Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/674989
UTILITY WEEK | 6TH - 12TH MAY 2016 | 5 Tesla Motors chief executive and co-founder Elon Musk has confirmed that its Model 3 sedan will be offered with a "Ludicrous" acceleration upgrade. Responding to a Twitter query asking if the Model S' Ludicrous mode will be available for the "more affordable" Model 3, Musk said: "Of course." The Model 3 achieves 215 miles of range per charge, and can reach 60mph in less than 6 seconds. The starting price is $35,000, before incentives. Local pricing will be announced in 2017, with US deliveries beginning in late 2017. Since its launch, reservations for the car have reached around 400,000. 50MW Construction of one of the UK's largest solar farms – Scot- tow Moor – has been completed, enabling the scheme to generate renewable energy for the local grid (see p18). £1.1m Yorkshire Water has been fined for illegally discharging sewage that polluted the River Ouse near York. "It's disastrous" Environmental campaigner Tony Juniper has warned that a vote to withdraw from the European Union in June would discourage investment in the UK water sector. "It could already be too late" Energy Saving Trust chief executive Philip Sellwood says it may be too late for the UK to meet its 2020 renewable heat target. Data released by Ofgem has revealed that energy customer switching increased by 8 per cent in the first three months of 2016, compared with the same period last year. It also found that 52 per cent of all customers who switched moved to new entrant sup- pliers, which make up 13 per cent and 14 per cent of the electricity and gas mar- kets respectively. In March 2016, there were a total of 44 suppliers competing in the market. However, the regulator said it was "very concerned" that suppliers are still not offering prepayment custom- ers the cheaper fixed deals available to other customers. Energy switching increases EV cross- sector group to take step forward The cross-sector partnership between the automotive and electricity industries set up to support the development of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK is to take a step forward with its first group meeting next month. Asset management company EA Technology said the inaugural group meeting of the EV Network Group will be held on 9 May and it will report its findings to government and stakeholders by summer 2018. The EV Network Group was set up by EA Technology in January this year as a legacy project of the network innovation competition project My Electric Avenue to prepare for mass EV rollout. The group comprises all six electricity distribution network operators and car makers Nissan, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin.w ELECTRICITY Scottish retailer eyes English market Scotland's second-largest water retailer, Clear Business Water, has applied to Ofwat for a licence that would allow it to participate in the English non-household market when it opens next April. The company is the second to apply for a water and sewerage licence (WSSL), after Castle Water submitted its application earlier this month. Other Scottish suppliers, including Scottish Water subsidiary Business Stream and new entrant Everflow, have also told Utility Week they are considering buying into the English market when it opens. WATER Source: Ofgem