Utility Week

Community Hit the road You've got to hand it to the Swedes for their single-minded pursuit of environmental awareness, even if some of the ideas they're pursuing seem a little far-fetched. Thus boffins in Sweden are trialling a road electrification scheme whose inventors claim could prove a precursor to electrifying the country's entire motorway system. The company behind the technology, eRoadArlanda, has built a 2km-long proof-of- concept road between Stock- holm Airport and a logistics centre. Essentially, it turns cars and trucks into trams by fitting them with an arm that can tap into rails sunk into the road surface. The arm detaches when a vehicle changes lane and seeks an alternative charg- ing rail if available. The idea is to give vehicles on the move access to power so their batteries can be a more manageable size. Sweden has 500,000km of roads, but because no-one lives more than 45km from a motor- way, it could get away with electrifying only its 20,000km of motorway. Of course, this wouldn't be much use for people who don't take the motorway, but for long- distance travel and freight it could be a game-changer – or so its backers hope. Disconnector is not con- vinced this is a goer – it seems curiously old-fashioned to be dragging something along the ground when everywhere else we're getting rid of wires, but it does show the Swedes are thinking outside the box when it comes to realising their goal of slashing fossil fuel use in transportation by 70 per cent by 2030. Back in Blighty we seem content simply to name an ambition and then cross it off our to-do list as a done deal. LED astray In a headline that all but screamed "It's witchcra!", the Daily Mail reported last week that the residents of Gateshead are being visited with headaches, insomnia and nosebleeds. And the birds have vanished from the trees. The culprit? LED streetlights. The source of the report is given as "local scientist" Mark Steele, who said: 'We've got people bleeding from the nose in my locality. We've got people who can't sleep from neurologi- cal disorders." He added that the damag- ing effects were evident in the loss of wildlife. "The sparrows have been annihilated; they've wiped out the flying insects." Mr Steele claimed the residents of Gateshead were facing a "humanitarian crisis". Hmm. The good folk of Syria might quibble with his definition of a humanitarian crisis, thinks Disconnector – as does Gateshead Council, which installed the lights. It issued a statement denouncing what it labels "conspiracy theories" and said there's no scientific evidence to back up Mr Steele's claims. Which is just what you'd expect it to say… Stop the bullies While we're on the subject of conspiracy theories – and for that matter conspiracy theories promoted in the Daily Mail – the Daily Mail has launched its Stop the Smart Meter Bully- ing campaign, which it says has been prompted because its "mailbag is bulging" with complaints about energy firms "bullying" people into accept- ing smart meters. Among the measures it's calling for are a ban on com- panies offering incentives to people who take smart meters and regulations about the way they are advertised, neither of which fall into the category of bullying, thinks the great man. To be honest, the whole thing sounds a bit hokey to Disconnector. Seriously, a bulg- ing mailbag? Who writes letters anymore? 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; Associate editor: Suzanne Heneghan, t: 01342 332106, e: suzanneheneghan@ fav-house.com Features editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; Deputy news editor: Katey Pigden, t: 01342 332082, e: kateypigden@fav-house.com; Content editor: Alice Cooke, t: 01342 332102, e: alicecooke@fav-house.com; Energy correspondent: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Reporter: Clare Ruel, t: 01342 332069, e: clareruel@fav-house.com Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Ben Hammond, e: benhammond@fav-house. com. t: 01342 332116; Conference sponsorship manager: Sophie Abbott, t: 01342 332062, e; sophieabbott@ 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, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. 2,500 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2017 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 UTILITY WEEK | 20TH - 26TH APRIL 2018 | 31 Rachel Fletcher @OfwatChiefExec Following @OfwatChair's letter to @MichaelGove earlier this week, I've now written to all water company CEOs setting out how @Ofwat will progress its plans throughout the year. The letter's on our website Dept for BEIS Verified account @beisgovuk .@claireperrymp :"I am pleased to announce that after the IPCC report later this year, we will be seeking advice from the UK's independent advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK's long-term emissions reduction targets." Sam Hall @samuelhall0 New analysis by @WeAreBrightBlue shows a compelling political case for today's net zero announcement by @claireperrymp, with clear majorities of the public, including Conservative voters, in favour of a net zero target Richard Nourse @RichardHCNourse Distant targets are heartening and set the right backdrop but we also need to focus on hitting the 4th and 5th Carbon budgets. Richard Lowes @heatpolicyrich THE CONCEPT OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY HAS NO SOCIAL OR POLITICAL POWER… This is despite the fact we know that there is so much energy efficiency we can do which will SAVE THE COUNTRY MONEY and it is a vital aspect of heat decarbonisation OVO Energy Verified account @OVOEnergy The UK has some of the least energy-efficient homes in Europe. This is a massive step backward, and something we think the UK Government has got incredibly wrong. John Taylor @CoppiceJT Energy efficiency will pay for itself but over a 10-20 year window. UK lenders aren't up for that but they do it in Germany and Denmark. EirGrid Plc @EirGrid EirGrid has achieved a world-first level of renewable energy on the Irish electricity system! The grid on the island of Ireland can now handle up to 65% renewable energy at any given time. Top Tweets

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