Will Energy Bill tackle fuel poverty?

“Shame on you George Osborne”, shout protestors outside the Treasury who are convinced the Government is letting suppliers off the hook on high bills. They fear fuel poverty could mean more deaths over the winter. But will the Energy Bill tackle this? Does the Government’s new legislation show leadership on climate change? ELN speaks to ministers, protestors […]

Blog: DECC tensions are there – but it’s less Lib Dem-Tory, more Tory on Tory

For a bill that’s been delayed “longer than it takes an elephant to gestate”, as MP and chair of the energy select committee Tim Yeo so succinctly put it at the EIC event I was at last week, yesterday’s energy legislation has certainly caused enough grief on the way out. While we’ve been waiting for […]

CCS market will be worth $8bn next year

The global carbon capture and storage market (CCS) will be worth $7.78bn (£4.9bn) in 2013 according to new analysis, which suggests governments are turning to the technology which traps the carbon from emissions and stores it underground, especially when it comes to using coal (pictured). The forecast by London-based consultancy Visiongain suggests there will be […]

Electric car gives you wings – sort of

Electric cars seem revolutionary enough as it is – but one designer has given the green vehicles a makeover which makes them stand out from the crowd even more. The fortwo electric, a battery-powered version of the Mercedes-Benz smart car has been given flashing wings by Jeremy Scott who is more used to crafting fantastic […]

Will fewer tariffs boost competition?

The jury’s out on whether fewer tariffs will boost competition, as a clash of views on opposite sides of the argument yesterday has revealed. Provisions in the Energy Bill announced will limit suppliers to offering four key tariffs. Commentators like Stephen Littlechild claim DECC proposals are “effectively a tax on competition”, as the former energy […]

Scotland wary of certainty for renewables in Energy Bill

The Scottish Government is wary about fully signing up to the new proposals and said it needs to be assured the UK’s Energy Bill will deliver certainty for renewables before it does so. Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing (pictured) said the Government would work with the UK to make sure the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) works […]

Heating costs 63% higher now than five years ago

The cost of heating a home in the UK is now 63% more than it was five years ago as a result of rising energy prices. According to new research, rocketing energy prices have forced heating costs to increase from £360 to £587 since 2008 as heating accounts for almost half (44%) of an average […]

Gamesa gets €260m for wind research

Gamesa has received a €260 million (£210.8m) loan to fund its research and development in wind turbine manufacturing for the next three years. The cash from the European Investment Bank (EIB) will help the Spanish firm design and develop both onshore and offshore turbine platforms, which are expected to offer “greater capacity and constantly improving […]

Lack of carbon target could lead to ‘investment vacuum’

The UK could face a high risk of “investment vacuum” after 2020 due to the Government’s lack of clarity on setting a decarbonisation target. That’s the view of environmental group Greenpeace, which said billions of pounds of investment that the Energy Bill plans to bring in will depend on the carbon target being made law. […]

Government’s Energy Bill still has ‘room to improve’

The Energy and Climate Change Committee welcomed the Government’s proposals for the Energy Bill but said there is “still room for improvement”. Energy Secretary Ed Davey announced the full details of the Bill yesterday and confirmed the decision to have a single counterparty for its Contracts for Difference (CfD) mechanism. This is expected to provide […]