Low carbon generation: investors are ready to invest, just provide the market

19.10.18

The decision by Secretary of State for Energy and Clean Growth Claire Perry to bring in a new round of Contracts for Difference auctions is to be welcomed, especially if they are opened up to less established technologies like onshore wind and solar.

But, for all the fanfare, the announcement cannot not detract from the fact that investment in renewables has been falling steadily in the UK since 2015 and is now at its lowest point in a decade. The Environmental Audit Committee’s recent report found that cash investments into renewables fell 10% in 2016 and a further 56% in 2017 – and it may well be the case that 2018 sees a further decline.

Guest blog: Closure of the FiT, investors need a positive signal

05.09.18

On our guest blog, Stephen Roberts – Associate Political Consultant at The Whitehouse Consultancy – discusses the potential impacts of the FiT closure.

The Whitehouse Consultancy is an award-winning issues-led communications agency with expertise in the infrastructure, transport, energy and environment space.

A Green Apple for bee keeping

13.12.17

Low Carbon’s bee keeping sustainability project, run in partnership with Plan Bee, has been awarded a Green Apple gold award for its contribution to sustainability and environmental best practice.

The project, which was established in 2015, has seen the establishment of 25 bee hives across five of Low Carbon’s solar farms, housing more than two million bees. The hives were installed to help support a dwindling UK bee population, with the hives also used to raise awareness of the impact of climate change.

Looking ahead to COP23 – a global movement for climate action

08.05.17

It may seem like a long way off – but we have started to think about the upcoming COP23 conference in Bonn, where themes like climate finance and the circular economy are going to take centre stage.

At Low Carbon, we have recognised the tremendous potential of financing industrial grade energy storage projects, to create a cleaner and more secure energy future, whilst also supporting in this shift to a more circular economic model. Our partnership with VPI Immingham to create ‘VLC Energy’ will see the development of two of the UK’s largest energy storage plants in Cumbria and Kent, which will be connected to the grid by end of year. Renewable energy is playing an increasingly important role in the UK’s energy mix and as this role expands, the development of energy storage plants will be central to the future success of the UK’s energy network.

How will energy storage play out in 2017?

24.02.17

Energy storage is set to play a key part in the energy story in 2017. The year began with a bang, with the announcement that the UK was placing energy storage at the heart of its new Modern Industrial Strategy, due to its potential to support smart energy systems and the automotive sector.

This will also be encouraging news for industries across the board, given the potential of energy storage to stabilise energy supply during periods of high and low demand. Any industry will no doubt welcome this stability after an arguably unsteady 2016, which included the decommissioning of many oil and gas stations.