James
Cunningham

Consultant

Phone: 01603 542106
Email: j.cunningham@cornwall-insight.com

James is a Consultant with four years’ experience in the energy industry. He specialises in flexibility, and in particular the Capacity Market, but has also worked on a range of projects covering generation, networks and the retail market. His work involves the analysis of current and future revenue streams and market developments, both in GB and Internationally, in order to support clients with planning the strategic direction of their businesses.

Whilst at Cornwall Insight James has supported numerous applications to the Capacity Market, undertook Due Diligence work for a portfolio of generation assets and supported the development of numerous business cases. The latter involved forecasting and modelling of numerous revenues streams, market scoping exercises and hosting strategic workshops for multinational organisations.

James Cunningham

Latest thinking

Energy storage and flexibility

Batteries, the Capacity Market and the challenge of Extended Performance – Part 2

In a previous blog published on Monday 25 October, we discussed the issue of Extended Performance Tests within the GB Capacity Market (CM). In summary, due to degradation overtime it is currently not possible for batteries to be paid for their full capacity in the CM without risking significant fines....

Energy storage and flexibility

Batteries, the Capacity Market and the challenge of Extended Performance – Part 1

Optimising site configuration and trading strategy for battery assets is a challenge, developers need to consider access to different markets, trading capabilities and risk appetite. These are in addition to physical and location considerations such as technical limitations and network charging. However, one thing that has always been taken as...

Energy storage and flexibility

Glory Days – T-1 auction clears at £45/kW

To say the T-1 Capacity Market (CM) auction clearing at £45/kW per year was a surprise feels like an understatement. It looks like a major windfall for successful participants in the auction –  many are asking just what happened? Easy money Until February, it looked like prices would clear at...

Commercial and market outlook

Editor’s Pick | Lower procurement targets recommended for 2020 CM

National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) has issued its updated recommended procurement targets for the upcoming Capacity Market auctions. For all three auctions, the recommended capacity level was lower than the target previously confirmed by the Secretary of State (SoS). A series of reports, published on 9 January, set out...

Home supply and services

Domestic electricity switching – More than Meets the Eye?

Avid readers of Cornwall Insight Ireland’s blog will have seen last week our analysis on how switching rates could be impacted by new house registrations. In this week’s blog, we expand on this theme to look at other potential factors influencing electricity switching, namely how the price of tariffs offered...

Low carbon generation

Sunny afternoon – Ireland’s wind drought

As the sun continues to bathe Ireland and Northern Ireland, spare a thought for the System Operator (SO). This enduring, recent (and unlikely) spell of good weather has a noticeable impacted on renewable generation across the island. What Met Éireann termed “dry, settled weather” is due to a high-pressure system...

Home supply and services

Risin’ up – Suppliers increase domestic energy prices

Over recent weeks a number of domestic electricity suppliers in Ireland have announced price increases as a result of higher wholesale energy costs. In this week’s blog, we look at these increases and examine the drivers behind them. Click here to view full article

Heat networks

Money for nothing – NI non-domestic RHI payments

The Northern Ireland non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) was introduced in November 2012. Its aim was to incentivise the uptake of renewable heating technologies by providing participants with subsidies to generate heat from renewable sources, such as biomass. Despite its best intentions, the failings of the NI RHI are now...