Press and media

ICEPT staff make regular contributions to the mainstream media and debate. Recent coverage includes:

 

2018

‌'Beast from the East' highlights UK gas vulnerability

23 APRIL DR ROBERT GROSS AND DR IAIN STAFFELL'S REPORT HIGHLIGHTS LACK OF STORAGE, MARKET VOLATILITY AND QUALITY OF EUROPEAN CONNECTIONS

The Drax and Imperial College London report provides evidence of Britain's increasing dependence on imported gas.

The UK had a record year for wind generation

21 FEBRUARY DR IAIN STAFFELL'S RESEARCH FEATURES IN A BLOOMBERG ARTICLE ON HOW WIND FARMS GENERATED 15 PERCENT OF BRITAINS ELECTRICITY LAST YEAR.

Wind farms produced 15 percent of Britain's electricity last year and was double the output of coal according to research from Imperial College London and Drax. 50 percent of Britain's electricity came from low carbon sources also.

Renewables produced enough energy in 2017 to power Britain for the whole of 1958

21 FEBRUARY DR IAIN STAFFELL'S RESEARCH AS PART OF DRAX AND IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON  IS FEATURED IN ITV REPORT

Total renewable power produced in 2017 could have supported UK for the whole of 1958

21 FEBRUARY DR IAIN STAFFELL COMMENTS IN AN INDEPENDENT ARTICLE ON RENEWABLES SUPPLYING ENOUGH POWER FOR THE POPULATION OF 52 MILLION IN 1958.

Britain's output from wind, biomass, solar and hydro grew by more a quarter to 96 terrawatt hours of power enough to supply the 91 terrawatt hours used by the population in 1958 according to the latest Electric Insights report, from researchers at Imperial College London in collaboration with Drax.

Renewables made more electricity than coal in Europe in 2017

30 JANUARY DR IAIN STAFFELL COMMENTS IN THE NEW SCIENTIST ON THE AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY GENERATED BY RENEWABLES IN EUROPE FOR THE FIRST TIME OUTPACING SUPPLIES COMING FROM COAL SOURCES

Wind, solar and biomass generation supplied 679 terawatt hours whilst coal  totaled 669 terawatt hours for electricity supply in Europe in 2017.

Most of Britain's electricity in 2017 is low-carbon for first time

3 JANUARY DR IAIN STAFFELL COMMENTS IN THE FINANCIAL TIMES ON RENEWABLES AND NUCLEAR REACHING LANDMARK AFTER RAPID GROWTH IN WIND AND SOLAR SOURCES

Britain generated more electricity from renewable and nuclear energy in 2017 than from gas and coal, marking the first year that low-carbon resources have met most of the UK's power needs.

Plunging carbon emmissions result in a green Christmas

5 JANUARY DR IAIN STAFFELL COMMENTS IN THE TIMES ON BRITAIN AND THE LOWEST CARBON CHRISTMAS ON RECORD

Carbon emissions from electric power stations were 10 per cent lower than a year earlier according to researchers from Imperial College London and Drax.

 

2017

Coverage of selected side events at the Fiji/Bonn Climate Change Conference November 2017

COP 23 Side event on CCS and Oceans and Small Island States

6-17 NOVEMBER CLARA HEUBERGERS CONTRIBUTION TO COP23 AT THE CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE 2017

Clara Heuberger discusses how CCS power plants are key to supporting upcoming power systems. CCS removes CO2 from the atmosphere and provides ancillary services.

Carbon tax thrusts Britain towards the top of low carbon energy league table

15 NOVEMBER DR IAIN STAFFELL COMMENTS IN THE TELEGRAPH ON THE REDUCTION OF CARBON EMISSIONS FROM ELECTRICITY IN THE UK BEING FASTER THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY

The Treasury’s carbon tax has propelled Britain into the top 10 of a global low-carbon electricity league table reports  Dr Iain Staffell from Imperial College London who co authored the Electric Insights report with Dr Rob Gross.

Drop in carbon pollution makes UK power system one of world´s cleanest

15 NOVEMBER DR IAIN STAFFELL COMMENTS IN THE DAILY MAIL ON LEVELS OF CARBON POLLUTION FROM ELECTRICITY IN THE UK

Levels of carbon pollution from Britain’s electricity generation have almost halved in just a few years, making the country’s power system one of the world’s cleanest, a report said.

What Europe can do with North Sea lulls

19 JULY DR IAIN STAFFELL FEATURES ON THE FRONT PAGE OF DER SPIEGEL IN GERMANY.

Dr Iain Staffell's research from an international collaboration between Imperial and ETH Zurich featured in Der Spiegel, China's State Xinhua news agency and in the Guardian.

Call for wind energy deployment in Europe to improve efficiency

20 JULY DR IAIN STAFFELL'S RESEARCH FEATURES ON XINHUA NEWS, CHINA

Balancing out the lulls of wind power with a wider reach across Europe

27 JULY DR IAIN STAFFELL'S RESEARCH FEATURES IN THE GUARDIAN

Hackers could target electricity grid via solar panels

8 AUGUST DR IAIN STAFFELL IS QUOTED ON THE BBC NEWS WEBSITE

Energy policy must draw on evidence-based analysis

AUGUST DR ROB GROSS AND DR PHIL HEPTONSTALL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR,   FINANCIAL TIMES

A Letter highlighting Integrating wind and solar into power grids and the need for independent and evidence-based analysis for presenting the facts and for explanation of uncertainty or controversy.

Electric vehicles finally living up to green claims

AUGUST DR ROB GROSS AND DR IAIN STAFFELL ARE FEATURED  DISCUSSING THEIR RESEARCH INTO ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN THE TIMES, BUSINESS GREEN, AUTOCAR, AUTOEXPRESS AND UTILITY WEEK:

Drax: Greener Grid has slashed carbon impact of EVs

BUSINESS GREEN

EV C02 emissions fall to record low through green energy sources

AUTOCAR

Electric cars are twice as green as five years ago

AUTOEXPRESS

EV emissions driven down by coal closure

UTILITY WEEK

Interview, 'Are the Arab States of the Gulf doing enough to tackle climate change?'

JULY AISHA AL SARIHI, RESEACH POSTGRADUATE, IS INTERVIEWED BY AL ARABIA TV

Residential storage plus solar to match grid power within a decade

JULY 28 DR OLIVER SCHMIDT IS QUOTED IN THE ENERGY JOURNAL

London: New tool predicts cost effectiveness of electrical energy storage

JULY 24 DR OLIVER SCHMIDT IS QUOTED IN PV MAGAZINE

Dr Oliver Schmidt was widely reported in the technical press and in the Sun and Herald regarding his research on Lithium ion batteries. The two most recent examples are above. His research on energy storage costs along with Dr Iain Staffell's was featured in the Herald, IMechE Professional Engineering and Chemistry World:

Improved battery technology holds key to electric cars and home power

11 JULY DR OLIVER SCHMIDT AND DR IAIN STAFFELL, THE HERALD

Falling battery costs could make electric cars the cheaper choice by 2022.

10 JULY DR OLIVER SCHMIDT AND DR IAIN STAFFELL, IMECHE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING

Energy storage prices forecast to tumble

17 JULY  DR OLIVER SCHMIDT AND DR IAIN STAFFELL, CHEMISTRY WORLD

The coal truth: how a major energy source lost its power in Britain

19 JULY DR IAIN STAFFELL QUOTED IN THE GUARDIAN

Dr Iain Staffell comments in a Guardian article on the decline of coal production in the UK.  Coal supplied just 2% of power in the first half of 2017, marking a steep decline from just 5 years ago, according to analysis by Imperial College London.

Drop in energy costs adds pressure for government rethink

23 JULY DR ROB GROSS QUOTED IN THE GUARDIAN

Onshore windfarms could be built in the UK for the same cost as new gas power stations and would be nearly half as expensive as the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, according to a leading engineering consultant.  Dr Rob Gross discusses  fixed price contracts for electricity from wind farms in this article.

Flexibility needed 'urgently' to avoid spiralling renewable costs

21 FEBRUARY DR PHIL HEPTONSTALL QUOTED IN UTILITY WEEK

The UKERC intermittency reports  launch is covered in Utility Week. The government needs to “act urgently” to deliver a more flexible power system and avoid “spiralling” costs from the integration of renewables, the UK Energy Research Centre has warned.

"Vary pace of emission cuts to ‘keep lights on"

DR ROB GROSS COMMENTS IN THE FINANCIAL TIMES

A Government committee says varying the pace of reductions will allow time for the development of new technologies that reduce emissions in a “more cost-effective way”,   but Dr Robert Gross, director of policy at the Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College London, said there was no evidence for a need to change pace. (FT subscription needed to  access article).

2015

The prospects for solar power in the UK

31 MARCH DR IAIN STAFFELL INTERVIEWED ON BBC RADIO 4

Dr Iain Staffell was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Inside Science programme to discuss the challenges of scaling up solar power in the UK and the role of energy storage technologies (skip to 4'40").

Government finally admits it is subsidising nuclear - while cutting help for renewables

22 October - Dr Rob Gross is quoted in a Guardian blog post

The Guardian (blog post by Damian Carrington, 22 October) - "'The government confirms that it is not continuing the 'no public subsidy policy' [for nuclear power] of the previous administration'. That little footnote, tucked away at the end of the announcement of Wednesday's French-Chinese deal to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley point, detonates an atomic bomb under the UK government's already bewildering energy policy and leaves ministers hunkered down in a nuclear bunker. .. Ministers also say they are committed to cutting carbon from the UK energy supply, but that protecting consumers from higher energy bills is vital. Not many would disagree, so why are ministers all but banning new onshore wind farms, the cheapest form of green energy? It was a manifesto commitment, says the government, presumably included to appease the minority of people who oppose wind farms. On Wednesday night, the House of Lords disagreed and voted down the Conservative's anti-wind rules... It's a mess. But don't worry, say ministers, we will shortly be announcing new policies - a 'reset'. Except this explodes the most precious of all commodities in the energy system: investor confidence. 'A reset is unnecessary and would create delays to investment and increase political risks,' say the energy policy experts Dr Rob Gross [Centre for Environmental Policy] and Prof Jim Watson [UK Energy Research Centre]."

Peers take on government over on-share wind

21 October - Dr Rob Gross contributes to a report on Channel 4 news (video)

Following a vote by peers to scrap government plans to end subsidies for on-shore wind farms

Energy Efficiency: How UK and China are responding

17 October - Anika Ali has an article published in the Dhaka Tribune

Energy efficiency is a line of thinking which ideally needs to run parallel to efforts for increasing energy production. This article summarizes the key initiatives undertaken by UK and China in this regard.

Energy and climate change -- recent views and opinions

22 August - Anika Ali has an article published in the Dhaka Tribune

Energy is the most talked about issue these days in the context of the growing world population, climate change, and the need to reduce our carbon footprint. This article summarizes some recent opinions and views in the field of energy and climate change.

Climate change: UK and Europe failing on technology essential to meet carbon emission targets

24 June - Dr Iain Staffell was quoted in the International Business Times as one of the contributors to a new report on climate change, Bridging The Gap

According to the article, the report looks at how “the technology that is essential for the UK to meet its carbon targets is making little progress and will put both Britain and Europe far from their climate goals.” Dr Staffell said: “You could argue that nobody has made good ground on this. There is only one power station with CCS operating in Canada and two under construction in the US.” He pointed out that “the UK is leading the way in Europe, as we have three out of the four projects undergoing design studies. A decision on whether to invest in either of the main projects will be made in 2016.” International Business Times (IBTimes) delivers international business news to an audience of over 5 million people in the U.K. and 50 million people worldwide every month through its network of digital publishing platforms.

Climate Change Calculator

20 October - The COP21 climate change calculator developed by Jem Woods and others is published by the FT

The calculator, developed by ICEPT staff and colleagues el provides an interactive description of how global and national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the period 2013-2100 could impact global temperatures. Using the tool, you can track and project greenhouse gas emissions from major economies over the period 1990-2100. Emission values for each country for the period 1870-2012 are built into the tool but you can set your own emissions trajectories on a country-by-country basis for the periods 2013-2030, 2030-2050 and 2050-2100 to see when, where and how much action must be taken in order to limit warming to different levels. For each country these values range from a high emissions projection in the absence of any climate change action, to those required from each country in order to meet the global 2°C goal. There are large uncertainties about the extent to which emissions will and can change for all countries in the absence of climate change action, and about what each country should or could do to limit warming, our model does not allow the users to explore these uncertainties. To learn more about the underlying data, methodology for computation of temperature values and key messages from the COP21 calculator please click on: http://ig.ft.com/sites/climate-change-calculator/

Confusing government policy biggest threat to UK clean energy, says top academic

5 October - dr Robert Gross is quoted in the Guardian

"Lack of clarity is damaging investment in renewable energy, as well as gas and nuclear," says Director of Imperial College London’s Centre for Energy Policy and Technology.

Will the UK phase out coal in a decade?

18 September - - Robert Gross is quoted in the Guardian on the prospects for UK coal phase out

"Will the UK phase out coal in a decade?" The Guardian - "The government is wrong to assume its existing policies will be enough to phase out coal power in the UK, analysts have told the Guardian. Minister for energy and climate change Andrea Leadsom said this week that her department expected unabated (meaning without carbon capture) coal would make up just 1% of the country’s electricity generation by 2025... But this prediction is not reinforced by a mandatory end date for electricity generation from coal... Robert Gross [Centre for Environmental Policy], director of Imperial College’s Centre for Energy Policy and Technology, said relying on existing policies and the market for cleaner technologies left the door open for coal generation to continue beyond 2030. 'There’s a considerable range of uncertainty about how much coal will be retained on the system. And if it’s at the upper end of the range of possibilities then its going to absolutely blow the carbon budget,' he said. A 2014 report prepared by Gross found that the range of coal generation expected to remain on the system was dependent on the price of carbon set by the government in future. With a low carbon price, coal would continue to provide 19% of electricity in 2025, down from roughly a third in 2013. A high carbon price would reduce coal generation to 3%."

2014

New era of cheap oil 'will destroy green revolution'

13 December - Dr Robert Gross was quoted in the Independent discussing the recent fall in global oil prices:

 "As the price of a barrel falls below $60, the cost of petrol and other household staples is set to tumble. But the long-term impact on wind, solar and hydro-power energy could be catastrophic for the planet... The falling price of fossil fuel may also damage the prospects for Britain's fledgling shale industry as fracking is a relatively expensive way to extract hydrocarbons and it may not be economic to do so, warned Dr Rob Gross [Centre for Environmental Policy], director of the Centre of Energy and Technology at Imperial College, London."

How close is the UK to a power blackout?

14 October - dr Robert Gross was quoted in The Guardian discussing UK electricity sector capacity margins:

"There is perhaps no greater nightmare for government and industry than the spectre of blackouts. In the 1970s, rolling power cuts caused by coal strikes led to the three-day working week and the eventual collapse of government. Since then, keeping the lights on has been a priority. But it’s a task that’s getting ever harder, especially amid rising tensions between Europe and Russia, one of the continent’s main oil and gas suppliers... Dr Robert Gross [Centre for Environmental Policy], director of the centre for energy policy and technology at Imperial College London, says: 'It is very unlikely that the UK will experience power cuts due to inadequate generating capacity. However in the period of 2015-16 the risk of power cuts will be considerably higher than historically, because the UK is closing old coal-fired power stations but has been slow to build new gas-fired power stations.' Gross says efforts by the National Grid to ensure mothballed gas plants are brought back into service, as well as persuading customers to cut back on their demand for energy, has minimised what could otherwise have been larger risks."

Local people power helps to block fracking plan for the South Downs

11 September - dr Robert Gross was quoted in the Independent (p18) discussing the impact of fracking on local communities:

"The anti-fracking movement has seen off a proposed development in the South Downs National Park, after it was unanimously blocked by the planning authorities in the face of increasing public resistance. The planning committee strongly rejected the application to explore for oil or gas at the protected West Sussex village of Fernhurst made by the fracking company Celtique Energie. The company has raised the prospect of a prolonged battle, however, by threatening to appeal to Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles... Robert Gross, director of the Centre of Energy and Technology [Centre for Environmental Policy] at Imperial College London, added: 'As we've seen with wind farms and new power lines, local communities do not welcome intrusions in the landscape. Fracking has the added disadvantage that it is seen as 'dirty' rather than green. The Government will have tough job to push through a fracking boom.'"

Up for shale: the auction that will open half the country to fracking

29 July - dr Robert Gross was quoted in the Independent discussing the commercial benefits of fracking:

"With the Government kicking off a massive auction of fracking licences covering nearly half the country, it is clear that the shale oil and gas industry has come a long way – but it remains far from certain that a single molecule of hydrocarbon will ever be produced commercially. Robert Gross [Centre for Environmental Policy], the director of the Centre for Energy and Technology at Imperial College London, says the Government appears to have become less optimistic recently about the industry’s potential. 'I think the rhetoric softened when the evidence mounted that the impact on UK gas prices would be moderated by our geography,' he said. 'The US, where prices have come down dramatically, has large shale production and no capabilities for export. But the UK has much more modest production potential and is integrated into the European gas grid. This means that UK shale would be sold into an EU market and any impact on price would be far more marginal,' Mr Gross added.

A proper energy policy means tough choices

19 May - dr Robert Gross and Professor Jim Watson (ICEPT affiliate and Director of UKERC) had letters published in the Times on the subject of energy security and the role of shale gas:

(Letters to the Editor) The Times (p 29) - Letters published by Professor Jim Watson (UK Energy Research Centre) and Dr Robert Gross (Centre for Environmental Policy). Professor Watson writes: "Sir, It is untrue that investment in electricity has halted — there has been significant investment in the UK’s renewable energy capacity in the last few years. Renewables now account for around 15 per cent of our electricity. Second, power cuts in 2015-16 are not 'virtually inevitable'. While capacity margins are falling, blackouts would be a worst-case scenario. Short-term measures are being put in place by the National Grid to avoid this, though they are far from ideal. Even if shale gas is developed in the UK, it is unlikely to have a large impact on our energy supplies or prices for many years, and we will have to limit use of gas to tackle climate change." Dr Gross writes: "Sir, The complexities of the energy industry lead the sane to believe in fairies that will deliver us from high prices, a war somewhere, climate change, acid rain, etc: nuclear fusion, the Severn Barrage, low energy light bulbs, hydrogen, and now shale gas. Shale gas is important, but it cannot solve all our energy problems. It will be not very green and quite expensive. Energy policy has real problems. It is like real life — boring, complicated, requiring difficult choices, never-quite-finished, and expensive."

 

 

UK switches on to green power

26 June - dr Robert Gross commented on UK government data showing record renewable energy production:

The Independent p1 and p7- "Britain is in the midst of a green energy revolution after production soared to record levels, according to new figures which deal a blow to opponents of renewable energy and a potential boost for consumers. The amount of electricity generated from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro has soared by 43 per cent in the past year to account for a fifth of production, as newly-built plants came on stream and the weather became windier, the Office for National Statistics has said... 'Even if the latest figures were helped by the mild, wet and windy weather, such a high level of renewable energy would have seemed almost inconceivable a decade ago. Renewable energy is now on a par with nuclear in terms of its importance as a power generator,' said Dr Robert Gross [Centre for Environmental Policy and EFL], the director of the Centre for Energy and Technology at Imperial College London."

A £100bn red alert over green energy gap

6 March - dr Robert Gross commented on reporting of the Environmental Audit Committee review of investment in energy generation in the UK:

The Independent - "The political will to tackle climate change is so low that investors are happy to plough huge amounts of money into fossil fuel projects but fearful to back green energy initiatives – even though the reverse needs to happen if the world is to have any chance of meeting its agreed objective to limit global warming to 2C. That is the conclusion of a new parliamentary report, which finds that a £100bn hole has opened up in Britain's green energy finances, with investment in renewable power generation such as wind turbines and solar panels running at less than half the level required this decade... The Environmental A udit Committee report blames the Government's inconsistent approach to supporting green energy for the lack of financial backing... Robert Gross [Centre for Environmental Policy], the director of the Centre for Energy and Technology at Imperial College London, said: 'The 'carbon bubble' and the 'finance gap' for low carbon power are two sides of the same coin: investors don't yet believe that politicians are serious about climate change... The financial community overvalues oil and gas companies and is yet to get serious enough about low carbon power.'"

Green energy generates 10 times as many jobs as fossil fuels

10 November - ICEPT's report for the UK Energy Research Centre features in Edie.net:

"Investment in renewables and energy efficiency can create up to 10 times as many jobs per unit of electricity as investment in fossil fuels, finds a new report. The UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) analysed data from fifty studies published since 2000 on the relationship between green energy investment and job creation in the USA, Europe and China... 'The green jobs debate has always been vexed - often because it has been argued between entities with vested interests and because analysis is too short-term or provides an incomplete picture,' said Dr Rob Gross, from Imperial College London, one of the authors of the report."

2013

2012

2010

ICEPT staff have also provided comment in media including the BBC R4 Today Programme, BBC TV news, Sky News, BBC News Channel and regional press.

Pre-2010

  • Earlier UKERC Technology and Policy Assessment reports have also received widespread television, radio, print and online media coverage. Examples include:
    • October 2009 – Steve Sorrell and Dr Robert Gross interviews following the launch of the Global Oil Depletion report (‘Peak Oil’) on the BBC R4 Today programme, BBC1 World Business News and the BBC World Service .
    • November 2007 – Steve Sorrell and Dr Robert Gross interviews following the launch of the Rebound report on the BBC World Service and Sky News. Also reported on the BBC R4 Today programme.
    • April 2006 - Professor Jim Skea, Professor Tim Green and Dr Robert Gross interviews following the launch of the Intermittency report on the BBC R4 Today programme, BBC R5 and BBC1 News.
  • Dr Judith Cherni by invitation, has been contributing short articles (about 600 words) to the International Business Times, IBTimes, on-line newspaper in the last months. Most (if not all) the articles have been published as Feature articles