Gas has a key role to play in decarbonising the energy sector. Until a comprehensive clean energy network can accommodate variable renewables using storage, baseload power will be needed. Natural gas is a lower carbon option than coal, so there is a strong case for it to be the first-choice bridging fuel towards a net-zero energy economy. However, exactly how much gas, what type of gas and how existing infrastructure can store energy in the form … [Read more...]
Virtual power plants: a story of market rules and smartgrids
Access to the grid-balancing market is competitive and carefully regulated. Green electricity from distributed and behind-the-meter renewable assets is already being traded on wholesale and balancing markets. The assets come in all shapes and sizes: roof-top solar, farmyard biofuel installations, EV and home battery systems, community energy projects, wind installations and heat pumps to name but a few. When they are pooled, by aggregators, they … [Read more...]
Investing in gas: the effect of carbon taxes, gas prices, and the growth of renewables
Schalk Cloete presents his latest article looking at what affects the profitability of an investment in a specific power sector. After reviewing onshore wind, nuclear and solar, he now looks at gas. His analysis of coal is to come. The major variables are increasing CO2 prices, and natural gas pricing. He adds that the growth of wind and solar should benefit load-following gas power plants: they are plugging the intermittency gap when electricity … [Read more...]
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