Utility Week

UTILITY Week 16th December 2016

Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government

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Section name Community Forget all about it Merry Christmas one and all! This is the last Disconnector of the year, so the great man has a little gi for readers that may make recent history more pal- atable. Researchers at Warwick University have discovered that 50 per cent of people are liable to suffer from false memory syndrome and accept false, implanted memories in place of the real thing. The researchers came to their conclusion aer conduct- ing a meta-analysis of eight separate studies. Eureka, the great man hears you cry. That explains a lot of the bonkers events of 2016. False memories! All we have to do now is find the joker respon- sible for the elevation of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump and we can all get back to life as normal. Phew. Trash talk In a world where angry popu- lists oen hog all the airtime, you'd be forgiven for thinking anger and disillusionment are the order of the day, but it ain't necessarily so. Over in Sweden, for instance, they have been so successful at recycling rubbish that the country is running out of garbage to power its incin- erators. Seriously. Less than 1 per cent of the country's rub- bish goes to landfill, the rest is recycled, composted or burnt in one of Sweden's 32 energy- from-waste plants. In fact, the Swedes have proved so adept at curbing their waste that they are having to import combusti- ble waste from – among other countries – the UK to power their plants. It goes to show what you can do if you put your mind to it. While other countries generate the sound and the fury, and the headlines, the civilised Swedes just get on with trying to make the world a better place. Squid and chips It may be the single biggest thing to convince the Brits that climate change is real. As the oceans around this Sceptred Isle warm up, the cod are moving northwards out of our waters and being replaced by sea life that prefers the new temperature, such as squid. The process is already under way. In 1984, 20 per cent of the government's marine stations recorded squid in the surrounding water. By 2014 the number was 60 per cent. It would be ironic if just as we were trying to reassert our Britishness, we were forced by circumstances to replace the national fish supper with squid and chips. One step forward, two steps back, eh Nigel? No more unmade beds? Even for history's most cos- setted and pampered human beings – us – it is a step too far, thinks Disconnector. The great man speaks of the invention by Canadian entrepreneurs of the Smartduvet, which promises to give modern man "the bed that makes itself ". Currently a prototype, the company behind it has set up a website and is looking to crowdfund manufacturing. The Smartduvet comprises a network of inflatable tubes that can be used to spring the duvet back into shape. It can even be triggered remotely using a smartphone app if you've le the house and forgotten to turn it on. Hmm. Disconnector predicts that the invention won't take off. Not that people aren't that lazy – they are. The reason it won't take off is that although it promises to "make your bed", it doesn't. It straightens your duvet. Not the same thing. And it also makes your duvet more difficult to change, and that's the bit the lazy man really hates. Disconnector Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Acting editor: Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: janegray@ fav-house.com; Insights editor: Mathew Beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathewbeech@fav-house. com; News editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; Networks correspondent: Lucinda Dann, t: 01342 332083, e: lucindadann@fav-house.com; Reporters: Saffron Johnson, t: 01342 332050, e: saffronjohnson@fav-house.com and Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Richard Powell, t: 01342 332062, e: richardpowell@fav-house.com; Business development executive: Nigel Searle, t: 01342 332009, e: nigelsearle@fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amandabarnes@ 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. Printed by: Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham House Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UZ 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2015 Membership subscriptions: UK £637 per year. Overseas £749 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 editor, 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 Glen Peters @Peters_Glen Wow! Growing marijuana uses ~1% of US energy consumption – 1kg marijuana requires 300 times more energy than aluminium. Kevin M. Kruse @KevinMKruse Remember Rick Perry's oops gaffe, when he forgot the third federal department he wanted to close? It was energy, which he's now tapped to run. Saffron Johnson @saffronajohnson At the #utilityweekawards this evening I'll only be drinking tap water… Obviously. William Marchant @richonlyinname In fairness, nice to see Grid offering to give £150 million back to consumers. It's just possible they might be a bit embarrassed about the bling. Ellie Goulding @elliegoulding Creating jobs in renewable energy (which is the future whether we like it or not) is responsible and smart. RenewableUK @RenewableUK Wind power in the UK broke the 10 gigawatt barrier for the first time yesterday. The equivalent of powering over 16 million homes. Jonathan Davison @_jonnydavison I count 28 new build battery projects getting capacity market agreements – totalling 501MW. Only one battery failed to get an agreement. Rebecca Williams @reawilliams So coal persists in #capacitymarket, despite commitment to phase out. Need to ensure CM not extending life of coal unduly. Robert F. Kennedy Jr @RobertKennedyJr #Exxon CEO and top pick for SOS sued his hometown in 2014 for #fracking concerns. #ClimateDenier or #ClimateProtector?! Top Tweets UTILITY WEEK | 16TH - 22ND DECEMBER 2016 | 31

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