Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/789966
Community Zuckerberg for prez! Not so long ago, grand mission statements by powerful corporations would have been met with cynicism by most people. But that was in the old days – the preTrumpian era, if you will – when President Trump didn't summon the world's press to the White House to berate them for "dishonesty" in describing his chaotic administration, while incorrectly (or, some might say, dishonestly) claiming the biggest electoral college win since Reagan. Meanwhile, over at Facebook, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg (who is the sort of entrepreneur Trump claims to be) was issuing a 6,500-word "manifesto" about how Facebook would change the world by bringing people together. "Progress now requires humanity coming together not just as cities or nations, but also as a global community," he said. It's a strange world when you have to look to soware salesmen for grand visions of the future of humanity, and a corporate mission statement has more depth and humanity than the inauguration address of the leader of the free world. Pure hogwash The rise of Trump – and on this side of the Atlantic, the triumph of Farage and his Brexiteers – has largely been explained as the revenge of a working class bypassed by globalisation and ignored by those at the top. So a bit of good news this week for self-serving elites: they will soon be able to buy a new brand of bottled water so eye-wateringly expensive that it will offend the sensibilities of right- minded proles everywhere. Available exclusively from Harrods, Svalbardi will set you back £80 for a 750ml bottle. Of course, you don't get to be a member of the crème de la crème without knowing what you're getting for your money – in this case, the "purest water in the world", mined from icebergs in the Svalbard archipelago, well to the north of Norway. Only 13,000 bottles of Svalbardi will be produced at a time, delivering water that is as "fresh as the day it fell as snow". But that, Disconnector feels churlishly obliged to point out, may not be very clean. The Arctic ice presents a perfect geological record of the air quality going back millennia precisely because it captures all the pollutants and particulates around at the time. No, for 80 quid a bottle, Disconnector insists on water mined from asteroids or some such. Parp parp! With nationalism back in fashion, Grant Sinclair, the nephew of famous eccentric inventor Clive Sinclair, could not have chosen a better time to have another go at making a success of Sir Clive's most famous failure, the Sinclair C5. For those too young to remember, the C5 was a low- slung battery-assisted trike for one person, with two wheels at the front and a fibreglass body. This being 1984, the battery was woefully underpowered, with a 10mph top speed and a very limited range. It was also so low-slung it was near- invisible to truck drivers and other road users, and was open to the elements. The modern C5 has a new name, the Iris, a top speed of 30mph and is enclosed. But all it really amounts to is a futuristic bubble-like body bolted onto a standard C5 with the battery swapped out. Let's just say Tesla's share price didn't plunge on the Iris launch announcement. Disconnector advises Grant to big up the British angle and deck it out in the colours of the Union Jack. Disconnector Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Deputy 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; Reporter: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@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 £669 per year. Overseas £781 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 Eskom Uganda @Eskomug #PowerFacts Did U know that hydro- electricity caters for around 17% of the world's electricity and 90% of the world's #RenewableEnergy? Paul Dawson @PaulEDawson We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. #ClimateChange #KeepItInTheGround GreenTech Rocker @GreenTechRocker An average #wind speed of 14 miles per hour is needed to convert wind energy into electricity. #renewableenergy #energy Chris Byrne #UKIP @busybuk Closing coal power fire stations has massively increased your electricity bills thanks to the LibLabCons. You get the government you deserve. Jo Abbess @joabbess Dear UK Govt, we don't need shedloads of new #nuclear power to run our electric cars. Yours, The Engineers CCWater @WaterWatchdog Steve The Pink Teddy knows all too well how traumatic sewer flooding can be for victims. #TheUnflushables Baasan Purevdorj @BaasanPurevdorj What is clear is that the UK's energy policy, one of the most important areas of state responsibility, is no longer entirely in hands of UK. Luke Watson @LukeGolf2012 There are 3 things you can do for humanity: plow the ground, preach the gospel, and work for the energy company. #AdvancingNuclear PolicyConnect @Policy_Connect Did you know space heating and hot water make up ~40% of UK energy consumption and 20% of greenhouse gas emissions? Top Tweets UTILITY WEEK | 24TH FEBRUARY - 2ND MARCH 2017 | 31