millicentmedia

THE EUROPEAN UNION’S (EU’s) AMBITIOUS plan to rollout smart meters to 80 percent of its 500 million population by 2020 is not going as well as hoped. This article was first published in the January/February 2013 edition of Intelligent Utility magazine. Europe has enjoyed notable success with smart meters. In 2006, Italy became the first … Continue reading »

Mike Hill is an independent chartered engineer and director of Gemini Control & Automation based in Lytham St Annes, close to Cuadrilla Resources’ shale gas activities in West Lancashire. Having worked as an oil & gas engineer, Hill is concerned about potential environmental damage from ‘fracking’ and has spent much of his time and money … Continue reading »

Energy journalists were treated to not one but all three DECC (Commons) ministers – Secretary of State Ed Davey, Energy Minister John Hayes and Climate Change minister Greg Barker (plus two senior civil servants) at today’s Energy Bill press conference in the bowels of Whitehall Place. Here are the juicy bits. 1. On nuclear strike … Continue reading »

The UK’s record of building nuclear plants is dismal. Yet, as Tim Probert explores, previous exercises may seem like a walk in the park compared to building a new fleet of reactors in a liberalized power market. This article was first published in the October 2012 issue of Energy World magazine. Few would disagree that … Continue reading »

Driven by European Union renewables targets, demand for biomass wood pellets is set to soar over the next decade as utilities displace coal in thermal power plants. Tim Probert explores how the industry will manage to procure sufficient sustainable biomass. While utilities can and do burn hundreds of different types of biomass, literally almost any … Continue reading »