Five things we learnt from Energy Spectrum | 661

In this week’s Energy Perspective, we consider investor confidence and market sentiment following the legal challenge to the Capacity Market, the specific steps BEIS has taken to settle nerves and also the general support being afforded to demand-side response to provide market access.

The proposals from government in its Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) consultation – which aimed to address, among other things, a route to market – have been mixed. Summarising in our Policy section this week, we find a number of ideas that BEIS will want to consider but we maintain that it needs to make its mind up quickly, with there being no current safety net for exports from new installations.

The European Parliament adopted four new laws on 26 March that aim to make the European electricity market cleaner, more competitive and able to cope with risks. We cover the new rules, which complete the European Union’s Clean Energy Package in this week’s Regulation section. They are now reaching the final stages of the legislative process and very well reflect the evolving energy system and agenda of the EU, with more focus on the rights and empowerment of consumers.

Our Industry Structure section takes a look at the International Energy Agency’s Global Energy & CO2 Status Report, which well highlights the play between a growing economy and increasing demand for energy that accompanies it, and the impact that such growth has on efforts to decarbonise and improve energy efficiency.

In this week’s Nutwood, Cornwall Insight’s Head of Retail Robert Buckley discusses the challenges facing energy suppliers from increasing uncertainty over third party charges.

Related thinking

Energy storage and flexibility

Off-peak electricity use and home generation could cut billions off energy costs

New analysis from Cornwall Insight and Smart Energy GB has revealed the substantial cost-saving potential of household flexible electricity initiatives such as time-of-use tariffs, smart meters, solar PV, and batteries. The has data revealed national wholesale and system electricity costs could be cut by an annual £4.6bn in 2030 and...

Regulation and policy

Capacity Market: Rule changes for upcoming auctions

The latest round of Capacity Market auctions is underway following the publication of the auction parameters on 18 July, with the prequalification window subsequently opening on 26 July. In this blog, we explore some of the changes made to the rules and regulations of the scheme ahead of this year’s...

Home supply and services

Generation guaranteed: suppliers increase Smart Export Guarantee rates  

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), as the successor to the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme, offers payments to small-scale low-carbon generators for the electricity they export, with export rates and tariffs being set by SEG licensees. Since the new year we have seen notable increases and changes in the export rates...

Energy Market Design

How does REMA impact energy generation, flexibility and consumers?

The Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) is the largest review programme of GB electricity market arrangements for a generation. It comes at a time when European energy markets are suffering extreme turmoil. Depending on the outcome there could be significant implications for generators, flexibility providers, and, indirectly, consumers. REMA...

Energy Market Design

REMA: electricity market design choices

Electricity markets will serve as the foundation for the future GB energy system.  This article examines some of the market design decisions that will be considered by the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA). Market design goals At its most simple, a well-functioning market will attract enough potential “buyers” and...

Commercial and market outlook

Capacity, reform, and unlawful strategies: 5 things that happened yesterday

Capacity, reform, and unlawful strategies: yesterday was a busy day for energy geekery. The developments encapsulate the shorter and longer term challenges and uncertainties present in the energy market presently: Read the full article here

Business supply and services

Re-balancing the balancing costs –BSUoS charges to be levied solely on suppliers from April 2023

Balancing the electricity system costs money. National Grid in its role as Electricity System Operator (ESO) takes actions in every half hour to achieve the remarkable feat of keeping supply and demand finely balanced on our national electricity system – maintaining a system which runs between 49.8 and 50.2Hz with...

Commercial and market outlook

Ofgem outlines thinking on protecting credit balances and RO payments

This article is an extract from our Energy Spectrum publication issued on Monday 25 April. If you are interested in receiving critical policy, regulatory, market and transactional developments across the energy sector, and would like a free full sample of Energy Spectrum, please request a copy here. You only need...