According to the ICIS Power Index (IPI) Analysis there is a real prospect that UK energy bills are likely to fall from 1 October due to the substantial reduction in wholesale energy prices. On 1 April, Ofgem, the body responsible for the regulation of the UK energy market, raised the price cap on default retail gas and power tariffs by 10%, or £117, to £1,254 per year. Similarly, the pre-payment cap rose by £106 to Read more…
Distributed energy market opens up opportunities for mission critical sites
The falling cost of distributed energy technologies is opening up opportunities for hospitals and industrial sites to make a major impact on emissions reductions. A report by Centrica shows that new energy technology could meet more than half of the 20% carbon reduction target by 2030 for the healthcare, industry and hospitality sectors, as set out by the Clean Growth Strategy. Published following the IPCC’s report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C, the Read more…
Onsite generation ‘will continue to boom’
A boom in onsite generation is in now sight and the UK market has the potential to triple in size, according to Jonathan Maxwell, CEO of Sustainable Development Capital Limited. “There is a very substantial opportunity,” he suggests. “The intensity of focus from large corporates on minimising their carbon footprint is completely different compared to five years ago. The energy regulator is tearing up the current electricity charging arrangements and starting from scratch. Some argue Read more…
Etix secures 45MW of power for Icelandic data centre expansion
Etix Everywhere Borealis, part of Etix Everywhere and Etix Blockchain, has signed new power contracts with Icelandic power providers, securing in total 45 MW of power. These contracts will support the expansion of HPC & Blockchain data centres in Iceland. One contract was signed with Landsvirkjun, the National Power Company of Iceland, for 25 MW of green power, another one with ON Power for more than 10 MW, while a first one had already been Read more…
Dual chemistry: the best of both worlds?
GS Yuasa Battery Europe has helped to develop what it describes as ‘the world’s first container-based energy storage platform’, where lead acid and lithium-ion batteries are combined to feed a power conversion system. The ground-breaking unit will store and control the release of locally generated renewable energy back into the grid. GS Yuasa partnered with Infinite Group, the University of Sheffield and Innovate UK to develop the platform, called ADEPT (Advanced multi-Energy management and oPTtimisation time Read more…
Transformers: robots to the rescue?
More needs to be done, through early detection and improved inspection regimes, to mitigate the risks posed to critical infrastructure by unexpected transformer failures. Louise Frampton reports Transformers are critical elements of power networks. When they fail unexpectedly, the impact on critical infrastructure – such as hospitals and industry – can be catastrophic. Poorly maintained, ageing global infrastructure is exacerbating the risk of failures, while downtime can result in many millions in lost revenue for Read more…
How demand management supports security of supply
Site resilience and demand-side response are often seen in opposition. But the reverse is true – and can in fact be mutually advantageous, especially if your business could benefit from improving security of supply For many businesses, suffering an interruption to your power supply can be costly as well as inconvenient. “We have been working on an on-site battery solution with a customer who manufactures precision-made components,” says Richard Spencer, Head of Site Services at Read more…
A powerful connection: delivering supply to KAO
KAO Data’s new £200m development required a dedicated and redundant 43.5MVA power supply. Managing costs and ensuring resilience was critical to the success of the start-up business One of the most important deliverables for a new data centre is the provision of its power. The connection to the grid can be an expensive project in its own right, with pressure on capacity in almost every part of the network. So finding the right point of Read more…
GridBeyond CEO: Hybrid behind-the-meter storage wins despite market flux
According to the recent 2018 Battery Storage report by MCP‘s sister title, The Energyst, 64% of industrial, commercial and public sector businesses surveyed are considering the implementation of behind the meter battery storage as part of their energy management strategy. At the same time, 80% of of those organisations point to revenue uncertainty as the main factor in delaying their decision to invest. Regulatory uncertainty does not make the situation any easier, a barrier cited by 50% Read more…
Kirby powers up Dublin’s Gemini Data Centre
Kirby Group Engineering, a provider of mechanical and electrical engineering and contracting services across Europe, has delivered a grid connection for the 18MW Gemini Data Centre, a new and significant addition to Dublin’s data centre landscape. Kirby delivered the full civil and electrical turnkey scope for this transmission connection; a contestable 110kV substation c/w Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS), 110kV underground grid line circuits, 110kV/10kV customer transformers and 10kV customer substation. As Kirby was involved from Read more…
80% of businesses believe a quarter of energy needs will be generated onsite by 2025
Most businesses will take control of their own energy use by generating a quarter of their electricity onsite by 2025, with 77% of businesses in the UK and Ireland predicting this change will take place in just seven years. This is according to a new study of over 1,000 businesses, by Centrica Business Solutions. Around a quarter (26%) of businesses have already invested in on-site generation in the form of solar and/or combined heat and power Read more…
Sky’s the limit for DSR revenues?
Is demand-side response an attractive proposition and are mission critical sites now coming on board? Demand-side response is becoming more critical as a method to balance the grid with increasing amounts of intermittent generation and a reluctance to have fossil fuel spinning reserve in place. Sites with back-up generation are ideally suited to this and therefore critical facilities, such as hospitals, data centres, utilities. airports and the like, have the opportunity to make money and Read more…
The changing face of energy: The Energyst Event
New event taking place 17th to 18th of April at National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham The full conference line-up has been officially announced for the inaugural Energyst Event. The conference focuses on end-user sessions with household brands such as Marks and Spencer and BT sharing their experiences. The conference stream: Energy Fusion – discussing the convergence of efficiency, procurement and flexibility, and Integrated Solutions – covering solutions to energy management’s perennial problems in a converging energy Read more…
It’s not all about the money in energy procurement
Competiveness and price transparency are vitally important when choosing an energy contract, however according to research conducted by Gazprom Energy, businesses are increasingly starting to look beyond the price tag. Surveying 200 UK businesses Gazprom Energy found that they are becoming more concerned about the whole package their energy provider is offering. Without doubt 95% of respondents said that price competitiveness was influential when deciding their energy provider but 81% admitted that advice from third parties Read more…
Data Centre Summit London: education, debate, and networking
Data Centre Summit London is a one-day conference event for data centre industry professionals. Taking place at the Barbican Centre in the heart of London, 8 February 2017, the event brings together the data centre industry’s leading experts under one roof. Visitors can improve their skills with education, debate, and networking opportunities. The event will feature seminars led by the industry’s most respected thought leaders, including a keynote presentation by Russell Park, head of energy and sustainability solutions at Read more…
DataCentres North: full programme announced
Datacentres North’s educational programme will address both ‘strategic issues’ affecting the industry and the opportunities specific to the region, as well as the ‘operational issues’ that affect how you can run your mission critical infrastructure more efficiently and effectively without compromising security or resilience. Taking place on 14-15 February 2017, the conference is organised in conjunction with the British Computer Society Data Centre Specialist Group, which through using a combination of formal presentations, end user Read more…
UK firms paying highest power prices in Europe
UK business energy prices continue to rise faster and fall slower than other EU member states, according to latest government data. British firms are paying far more than European competitors for electricity. Whereas five years ago businesses enjoyed some of the best rates for gas, that is no longer the case, Decc statistics show. Electricity prices excluding tax for small, medium and large firms were the highest in Europe from July to December 2015 with Read more…
Early capacity market costs to hit business energy bills
Energy suppliers will not be allowed to delay payments for the early capacity market auction. That means businesses face higher than anticipated energy bills next year and could see suppliers either renegotiating contracts or using clauses to add policy costs to them. The department of energy and climate change (Decc) has confirmed it will hold an early auction to supply capacity to keep the lights on for the winter after next (2017/18). Because suppliers recover Read more…
UK directors think power prices will rise 10% in 2016
Around two thirds of company directors surveyed by Mission Critical Power’ publisher Energyst Media believe that power prices will rise by around 10% in 2016. That prediction follows a benign 2015 in which wholesale prices have largely trended down. Early respondents* to the annual Director’s Report have indicated that they are equipped to deal with spikier prices as a result of tight margins and changes to the balancing and settlements regime. Three quarters of respondents said they had Read more…
If data centre power use is falling, are firms buying too much?
Evidence suggests that power usage in data centres may be declining, calling into question the historic tendency to buy more headroom than required. Over-specifying is bad planning, according to Andrasta Consulting founder Nicola Hayes – and could lead to businesses paying over the odds for data centre services. Speaking at an IP Expo Europe panel session in London, Hayes said an “awful lot” of firms “overestimate how much power they are going to need” and Read more…