Utility Week

Community spokesman, the Broadgate installation generated 450,000 joules of electrical energy over the four days it was in place, enough to drive a Nissan Leaf for 1,041 miles. To quote Nancy Sinatra, it would appear that these boots are indeed made for walking – and powering electric vehicles. Drink up And - nally, Disconnector was heartened to read about new research from Queen Mary University of London, which shows that consuming up to 25 cups of co† ee a day is not as bad for the heart and circula- tion as previously thought. The study debunks previous investigations, which have suggested that drinking large amounts of co† ee can lead to sti† er arteries, which by all accounts is a "very bad thing". Disconnector's sum medical knowledge is limited to achiev- ing a - rst aid badge while in the cub scouts, but even he can see that sti† arteries might be the least of your problems if you actually are drinking 25 cups of co† ee a day. Co† ee breath notwithstanding, that sounds like a lot of trips to the men's room, even for this battle-hardened hack. Does anyone know of simi- lar studies involving the mass consumption of Old Peculiar? Asking for a friend, obvs. Disconnector Publishing director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Content director: Jane Gray, janegray@fav-house.com, t: 01342 333004; Editor: Suzanne Heneghan, t: 01342 332106, e: suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com Intelligence editor: Denise Chevin, 01342 332087, denisechevin@fav-house.com; News editor: Katey Pigden, t: 01342 332082, e: kateypigden@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; Editorial assistant: Greg Jones, t: 01342 332102, e: gregjones@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@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. 2,500 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2018 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 (IPSO), the regulator of 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 we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint, please contact the Editor. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you want more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk. Maf Smith @SmithMaf The NI system might still have coal on the system regularly, unlike GB, but they are leading the way in showing how to decarbonise using wind power. Today there is 60+ per cent onshore wind on the NI network. Dustin Benton @dustin_benton Why does HMT want to use ac- counting tricks to meet carbon budgets? EVs, home insulation, and resource e… ciency all make money and increase UK productiv- ity – together with tree planting, they'd get us on track to net zero. No number ‹ ddle needed. Alan Whitehead @alanwhiteheadmp In public this government will loudly declare their climate lead- ership. But behind closed doors they're using accounting tricks to hide megatonnes of emissions the size of Switzerland and New Zealand combined. Brian Schatz @brianschatz Trump's administration just branded carbon dioxide as "molecules of US freedom." This is what happens when you decide having lobbyists improperly influ- ence government o… cials is too cumbersome and to just make the lobbyist the government o… cial. Richard Nourse @RichardHCNourse Brilliant to see @beisgovuk extending Tari– Guarantees for large RHI projects out to Jan 2021. Thank you @GregClarkMP @claireperrymp. Decarbonising heat is the next challenge. Top Tweets Water on Mars Disconnector's inbox has yet to be inundated with the annual deluge of emails from water companies advising customers to conserve supplies . Of course, if any utility - rm is looking for a fresh supply then perhaps they should consider a quick trip to the planet Mars. NASA's Jet Propulsion Labora- tory has revealed that its Curios- ity rover has found two rock samples, known as "Aberlady" and "Kilmarie", that contain "the highest amounts of clay minerals ever found during the mission… clay o– en forms in water, which is essential for life". With apologies to the late, great David Bowie, there might not be life on Mars, but we could be H2Os. We're here all week, folks. Stepping out Over the years, Disconnector has written about many types of renewable energy, but generat- ing electricity through footsteps is a new one for him. Smart paving slabs were installed in the Broadgate area of central London last week to promote a new crowdfunding campaign by the energy and data - rm Pavegen. The slabs convert the kinetic energy of people walking along the pave- ment into electrical energy. According to a company First fries, then gas This week's Disconnector starts with a short quiz – when is a gas not a gas? No sniggering at the back, please… The correct answer is, of course, when the US Depart- ment of Energy is involved and it becomes a "molecule of freedom". The US Department used that terminology in a press release last week, when o› - cials announced it was giving the green light to more natural gas exports. "Increasing export capacity from the Freeport LNG project is critical to spread- ing freedom gas throughout the world by giving America's allies a diverse and a† ord- able source of clean energy," said the US under secretary of energy, Mark W Menezes. Not to be outdone in the cheesy quote stakes, assistant secretary for fossil energy, Steven Winberg added: "I am pleased that the Department of Energy is doing what it can to promote an e› cient regulatory system that allows molecules of US freedom to be exported to the world." We may be only halfway through 2019, but Disconnector is already calling Winberg's statement as the energy quote of the year. Unless, of course, anyone can come up with something better. UTILITY WEEK | 7TH -13TH JUNE 2019 | 31

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