James Byrne

You probably didn't notice but October 1st was the launch date of the newest public institution in the UK – the 'National Energy System Operator' (NESO). The NESO replaces National Grid and is mandated with the simple task of ... "delivering electricity decarbonisation and whole energy system planning to deliver Net-Zero." This is a great initiative that has been many years in the making with cross party support. We need whole of system thinking and the NESO will have strategic oversight of both the electricity and gas systems. The first task is to take our electricity grid to net zero by 2030 which NESO say can be achieved. At Elyos Energy we're looking forward to contributing to make this a reality. https://lnkd.in/dRQRpHti

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Today marks an important milestone as the UK Government published its response to the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) consultation. DESNZ received feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders, including Innova , both as a developer and asset owner. The response confirms the Government’s intention to establish a cap and floor mechanism to support the deployment of LDES projects, with some interesting detail on revenue stacking and the potential inclusion of lithium-ion solutions. While there’s still much to digest and further details to explore, as noted by DESNZ, this is an exciting next step in the journey toward LDES deployment! #LDES #energystorage #netzero

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This £17 million loan from UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) to West Suffolk Council for its net zero programme shows how local councils can support small projects below the UKIB's £5 million transaction minimum by packaging them in an overall programme of work. UKIB lends to local authority projects at gilts + 40 basis points. Interestingly, one of the projects in West Suffolk's portfolio of decarbonisation projects is its "Solar for Business" solar leasing scheme, which installs rooftop solar for free, reducing carbon emissions while saving the businesses money. Plus, the council makes a small surplus that it uses to support other projects. These solar leasing arrangements are helpful in overcoming a number of obstacles for property owners considering solar installations: upfront cost, long payback, vendor/product selection, project risk and complexity, ongoing maintenance. They are mostly applied to larger projects, but the residential sector is growing in some global markets. Could councils be implementing "Solar for Homes" schemes, too? #retrofit #renewableenergy #localgov Room151 #greenfinance Jason Holland Lorna Pimlott Phil McDermott 🇺🇦 https://lnkd.in/eqbpSGK3

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The N8 Research Partnership this week published its economic growth prospectus in response to the UK Government's five goals of: 1. Kickstarting economic growth 2. Making Britain a clean energy superpower 3. Taking back our streets 4. Breaking down barriers to opportunity 5. Building an NHS fit for the future We are very pleased to see IBIC featured alongside so many other excellent initiatives that are all working to address these challenges, especially in the north where there may be more barriers to overcome than in other parts of the UK. We hope that as IBIC grows we will deliver on our goals in line with government priorities and support building the north-west's bioeconomy, marking us out as not only a regional superpower, but also a global one. You can read the N8's prospectus here: https://lnkd.in/eTCzU3U7 And our full case study here: https://lnkd.in/ev-9fMAE

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UK Carbon Regulator is essential for the functioning of a net zero economy - Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) released its Operationalising a Carbon Regulator report, which aims to guide the development of a robust regulatory framework for carbon accounting in the UK. ESC states that a Carbon Regulator would be “crucial” to the standardisation of carbon accounting practices, emphasising that the implementation of a Carbon Regulator is essential for the functioning of a net zero economy by: reducing investment risks; building investor, business, and consumer confidence; and levelling the playing field for innovators. The report outlines that a UK Carbon Regulator could utilise its potential position as a first mover to promote the credibility of UK low carbon industry, while demonstrating the value of nationally coordinated carbon accounting regulations. In delivering this, ESC notes that a Carbon Regulator would require a mandate to enable continuous international engagement. https://lnkd.in/eEXm4sV9

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Honoured to sponsor and speak at an insightful panel event in Parliament on greening the UK gas grid through biomethane. With Rachael Burford from the Evening Standard leading the discussion, we explored practical approaches to decarbonising gas usage and reducing harmful methane emissions. Future Biogas' Carbon Harvest project demonstrated how unsubsidised biomethane is already supporting industries in reaching Net Zero while providing a practical alternative to fossil fuels. It's clear that demand for gas will persist beyond 2050, as renewable electricity alone can't meet the needs of all industrial practices. We heard how AstraZeneca has reduced its gas usage, introducing biomethane to fulfil essential requirements for sterilisation and steam in the pharmaceutical sector. With methane having 80 times the warming impact of CO2, using biomethane derived from agricultural and food waste not only harnesses a valuable energy source but also helps reduce the climate impact of waste. Biomethane can play a key role in our clean energy transition, particularly in sectors where electrification isn’t feasible, like brick and glass manufacturing, in heating historic buildings such as Parliament and in hospitals requiring energy intensive processes for sterilisation. A smart, flexible, low carbon energy mix will need green gases like biomethane, hydrogen, and synthetic gases—not fossil fuels. This was a fascinating discussion about a technology and industry already making a positive impact on our economy and climate. Huge thanks to Philipp Lukas of Future Biogas, Howard Forster of Cadent Gas Limited , and Lord Rupert Redesdale for their insights into the role of biomethane on our journey to net zero. Let’s keep advancing green gas initiatives! #biomethane #cleanenergy #netzero

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Thames Water’s Crisis: The Cost of Privatisation 💧🏛️ As Thames Water faces mounting debt and public outrage, the consequences of privatising essential utilities are coming into sharp focus. Originally intended to drive innovation and efficiency, the privatisation of Thames Water has instead led to financial mismanagement and service degradation. Discover how investors prioritised dividends over infrastructure investment, resulting in today's water quality issues in Siobhan Atife's fascinating article ⬇️ 📖 https://lnkd.in/ejgXSJ4P

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How much do households spend per retrofit? Average retrofit spend per household is not proportionate across tenure, according to a report by the National Retrofit Hub (link in comments). This suggests energy performance uplift varies by tenure. Here’s the data: Private rental: £𝟮,𝟲𝟬𝟬/𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 Delivery data difficult to access, but annual spend illustrates less effective intervention install compared to other tenures. -> Improved measurement & more comprehensive retrofit required. Social housing: £𝟯𝟭,𝟮𝟬𝟬/𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 Higher spend likely related to transparency of data and grant funding terms for energy performance uplift. -> Delivery acceleration, efficiency & cost reduction required. Owner occupied: £𝟴,𝟰𝟬𝟬/𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 Delivery data difficult to access, but annual spend indicates less effective intervention install compared to social housing. -> Improved measurement & more comprehensive retrofit required. What are your thoughts on why retrofit spend varies across tenure? How does spend reflect the state of retrofit in each tenure? Are there any challenges or opportunities not captured by the spend data? #retrofit #renovation #refurbishment #epc #energyperformance #energyefficiency #fuelpoverty #homeimprovement #housing #energybills #costofliving #retrofitdata Image Credit: National Retrofit Hub

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In this three-part blog series, we delve into the energy challenges and innovative solutions within the current agricultural landscape. Previously we covered topics including available grants and financing options. Join us as we explore practical ways to enhance energy efficiency and look at 13 advantages of solar energy for the agricultural sector: https://lnkd.in/dmcU3bXk #Agriculture #BlogSeries #SolarSolutions #RenewableEnergy

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Dive into this insightful blog series from our client, RenEnergy UK! Explore the energy challenges UK businesses face and discover the innovative solutions making a difference. Don't miss out on these expert insights! #EnergySolutions #SustainableBusiness #RenEnergyUK Christine Bombal Nicola Probyn Claire Alexander Carin Abrahams Rozel Archer Jannet Bico

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🌍 Boosting the UK’s Clean Energy Future: Aligning Industry and Innovation 🌍 Exciting news from the UK government: the sixth round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is receiving record-breaking funding, now with a budget 50% larger than the last round! This increase aims to fast-track the deployment of renewable projects across offshore wind, solar, and emerging technologies—essential to reaching net zero by 2050 and strengthening energy independence. https://lnkd.in/epMicMHT At PNDC and the University of Strathclyde, we’re committed to supporting with our world class research, innovation an testing, businesses driving these energy goals forward. Our cutting-edge research and testing facilities support the rapid integration of renewables and the transformation of UK energy networks. This aligns with new policy initiatives like the Great British Energy initiative and the expanded CfD funding, both of which prioritise high-quality jobs, local economic growth, and energy security. Strathclyde’s role in innovation and collaboration with industry offers critical insights into resilient grid solutions that can handle high renewable penetration, grid stability, and energy storage—all key to achieving a sustainable energy transition. As the UK government opens new doors for industry investment, PNDC’s testing and Strathclyde’s research will play an essential role in turning these ambitious targets into on-the-ground solutions. Let’s build a resilient, decarbonised future together! 🌱⚡ #NetZero #UKEnergy #RenewableEnergy #PNDC #UniversityofStrathclyde #CleanEnergyInnovation #EnergyPolicy #DESNZ

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Wales & West Utilities at the Forefront of Producing Green Hydrogen From Waste Water https://ift.tt/15orch8 A partnership project between Wales & West Utilities (WWU) and a technology firm has successfully produced green hydrogen from several impure water sources. The project, which is funded by the OFGEM Strategic Innovation Fund, sees WWU working with HydroStar to develop hydrogen systems designed to reduce the operational barriers to wide-scale green hydrogen usage. The aim is to deliver low-cost solutions to the UK economy. NextGen membraneless electrolysers are being developed which are able to use waste water to dramatically reduce the water burden of green hydrogen production. Green hydrogen is produced using electrolysis and power from renewables like wind and solar. Current electrolysis technologies require highly purified water to be able to produce hydrogen, which is both costly and places demands on the UK’s water supply. Matt Hindle, Head of Net Zero & Sustainability at WWU, said: “We are really excited with the outputs from this phase. Using sources like rainwater, storm overflow and wastewater as feedstock we could see many of the operational barriers and costs of green hydrogen production reduced. “Using industrial process wastewater could also encourage co-location of production sites, using wastewater to generate hydrogen that powers the onsite process itself, as well as increasing resilience in the network by injecting excess hydrogen. This further supports the widescale uptake of low-carbon hydrogen.” Charlie Newbold, Head of Operations at Hydrostar, added: “This technology is an industry first, and we’re delighted to be at the forefront of development. As well as achieving impressive levels of green hydrogen production, the project also offers potential for reusing the oxygen produced as a by-product, further enhancing the environmental and financial benefits. “We’ve already had a lot of interest from industrial customers looking to decarbonise their processes and look forward to the collaboration opportunities ahead.” The post Wales & West Utilities at the Forefront of Producing Green Hydrogen From Waste Water appeared first on Business News Wales. Wales sources via Business News Wales https://ift.tt/Gbuc5Dp April 26, 2024 at 03:48PM

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🎉🎉 We're excited to announce our newest SASHA Coalition member, MCG UK ! MCG's VUILA platform helps green hydrogen producers and providers accelerate commercially viable green hydrogen scaling by four to seven years. The programme draws on real-time data from sensors, weather, storage, electricity prices, demand and supply to automate and optimise business decisions, increase utilisation and profits, and promote the deployment of green hydrogen as a viable, scalable aviation fuel. 💚 Clinton LIU 劉長亮, MCG UK CEO and founder, commented: "We are pleased to see the SASHA Coalition bringing together leaders from across shipping and aviation to show decision makers that green hydrogen and direct air capture (DAC) are integral to decarbonisation pathways in these sectors.   A secure supply of green hydrogen and carbon dioxide from DAC is going to be crucial to produce sustainable aviation and shipping fuels. However, the limited supplies of these fuels mean they must be targeted towards the industries that do not have faster, more efficient routes to decarbonisation." 👏 Welcome MCG UK ! #GreenHydrogen #CleanMaritime #GreenFuels

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Since we discussed the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF) last time, it seems only right that the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) is today’s feature for our “Funding Your Net Zero Journey” Linkedin series. PSDS provides grant funding for the installation of heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures. 🙋‍♂️ Who is eligible? 🙋‍♀️   Public sector organisations in England. Higher education institutions are independently governed and therefore ineligible, unless they are mainly funded out of public funds.    💲 How much funding is available per application? 💲   The carbon cost effectiveness of a grant application is calculated by dividing the requested amount by the lifetime direct carbon savings from measures funded by the grant alone. The maximum grant carbon cost is £510 per tonne of direct carbon saved by the grant-funded measures. All grant recipients must contribute a minimum of 12% of total final project value.   💻 How can I apply? 💻   The application portal for Phase 4 will open on Wednesday 9 October 2024 at 2pm and will close on Monday 25 November 2024 at 2pm. PSDS guidance, including application questions, has already been published on Salix’s website.   ✅ Our tip for success ✅   With heat network zoning regulations and the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) due to launch in 2025, it will strengthen your application to consider opportunities to connect to a local district heat network, either now or in the future. Heat networks are vital to the UK’s net zero goal and in cities, they are often the cheapest, low-carbon heating option. Having a viable plan to connect to a heat network in your PSDS application will go a long way in convincing the panel that your proposed works have longevity and investment value. #PSDS #netzero #heatnetworks

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