Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 2ND - 8TH NOVEMBER 2018 | 5 "The government is frustrating the energy transition and putting British industries at a disadvantage in global solar markets" Chris Hewett, chief executive at the Solar Trade Association, expresses "bitter disappointment" that the government is not restoring a mechanism for small-scale solar generators to export to the grid. Data visualisation company Tekja has unveiled a new artwork for the Manchester Science Festival headline exhibition Electricity: The Spark of Life. The electronic animation will immerse audiences at the Science and Industry Museum in the scale of electricity used in Manchester and the North West, using real data provided by network operator Electricity North West. ENERGY One Select's Dutch sister company has licence revoked The Dutch sister company of UK energy supplier One Select has had its energy licence revoked by The Netherlands Authority for Consum- ers and Markets (ACM). On 15 October the Dutch ACM said it had established that the sup- plier was no longer able to "comply with the requirements of its energy licence". It added that for the customers of Energie Flex, an "emergency procedure" had been activated to ensure they will continue to receive electricity and gas. The ACM said Energie Flex's receiver would assess whether another energy supplier was able to take its customers. If the company is unable to find another supplier for its customers, they will be distributed among other energy suppliers. Energie Flex's customers were temporarily unable to switch sup- plier during the transition, which ran until 31 October. ELECTRICITY UKPN to trial smart grid tech UK Power Networks (UKPN) is to trial smart grid technology designed to smooth power flows arising from volatile renewable generation and new sources of demand such as electric vehicles. Devices called Faraday Exchang- ers will be fitted to automatically maintain a target voltage, frequency and power factor. Manufacturer Faraday Grid said its technology reduces the need for backup generation and balancing services, and could potentially double the amount of renewables a network can accommodate, obviat- ing the need for reinforcement. UKPN plans to install Faraday Exchangers in its London network in time to begin testing in spring 2019, becoming the world's first electricity network to deploy the hardware. "We've entered a new chapter at Thames Water, one where increasing openness and transparency is embedded into the way we operate" Thames Water chief executive Steve Robertson as the water company published its first environmental, social and governance statement. 7.4MW West Sussex County Council has powered up its first subsidy-free solar farm, capable of generating enough clean electricity to power 2,000 homes for the next 25 years.

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