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4 | 11TH - 17TH MARCH 2016 | UTILITY WEEK Scotland wind data Environmental group WWF Scotland has published analy- sis of wind and solar data in Feb- ruary, provided by Weather Energy. 5% increase in wind output since Feb- ruary last year. 100% wind generated enough electricity meet the demand of all Scottish homes on 19 out of the 29 days of February. 41% proportion of Scottish demand in February met by wind. 53% of electricity needs generated from the sun for an average home fitted with solar PV in Dundee. In Aberdeen the fig- ure was 49% and in Edinburgh 42% STORY BY NUMBERS Flexible energy system 'could save £8bn a year' Seven days... T he National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has set out its vision of a flexible power system based on energy storage, demand-side manage- ment and interconnectors, which it claims could save con- sumers up to £8 billion a year by 2030, while helping the UK meet its 2050 carbon targets and achieving security of supply. The influential NIC, set up by the Treasury and chaired by Lord Adonis, also called for greater independence for the system operator, but stopped short of calling for National Grid to be stripped of this role. The commission's first report, Smart Power, urged the govern- ment to "redouble its efforts to open new connections" with countries like Norway and Iceland to access cheap green power supplies. It also recommended that the UK become a "world leader" in electricity storage, which it said would require a review of the regulatory and legal status of storage. Finally, it called for improved regulation on demand flexibility and said consumers should be better informed of its benefits and the government should pilot new business models on its own estate. Lord Adonis said: "The UK can lead the world in harnessing these innovations, bringing jobs and investment into the country and cutting bills for consumers. "We do not call for new subsidies or significant public spending, but rather a level playing field through fairer regulation and a better managed network." LD See infographic, facing page Competition threatens water quality, says DWI chief Opening the water market to competition for business and domestic customers will "create complexity" for suppliers and consumers in ensuring the high water quality standards, according to DWI chief inspector Marcus Rink. Speaking exclusively to Utility Week in his first interview in the role, he echoed concerns of his predecessor that the introduction of competition could hit quality levels. (Full interview, p6). Cox: 'embrace competition' Ofwat chair Jonson Cox has urged water companies to rise to the "legitimate challenge" of domestic competition in the English water market. Speaking at the Water UK City Conference, Cox said he was concerned that some water companies seemed "stridently against" the idea of domestic competition, and urged them to "change the way they think about it". WATER WATER "Stop cherry-picking technologies" The editor of EY's Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index, Klair White, claims that without government support through subsidy-free contracts for difference, the next three to five years will be "pretty bleak" for onshore wind and solar. 9.75% Northern Ireland energy supplier Firmus Energy cuts its gas prices for customers in the Greater Belfast area. Ofgem should 'stop trying to look for perfection' Energy regulator Ofgem should "stop trying to look for perfection" and instead focus on being "agile", outgoing National Grid chief executive Steve Holliday has said. He told the annual conference of Scottish Renewables: "We're part of an industry that grew up with long-term plans, and the minute you wrote the plan down it was fact… it was absolutely going to happen." ENERGY