decarbonisation

  • Net zero corporates and ESG

    Help us understand your business decarbonisation challenges

    Are you a large business impacted by the challenge of increasing energy costs and decarbonisation targets? If the answer is yes, then we’d love your help to find out more about the challenges you are facing. We recently published an insight paper on the challenging economic climate that businesses are...

  • 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...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    2021’s most exciting ‘Charts of the week’

    Some of our team have looked back throughout 2021 and picked their most exciting 'Chart of the week'. Read about their choices and click through to read the full 'Chart of the week'. To do so, you need a free Cornwall Insight account which is easy to create here. Green...

  • Announcement

    Our GB 2021 Consultancy highlights

    We are independent advisors operating across the energy value chain. Our team of passionate energy experts has supported over 120 customers in 2021. This includes generators, developers, investors, network companies and public bodies.Here is a small selection of our work in 2021: Cornwall Insight’s consultancy team provides high-quality insight across...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    How can research help: what is the gap in understanding that should be addressed most urgently?

    In the last two decades, the debate around addressing climate change has rightly focused on identifying – and supporting – the most suitable technologies to decarbonise our economies. Consequently, significant progress has been achieved in the decarbonisation of the power sector. However, as the priority is now to decarbonise hard-to-abate...

  • Announcement

    Energy market and net zero transition learning and development: Role-relevant career development training

    We’re well over halfway through the calendar year and are now beginning to see more of the government’s thinking and policy-shaping around what needs to change to meet the 2050 net zero target. For example, the flurry of documents issued towards the end of 2020, including the Energy White Paper...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    How nuclear energy can help the UK reach its net zero goals

    This article was originally written in Energy Spectrum on 21 March 2021. To find out more about a subscription to Energy Spectrum, please contact Nick on n.palmer@cornwall-insight.com. There are several challenges to reaching net zero, where its proponents believe nuclear could add value. Some of tomorrow’s main issues concern: How to provide low...

  • Net zero corporates and ESG

    Major energy policy and regulatory changes discussed in our December Net Zero Business forum

    On 10 December 2020, Cornwall Insight hosted its Net Zero Business Forum. Held four days before the release of the UK government’s Energy White Paper, the focus was on the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan, the Spending Review and the National Infrastructure Strategy. Head of Relationship Development Robert Buckley and Head...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    A look back at 2020 part 4

    As we take our first steps into 2021, we take our final look back at the biggest developments in the UK energy markets in 2020, setting us up for the significant year ahead. Ofgem issued its decarbonisation Action Plan on 3 February as Jonathan Brearley became Ofgem CEO, setting out...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Why standards matter for heat network customers | Energy Spectrum Nutwood

    Written by David Watson, Heat Trust For the 500,000 customers living and working on heat networks today, there is no Ofgem protection. Most lack the sort of basic consumer protection the rest of the market take for granted. Whilst the Heat Trust’s voluntary scheme makes a tangible difference to those...

  • Regulation and policy

    Ofgem faces RIIO-2 balancing act for net zero

    The regulator recently issued the draft determinations for the RIIO-2 price control for the transmission and gas distribution networks and the electricity system operator (ESO). These price controls will run for five years from April 2021. Shortly after, it also set out the next stage of detail – the “sector...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Changes: how our Spectrum service is evolving

    This article was originally published on 9 June 2020 in our ‘Energy Spectrum Ireland’ publication.  Since Cornwall Insight launched the Energy Spectrum Ireland Service in 2015, it has been providing insight on key developments in the energy markets in Ireland. With the macro market trends of decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitilisation,...

  • Low carbon generation

    Yes, and..? Fast tracking Irish offshore wind

    The Irish Government’s announcement of seven offshore wind projects being able to apply for planning permission under the (yet to be enacted) Marine Planning and Development Management Bill, 2020 (MPDM) is positive for the Irish offshore wind sector. A consenting regime is one of the key pillars of any successful...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Editor’s Pick | Regen assesses decarbonised heat market stimuli and pathways

    Regen, in association with Wales and West Utilities, has published a research paper exploring the challenge of decarbonising heat in the UK. The Decarbonisation of Heat paper was published on 9 March. Problem In comparison to other European markets, the UK is still highly dependent on natural gas to provide heat...

  • E-mobility and low carbon

    Off the pace: Irish EV sales lag 2030 target levels

    This week’s blog compares the number of electric cars, including hybrid variants, sold in Ireland to date in 2020 against the same period for 2019. It shows that in January, EV registrations rose by 73.6% to 5,739 compared with January 2019. In February, sales rose by 13.3% compared with the...

  • Regulation and policy

    Getting it done? What the Budget means for energy and clean growth

    New Chancellor Rishi Sunak has delivered his first Budget after less than a month in the job. On areas such as the living wage, growth and investment, Sunak said again and again that the government is “getting it done!” However, there was relatively little news in the speech on what...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Editor’s Pick Ireland | SEAI: Transport takes the largest share of energy in Ireland

    Energy-related CO2 emissions fell by 1.2% in 2018, according to the latest publication of Energy in Ireland, an annual report by the SEAI which presents the key trends in energy production and consumption. Published on 12 December 2019, the report shows how Ireland's energy system is evolving in response to...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Editor’s Pick | NAO on networks: good service, but costs too high

    The National Audit Office (NAO) has concluded that electricity networks have provided a good service, but the costs for consumers have been too high. In a report, published on 30 January, the NAO examined how effectively Ofgem has used price controls. The NAO found that consumers in GB experience fewer power...

  • Low carbon generation

    Cornwall Insight and the UK EfW market

    As the UK has continued its evolution towards decarbonisation, one of the lesser talked about success stories has been in energy from waste (EfW).  EfW in the UK has grown to around 50 operational plants processing around 12mn tonnes of residual waste (but with capacity to potentially process nearly 14mn...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Let’s talk about flex: The flexibility dilemma

    In this week’s blog, we consider the recent refusal of planning permission for the construction of a 208MW open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) "peaker" power plant in Co Meath. While the project would assist in ensuring and maintaining the security of supply in the region, the plant was intended to...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    10 Manifesto Energy Policies

    With all the General Election manifestos now published, we have updated our infographic so you can easily see where the parties stand on certain energy sector issues. For further, more in-depth analysis and insight into what each of the parties are promising and how this could shape the future energy...

  • Home supply and services

    Consumer energy customer event 2019: The energy market now in 4D

    The annual retail customer event – Setting the course for net zero, was held on 19 November. Delegates heard from seven speakers discussing how finance, transport, heat, consumers and regulation could be utilised to help GB meet its 2050 net zero target. The event began with Gareth Miller Cornwall Insight’s...

  • Low carbon generation

    Editor’s Pick | IRENA investigates future market enabling technologies

    This article was originally published on 30 September 2019 in Energy:2030. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published an Enabling Technologies: Innovation Landscape report in early September, highlighting innovations in emerging technologies. The report builds on an extensive report called Innovation Landscape for a Renewable-powered Future: Solutions to Integrate Variable Renewables,...

  • Low carbon generation

    Does net zero mean zero gas?

    The electricity industry has been experiencing fundamental change for the past decade, during which time structural changes to the gas industry have been rather more limited. However, this will have to change in the coming years as the move towards net zero sees decarbonisation intensify. Few would dispute that the...

  • Low carbon generation

    The long and winding road: Ireland’s renewable energy target

    The 12 and 13 September marked the 11th Citizens Energy Forum, held in Dublin. The forum is held annually and is playing an increasingly important role in the EU energy retail market. This year the spotlight was on the role of consumers in a clean energy transition, bringing into focus...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Operating the 2030 system: To 90% SNSP and beyond!

    Last week the Department of Communication, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) published the Climate Action Plan 2019, which sets out ambitious targets for Ireland to meet its decarbonisation obligations. For the electricity sector, this means 70% of all electricity generated will come from renewable sources by 2030. In this blog, we look at what...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Rocket man: powering up the white paper

    On 17 June 2019 our CEO Gareth Miller spoke on the panel at a joint event with law firm TLT on Clean Energy Growth. Many of the key themes set out by Gareth were echoed in this week’s Energy Spectrum, in which he discussed the government’s decision last week to...

  • Low carbon generation

    Subsidy-free PPAs: Hostage to fortune or stable platform

    Our most recent Market Share: A Survey of the Renewables Market Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) shows that around 25GW of renewables projects access the wholesale market via an offtaker. An additional 5GW of flexible assets (i.e. gas and diesel peakers and storage) are likely operating under PPAs too, which is a view...

  • Low carbon generation

    The elephant in the room: Peat and the future gen mix

    On 10 May it was announced that Ireland had gone 25 days without coal-fired generation on the system, with EirGrid publicising that the no-coal period occurred throughout 11 April to 7 May. This run had in fact extended to 30 days according to data supplied by ENTSO-E. In this edition of...

  • Announcement

    Sector Technology, Innovation and International Security

    Cornwall Insight CEO Gareth Miller presented at the Westminster Energy and Environment: Priorities for energy security in the UK conference on 9 May. He argued that there is a new “missing money” problem. On a national scale Miller stated that we have sufficient capacity to meet consumer demand. However, as...