capacity

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Is the sun setting on utility solar?

    The Federal Government has legislated emissions reductions of 43% below 2005 levels by 2030. Sourcing electricity from renewable technologies is fundamental to meeting this, with a much-publicised target of 82% renewables in the grid by 2030 – up from a current value of 38% over the last year. Fortunately, the...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    “I’m an All-Pro [coal plant]… You’ll never be more than a replacement player!”

    The retirement of Eraring has been the talk of the market since it was announced, but what are the actual implications of its retirement. How big a hole does it leave in the market, and what capacity is likely to fill the void? We take a quick look at some...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Out with the old? Capacity Market Prequalification

    On 11 December 2020, the EMR Delivery Body (National Grid ESO) published the prequalification registers for the T-1 (2021-22) and T-4 (2024-25) Capacity Market (CM) auctions. In this 'Chart of the week', we explore the prequalification picture for the T-4 auction and what this could mean in terms of pricing...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Chart of the week | The wind of change: Germany’s future in the air

    Germany's newly installed wind capacity increased 260% in quarter one of 2020 compared to the same period last year. However, this increase is still marginal in the context of previous years and Germany’s wider renewable targets. January to March this year saw the installation of 107 new turbines, according to...

  • Low carbon generation

    Pixie Chart of the week | Germany demonstrates benefit of auction system

    Germany regularly runs auctions to subsidise renewable generation capacity. In 2020, it plans to run 20 auctions – seven solar, seven onshore wind, three biomass and three mixed wind and solar – as well as six for CHP engines, seeking nearly 7GW of capacity in total. The auctions set a...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Chart of the week | BFG: Big Frequency Game

    Since last Friday’s (9 August’s) power blackout there has been considerable interest in how National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) balances power demand and supply. Terms such as frequency, rate of change of frequency (RoCoF) and inertia have all gained in currency. This Chart of the Week shows the distribution of...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Net zero power: more capacity, negative emissions

    This week's Chart of the Week looks at the Future Energy Scenarios (FES) for 2019, released by National Grid ESO today. It provides an updated outlook for a range of energy sector variables. Its four scenarios continue to be benchmarked against the 80% emissions reduction target on 1990 levels by...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | In with the old, out with the new: T-4 Capacity Auction

    The latest Capacity Market register for the T-4 auction was released on 22 December 2017, with an update expected today (12 January 2018). The December register includes a 2.9GW (4%) reduction in prequalified capacity, compared to the initial register. In this week's Chart of the week, we look at the...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Swamped – the T-1 Capacity Auction

    National Grid issued its Electricity Capacity Report (ECR) on 9 July 2018. The Secretary of State replied to this on 9 July confirming the amount of capacity to be procured. This totals 4.6GW in the 2019-20 T-1 Capacity Auction. This week's chart of the week highlights our initial analysis which...