Featured Posts
New report: The true affordability of net zero
This evening my latest report: The true affordability of net zero, was launched at an event hosted by The [...]
Norway turning away from electricity interconnection
Norway is turning away from electricity interconnection as its governing coalition collapses over disagreements over energy co-operation with Europe. [...]
Time to accept that wind farm costs are not falling
There has been a consistent narrative that the cost of building new wind farms is falling, with falling subsidy [...]
Addressing the high real cost of renewable generation
Over the past few months we have been inundated with claims from interested parties that more renewables are the [...]
Recent Posts
ASPs for AR7 prove renewables are not cheap
Last week, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced the Administrative Strike Prices for the upcoming 7th auction round for the Contracts for Difference subsidy scheme. These represent the maximum prices he is willing to pay for each technology type. Or [...]
Nuclear regulation: pragmatism not paralysis
Britain’s civil nuclear programme stands at a critical juncture. With aging AGR reactors nearing the end of their lives and delays to new projects like Hinkley Point C, the UK faces a potential capacity crunch. Yet one of the [...]
Voltage, inertia and the Iberian blackout part 2: faulty PV inverter crashed the grid
The Iberian blackout demonstrated the importance of voltage control and reactive power, and how a weak grid, with poor controls, was brought down by a single faulty solar inverter. In this second part of my analysis of the Iberian [...]
Voltage, inertia and the Iberian blackout part 1: the theory
The Iberian blackout demonstrated the importance of voltage control and reactive power, but these concepts are poorly understood even by people within the electricity sector. In this two-part series of posts I will look at voltage, active power and [...]
North Hyde substation fire: report reveals poor maintenance culture
This week, the National Energy System Operator (“NESO”) published its final report into the North Hyde substation fire on 20 March that caused a local power outage which cut supplies to over 71,500 homes and businesses including nearby Heathrow Airport. [...]
Should NESO be allowed to lower its minimum inertia requirement?
In my latest column for the Daily Telegraph I discuss the risks associated with NESO’s ambition to run the power grid without gas by the end of this year and to reduce its minimum inertia requirement. It has boasted [...]
Introducing my YouTube channel
Following quite a few requests, I have started recording some video content which can be found on YouTube here: So far, I have recorded videos about marginal pricing, and whether gas is responsible for bills being high. I have [...]
High wind and forecasting errors cause havoc on the GB grid
Yesterday demonstrated some of the challenges of high wind generation on the GB system, with lots of activity in the Balancing Mechanism, particularly to curtail wind and CCGTs, as well as bringing up CCGTs, and some counter-intuitive interconnector activity. [...]
New report: The true affordability of net zero
This evening my latest report: The true affordability of net zero, was launched at an event hosted by The Lord Offord of Garvel, Shadow Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero in the House of Lords. The event was [...]
The Iberian blackout shows the dangers of operating power grids with low inertia
Last week there was a widespread blackout across Iberia which also briefly affected the south of France. All power was lost on the peninsula and it was many hours before it was fully restored after a rare black start. [...]
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