Heat pump cost reductions may not happen as quickly as the government hopes, academics warn” says new research

The richest households in the UK should pay an additional £410 a year to fund subsidies for renewable energy and energy efficiency. A new study from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) suggests 70% of households would be better off if energy policy costs were moved from gas and electricity bills to general taxation and […]

Investing in energy efficient technologies could help householders save £270 on bills on average. A new study reveals they could also cut energy use by a quarter every year – equivalent to the output of six Hinkley Point C nuclear power stations. Researchers have estimated that investing in technologies like heating, insulation, lighting and appliances […]

The UK must build a more flexible power grid to ensure energy security and avoid spiralling costs of green energy. New research has found “very strong evidence” that adding intermittent electricity such as wind and solar power into the grid, without flexibility, will cost “much higher than they need to be”. The UK Energy Research […]

The role of gas in the UK’s energy future is “limited” without the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. A new report from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) highlights the “lack of a clear vision” of the future role of gas in the energy system. The news follows the government’s announcement to […]

Three research councils have pledged to provide extra funding worth £14 million for future energy research in the UK. The cash will be given to Imperial-based UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) to allow it “to continue to act as the focal point of research” for Britain’s energy industry. UKERC – which carries out research into […]

Professors and academics behind a new report have taken the Government to task for trying to sway public opinion on energy sources and creating political uncertainty which could stop the UK from hitting its carbon budgets. The report called “UK Energy Strategies Under Uncertainty” suggests confusion has been made worse by controversies over energy prices […]

Is gas the answer to our short term energy needs? Vicky Ellis explores this question speaking to academics and the chair of the energy and climate change select committee Tim Yeo MP

Gas plants should only be used as back up for renewable energy in future while the UK should put in place a 2030 decarbonisation target in the imminent Energy Bill. That’s the conclusion of a new report from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) which suggests the energy system needs “wholesale transformation”. By comparing four […]

Fears that thousands of shale gas drilling rigs will sprout up across the country are unfounded as the industry is unlikely to be commercial for years, according to analysts. Anti-shale gas campaigners were in uproar yesterday after Energy Secretary Ed Davey announced a ban on hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” for the gas would be lifted. […]