News May 2019

Greater transparency needed over lobbyist influence on UK renewable energy schemes, research claims. Greater transparency is needed to understand the influence of lobbyists when delivering crucial renewable energy schemes in the UK, new research has claimed. The comprehensive new study, led by heat policy expert Richard Lowes from the University of Exeter, examined the true extent of how much influence lobbyists still wield to shape Government initiatives. Richard, a key member of Exeter’s prominent Energy Policy group, centred the research around the flagship Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) – a national scheme designed to encourage homes and businesses to switch to renewable and low-carbon heating. The study found that ‘niche actors’ – such as lobbyists and campaigners – were the most influential group during the early development stages of the RHI.

Exeter University 29th May 2019 read more »

The role of socio-political power is central to the development of policy, but systematic analyses of power associated with the development of energy policy are rare. Power is also an important yet somewhat under-researched aspect of socio-technical transitions research. The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) policy aims to increase deployment of low-carbon heat in Great Britain and begin a transformation to a low carbon GB heat system. This article analyses the socio-political power associated with the development of the RHI policy based on Lukes’ ‘dimensions of power’ approach using a methodology based on triangulation. We identify a number of policy change episodes during the development of the RHI and describe the influence of key actors on the policy. Despite the common assumption of the power of incumbents, we show that those actors with niche technological expertise, close relationships with Government actors and actors within the administration have been the most powerful drivers of policy development and change. Niche actors sped up the introduction of the RHI scheme and have also had some success in increasing relative support for biomethane injection. The power of a civil servant to slow the introduction of the domestic element of the RHI has also been identified.

Energy Policy (accessed) 30th May 2019 read more »

Opponents of large wind farm developments in Shetland have said they are not surprised permission to increase the turbine height for the planned Viking Energy development was granted by Scottish ministers.

Energy Voice 31st May 2019 read more »

With clean energy being generated at lower and lower prices around the world, solar power is playing a leading role in bringing the curtain down on coal, and will help the decarbonization of transport and space heating too. Solar power’s leading role in driving the energy transition – and the decarbonization of other sectors required to stave off catastrophic climate change – has once again been highlighted in a major global study. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has published a study that not only signals the end times for coal-fired power, thanks to plunging unsubsidized clean power generation costs, but also indicates how cheap renewables can power the electrification needed to reduce carbon emissions from transport and space and water heating. “In most parts of the world today, renewables are the lowest-cost source of power generation,” states the first sentence of the Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2018 report. That bold statement is backed up by a prediction that next year some 83% of the electricity generated by new PV capacity will be cheaper than new fossil fuel generation. Based on IRENA’s power purchase agreement and solar auction database, solar will generate electricity at a global weighted average price of $0.048/kWh in 2020. Such a figure would ensure PV electricity would also be cheaper than the marginal costs of power generated from 700 GW of existing coal-fired power stations worldwide.

PV Magazine 30th May 2019 read more »

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is the latest to join a slew of calls for the proposed solar VAT hike to be scrapped. HMRC recently announced that VAT on energy saving materials, including solar panels and storage units, would effectively be increasing from 5% to 20% in circumstances where the cost of the materials exceeds 60% of the total cost of installation. The decision has been heavily criticised by the industry, with the MCS the latest to call for a reversal of the proposal.

Solar Power Portal 30th May 2019 read more »

A pioneering $1bn project for large-scale storage of energy from wind and solar power has been launched in Utah, offering a way to manage the variability of renewable generation. A consortium including Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems of Japan on Thursday announced a plan to use a huge salt cavern to store hydrogen or compressed air, which could be used to generate up to 1,000 megawatts of power. The variable output of wind and solar power, both within a day and seasonally, is one of the principal obstacles impeding the rise of renewable energy, and cost-effective large-scale storage using hydrogen or compressed air would be a significant breakthrough for the industry. The Utah project, known as Advanced Clean Energy Storage, is intended to serve customers on the west coast of the US and in Nevada that have growing shares of renewable power generation, storing energy when electricity prices are very low or negative, and then releasing it when supplies are tighter and prices rise. The consortium partners aim to have it in operation in 2025, with an initial output of 250MW, rising to 1,000MW later. Paul Browning, chief executive in the Americas for MHPS, which is a joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi, said the project would be the world’s largest energy storage facility designed to manage the variability of renewable power sources.

FT 30th May 2019 read more »