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INITIAL plans for a subsidy-free solar farm that could power the equivalent of 12,200 homes a year in Nottinghamshire are raising concerns among local councillors. The 107-hectare solar site, which would be located in Halloughton, near Southwell, would also include battery storage for times of peak demand. The land was selected by developers JBM Solar and Pegasus Group based on the...

SOLAR and onshore wind are now the cheapest sources of new-build generation for at least two-thirds of the global population, according to BloombergNEF. Those two-thirds live in locations that comprise 71% of gross domestic product and 85% of energy generation. Battery storage is now the cheapest new-build technology for peaking purposes (up to two-hours of discharge duration) in gas-importing regions, like...

AS CITIES and corporations accelerate their adoption of electric trucks and buses, AMPLY Power has secured $13.2 million in Series A funding from investors, including Soros Fund Management and Siemens. They are joined by existing seed round investors, including Congruent Ventures, PeopleFund, and Obvious Ventures. Founded by serial entrepreneur Vic Shao, AMPLY Power offers charging services for commercial electric vehicle fleets. Mr...

OXFORD University has announced plans to divest formally from the fossil fuel industry. As well as divesting its endowment from fossil fuel companies, the University has also asked its endowment office, Oxford University Endowment Management, to engage with fund managers to request evidence of net zero carbon business plans across their portfolios. There will also be a new member of the...

THE SECRETARY of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Alok Sharma has thanked the energy industry for their efforts to keep the nation powered during the COVID-19 pandemic in an open letter. Mr Sharma wrote: "At this unparalleled time for our nation, I want to pay tribute to you for your role in ensuring the security of our supplies,...

AN INDUSTRY body for the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry has warned that up to 30,000 jobs could be lost in the sector as it called for the transition to net zero to be put at the heart of coronavirus pandemic recovery plans. The stark warning comes from Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) as companies in the sector report...

THE COVID-19 pandemic represents the biggest shock to the global energy system in more than seven decades, with the drop in demand this year set to dwarf the impact of the 2008 financial crisis and result in a record annual decline in carbon emissions of almost 8%. A new report released today by the International Energy Agency provides 'an almost...

A £250,000 boost to Warrington’s gas network has enabled a huge, low-carbon HGV refuelling station – the biggest of its kind in Europe – to operate at full capacity. The new station at Omega South, operated by CNG Fuels, can refuel 800 trucks a day with certified 100% biomethane compressed natural gas, a gas sourced from waste. That gas is distributed...

INTERNATIONAL Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER, or "The Way" in Latin), one of the most ambitious energy projects in the world, is to be switched on in a few short years' time. In southern France, 35 nations are collaborating to build the world's largest tokamak, a magnetic fusion device that has been designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a...

THE WORLD faces “multiple famines of biblical proportions” that could result in 300,000 deaths per day — a “hunger pandemic” in addition to the threat posed by COVID-19, World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley has warned. Speaking at an online briefing broadcast by the UN on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, Mr Beasley commented: “If we don’t prepare and act...