David Watson

100% this. The benefits accrue individually from being able to get paid to shift demand, e.g. charge an EV at night, but also through much lower (£bns) system costs from flexibility deployed at scale.

I'm sure you're not being, but I'd caution against complacency. The survey just asks ordinary people whether they understand what net zero is and what the transition means for them.

If we're to make it, the answer to both these questions - particularly #2 - needs to be solidly positive.

The idea that the EU will import $250bn of energy from the US is highly unlikely* to happen, regardless of what UvdL and Trump say.

I can only assume neither really mind given the deal will likely outlast the President's term.

*not going

‘A beautiful system’: integrating solar with EV charging EV Infrastructure News caught up with REC’s business development manager Sage McLaughlin to find out what makes integrating solar, storage and EV charging such a straightforward solution.

Expecting these type of solar plus EV parking set ups to be standard in the coming years, even here in the UK.

Outside of the energy social media bubble we still face a huge gap in engagement. Survey from Keele University and Copper find 24% have 'no understanding of net-zero' and 47% struggle to understand what the transition will mean for them. buff.ly/wq14obm

Smart meter installs hit a new record in June, with 233k installs.

We remain firmly off target however, with much more needed and in the context of most of the 'easy' installs having been completed. buff.ly/dmmxll7

There was a fire here on the green two weeks ago, in the hot weather. Walking past the site today and there are green shoots appearing everywhere, the grass coming back.

Nature really does find a way.

Lol. Starting a campaign for you to re-start that thread. There is sufficient material.

This is a topic Centrica felt sufficiently strongly about to reference in their Interim results this morning

Ban Octopus from taking on new customers, says British Gas The owner of British Gas has called for rival Octopus Energy to be banned from taking on new customers amid an industry spat over new cash requirement rules.

Centrica CEO, Chris O'Shea, has called on Ofgem to ban Octopus Energy from taking on new customers over claims they are not compliant with new capital adequacy rules, claims Octopus Energy refute. buff.ly/01hxWW4

I'd expect BP will have a climate resilience playbook for their assets, and that there will be a cost of this baked into the financing of their development / asset strategy.

A challenging set of interim results from Centrica this morning.

• Op Profit down 47% to £549m in H1 2025
• EPS down 46% to 7p
• Free cash flow down 70%
• Pension deficit increases

- but dividend increased, share buy backs to continue. buff.ly/6ssHRtR

A good profile of Albert Manifold, new Chair of BP, noted for his ability to drive shareholder value - something BP will be keen to see emulated. buff.ly/XTfPhii

Shell has abandoned a 6yr long attempt to define a “net zero” emissions strategy after being told that such a standard would require them to stop developing new oil and gas fields. buff.ly/PTB2JKu

China switches on its largest standalone battery storage project - Energy Storage With a capacity of 2 GWh, the four-hour storage system is described as the largest lithium iron phosphate energy storage project in the country.

China has now completed commissioning on their largest standalone battery facility, with a capacity of 500MW/ 2GWh - doubling in future to 1GW/ 4GWh.

These records will keep falling.

More than 100 Labour MPs urge Ed Miliband to explore radical energy bills overhaul Living Standards Coalition writes to energy secretary calling on him to do more to help struggling households

Over 100 Labour MPs have written to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband urging him to reform energy pricing so lower and middle income customers pay less.

The issue, as ever, is that consumption is a weak proxy for income.

Britain’s Lib Dems want to ditch their NIMBY tag and scoop up climate voters The U.K.’s third party believes green policy is the way to hoover up Tory-backers.

Lib Dems see an opportunity and plan to dial up their focus on pro-climate action, pro-green policies. www.politico.eu/article/uk-l...

Some of the numbers around the new mega-hydro project announced in China are incredible.

- 60GW
- 300bn kWh of clean electricity p/annum
- USD$170bn

The environmental impact and impact on countries downstream is yet to be quantified but will be similarly incredible no doubt.

Chinese government restricts export of EV battery manufacturing materials The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has restricted exports of technologies integral to EV battery production.

China has announced new export controls which will limit the shipping of key battery components but not completely built batteries, limiting US and EU ability to build their own industries.

Centrica has confirmed this morning that it's taking a 15% stake in Sizewell C

Ofgem have published an open letter setting out their thinking on how reformed network charges
could send an effective locational signals in the absence of zonal pricing. buff.ly/OPs0qBR

We need carbon capture and storage technology if we're to reach net zero. This is a controversial statement - but it shouldn't be.

Development is being stalled however by UK carbon prices which remain under what is required to make investments worthwhile. buff.ly/2NHOead

Kraken?s Residential Virtual Power Plant (VPP) reaches 2 GW power milestone AI-powered operating system Kraken is now orchestrating over 2 GW of power from EVs, home batteries, and heat pumps, creating one of the world?s largest and most advanced residentia...

Kraken is now orchestrating over 2GW of power from EVs, home batteries, and heat pumps, making it one of the world’s largest and most advanced residential Virtual Power Plants (VPPs).

China Is Putting Data Centers in the Ocean to Keep Them Cool China is pulling ahead of the rest of the world in sinking data centers that power AI into the ocean as an alternate way to keep them cool

China is putting data centres in the ocean to keep them cool.

I marvel at the engineering involved here, but would be keen to see more research on the environmental impacts, e.g. from localised warming to waters.

Trump administration pauses research on flooding risk as over 100 perish in deadly summer floods | CNN The Trump administration has paused work on a new database that would provide Americans with precise estimates of the likelihood of extreme precipitation events in a warming world — a warning of…

President Trump's decision to kill the development of a model that would take the influence of climate change into account when making rainfall frequency estimates appears to be an unusual act of self-harm.

Revealed: Labour’s multi-billion pound plan to slash energy bills U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is targeting home heat policy to try and reduce sky-high bills.

The Warm Homes Plan, due this Autumn, will include proposals to reduce electricity prices for heat pump owners by ~£200/yr according to reports. Also expect some further financing support, plus announcements on energy efficiency.

Details 👇

UPDATE: NESO extends grid connection application window as major issues raised The application window for grid connections has been open for just over a week and developers are reporting wide ranging issues.

I missed this earlier in the week, however NESO have responded to developer concerns about the portal for evidencing the readiness of new connections and extended the deadline - originally scheduled for the end of the month. buff.ly/MEF0DpH

Meta are set to build a data centre with up to a 5GW connection. That is huge. You'd need x1.5 Hinkley Point C nuclear reactors running constantly to power it. The footprint will be nearly the same size as Manhattan. buff.ly/JfiNGzT.

"Despite ongoing uncertainty over the past months regarding zonal pricing, TNUoS reforms, and AR7 timelines ... deal activity remains robust, with multiple new equity and debt financing processes seeking to launch over the summer months"

- via Aurora: buff.ly/3c8SEMC

We've already published research showing energy debt is now over £4bn. Related news here with research suggesting that 24% of British households are late paying energy bills. buff.ly/lIfGiBc