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The energy experts speak out
“There’s no place like home…”
By Tracy Lewis, Managing Director Whilst normally I would agree with Dorothy’s statement, right now I would rather be working anywhere but in my home! And yet, having been able to work from the office for several months, I find myself once again writing from the...

A bittersweet Environment Bill for the UK
By Dr Samantha Mudie, Head of Technical Development It has been both my privilege and my frustration to provide written evidence for the second reading of the UK Environment Bill over the last few weeks. The Environment Bill 2019-2021 is a vital piece of legislation...

Climate Week NYC – The biggest climate summit of 2020
By Dr. Samantha Mudie, Head of Technical Development This week is Climate Week NYC, an annual event hosted in association with the United Nations and the City of New York, bringing together international leaders from business, government and civil society to showcase...

Net zero and unintended consequences
By Dr Samantha Mudie, Head of Technical Development In my various roles as an academic, an energy-carbon reduction consultant and even as a parent I find I am always arguing the case for change towards the sustainable. What I am frequently met with, in business and at...

EU set to increase climate change goals as carbon prices soar
By Paul Gleaves, Head of Risk and Trading Carbon futures prices continued their dramatic price surge last week, with prices touching €30/tonne as the EU look set to announce more ambitious climate goals this month. In March of this year, in the wake of coronavirus...

“What we’ve got here is … failure to communicate”
By Tracy Lewis, Managing Director Another month has passed, and another famous movie quote comes to mind. This time, however, it is one that I hope will not resonate with us months down the line! As children return to school and the Government encourages staff to go...

Ventilation: The key to infection control in commercial properties?
By Joanne Merry, Head of Product Development As businesses look to get people back into buildings and workplaces in the wake of the pandemic, there is a very clear need to ensure that action is taken to make buildings safe for re-entry. There has been much focus on...

Youth Day 2020: A landmark year for the youth-climate movement
By Dr Samantha Mudie, Head of Technical Consultancy This time last week, the 13th August 2020, was International Youth Day. It is a day to recognise and celebrate young people, their initiatives, their voices, and their successes. It surely also has to be a time to...

Major failings put England at risk of running out of water!
By Melanie Kendall-Reid, Director of Consultancy Services A new report from the Public Accounts Committee, as part of its inquiry into the UK’s water sector and infrastructure, has issued a stark warning that England is at serious risk of running out of water within...

Chancellor unveils £3bn investment in the green economy
By Melanie Kendall-Reid, Director of Consultancy Services The Summer Statement was announced by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak this week. It included a £3bn package to stimulate the UK’s green economy as the country recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, which has severely...

Committee on Climate Change recovery plan a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
By Melanie Kendall-Reid, Director of Consultancy Services The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has published its annual progress report, which assesses the progress made to reduce emissions over the past year. Territorial emissions have decreased by 30% since 2008...

Electricity cost uncertainties grow as fit costs set to rocket
By Paul Gleaves, Head of Risk & Trading According to energy research company Cornwall Insights, Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) costs for Q2 ’20 are set to reach record highs on the back of coronavirus-related demand destruction and unusually high levels of sunshine. This...

Major companies commit to purchase 100% renewable energy
By Paul Gleaves, Head of Risk and Trading, Carbonxgen On World Environment Day, a number of major global companies announced that they had signed up to the RE100 scheme. Although there are varying horizon dates; ONO Pharmaceutical, Continental, Zalando and Novozymes...

The climate has no borders
By Melanie Kendall-Reid, Head of Consultancy Services Boris Johnson recently announced new dates for COP26 to allow more time to recover from the economic and travel impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The climate summit is now set to take place in the UK from 1st to...

New UK carbon market set to cut emissions by 5%
By Paul Gleaves, Head of Risk and Trading The Government has unveiled plans for the future of carbon pricing within the UK. The initial proposals are mainly in-line with expectations and seemingly ensure continuity in carbon pricing as we exit the Brexit transition...

One size does not fit all
By Tracy Lewis, Managing Director Another month of lockdown completed and, as I write this, the easing of restrictions has extended to some children returning to school and we are now able to meet with our loved ones in groups of six people, still from the safe social...

UK Day Ahead electricity prices turn negative for first time
By Paul Gleaves, Head of Risk & Trading Last weekend saw UK Day Ahead prices hit a negative price for the first time in their history, when the N2EX Auction price out-turned at -£10.13/MWh for delivery on 23rd May 2020. This landmark was reached due to the...

Air quality – A breath of fresh air during lockdown
By Philip Richards, Client Director As the UK enters its 7th week of lockdown, on Sunday Boris Johnson will outline his exit roadmap. The Prime Minister has stated that he will make it clear to the nation the “menu of options” he will have to choose from when he...

Record breaking April for UK energy markets
By Paul Gleaves, Head of Risk & Trading Although it was US oil prices turning negative for the first time that garnered the most press attention, April was also a record breaking month for UK energy markets. The milestones achieved, include the following: > Day...

The new normal
By Tracy Lewis, Managing Director Six weeks into our ‘business as unusual’ working from home routine and things seem strangely normal! Everyone has settled into their new work environments and the initial reservations about holding meetings via Teams or Zoom have been...