Philip Steele

You probably didn't notice but October 1st was the launch date of the newest public institution in the UK – the 'National Energy System Operator' (NESO). The NESO replaces National Grid and is mandated with the simple task of ... "delivering electricity decarbonisation and whole energy system planning to deliver Net-Zero." This is a great initiative that has been many years in the making with cross party support. We need whole of system thinking and the NESO will have strategic oversight of both the electricity and gas systems. The first task is to take our electricity grid to net zero by 2030 which NESO say can be achieved. At Elyos Energy we're looking forward to contributing to make this a reality. https://lnkd.in/dRQRpHti

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We've just published our latest UK Power Networks DSO Forward Plan, which contains the following four key areas that we are committed to delivering on: Better understanding our customers' needs: We will right size investment decisions with a long term view Scaling up flexibility: We will further reward consumer-led flexibility and energy efficiency that helps smooth our peaks in demand Accelerating connections: We will support the Clean Power 2030 target through flexible connections that give quick access to our network Providing benefits beyond our networks: We will lay down the foundations for local and regional government to deliver their decarbonisation plans, no matter how big or small You can read more below

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Why Demand-Side Flexibility Matters for the UK Grid ⚡ The UK is at a pivotal moment in its energy transition. As renewable energy takes a larger share of the grid, the challenge of balancing supply and demand becomes ever more critical. This is where demand-side flexibility (DSF) makes a real difference. This powerful video by Smart Energy Europe highlights how DSF is revolutionising the energy industry. It demonstrates why a flexible demand system is essential for creating a sustainable, efficient grid. At Swarm, we’re driving this transformation with technology that empowers smarter, greener energy use: ⚡️ Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS): By integrating solar panels, batteries, EVs, and heat pumps, our systems help homeowners optimize energy use—consuming, storing, and exporting power intelligently. ⚡️ Independent Aggregation: Our HEMS technology connects thousands of home energy assets to deliver grid services like balancing, peak shaving, and load shifting. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels and enables greater renewable energy integration. ⚡️ Real Impact: By putting households at the heart of flexibility markets, we’re unlocking benefits for everyone—lower energy bills for consumers, improved grid stability, and meaningful carbon reductions. Demand-side flexibility isn’t just a concept for tomorrow—it’s happening today. Efforts like the ones shown in this video are turning homes into active contributors to a smarter, greener grid. https://lnkd.in/ej2E5tUu #Swarm #SwarmEnergy #DemandSideFlexibility #EnergyTransition #NetZero #RenewableEnergy #HEMS #Sustainability #SmartEnergy

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The UK's energy market marginal cost pricing model. The UK's energy market operates on a marginal cost pricing model, which means the wholesale electricity price is set by the most expensive power plant needed to meet demand at any given time. While this system has its merits, it is not prepared for the 21st century due to fluctuations in the global market. This is primarily because gas-fired power plants, being the most expensive to operate, set the market price, even when cheaper renewable energy sources are available. The Problem with Marginal Cost Pricing: ➢High Prices for Consumers: Consumers end up paying elevated prices for electricity, even when cheaper sources like wind and solar are generating power. This is because the wholesale price is dictated by the expensive gas plants. ➢Disincentive for Renewables: The current system discourage investment in renewable energy sources. While renewable energy generators get guaranteed access to the market, they might not receive the full value of their electricity. ➢Price Volatility: Gas prices are subject to global market fluctuations, leading to volatile wholesale electricity prices in the UK. This unpredictability creates uncertainty for both consumers and energy suppliers. How decentralized energy management systems(Blockchain technology, coupled with Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)), address the challenges posed by marginal cost pricing: ✅ Blockchain enables direct energy trading between producers and consumers. This bypasses the traditional centralized market, reducing costs and promoting the use of locally generated renewable energy. Smart contracts within DAOs automate these transactions, ensuring transparency and trust. ✅Dynamic Pricing: Blockchain-based systems facilitate real-time, dynamic pricing based on actual supply and demand. This encourages energy consumption during off-peak hours when renewable sources might be generating surplus power, leading to lower prices for consumers. ✅Transparency and Efficiency: Blockchain provides an immutable record of energy origin and movement. This ensures accurate billing and prevents price manipulation, fostering trust and efficiency in the market. ✅Community Energy Projects: DAOs facilitate management of community-owned renewable energy projects. This empowers local communities to generate and consume their own energy, reducing dependence on the centralized grid and lowering costs. Conclusion The growing disparity between high wholesale electricity prices and the cheaper, locally generated renewable energy is making the local energy markets a more sustainable and affordable energy future. By providing a decentralized energy management system for direct energy trading, LEMs offer consumers lower costs, support renewable energy development, enhance grid flexibility, and empower local communities. #energytransition #energyindustry #energysector #energyinnovation #cleanenergy

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Shifting electric vehicle charging to align with intermittent renewable energy is the beating heart of our mission at ev.energy. Drivers love charging up their vehicle with 100% renewable and cheap energy, and that's what we do every day with smart charging and our work in partnership with energy companies across the globe. It's a privilege to be working with UK Power Networks and Octopus Energy on the Shift 2.0 trial, helping to play our (small) part accelerating the roll out of renewable energy, and decarbonized transport on our grids - for the whole of society. Onwards to more low carbon transport, fueled by the lowest carbon, cheapest energy on the grid! #smartcharging #energynetworks #vpps

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Today the UK #energy #market continues to be shaped by dynamic fluctuations in #electricity and #gas prices, driven by both domestic factors and broader global energy trends. Electricity Prices: The UK's electricity market has seen varied movements in pricing across different contracts. The UK Day-Ahead (DA) Base price for electricity settled at £80.64 per megawatt-hour (MWh) on August 13, 2024, reflecting a slight increase compared to previous settlements. This trend is consistent with a broader rise across spot and forward contracts, indicating potential upward pressure on prices as we approach the winter months. Gas Prices: Natural gas prices in the UK have shown a similar pattern of slight declines and increases across various contracts. The National Balancing Point (NBP) Day-Ahead price for gas stood at 84.00 pence per therm on August 13, 2024, slightly down from the previous day. However, forward contracts for the upcoming winter months remain higher, with November 2024 gas prices at 109.25 pence per therm. This reflects ongoing concerns about supply constraints and the need for storage filling ahead of the colder season. Market Influences: Several factors have influenced these price movements. The UK's electricity prices are partially affected by the availability of imports from Norway and the operational status of domestic facilities, including scheduled maintenance outages. Additionally, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has continued to cast uncertainty over gas flows from Russia, which has a ripple effect across European gas markets. Looking Ahead: As we move towards the winter of 2024-2025, market participants are keeping a close eye on storage levels and import capacities, which will play critical roles in determining the trajectory of energy prices. The European Commission's target of achieving a 90% fill rate for gas storage by November 1, 2024, adds an additional layer of strategic importance to these developments. In summary, while electricity prices in the UK have experienced moderate gains, gas prices continue to fluctuate with an overall upward trend for the winter months. Stakeholders in the energy market should remain vigilant to these developments as they plan for the rest of the year​.

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The thing I get stuck on in this debate is the premise that flat tariffs can’t be cost reflective for end consumers. I think networks can and should have cost reflective pricing (although this doesn’t mean current tariffs are all well designed). Its the job of retailers to take complex and risky input costs and create attractive and competitive retail products, taking on risk and complexity in return for margin. Consumers that prefer flat tariffs should be able to choose them, but should pay a premium.

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How much grid reform can realistically be achieved by 2030? The UK's electricity grid connection system is facing significant backlogs, primarily due to the rapid increase in renewable energy projects and the ageing infrastructure not being able to keep up. As of now, more than 500GW of projects are waiting to connect, with some queued for over 10 years, particularly those with connection dates beyond 2030. This backlog has largely been caused by an 80% rise in applications in the last year alone, straining the grid's capacity. To address this, Ofgem and National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) have introduced reforms aimed at expediting connections and improving efficiency. One of the key changes includes new queue management policies, allowing NGESO to remove stalled projects, and ensuring that active projects progress faster. Additionally, Ofgem has initiated short-term measures, such as transitional offers for grid connections starting from September 2024, intended to prevent bottlenecks while a more robust, reformed system is developed.

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🌍🔌 Rolling out the Smart Secure Electricity System (SSES) in the UK is like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube in the dark! 🎲😄 While we're aiming to boost grid flexibility and welcome more renewable energy, the challenges are... well, electrifying! ⚡🤔 We're juggling the increased electricity demands from all those electric cars 🚗💨 and trying to keep the grid as stable as a table with three legs! Plus, we need to tackle the brain-teasers of smart EV charging and ensure everything is fair and secure for consumers. 🛡️ Here's to mastering the complex puzzle of a smarter, greener energy future! 🌱 I am looking forward to respond to the consultation at the below link - and I recommend you as well my fellow industry colleague and if you have expertise in this field. This is one of the most important changes going through for the Smarter Grid future. I am also pleased participating with my expertise with BEAMA and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero working groups. 🧩 #EnergyTransition #SmartGrid #RenewableEnergy #SSES #ElectricVehicles https://lnkd.in/dcr7BK99

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Daily Energy Market Update – 6th September 2024 As we look ahead to next week, temperatures across Britain are forecast to dip significantly, with averages dropping as low as 4°C below seasonal norms. Expect temperatures to hover around 10°C, which could put upward pressure on UK gas prices. Colder weather typically drives higher heating demand, potentially increasing short-term market volatility. In contrast, wind power generation is set to exceed seasonal expectations by over 20% during the first part of next week. This surge in wind output may contribute to a bearish trend in prompt UK energy prices. However, as the week progresses, wind generation is expected to fall back in line with seasonal norms, which could stabilise the market by the latter half of the week. Globally, the energy landscape is also shifting. Egypt has announced plans to purchase 20 cargoes of LNG starting in October, marking its first imports of the fuel in years as it prepares for the winter season. This move could have a bullish impact on near-curve UK gas prices, as potential supplies might be diverted away from the European continent, tightening the market. In terms of pricing movements, Day-Ahead gas prices have seen a dip, trading at 85.90 p/th, a 3.14% decrease from the previous day. Power prices on the Day-Ahead market have also softened, currently at £76.18/MWh, down by 0.98%. Meanwhile, Brent Crude remains relatively steady at $72.69 per barrel. Looking at the UK gas grid, it is expected to end the day with a surplus of 4.44 million cubic meters (mcm). This oversupply could add further bearish pressure to the Within-Day National Balancing Point (NBP) contract, as market participants anticipate a well-supplied system in the near term. These shifts in temperature, wind generation, and global LNG demand are likely to drive key market movements in the coming week. For a more detailed view of the energy market or to discuss how these changes may affect your business, feel free to reach out to our trading desk.

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For over two decades, the UK has been a key market for us — and we are dedicated to the country, with ambitious plans for deepening our engagement and making transformative investments.    With the announcement of a new Industrial Strategy focused on clean energy as a key growth sector, the new government wants to play a constructive, strategic role in the economy. Working in partnership with the private sector to drive forward its mission for economic growth and the ambitious plan to achieve clean power by 2030. This week’s International Investment Summit in London provided a valuable opportunity to discuss this with government officials, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and industry executives.    As the leading power generator and a leading renewables developer in the UK, we are already generating electricity for around 12 million homes with an installed capacity of almost 10 GW.     With 2.2 GW of renewables currently under construction across offshore and onshore wind, solar, and storage, we intend to invest around €8 billion net until the end of this decade in developing clean energy projects in the UK and further strengthening our presence. Meanwhile, we are helping to unlock a green economy in the UK by generating high-quality jobs, strengthening supply chains, and fostering thriving local communities.    I would like to thank everyone involved in the organisation of this excellent summit, as well as Prime Minister Keir Starmer, State Secretary Ed Miliband from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and Jonathan Reynolds MP, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Sarah Jones, Minister for Industry, and Eluned Morgan, First Minister of Wales, for the valuable exchange. 📷: Jonathan Brad /PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

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While there are obviously big differences on each side of the pond, there are some big lessons that can be applied from UK experience with flexibility as we look to capture more value--and resilience--on the US grid.

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Next week Trident Utilities will be introducing their customers to the new functionality of their Pulse platform via a series of webinars. The platform functionality is unique, not only showing clients their cost and consumption, energy market prices, and their trading history. It can also model future periods based on hedged volumes, current market exposure, and predicted third party charging. All of these features have been invaluable to clients to help navigate the turbulent energy markets over the past 2 years, giving them the ability to budget as often as they like following market movements. This functionality sets us two steps ahead of our competition. So here comes the exciting part, we are bringing Net Zero planning to the platform! This will allow clients to calculate their scope 1,2+3 carbon emissions, measure improvement, target emissions categories, and most importantly satisfy all internal and external stakeholders that require data for reporting or for tendering purposes. We also have exciting plans to launch a carbon reduction planning module in the next few months to allow clients to model a pathway and show the impact of action. We have all been working hard for this to happen over the last 2-years and we can't wait to show all this functionality to our clients next week. #carbonaccounting #utilities #netzero

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There's a lot to be said about CB Heating's remarkable growth, especially since they've managed to scale so significantly while maintaining the charm of a family-run business. This is precisely why CBH and MPX make such a perfect match. Hit the link below to read the full case study, and find out how CB Heating implemented MPX as their very own Business Operating System to transform business operations. https://lnkd.in/e-34cAx9 MPX - Your very own Business Operating System

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Since launching the ERCOT BESS Index, the experience for Modo Energy users from Great Britain and Texas hasn't been great unless you were equally invested in both regions. Today we've taken some steps to improve things. Now logged in users will see Data & Charts and Research that's relevant to the region they're interested in. On top of that we've: - unlocked Plotter to show full granularity of data, even up to 1 year of 30-minute data - released our ERCOT Battery Benchmark, filling in the 60-day gap for the Index - added loads more ERCOT data to our data library for anyone to download for free Check it out... https://lnkd.in/gi6QZAWK

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On #BBCPanorama's new show, "The Truth About Smart Meters", you can hear me talk about the benefits of #smartmeters. But we must also analyse where the #rollout has gone wrong, and agree how to fix it. Read my blog on how we do so. https://lnkd.in/eH3t8Krg

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We shared our newly named Electricity Prices Explained guide with customers and partners last week! Previously known as our Third Party Costs (TPCs) guide, our Electricity Prices Explained guide is an exclusive piece of Intelligence content. The name change reflects the inclusion of wholesale costs in our forecast, recognising the important role power prices have to play on the delivered energy price. Our content helps customers and partners to understand recent energy market cost drivers, prepare for upcoming reforms and plan their energy spending. This is supported by a webinar (again, for customers and partners) to explain some of the concepts in more detail. If you’re not a customer, you can access our summary guide for the highlights here 👉 https://lnkd.in/edkCDGMz

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The average 2025/26 Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) tariff is expected to increase by 30.4% based on the latest forecast released by National Grid ESO - see chart below 👇 Explore Daniel Starman's latest Intelligence article on Drax Energy Solutions to understand how the updated TNUoS forecast could impact your organisation: https://lnkd.in/erKwDzp3

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