Energy news in general

northernstar007

another big jump in gas prices today, awaiting for tracker users to kick off soon

debitcardmayhem

northernstar007 said:

another big jump in gas prices today, awaiting for tracker users to kick off soon

No reason only 30% this month, but still well below than SVT it happened last year too

Londoner_1

debitcardmayhem said:

northernstar007 said:

another big jump in gas prices today, awaiting for tracker users to kick off soon

No reason only 30% this month, but still well below than SVT it happened last year too

Euro gas stocks running low, low imports from US.  Milds start to winter gave way to cold weather , bit mild now but expected to turn colder end of jan, expect prices to reflect.

Chrysalis

The_Green_Hornet said:

Ofgem approves early investment in three UK electricity ‘superhighways’

Green light intended to limit amount consumers pay for windfarms to turn off during periods of high generation

Three major UK electricity “superhighways” could move ahead sooner than expected to help limit the amount that households pay for windfarms to turn off during periods of high power generation.

Current grid bottlenecks mean there is not enough capacity to transport the abundance of electricity generated in periods of strong winds to areas where energy demand is highest.

The new high-voltage cable projects linking windfarms in Scotland and off the North Sea coast to densely populated areas in the south of the country could start operations by the early 2030s rather than towards the end of the decade, according to the sector regulator.

Ofgem approves early investment in three UK electricity ‘superhighways’ | Energy industry | The Guardian

Can someone please explain why the owner of the grid isnt paying for the upgrades on the infrastructure it owns out of either new equity or existing profits?
I feel like I remember asking about this before but cannot remember what the outcome was from the conversation.

matt_drummer

The owner is paying, what makes you think they are not?

The owner of the network gets its money from its customers.

Profits are controlled by a regulator.

If the owner needs to invest then it needs more money to do so,

The regulator approves the investment and therefore the increase in the amount the network owner can charge its customers to pay for it.

The_Green_Hornet

No ban on gas boilers in UK warm homes plan but heat pumps get £2.7bn push

Government opts against phasing out new boilers by 2035 in effort to cut energy bills by as much as £1,000 a year

There will be no phaseout date for gas boilers in the government’s warm homes plan despite its pledge to wean the UK off fossil fuels, but billions of pounds will go towards heat pumps and insulation upgrades.

Labour’s principal attempt to solve the UK’s cost of living crisis, the £15bn warm homes plan, will overhaul 5m dwellings, aiming to cut energy bills by as much as £1,000 a year, in the biggest public investment yet made into home upgrades.

No ban on gas boilers in UK warm homes plan but heat pumps get £2.7bn push | Energy | The Guardian

And here is the Government press release:

Families to save in biggest home upgrade plan in British history - GOV.UK

Scot_39

So yet another tacit admission of the continued failure of renewables to lower most of our energy bills.

As to the claimed £300 saved for 6m - on govt link - smoke and mirrors.  Not £150 for the 3.4m already on whd - who now alao pay extra for the 2.7m extension and not if taxpayers even if not direct - they will pay more for goods and services - to recover the £150 shifted to business abd personal taxation.

And the cherry on the net zero cake - still with no courage of their net zero convictions to use a deadline or a taxation stick to reduce domestic gas use - 20% of uk emissions a couple of years ago. 
The Scottish greens had hard dates before 2030, plans, and their 2035 their deadline for all homes iirc before SNP pushed back to 2045 - for some in their home decarbonisation plans c2024 - landlords, house movers etc. 
How close to 2050 are WMs current faux greens going to let that one run.  Before current c24m donestic boilers need replacing.

And yet more promises to continue squandering billions on non means tested BUS grants - paid in part to largely foreign ashp makers - for imported goods. (Just like the new EV grants - upto £3750 - paid to largely foreign owned manufacturers of imported cars paying for foreign jobs and taxes - not British - to the rich who can afford a new car in the upto £37-42k price range) 

And importantly what about consumer protection in this new rush ? Every single state funded or subsidised green scheme ive seen over decades - central or local govt - has been prayed upon by get rich quick businesses popping up and then disappearing into backgound soon after - and left many householders worse off.  Like the scandals over current external wall insulation via eco grants, and past via cavity wall insulation - leading to structural dampness issues.

Scot_39

Its doubtful if much of the wind farms theoretical capacity in the N Sea - when in suitable wind conditions - generating - too regularly not - has much to do with southern UKs and all of UKs medium term energy security - given the massive rise in capacity in the North and the lagging grid connections.

A typical 7-10 day atmospheric still period - would likely be more than enough to exhaust UK's gas reserves - if not replenished in a real crisis if truly worried about energy security (added)

Last year saw grid thermal constraint payments - costs go up by 64% to £1.7bn last year (NESO report) (actual energy equiv up 71%).

https://www.neso.energy/document/362561/download

£1.7bn / c30m home and small business connections - £55-£60 each if simple average.

Making the 2029 £3bn forecast in 2024 by NGESO look optimistic. In fact if I read the charts in linked NESO correctly - looks like that has now risen to nearer £3.5bn.

As Miliband accelerates new farms - to meet his "95% by 2030" generation political target - without pausing to develop the grid capacity in anything like real time to match. It may yet get worse (if either of EGL1,2 delayed for instance - NGESO forecast was adding £100s millions pa to its thermal cost projections beyond 2029)

£1.7bn - surely thats more than enough to pay a load of oil and gas (obviously not the US ones that have contributed massively to UK's / EU's lower wholesale gas costs) tankers to sail around the cape instead.

Or of course - we could just build up our N Sea waters oil and sea / land gas capacity - rather than importing it - for real energy security. Like say Norway and Denmark are quite happily doing.

JKenH

I am not answering on behalf of @Scot_39, this is just my twopennorth.

Yes, more nameplate capacity is required for the same level of generation. There will be less curtailment so that will save money.  As there is less generation market prices will be higher so less subsidy required and potentially renewable generators will pay back more if the wholesale price rises above the CfD price. The more ineffective renewables are, the cheaper, less is paid under CfD contracts but we may pay more for gas generation to replace the shortfall. If gas generation happens to be cheaper than the CfD contract price then what renewable generation there is will receive a top up payment.

The bottom line is:the renewable generators bear the impact of lower capacity factors. The costs are more or less fixed so it directly hits profits and it is one of the reasons we have seen such a hike in CfD prices for wind.

michaels

Would the suppliers not have used their own project specific capacity factors rather than govt ones in their bid calcs?