The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is campaigning for changes to existing regulation which it says will “unlock billions of pounds of investment for innovative, greener projects”. The legislation in question is Solvency II, which states that insurers must hold a certain level of capital to prevent insolvency. The association, which represents more than 250 [...]

The lightbulb moment Maxwell compares the change in attitude to low-carbon energy to the use of LED lighting. In 2012, fewer than 2% of lights around the world were energy efficient; this year is likely to see the figure pass the 50% boundary. Maxwell says: “There is a very substantial opportunity. Carbon is a key [...]

Renewable energy will displace coal as the world’s top source of power by 2040, according to a new report by BP. Wind, solar and other renewables currently accounts for about 10% of the world’s electricity supplies, the UK-based oil company estimates. To put that into perspective, oil took almost 45 years to go from 1% [...]

NextEnergy Capital PPA partnership We have signed an innovative Framework Agreement with NextEnergy Solar Fund (NESF), the UK’s largest listed solar fund, to install commercial solar across the UK using Zestec’s proprietary Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model. Commercial landlords will pay a reduced tariff compared to their grid rate for electricity produced by the solar [...]

Schools in England will soon be able to do as households do and shop around for the best deal on their gas and electricity, after the government unveiled a new price comparison website especially for them. State-funded schools in England spent more than £584m on gas and electricity, as per figures from 2016/17. The average [...]

This year sees several changes to energy taxes and regulations. Is your business ready? From 1st April 2019, the Climate Change Levy (CCL) which is applied to business use of electricity, gas and solid fuel is increasing significantly. CCL rates are set to rise by 67% on natural gas (from 0.203 pence per KWh to [...]

Major retailers in the UK are going all-in on cleantech, with Tesco the latest firm to commit to solar power, after plans to install PV panels on its superstores across the country were revealed. Solar Power Portal, the publication that made the discovery, reports that Tesco superstores in Nottingham, Lewisham, Sheerness, Martlesham and Yeovil have [...]

Britain has achieved something truly remarkable in the last decade – a 30% shift away from electricity generation using fossil fuels, according to Business Green. Just nine years ago, we generated 75% of our electricity using natural gas and coal. According to official figures, by 2018 this level dropped to just under 45%. How was [...]

In the last quarter of a century, the UK has grown by eight million people and our reliance on technology has become an accepted norm. But, despite more people plugging in than ever before, electricity generation from power plants in 2018 was on a par with 1994. Carbon Brief, which analysed government and industry data, [...]

A sun-filled late summer helped the UK’s renewable energy sector set a new record in the third quarter of 2018, generating nearly one-third of national power. The Renewable Energy Association said the 33.1% figure – the equivalent to around 25TWh – for the period was “fantastic news for the industry”. But it was quick to [...]