npower’s Wayne Mitchell’s Blog

Preparing our fleet for an EV takeover At last week’s record-breaking Energy Event, some of the busiest people in the npower Village were our Electric Vehicle team. I say record-breaking because we were delighted to welcome more visitors than ever before – so our EV guys were especially in demand. And it’s hardly surprising – […]

Gas prices force firms to use coal power

High gas prices in the UK led to companies opting for coal power instead this year. That’s what the figures in DECC’s new ‘UK Energy Statistics’ report suggest as gas generation fell to its lowest share of the UK’s energy mix over the past 14 years. Coal however accounted for 36.1% of electricity in the […]

Nemesis car breaks electric land speed record

A battery-powered car broke the land speed record for electric vehicles at the Elvington airfield near York today. The Nemesis hit 148.419 miles per hour, breaking the previous UK EV speed record of 137mph set by the grandson of legendary speed-merchant Sir Malcolm Campbell. The Nemesis is the brainchild of Dale Vince, who founded the […]

Manchester train station opens its own wind turbine

A railway station in Greater Manchester has installed a turbine to generate half of its energy needs. The 11 kilowatt, 23m tall Gaia turbine turbine on the Horwich Parkway station began generating this week and is claimed to be the largest turbine on an English train station. Generating 25,000kWh of electricity a year, the turbine […]

O2 to sell phone without charger to cut waste

Mobile network provider O2 plans to sell a new HTC smartphone without a charger to cut down on waste. The firm says it made the decision because its research suggests there could be more than 100 million unused chargers lying in drawers or tangled in cupboards in the UK. The unnamed phone will have a […]

npower opens Pembroke gas plant

One of the  biggest CCGT plants in Europe has been opened by npower in Pembroke, North Wales. Vicky Ellis reports on the future of the plant and whether it’s the last example of huge investment from energy companies until there is more political certainty from the Energy Bill.

Householders urged to stock up on heating oil

Householders are being urged to stock up on heating oil now in a new campaign backed by the Government. Initiated by industry and consumer groups, the ‘Buy Oil Early’ campaign is advising people who use heating oil to shop around for the best deal. DECC is also encouraging householders to buy oil as soon as […]

Total boss admits Arctic oil drilling could be too risky

Exploring for oil in the Arctic is too much of a risk to the environment, the head of French oil and gas firm Total has admitted. Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie is reported to have said the risk of a huge spill in Arctic waters would bring too much public criticism upon an energy firm. […]

Scottish innovation fund for oil and gas

A £10 million fund has been announced by the Scottish Government to support innovation in the oil and gas industry. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing invited applicants for the first round of the Innovation Fund, which will involve projects looking to improve the reliability of valuable resources in the sector. Projects funded under the scheme are […]

Nick Clegg: we’ll force Tories to stick to green promises

The Deputy Prime Minster Nick Clegg today said his party would force their Coalition colleagues to stick to promises about “going green”. In a speech at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton which will surely stoke government tensions over spending on renewable energy, Mr Clegg suggested using energy forms like wind, solar and tidal power […]