Charles Deacon Managing Director at Eclipse Power Solutions, shares his thoughts on why less battery storage than predicted was connected to the grid in 2023/24, and what might be done about it, whether through market reform or policy changes.
As the world’s second-largest user of offshore wind, the UK is at the forefront of renewable energy adoption, driven in part by its net-zero goals. However, while this shift offers significant opportunities for organisations in the sector, it also introduces hidden vulnerabilities. Small but critical solar and wind energy plants are increasingly at risk of cyberattacks, and a single attack could disrupt the entire UK energy grid. As reliance on these smaller renewable energy plants grows, the government, regulators, and energy companies must prioritise cybersecurity concerns to ensure energy security for the long-term.
By Phil Tonkin, Field CTO at Dragos
Ian Sykes, Energy, Utilities, and Commodities Client Principal at BJSS, discusses the new government’s approach to energy usage transparency in the UK’s energy market and how advanced metering infrastructure, data analytics, and digital twin technology can help customers and providers alike save costs and increase efficiencies.
With the energy transition and growing demand, the role of integrated software solutions in tackling the industry’s challenges and unlocking better integration of renewable energy sources cannot be underestimated.
By Rohan Patel, SVP of Engineering at Builder.ai
In today’s energy market, UK businesses face multiple operational, commercial, and sustainability-driven challenges and opportunities. Recent developments, such as Europe’s abundant gas supplies leading to lower wholesale prices, have sparked talks of resolving the energy crisis. But underlying economic issues suggest a more complex reality, reinforcing the urgency behind why businesses must adopt more strategic approaches to energy procurement.
Chris Maclean, CEO, True, powered by Open Energy Market
This may at first glance make the outlook for the UK’s energy transition appear gloomy. However, the challenge posed by intermittency can be managed and the result of the UK’s heavy investment in wind power has been matched by efforts to upgrade its power network.
By Steven Hardman, CEO, Conrad Energy
With geopolitical tensions, more extreme weather events and the legacy of a global pandemic still filling the air, it remains extremely difficult for energy suppliers to preserve their margins and continue to be competitive. To thrive in the current climate, it is imperative that an energy supplier can make marginal gains wherever they can. One way to ensure this is to weave agility into the very fabric of the organisation.
By John Craig Swartz, SVP of Risk360 at POWWR
Oil and gas drillers and operators are now benefiting from energy storage solutions that have powered critical equipment in other sectors. Leveraging energy storage with a lower-carbon fuel such as gas is a field-proven way to achieve operational efficiency, enhanced performance and lower emissions simultaneously.
By Chris Berrie, Caterpillar Oil & Gas Drilling & Completions Sales Manager
If the UK’s infrastructure ambitions are to be realised, a considerable increase in investment is required from private sector investors over the next couple of decades and beyond. It is important for the UK authorities to do all they can to ensure that Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects such as Xlinks achieve the required backing to realise their investment needs.
By Kirk Glenn, senior associate at Browne Jacobson
Given the growing number of countries withdrawing from the ECT, investors would be well advised to consider structuring or restructuring their investments to benefit from, and maximise, protections that are available under other international investment treaties.
By Philipp Kurek and Pietro Grassi, Signature Litigation