The Icon

SSE Renewables could go ahead with a wind farm extension without subsidies after ministers agreed a change in the company's planning consent. Located around 12km north west of Brora in Sutherland, the existing 70MW, 35-turbine Gordonbush Wind Farm has been in operation since 2012 as part of the company's portfolio of nearly 2GW of operational onshore wind farms across the...

NATIONAL Grid ESO has taken the first steps towards operating the GB electricity system carbon free with a launch of the first phase of their Stability Pathfinder. “The systems and processes we have in place to measure inertia are appropriate for the levels of wind and solar power currently in operation. "However it’s important we plan for the future and embrace...

NEW 33,000-volt substation is going to be installed as a part of Electricity North West's £7m South Manchester Enterprise Zone project. The new substation, housing two 40-tonne electricity transformers, will almost double network capacity in the area. Electricity North West will also install 30km of new underground electricity cables, with multiple cables along a 5km route between Styal Lane and Thorley...

GAS network companies across the UK have come forward with their shared plan to deliver the first zero emissions gas network in the world. This is following a new 'Pathways to Net Zero' report by Navigant, that concluded decarbonising the gas network will be critical in order for UK to meet its net zero targets. "Decarbonisation is critical to meeting the...

CARBON-NEUTRAL device that produces synthesis gas in a sustainable and simple way was unveiled by researchers at the University of Cambridge. Known as 'an artificial leaf', the device uses only sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to produce the gas, called syngas, and could eventually be used to develop a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to petrol. The widely-used gas is currently produced...

NEW report outlining how the world’s first zero carbon industrial cluster can be developed in the UK by 2040 has been published. The proposals published by the Zero Carbon Humber campaign, led by Drax Group, Equinor and National Grid Ventures, could help 'protect 55,000 jobs and deliver the biggest contribution to the UK’s climate goals of any industrial region'. Will Gardiner,...

Energy efficiency has potential to boost economic growth and avoid greenhouse gas emissions but the global rate of progress is slowing, states International Energy Agency's (IEA) new report. Global primary energy intensity, an important indicator of how heavily the world’s economic activity uses energy, improved by just 1.2% in 2018, the slowest rate since the start of this decade, according...

I do love watching a good game. The highs and the lows. The oh-so-nears and the nearly-thrown-aways. The cheering of the crowd as they watch their preferred team running towards the end-goal. As purdah stops play in the House of Commons, all teams retreat and re-plan their strategy for getting through to the next round and we watch, yet again,...

FOLLOWING an eight-month long investigation, the European Commission reinstated Great Britain's Capacity Market by formalising the granting of State Aid on 24 October. The suspension was caused by a legal challenge made by Tempus Energy, who argued that the mechanism for securing back-up power during winter months unfairly favoured fossil fuel generators over newer, cleaner technologies, such as Demand Side...

FIRST review of its kind will assess how the UK can maximise economic growth opportunities from its transformation to a green economy. At the heart of Net Zero Review is a priority to ensure a fair balance of contributions from all those that will benefit, including considering how to reduce costs for low income households. "I have championed the environment throughout...