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news & information about the UK nuclear industry

News May 2019

Renewables – solar

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis has estimated the effect on the payback period of PV systems when adding EVs and storage in Germany and Britain. In both cases, system owners are likely to reduce their payback period by significant margins as increased self-consumption can offset the incremental phase out of government incentives. Combining a 4 kW residential solar rooftop system with battery storage of a similar size, and a small EV with 35 kWh capacity, would ensure a payback time of four years for the lot in Britain in 2025. With feed-in and export tariffs largely phased out, and discounted VAT on solar products set to be removed, the payback period for just the solar system could be more than 20 years, with a return on investment rate of minus-3%.

PV Magazine 24th May 2019 read more »

Anesco has targeted the UK’s domestic solar-plus-storage market with a new ‘at Home’ offering comprising a raft of clean energy technologies. Solar and battery storage will be combined with heat pumps, EV charging technologies and an auto-switching energy tariff service to offer consumers a tailored energy service to not only decarbonise, but save money on utility bills. The company said recent trials of the service saw households reduce their energy bills by around 40% which, when combined with payments made under the Renewable Heat Incentive, saw them become ‘cost neutral’. In launching a comprehensive domestic service, Anesco is entering a market that is quickly becoming one of the key battlegrounds for UK solar. Heavyweight companies such as E.On and Nissan have already launched product packages for the UK market, while other companies like Social Energy have also introduced smart solar packages.

Solar Power Portal 24th May 2019 read more »

Hydrogen

Hydrogen rivals oil and gas for storage and hard-to-decarbonise sectors (industry, heavy and long distance transport). But it isn’t all carbon free. “Grey” hydrogen – the cheapest at €1.50/kilo – is made from gas. “Blue” hydrogen depends on the fortunes of carbon capture technology. “Green” hydrogen is CO2 free, but needs further cost reductions in the green electricity used in the electrolysis process. Noé van Hulst, at the Netherland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy, runs through what countries around the world are doing to accelerate green hydrogen’s growth. And companies too: Sweden’s Vattenfall says it can produce a €20,000 car from CO2-free steel (using green hydrogen) rather than regular steel, adding just €200 to the price. There is a growing international consensus that clean hydrogen will play a key role in the world’s transition to a sustainable energy future. It is crucial to help reduce carbon emissions from industry and heavy transport, and also to provide long-term energy storage at scale. Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be produced from a wide range of sources and used in many ways across the entire energy sector. It could become a game-changer in its low-carbon form, but its widespread adoption faces challenges. Researchers have found that clean hydrogen still costs too much to enable it to be widely deployed. Prices may not come down sufficiently until the 2030s, according to some estimates. But despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of clean hydrogen, there are promising signs that it could become more affordable sooner than expected. The projected scale-up in offshore wind production in Northwest Europe is expected to kick in over the next 10 to 15 years. By the early 2030s, mass deployment of green hydrogen may have begun in that part of the world. Some big industrial players, like Engie, have set an explicit cost target for green hydrogen to reach grid parity with grey hydrogen by 2030. The Japanese government has also formulated stringent cost targets for clean hydrogen by 2040.

Energy Post 22nd May 2019 read more »

Nuclear Testing

France recognizes the health consequences of its nuclear tests in Polynesia. Parliament recognized Thursday the role of the territory in its nuclear deterrence capacity, something the 118 islands have been waiting for a long time. This recognition was eagerly awaited. Parliament adopted, Thursday, May 23, a reform of the statute of autonomy of Polynesia which recognizes the role played by this territory in the development of the French nuclear deterrence capacity, as well as its consequences, in particular health.

Le Monde 23rd May 2019 read more »

Climate

Record levels of methane in the atmosphere will make it even harder to reach targets set by the Paris climate agreement, scientists have warned. Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found increasing amounts of the potent greenhouse gas were coming from the tropics. They are uncertain about the source but believe it is likely to be due to microbial changes in methane-belching tropical wetlands. They believe warmer temperatures could be causing them to emit more methane than ever before.

Independent 24th May 2019 read more »

James Dyke: The scientific community has been sounding the alarm over climate change for decades. The political and economic response has been at best sluggish. We know that in order to avoid the worse impacts of climate change, we need to rapidly reduce emissions now. The sudden increase in media coverage of climate change, as a result of the actions of Extinction Rebellion and school strike for climate pioneer Greta Thunburg, demonstrates that wider society is waking up to the need for urgent action. Why has it taken the occupation of Parliament Square or children across the world walking out of school to get this message heard? There is another way at looking at how we have been responding to climate change and other environmental challenges. It’s both exhilarating and terrifying. Exhilarating because it offers a new perspective which could cut through inaction. Terrifying as it could, if we are not careful, lead to resignation and paralysis. Because one explanation for our collective failure on climate change is that such collective action is impossible. It’s not that we don’t want to change, but that we can’t. We are locked into a planetary-scale system that while built by humans, is largely beyond our control. This system is called the technosphere. And so the most effective guard against climate breakdown may not be technological solutions, but a more fundamental reimagining of what constitutes a good life on this particular planet. We may be critically constrained in our abilities to change and rework the technosphere, but we should be free to envisage alternative futures. Thus far our response to the challenge of climate change exposes a fundamental failure of our collective imagination.

Independent 24th May 2019 read more »

Energy Policy

Academics tell Labour that their renewable energy plans don’t leave any room for nuclear power. Published below is a memorandum from the ‘Red Lion Group’ of 12 academics, to the Labour Party Shadow Energy Secretary, which sets out how Labour’s plans for renewable energy do not leave any room for any new nuclear power (not even Hinkley C). This means that Labour’s plans to give many £billions of state support for new nuclear power will merely replace cheaper renewable energy. The analysis was based on projections for energy demand used by the Committee on Climate Change. Review of the CCC’s projections of energy supply and demand. Letter to Shadow Energy Secretary from 12 academics and policy analysts.

Dave Toke’s Blog 24th May 2019 read more »

Bill Gates: This is what we need to do to tackle climate change. Wind and solar power generation is expanding around the globe at record rates, allowing more people to get their electricity from clean, renewable sources than ever before. This is great news. And here’s better news: We can do even more. By investing in energy innovations, we can build on the progress we’ve made deploying current technology like renewables, which will help accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to a future of reliable and affordable carbon-free electricity. We must solve two challenges. The first challenge will come as no surprise. We need to do more to harness the power of the sun and wind. And thanks to falling prices for solar panels, wind turbines, and other technologies, deploying renewable energy systems is more affordable than ever before. The second challenge is probably less obvious and more difficult. We need big breakthroughs in technologies that will allow us to supply the power grid with clean energy even during windless days, cloudy weather, and nighttime. Usually, you back up renewable sources with fossil fuels like natural gas that can quickly and reliably provide power when it’s needed. To reach zero carbon emissions, however, we need to find a way to use more clean energy sources as a backstop. Three key solutions are Improved energy storage systems; Carbon capture and storage and cheaper nuclear; High-voltage, long-distance transmission lines.

World Economic Forum 21st May 2019 read more »

Almost two-thirds (60%) of the UK public believe that the chief executives of corporations should be leading the national fight against climate change, a new survey has found. Conducted by consultancy Kin&Co earlier this month, the survey quizzed two groups of 1,203 and 2,084 adults respectively on their attitudes to sustainable business and climate action. Across these two groups, 69% agreed that climate change is now an “urgent issue” for large brands, rather than something likely to affect them in the distant future. Indeed, 59% said they would like to see their favourite brands declare a ‘Climate Emergency’, as the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments did earlier this month.

Edie 23rd May 2019 read more »

Waste Transport

ARMED police carried out an operation in Barrow as a shipment of nuclear waste was safely moved from Sellafield to the docks to be sent abroad. Members of the public spotted a heavy police presence in the area of Roanhead close to the Dunes Hotel yesterday afternoon. Armed police lined the route travelled by train from Sellafield to Barrow on the nuclear site’s dedicated line to Barrow Docks. The shipment was carried out with support from police and officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

NW Evening Mail 23rd May 2019 read more »

NDA

Senior figures from NDA and Sellafield have spoken at an event in West Cumbria, confirming their commitment to making a greater socio-economic impact for the areas surrounding the UK’s nuclear sites. Academics, politicians and nuclear industry leaders attended the 2019 Westlakes Public Value Convention, hosted by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), which focused on public value and helping the industry achieve the greatest possible benefit for the communities in which we operate. NDA group businesses invested £10 million in 2017/18 in over 200 projects.

NDA 23rd May 2019 read more »

Senior nuclear industry figures have spoken at an event in West Cumbria to confirm their commitment to making a greater impact. Academics, politicians and nuclear industry leaders attended the 2019 Westlakes Public Value Convention, hosted by the University of Central Lancashire today, which focused on public value and helping the industry achieve the greatest possible benefit for the communities in which they operate. Paul Vallance, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s director of communications and stakeholder relations, said: “We must serve and support our communities by maximising the outcomes we get from every single pound of taxpayers’ money that we spend on addressing social challenges.

Carlisle News & Star 23rd May 2019 read more »

Some actions will be developed by NDA while others that are more site specific, reflecting local needs are developed by the group businesses. NDA’s published supply chain development strategic objective is “to ensure that the supply chain available to the NDA estate is optimised to enable a safe, affordable, cost-effective, innovative and dynamic market to support our mission, and for the NDA estate to be seen as a nuclear client of choice.” Our aspirations associated with SMEs are included within this overarching strategy but the detail of specific actions and interventions are contained within this SME Action Plan.

NDA 23rd May 2019 read more »

Finland

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) is to employ liquid absorbers featuring bitumen in order to eliminate vibrations in the pressuriser surge line of the first-of-a-kind EPR at Olkiluoto. Suppressing the vibrations is one of the issues TVO must resolve before the regulator will allow fuel loading to proceed.

World Nuclear News 23rd May 2019 read more »

Green Gas

Ørsted has added two ‘green gas’ products to its energy supply offer, the energy giant announced yesterday. The firm is offering biogas, captured from anerobic digestion, and natural gas plus carbon offsetting, to its UK business customers.

Business Green 24th May 2019 read more »

Renewables – solar

France’s EDF, Abu Dhabi’s Masdar and Morocco’s Green Africa have been selected to deploy a triple solar hybrid in the African state that will incorporate PV to profit from cost declines. Billed by its promoters as a world first, the PV-plus-CSP-plus-storage Noor Midelt project will be developed in high desert plains between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas ranges, a five-hour drive east from capital Rabat. Construction at a 4,140-plus hectare site is scheduled to begin in Q4 2019 and should, according to World Bank documents from last year, deliver two multi-technology plants. Each of the duo is thought to be designed with a 150-210MW PV installation and a 150-190MW CSP element, bringing capacity across the two to a 600-800MW total. A five-hour thermal storage component will complete the technology mix, the World Bank said.

PV-Tech 23rd May 2019 read more »

Lightsource BP has connected another subsidy-free, private wire solar farm, this time a 2.3MWp install in Lancashire. The site, fully funded by Lightsource BP, is connected to the private power network of glass manufacturer NSG Group’s European technical centre. The project is expected to provide around 30% of the site’s annual power demand, with NSG procuring the array’s output under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). Lightsource BP said the PPA provides a fixed, index-linked rate for the electricity, effectively hedging against price volatility. Nick Boyle, chief executive at Lightsource BP, said that the project was testament to the “new normal” in UK solar.

Solar Power Portal 23rd May 2019 read more »

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