decarbonisation

  • E-mobility and low carbon

    GB energy demand is predicted to rise 123% due to electrification

    It is safe to say that most of Great Britain’s (GB) heat and transport systems are from high emission sources that are incompatible with net zero. Decarbonising how we heat our homes and move from A to B is crucial to meeting our emissions targets. However, the biggest challenge associated...

  • Low carbon generation

    Australian Chart of the week | NEM wind generation: Do birds of a feather flock together?

    With a growing expectation that coal plants will face early retirement, this week’s ‘Chart of the week’ examines the correlation between different wind patterns in the various identified Renewable Energy Zones in the NEM. As would be expected, there is a tendency of high correlation within the individual states, where...

  • Net zero corporates and ESG

    Chart of the week | A busy policy schedule for the coming year

    On 25 February, Cornwall Insight hosted its first Net Zero Business Forum of the year. The Net Zero Business Forum provides insight and analysis for businesses and public sector organisations looking to decarbonise their power, heat and transport needs. This online bi-monthly forum keeps members up to date with the...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Chart of the week | Survey reveals public underestimate role of heating in emissions

    In this week's 'Chart of the week', we look at the findings published by BEIS from a survey of the British public on the transition to a low-carbon heating future on 1 September. Transforming Heat – Public Attitudes Research reveals that there is strong public support for carbon reduction policies,...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Colours of the Rainbow: Green hydrogen and FES 2020

    On 27 July, National Grid ESO released the 2020 issue of its Future Energy Scenarios (FES), exploring different pathways towards GB’s 2050 net zero goal. A new set of scenarios were developed for this year’s FES, with three of the four (Consumer Transformation, System Transformation and Leading the Way) meeting...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Decarbonisation means lower gas consumption?

    This Pixie Chart of the week compares the source of heating fuels from four European nations with the UK. Each country has a different starting point, challenges and opportunities based on their fuel use and social and economic factors. However, they are all still looking to significantly decarbonise over the next three decades.

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | UK buildings heat loss amongst worst in Europe

    Net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is a target which increasingly demands policymakers in the UK to address the issue of decarbonising heat. While much attention has been given to low-carbon heat generation through schemes such as the Renewable Heat Incentive, energy efficiency has been left on the sidelines for...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Game of Therms: Winter is Coming

    The 2017 Clean Growth Strategy committed the government to phasing out fossil fuel heating in off gas grid properties by 2030. The Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) has used this pledge as a starting point to propose regulations to bring down carbon emissions from heat. The SEA presented its ideas in...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Chart of the week | Bang for your buck: consumer cost of policies

    In this week's Chart of the Week, we consider the cost for consumers of decarbonisation policies, as Ofgem recently published its State of the Market 2019 Report on 3 October, providing a comprehensive overview of the state of competition in the retail and wholesale energy markets. The report also assessed how...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Carbon Connect issues third Future Gas Series paper

    A significant proportion of households in the UK currently use natural gas for heat. In a zero carbon emissions environment, this will have to change if low carbon sources of heat are to be adopted. In this week’s Chart of the Week, we examine consumer engagement issues in decarbonisation of the domestic...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Key lessons from European heat networks

    As the electricity sector decarbonises, policymakers and advisers are increasingly focusing on the decarbonisation of the heat sector. This has been embodied by multiple consultations on the topic, such as Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming from the Committee on Climate Change. One of the most promising technologies...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Pixie Chart of the week | ESC reimagines carbon pricing to drive decarbonisation

    In this Pixie Chart of the Week, we look at a study by Oxford Energy Associates commissioned by Energy Systems Catapult (ESC), Rethinking Decarbonisation Incentives: Near-Term Options to Address Low-Priced Emissions. It provides fresh insight into how carbon policy could be altered to deliver stronger outcomes in the lead up to 2030. 

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Hybrid Heat Pumps lead the way for costs in town trial

    In this week's Pixie Chart of the week, we discuss how a recent study by Ramboll, Alternative Heat Solutions Converting A Town to Low Carbon Heating, investigates alternative heat solutions for a typical medium-sized town in the UK – in this case assessing heat demand in Cowdenbeath, Scotland. This study highlights the relative...

  • Low carbon generation

    Pixie Chart of the week | European oil majors adopting clean energy approach

    Oil majors across the globe have been stepping up investment into clean energy over the past decade, with some having plans to invest up to 20% of capital budgets into low-carbon energy by 2030. Following Shell’s advancements in the clean energy space, historically through biofuel investment, but more recently through...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Pixie Chart of the Week | Germany leads the charge for European domestic storage

    A recent report by research consultancy Frost and Sullivan highlights that for the 2018-19 financial year, Germany led the way in domestic-scale battery storage worldwide. This trend is set to continue in Europe, with Germany being the dominant player in small-scale storage to 2025, by which time only Italy is...

  • E-mobility and low carbon

    Pixie Chart of the Week | £232bn in EV investment announced

    A study published by Reuters on 10 January has revealed that $300bn (£232bn) of global investment is planned for EVs (electric vehicles) over the next 10 years. This represents the publicly announced procurement and investment budgets of automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) (car manufacturers). Actual spending on research and development,...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the Week | Technological driven cost reductions for heat networks

    The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has unveiled its latest report, District Heat Networks in the UK, outlining favourable business cases for reducing the costs of potential heat networks in the UK. The ETI identified 96 innovative solutions that could cut the capital costs of heat networks. These were narrowed down to...

  • Low carbon generation

    Pixie Chart of the week | ETI evaluates role of bioenergy in a low-carbon UK

    In a report published on 5 November, The Role for Bioenergy in Decarbonising the UK Energy System, the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) analysed several future bioenergy use scenarios. It offered key recommendations on how the UK should use bioenergy to meet a greater share of carbon reduction targets, allowing sectors such...

  • Heat networks

    Chart of the week | Hybrid hydrogen heating hopes

    In a recent Chart of the week, we discussed developments on blending hydrogen with gas supplies as a means to help lower carbon emissions associated with heating. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) issued its Hydrogen in a Low-Carbon Economy report on 22 November, which set out the latest thinking on the...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Hydrogen blending to initiate domestic decarbonisation

    In its latest paper, Fuelling the Future, Policy Exchange has drawn together evidence for hydrogen’s place in the UK. It outlines two high-level issues that have halted industry and the government’s willingness to engage in its application to date. In this week's Pixie Chart of the week, we examine these two issues....

  • Low carbon generation

    Pixie Chart of the Week | Electrification can drive EU emissions reduction

    Europe could reduce its energy-related emissions by as much as 90% by 2050 by implementing ambitious policies and accelerating electrification, according to a report published by industry organisation WindEurope. The report, Breaking New Ground: Wind Energy and the Electrification of Europe’s Energy Systems, published in September, proposed an “electric future” for...

  • E-mobility and low carbon

    Pixie Chart of the week | Low-carbon transport future at risk due to policy gap

    A letter to the Business Secretary from the CCC has highlighted a gap in policy measures for road transport to achieve the most cost-effective path for decreasing transport emissions. The UK transport sector is now the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter by sector, responsible for 28% of national emissions. Current...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Subsidy-free renewables – thoughts from the industry?

    Cornwall Insight hosted an event, Into the unknown: evaluating drivers of low carbon investment in a subsidy-free world, on 17 October. It explored the future of support for renewable power generation. As well as the significant gap between current deployment levels and what must be delivered to meet decarbonisation goals. Throughout...