News
News
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Zurich longevity swap to cover £2bn National Grid pension liabilities
Zurich Insurance has agreed a longevity swap deal to cover more than £2 billion of pensioner liabilities for National Grid. The transaction will protect the grid operator against the risk of rising costs as a result of around 6,000 pensioners and future dependent members living longer than expected. Zurich said it has reinsured a “significant […]
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North-west England’s network operator outlines future plans
The power network operator for the north-west of England has set out its vision for how the region’s transition to a future energy system can be supported. Electricity North West (ENW) says as intermittent renewables and distributed power make up an increasingly large part of the country’s energy mix, electrical infrastructure needs to transform and […]
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Rolls-Royce on track for hybrid trains
Rolls-Royce has successfully tested a new hybrid train engine in Germany that could provide emission-free travel in urban areas and tunnels. Virtual reality simulations showed the hybrid technology could reduce CO2 emissions along the Lake Constance Belt Railway in southern Germany by up to 20% compared to the route’s existing diesel trains. The MTU Hybrid […]
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New York announces $4.2m to boost rapid EV charging
New York State has announced an investment worth $4.2 million (£3m) to install more high-speed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the motorway. The investment is part of Governor Andrew M Cuomo’s initiative which aims to install 10,000 charging points by 2021. It is part of a broader zero-emission vehicle plan which hopes to see 800,000 EVs across New York by 2025. […]
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Grid balancing tech takes step closer to commercialisation
New grid balancing technology has taken a step closer to commercialisation with independent validation from a research institution. The Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC) completed a series of tests on the Faraday Grid’s Grid Exchanger technology and examined its voltage regulation and power control performance. The device’s primary function is enabling bi-directional power flow, with each device […]
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Crown Estate looks to make waves with tidal lease
Crown Estate Scotland has extended the lease for an offshore tidal energy array in the Shetland. Nova Innovation’s Shetland Tidal Array in Bluemull Sound started delivering electricity to the local grid in 2016 and now has a lease to 2041. The company plans to double the size of the array to six turbines by 2020, […]
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Could Tesla battery production expand to China?
Panasonic and Tesla are considering partnering to produce lithium-ion batteries in China. That’s according to Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga, who announced the technology companies may extend their existing energy storage and electric vehicle (EV) technologies collaboration into Asia. The Japanese firm started manufacturing batteries for Tesla at its Gigafactory in Nevada, US, earlier this year. […]
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UK wind power tops nuclear over a whole quarter for first time
The UK’s wind generation has overtaken nuclear output throughout an entire quarter for the first time on record. Using data from National Grid, researchers from Imperial College London found wind power was the second most productive form of power generation across the first three months of 2018. The UK’s 8,886 onshore and offshore turbines produced […]
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Two arrested for chained protest at Durham coal mine
Two people were arrested today after chaining themselves to the gates of a planned surface coal mine in County Durham. Childhood friends Thomas Davison and a girl called Bobbi, who are both 28, chained themselves as a “last resort” to delay works at the Bradley extraction site in the Pont Valley. The site operated by […]
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Praise the Lord! Churches save cash by teaming up on energy deals
Methodist churches are saving on their energy bills thanks to buying their gas and electricity collectively. The Methodist Energy Basket scheme, set up by procurement firm 2buy2 in 2016, allows them to pool their buying power to get better deals on their energy bills. The company seeks quotes from multiple energy suppliers before negotiating and […]
Quotes
The cheapest kWh of energy is the one you don't use Delvin Lane, Head of Energy 360, British Gas