Team, 8th July 2016 The GB energy system is designed to meet the energy demand of consumers, whether they are domestic, commercial or industrial users. Regardless of the level or timing of demand, the system is designed to ensure there is always sufficient supply available to meet it. This practice dates back to the post war years when the desire was to maximise energy output to keep pace with growing demand, to support economic growth. This supply-oriented focus has changed little since
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US Regulatory Reform: NY utility transformation
US REGULATORY REFORM SERIES What, and how, the New York utilities are expected to transform to over the next decade – the New York REV’s Ratemaking May 2016 Order Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 13 June 2016 In April 2014, Governor Cuomo of New York kicked off the New York Reforming the Energy Vision (NY REV). This encompasses multiple dimensions of regulated administrated programs, regulatory reform and new institutions – all of which work together to create an enabling environment for a transition to a sustainable energy future for New York State (NYS). The administered programs include
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New Thinking: Putting the environment back in GB energy policy
Putting the environment back into GB energy policy – stop being complacent about emission reduction Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 31 May 2016 British energy policy (and its institutions) is way too complacent about the health of the GB energy industry, and its future. IGov argues for greater linkage between the CCC – which sets out in broad terms the GHG emission reduction needed by a certain time – and energy policy and the energy industry. It seems to us that there is a major mitigation-size gap in the current institutional framework – no one institution
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New Thinking: Germany’s €17bn Energy Efficiency Strategy – Where’s Ours?
Germany’s €17bn Energy Efficiency Strategy: Where’s Ours? Caroline Kuzemko, IGov Team, 19th May, 2016 At the time of writing the IGov working paper on ‘Governing for Demand Management Innovations in Germany’ earlier this year it was rumoured that there would be a new, comprehensive energy efficiency strategy. Germany has already made considerable gains in demand reduction for energy, and electricity, so much so that there have been claims about a decoupling between GDP growth and electricity demand. However, Germany also has tough demand reduction targets that they are determined to meet – not least a
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New Thinking: Solar surprise, revisited
Solar surprise, revisited Matthew Lockwood, IGov Team, 6th May 2016 Now that the spring sunshine has finally arrived, I thought I would revisit a chart that I showed at an STA conference last year and which was subsequently picked up by Ofgem Chief Exec Dermot Nolan in a speech to Energy UK (and misattributed to Cornwall Energy…). Ofgem has also used it more widely as part of their narrative on energy system change, including talks on their innovation plan and smart energy. It is all to do with the dangers of underestimating the potential pace
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New Thinking: Restructuring GB’s Energy Institutions
Restructuring GB’s Energy Institutions – why it is worth the cost Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 18 April 2016 IGov has been advocating an institutional framework (see Figure 1) which it argues will better meet the challenges faced by the GB energy system, whilst also opening up new opportunities and enabling their capture (Table 1 at the end). However, from the point of DECC and the Minister, one can understand if they ask: what is the cost of this, and is it worth the effort? We argue that we cannot know what the true ‘total’ benefits
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