Utility Week

Community Plus ça change Disconnector returns to run a jaundiced eye over the world aer Utility Week's three-week summer break in print and is surprised by how little has changed – for all the constant sound and fury. It used to be said that a week is a long time in politics, but not any more. Brexit-locked Britain is a moment frozen in time. On some days Boris Johnson is foreign secretary, on others he isn't. But he's in the papers regardless, bear-baiting his opponents. Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, leads his life continually under siege, rarely talking to the press. Into the vacuum the Twitter mob of Corbyn's supporters howl their rage, eschewing his call for a "kinder, gentler politics". And thus it looks destined to continue until the fateful date of March 2019, when the UK leaves the EU and either the world ends or nothing much happens – depending on who you talk to. The big hope is that – regardless of what Brexit actually turns out to be – we will at least get the chance to talk about something else. Blow hard Our own travails are mirrored by almost the exact opposite in the US right now, where the country's politics are likewise gridlocked but not because of an obsession with a single overriding issue, but because the president's frenetic activ- ity ensures nothing is on the agenda long enough to be properly analysed. There is no issue Donald Trump isn't prepared to give his personal attention to, as long as it doesn't require more than half an hour of his attention. The problem with this quick-fix approach to intrac- table problems is, well, their intractability. Not everything can be fixed by decree. The latest problem to come back round again is Trump's attempt to ditch wind and promote coal. One of his bêtes noires is Obama's Clean Power Act, which he has vowed to scrap. The problem is that under existing US legislation, the government is required to spell out how it plans to improve air quality, and if the Clean Power Act is scrapped it must be replaced with an alternative. Cue a series of court chal- lenges, and defeats, for the pres. Donald tackled this setback the only way he knows how: not by charging someone to come up with a workable plan but by raving incoherently at a rally. "It's a tremendous form of energy in the sense that in a military way – think of it – coal is indestructible," he said. "You can blow up a pipeline, you can blow up windmills. You know, the windmills, boom, boom, boom, bing [mimes shooting gun], that's the end of that one. If the birds don't kill it first." What investors in wind and solar power – or indeed coal mines and power stations – are supposed to make of that is anyone's guess. And you thought Brexit was a cause for uncertainty? Not all smiles Disconnector confesses to an unedifying feeling of schaden- freude on learning that people living in Nordic countries are officially not as happy as eve- ryone makes them out to be. Yep, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Happiness Research Institute in Copen- hagen conducted extensive research and concluded that 12.3 million people living in Nordic countries were either "struggling" or "suffering". Of course, the mere fact that the Danes need to conduct research to uncover unhappi- ness is a good indication that things are going pretty well for most people. In Russia, for instance, one in four men don't make it past 55 because of alco- hol abuse. They don't measure happiness in Russia. Disconnector Publishing director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Acting editor: Suzanne Heneghan, t: 01342 332106, e: suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com Acting content director: Denise Chevin, 01342 332087, denisechevin@fav-house.com; Deputy editor: Jane Gray (maternity leave); Features editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; News editor: Katey Pigden, t: 01342 332082, e: kateypigden@ fav-house.com; Content editor: Alice Cooke, t: 01342 332102, e: alicecooke@fav-house.com; Energy correspondent: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Reporter: Adam John, t: 01342 332069, e: adamjohn@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Ben Hammond, e: benhammond@fav-house.com. t: 01342 332116; Business development executive: Sarah Wood, e: sarahwood@ fav-house.com. t: 01342 332117 Conference sponsorship manager: Sophie Abbott, t: 01342 332062, e: sophieabbott@ fav-house.com; General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332057, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. 2,500 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2017 Membership subscriptions: UK £769+VAT per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the publishing director, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk UTILITY WEEK | 31ST AUGUST - 6TH SEPTEMBER 2018 | 31 Richard Howard @UKenergywonk Sense has prevailed: the EU will end minimum import prices for Chinese solar panels, effective from 3 September. This should bring subsidy-free solar projects closer to fruition. Greg Jackson @g__j Listening to a call from a worried customer. A big six called three times to persuade him to cancel his switch, describing @octopus_energy as "not professional" and "disorganised". These "win-back" calls should be banned. They undermine consumer confidence. William Marchant @richonlyinname Which suppliers are currently making win-back calls for domestic customers? A now defunct non-dom supplier, Bizz Energy, complained about this behaviour to Ofgem a few years back and the regulator ruled the practice was OK. I wonder if the climate has changed. Richard Lowes @heatpolicyrich Dear @ofgem, please could you tell me who determines the rules for gas meters? Specifically, I'm interested in the rule which allows suppliers to charge if a customer wants a gas meter removed. Bit of a block for those wanting to get off gas and a practice which shouldn't be allowed. Tim Rotheray @trotheray There is a current scepticism in @beisgovuk about whether local generation and demand are useful. They are seen as uncontrollable. They are broadly unmanaged because of the regulatory structures @beisgovuk and @ofgem have created. Liz Lainé @lizlaineuk Best suggested KPI for the Green Deal was that every MP would want to take one up. (the room collectively snorted with laughter). Should apply to all consumer energy policy. Tom Steward @Steward_T In 2010 in the UK, there were approximately enough solar panels to cover an area the size of the Olympic Park. Today, there's approximately enough to cover the city of Birmingham. This is what good policymaking can do. Top Tweets

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