Utility Week

Community You gotta dress to impress This column in no way endorses criminal behaviour, but Disconnector was nonethe- less impressed by the sheer amount of effort put in by father and son Virender Mohan Brar, 56, and Nitin Mohan Brar, 30, in perpetrating an alleged fraud which saw them dupe numerous businessmen in India for investment in their device to generate electricity from thunderbolts. When the pair were arrested in their homemade anti- radiation suits, police also recovered "copper plates, and anti-radiation chemical stickers". Apparently the two men came across as highly educated, wore expensive clothes and drove expensive cars – and operated no less than seven offices. According to Indian pros- ecutors, the pair hired actors to pose as Defence Research and Development Organisation officials and claimed that Nasa had agreed to purchase the device once it was perfected. It occurs to the great man that if the Mohan Brars were prepared to invest so much time and effort into such a com- plex scam, they may as well have started a legit business. Most peaceful man ever Talking of legit businessmen, Donald Trump should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, according to former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Apparently the angry man of British politics agrees with the angry man of American politics that Trump has already done enough to warrant the accolade because of the tentative rap- prochement between North and South Korea, although it might be wise not to count chickens on that one, thinks the great man (Disconnector, that is, not Trump. Or Farage) until we know what "Little Rocket Man" is going to sign up to. Farage has started a petition calling on the Nobel team to put Donald's name forward, although it might be wise to scratch "peace in the Middle East" off the list, at least until the Palestinian body count subsides. At the time of going to press it was not known how many people had signed Farage's petition, although you can probably count out the Scots. Trump has enraged the entire Scottish nation (apparently) by banning Irn-Bru at his five-star Turnberry hotel on the Ayrshire coast. The hotel has recently undergone an extensive, and expensive, refurbishment including luxury carpets, and the management claims Irn-Bru leaves indelible orange stains when spilt. It's small beer on the Trump scale of national insults, but hey, every little helps! Silence is not always golden The momentum behind the electrification of transport grows daily, despite the stub- born refusal of the British public to buy electric vehicles. The latest to add its name to the list is Rolls-Royce, which has pledged to be electric-only by 2040. Currently the luxury marque – owned by BMW – offers only a 12-cylinder petrol engine. Ironically, Rolls-Royce's USP has long been its whis- per quiet engines, but since that's a quality shared by all electric engines, the company is going to have to add other adornments to its cars to tempt wealthy punters to part with hundreds of thousands of pounds. Fingers crossed we get the Batmobile. 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; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@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 | 18TH - 24TH MAY 2018 | 31 Tom Steward @Steward_T Fantastic! The @CMAgovUK has recommended regulation of the heat sector. Absolutely ridiculous that it's taken this long. Need to ensure consumers are properly protected, and guaranteed a good service. A warm comfortable home is a basic human right, not a luxury. Adam Boorman @AdamBoorman Given the difficulties in getting on/off of heat networks I'd argue that regulation here makes a lot more sense - but does Ofgem have the resource to add this to its ever growing list - HHS/switching/Brexit/supplier hub/EVs etc. William Marchant @richonlyinname npower's results are 27% up. But don't get too excited: adding 27% to a low figure just gives you another low figure. More stable than it has been for a while - & improving profits despite losing customers - but still looks the weakest of the Big 6 despite biz transformation. Ann Robinson @AnnRobinson8 British Gas reporting it has lost 110,000 customers this year. Hopefully local community schemes, peer to peer trading and new innovative district heating schemes will continue to diminish the power of the Big suppliers. Fairer more affordable pricing should follow. Jo Abbess @joabbess There is a Hydrogen Economy team now set up at @beisgovuk. Cross-government work needed, as solutions needed by more than one department. Transport for example. Richard Howard @UKenergywonk If you compare apples with apples (eg 35 year term, no Welsh gov investment etc) then the figure for Swansea bay is still £150/MWh. Dale Vince @DaleVince For those following the government committee review about Swansea Tidal, we were the company that submitted plans for two tidal lagoons, in partnership with Tidal Electric. A competitive tender is best for the future of tidal energy, and the taxpayer. Trewin Restorick @TrewinR UK uses an astonishing 14,000 wet wipes every second but they are clogging our rivers, causing fatbergs and harming wildlife so we need to find alternatives Top Tweets

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