Energy news in general

QrizB

And those who benefit - as per the list - EV owners, battery owners, ASHP owners.

Not often those the regulator should be acting to protect with lower bills - just as the taxman doesn't lower tax rates for the wealthy.

You've missed "storage heater owners" from your list.

Also, you seem to think that these people are somehow underseving of lower bills. Storage heaters and ASHPs are relatively common in housing assiciation properties, and EVs aren't exclusively for the wealthy; used EVs are available for less than £2000 these days, and are potentially the cheapest form of motoring.

(I'll accept that there aren't currently many low-income households with home storage batteries, but that could change.)

Scot_39

I would have added them - except then you have to split that between alcs and non alcs - smart controlled or not.

There are some home automating their NSH - but only the likes of Snug (needs a smets2 meter - and not all brands or customers systems seem to work that consistently) - maybe BG for Dimplex special (still going ?) and that needed the hub iirc. - doing a product attempting dynamic timing.

Many simply operate at fixed preset times regardless.

Id quite happy say switch to a modern TOU like say Cosy if they would set the ALCS to match low rate periods.

I'd even quite happily allow / tolerate it moving the off-peak periods around a little as long again shifting the ALCS periods to match - within reason.

I dont need 10 hours - I seldom need more than 3 hrs in living room - and 5-6 on the heaters like in hall that are heating more space - like the bedrooms and bathroom/kitchen etc off the halls. What I do need is them het more than once a day to target.

But as above Octopus haven't been 100% successful with Snug tariff / ALCS dynamics for some users - so I am not sure its all that realistic a solution for NSH - to be load managed for grid demand.

Now if someone was to give me the £1000s needed for an upgrade ….. but I dont qualify for means tested benefits - and my bills wouldn't drop enough to finance the upgrade or cover potential rent increases likely demanded by many landlords if made to - at current prices - let alone when last seriously crunched numbers pre Ukraine.

JKenH

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81931882#Comment_81931882

I don’t have the time (or inclination) to read a 500 page but as the ENTSO - E ‘precis’ didn’t mention renewables I decided to have a look on the internet for other comment on the report. This is from Renewable Energy News.

“The report found that the outage was triggered by a catastrophic loss of voltage control during what would otherwise have been a typical spring day, marking a rare systemic failure in managing power flows across the network. Solar photovoltaic and wind power generation on April 28 was generally consistent with outputs observed in previous days, but the report determined that their technical response settings, being inverter-based resources, accelerated the crisis.

ENTSO-E said the incident exposed vulnerabilities in voltage control, system inertia and cross-border coordination in a power system undergoing rapid decarbonisation.

The expert panel set out a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening grid resilience across Europe. These include improving real-time voltage management, enhancing system stability tools to cope with higher shares of renewables, and reinforcing cross-border operational coordination.

The report stressed that the lessons from the Iberian blackout extend beyond Spain and Portugal, warning that similar conditions could arise elsewhere in Europe as the energy transition accelerates.”

Link below:  

ENTSO-E post-mortem into 2025 Iberian outage reveals voltage failure | Renewable Energy News | Renewables Now. 

debitcardmayhem

@Scot_39 The point about the announcement is not about the rich vs those on benefits, it's about local balancing, which if they get right there would be less curtailment/stand-by payments. But of course there still not enough grid storage, nor gas storage either(you cant count the "stored" gas i.e. not allowed).
I'll be hanging on my NG shares for the short future I have left.

Scot_39

You cannot just switch to local grid balancing - when for last decade - most of the new generation has been outsourced - forced offshore or north of the border - by a defacto ban on new - generally cheaper - onshore wind south of the border.

Far too much of which isnt accessible to larger markets in the midlands and south at the moment.

And the sad solution we see - is a rush of large scale solar - built in a hurry - replacing far too much valuable farm land - in a nation more short of food than potential energy sources.

QrizB

And the sad solution we see - is a rush of large scale solar - built in a hurry - replacing far too much valuable farm land - in a nation more short of food than potential energy sources.

That's a statement that's popular with Telegraph journalists but which desn't really hold water.

• The UK hasn't been self-sufficient in food since the 18th Century.
• Current UK agricultural policy discourages food production in favour of biodiversity.
• Solar farms are rich with biodiversity, so equivalent lad area could be taken back under cultivation if it was really neceaasry.

No, most of the objections to solar farms come from NIMBYs who don't want to look out at fields of glittering blue. There's a lot of them near me.

JKenH

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81932241#Comment_81932241

We are all NIMBYs when it comes down to something that directly affects us and can’t understand the fuss when someone else complains about a development that does not impinge on them. The vast majority of the population aren’t faced with the prospect of having to look out at fields of glittering blue so can’t empathise with those who are affected. Imagine the reaction if HMG gave approval for a solar farm in Hampstead Heath. Perhaps you will remember the Newbury ByPass protestors.

In fact the majority of the UK population is urban and largely protected by planning from inappropriate development. Planning is largely under local control and seeks to balance the need for development with local interests. The problem we are faced with now is that the government have changed the planning rules so they can label a project Nationally Important Infrastructure and override local government planning decisions, Local interests are subservient to ideological arguments.

If we are to accept that solar farms and wind farms are necessary then shouldn’t the pain be spread around a bit? They can be built almost anywhere so why are they all being built in Lincolnshire? London and the South East need power. Doesn’t it make sense to build the wind farms and solar farms near the population centres. Yes, of course it does, but it is politically unacceptable. The government will force through RE infrastructure where it does them the least political damage.

michaels

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81932078#Comment_81932078

The more the 'priviledged' invest in their batteries etc, the more that they will be able to address load imbalances so the less need there will be for surge pricing to curtial demand. Seems like a private win/public win situation.

Lorian

NESO in the news today an article about introducing more free electricity sessions at weekends to help balance the grid. I thought DFS had gone very quiet.

press release:

https://www.neso.energy/neso-announces-shakeup-new-look-demand-flexibility-service

Netexporter

I predict a wave of moaning by smart meter refuseniks who will be excluded from the free goodies.