Cornwall Insight blog

  • Regulation and policy

    How effective were the UK’s energy bill support schemes? 

    Introduced during a period of record high energy prices, the UK Government's energy support schemes came to an end on 31 March this year. Evaluating emergency measures such as these purely on their value for money is difficult, as the policy was intended to serve multiple purposes.   At the time...

  • Regulation and policy

    Government Announces Record Budget for Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6

    The government has released the budget and reference prices, along with the auction parameters, for the upcoming Contract for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 6 (AR6). As recently reported, there were considerable questions outstanding about the parameters which will be used in the auction and significant pressure was placed on AR6...

  • Regulation and policy

    Two years on: How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reshaped the UK’s energy landscape

    Two years ago, on 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. As well as causing widespread devastation and displacement, resulting in a humanitarian crisis, the ensuing conflict also had a wide range of consequences for the energy sector such as causing a structural change in European gas...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Revenue Stacking for Flexibility: A Deep Dive into GB Electricity Flexibility Services 

    In the ever-evolving landscape of the energy sector, the role of flexibility services in ensuring a stable and resilient electricity grid has become increasingly vital. As the demand for renewable energy sources continues to grow, flexibility service providers play a crucial role in balancing supply and demand, optimising grid performance,...

  • Low carbon generation

    Latest developments in the TPI space

    We recently published our 2023 Annual TPI report which provides an independent review and analysis of the market for TPIs, and the services provided by them. The report also looks at the current challenges and opportunities for TPIs, such as regulatory changes, competition with suppliers, and diversification of services. 2023...

  • Low carbon generation

    Learning curves and the many moving parts of the CfD Auctions

    Learning curves are an important part of the toolbox of energy system modelling, representing the benefits of learning by doing and the economies of scale. The learning rate describes how as production doubles capacity cost reduces, so a learning rate of 15% would imply that as production doubles, costs would...

  • Power and gas networks

    Considerations for forecasting non-commodity costs for large users

    Electricity non-commodity costs, also known as Third Party Charges (or TPCs), are faced by the vast majority of end consumers that use electricity. They represent a significant proportion of the energy bill for domestic, SME and large industrial user types; however, their applicability and scale can vary depending on the...

  • 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...