Can battery storage become economical?
Some of you may have heard of Tesla, the American company that produces high-end electric vehicles. It was recently announced that they are going to build a new factory – dubbed the Gigafactory – to help meet growing demand for their…
Coefficient of Performance and Seasonal Performance Factor
When it comes to researching heat pumps, you will come across two terms constantly that you need to understand – Coefficient of Performance (often abbreviated to CoP) and Seasonal Performance Factor (abbreviated to SPF). Understanding what these terms mean is…
Is shale gas the right answer for the UK Economy?
Shale gas and the ‘potential’ it has to drive a new energy revolution in the UK has once again been dominating the news headlines in recent weeks. The process of ‘fracking’, which is the drilling for gas trapped inside rocks…
The First Tidal Lagoon Power Plant in the World!
The World’s first Tidal Lagoon power plant in Swansea Bay Some good news for the renewable energy sector today, with the news that plans have been submitted to produce the world’s first tidal lagoon power plant. Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay…
The latest wave energy technology from Berkeley
Ever since that first Hawaiian surfed on a length of tree bark, people have recognised the awesome power in waves. For years, environmental engineers have recognised that the constant oscillations of waves have the potential to supply a huge amount…
The energy industry: Key facts and figures 2013
In the following article I am going to take a some of the key energy industry facts and figures, I have tried to pull the relevant information out and then present this is a fairly basic format. I hope once…
Energy Bill Breakdown – The Different components that make up your Energy Bill
Wholesale Energy costs So, starting with the main component of your energy bill; the wholesale energy cost is the price of electricity and gas that energy retailers (British Gas, E.ON, Npower, etc) buy from the energy market. This makes up…
The Current National Grid
History of the Grid Britain had the beginnings of its national grid system in 1937, when a group of engineers connected a series of smaller electrical regional grids, in an effort to increase supply security and reduce overall electrical cost.…
The Smart Grid
The smart grid How can we use energy more effectively on a national scale? By creating a ‘smart grid’. A smart grid relies on data – not only about how much electricity is being produced, but also about demand at a…
Energy Companies and the Smart Grid
Energy companies and the smart grid Rolling out the smart grid should help keep the lights on in Britain, reducing the threat of blackouts while hopefully providing value for money for consumers. Aside from helping the country transition to a…