Two centuries of innovation, transformation and transition in the UK gas industry: Where next?

2017 ◽  
Vol 231 (6) ◽  
pp. 478-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter JG Pearson ◽  
Stathis Arapostathis
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Early 19Th Century ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Gas System ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Past Experiences

Britain’s gas system developed in the early 1800s. Over the past two centuries the system and its local, national and international networks have experienced much socio-technical innovation, governance changes and six key transitions. Since the Climate Change Act of 2008, it faces a seventh challenging transition as the UK moves uncertainly towards a low-carbon energy system, including decarbonising electricity, heat and transport. The paper explores: the origins of the system by Murdoch, Boulton and Watt; the early 19th century development of local gas networks; innovative responses to, inter alia, the challenge of incandescent electric light from the 1880s, including the expansion of the customer base and the development and active promotion of cooking and heat services – the growth, fragmentation and incoherence of the industry between the two World Wars; the post-war period that saw the industry nationalised in 1948, as the multi-fuel economy developed; the institutional, technical and social challenges associated with the conversion to North Sea natural gas in the 1960s; and innovation and change in response to the challenges that flowed from the privatisation of British Gas in 1987. The paper shows how examining past processes of innovation, transition and transformation through the lens of institutional ‘governance logics’ helps appreciate the challenges faced by system actors, technologies, institutions and regulators in the past and offers insights into the issues posed by the low-carbon transition. The paper begins by outlining some analytical concepts used in the analysis. We then examine the regime’s six past transitions. The paper concludes by considering what insights these past experiences suggest for a seventh transition towards a low-carbon economy, for the future governance of the UK gas system and its networks and particularly for natural gas.

Overview of UK Policy and Research Landscape Relevant to Deploying Advanced Nuclear Technologies in the UK

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Underwood ◽  
Paul Nevitt ◽  
Andrew Howarth ◽  
Nicholas Barron
Keyword(s):  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Advanced Materials ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Advanced Manufacturing ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Design Assessment ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk

Abstract The UK government is committed to tackling climate change through clean growth — cutting emissions while seizing the benefits of the low carbon economy [1,2]. In June 2019 UK government set a legally binding target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from across the UK economy by 2050. Nuclear energy is seen as a vital contributor to decarbonising the UK economy as outlined in the Industrial Strategy [2] and subsequent Nuclear Sector Deal [3], and £180 million of funding has been provided by Government for a Nuclear Innovation Programme (NIP) over the period 2016–21, administered through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Initial phases of the NIP have researched advanced nuclear fuel cycles, digital reactor design methods and advanced materials and manufacturing techniques. Throughout this programme the UK has developed a better understanding of a range of Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANT), including Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) and the opportunities that they provide in decarbonising a future energy system. In parallel, UK government has established a policy framework designed to encourage the development of Advanced Nuclear Technologies [4] and awarded an initial phase of development for a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) [5]. These programmes of work are enabling the development of technologies towards commercialisation, whilst enabling regulations are advanced. For this paper, AMRs are defined as a broad group of advanced nuclear reactors which differ from conventional reactors that use pressurised or boiling water for primary cooling. AMRs use novel cooling systems or fuels and in order to achieve operational efficiencies and enhanced safety performance, they are typically planned to operate in harsh conditions, including high temperatures, radiation field and corrosive environments. As a result of this there are still many questions which need addressing in relation to how materials and fuels will perform in these more extreme conditions. Within the NIP, an Advanced Manufacturing and Construction initiative is supporting answering these questions. This paper provides an overview of the policy and research landscape that aims to bring AMR and SMR technologies to deployment in the UK, and how the Advanced Manufacturing and Construction initiatives are helping to underpin the R&D needs for AMR deployment in the UK. One example is a programme of work titled “Establishing AMR Structural Integrity Codes and Standards for UK GDA” (EASICS). The aim of this project is to establish guidance on the structural integrity codes and standards that are required to support the Generic Design Assessment (GDA), which is a UK licensing process, of an AMR design through technology innovation and transfer (primarily for high temperature reactors). An overview of project EASICS will be described in further detail in another paper presented at PVP2020, PVP2020-21721.

Low-carbon economic dispatch of integrated electricity and natural gas energy system considering carbon capture device

2021 ◽  
pp. 014233122110605
Author(s):  
Xinghua Liu ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Jiaqiang Tian ◽  
Hui Cao
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Carbon Capture ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Economic Dispatch ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Gas System ◽  
Integrated Energy System

The carbon capture device can catch CO2 produced by conventional units and coupled with power-to-gas (P2G) operation provides an effective way to reduce the carbon emissions of the integrated energy system (IES). In this paper, a low-carbon economic dispatch is proposed for an integrated electricity-gas system (IEGS) considering carbon capture devices, and the carbon trading mechanism is introduced. Based on the traditional thermal power units, carbon capture devices are installed to form carbon capture power plants (CCPP). Carbon emissions are reduced from the energy supply side via capturing CO2 generated by conventional units. Detailed modeling of IEGS, CCPP, and P2G are performed, respectively. The electricity and natural gas networks security constraints are incorporated into the low-carbon economic dispatch model to minimize carbon transaction costs and system operation costs. Finally, a 4-bus power system/4-node natural gas system is used, for example, analysis. The arithmetic simulation is performed by the YALMIP toolbox of MATLAB. The total costs and CO2 emissions of the three scenarios are compared. The feasibility and validity of the proposed model are verified by the simulated results.

scholarly journals Low-Carbon Economic Bi-Level Optimal Dispatching of an Integrated Power and Natural Gas Energy System Considering Carbon Trading

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6968
Author(s):  
Hong Li ◽  
Yazhong Ye ◽  
Lanxin Lin
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Power System ◽  
Wind Power ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Carbon Trading ◽  
Carbon Emission Reduction ◽  
Gas System

The integrated power and natural gas energy system (IPGES) is of great significance to promote the coordination and complementarity of multi-energy flow, and it is an important carrier to increase the proportion of wind power accommodation and achieve the goal of carbon emission reduction. In this paper, firstly, the reward and punishment ladder-type carbon trading model is constructed, and the impact of the carbon trading mechanisms on the carbon emission sources in the power system is comparatively analyzed. Secondly, in order to achieve a reasonable allocation of carbon resources in IPGES, a bi-level optimization model is established while taking into account the economics of dispatching and the requirements of carbon emission reduction. Among them, the outer layer is the optimal carbon price solution model considering carbon trading; in the inner layer, considering the power system constraints, natural gas system constraints, and coupling element operation constraints, a stochastic optimal dispatching model of IPGES based on scenario analysis is established. Scenario generation and reduction methods are used to deal with the uncertainty of wind power, and the inner model is processed as a mixed integer linear programming problem. In the MATLAB environment, program the dichotomy and call the Gurobi optimization solver to complete the interactive solution of the inner and outer models. Finally, case studies that use an integrated IEEE 39-bus power system and Belgian 20-node gas system demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of the proposed model and optimization method.

Building a low-carbon economy: The inaugural report of the UK Committee on Climate Change

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Fankhauser ◽  
David Kennedy ◽  
Jim Skea
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Carbon Economy

ALTERNATIVE FUELS IN TRANSPORT AS ENERGY SECURITY FACTOR IN EUROPEAN UNION

2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (0) ◽  
pp. 65-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Pawłowska
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Energy Union ◽  
Energy And Climate Policy

The Energy Union is aimed at providing secure, sustainable, competitive energy to the EU population at affordable prices. A thorough transformation of the European energy system is required to accomplish this goal. The Energy Union is an important project which is supposed to set a new direction and a clear long-term vision for the European energy and climate policy. Transport is one of the key sectors in terms of energy consumption. In 2015, 94% of the energy used transport originated from crude oil and the sector’s share in the total energy consumption was 34% (Eurostat, 2016). The aim of the article is to show the activities in respect of the implementation of the “Clean Energy for Transport” package and its importance for the implementation of the Energy Union objectives. The development of an alternative fuel market should reduce the dependence on oil and contribute to increased security of the energy supply for Europe, promote economic growth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in transport. Tools aimed at supporting the transition to low-carbon economy will be analyzed in the article. The scope of popularization of alternative fuels is determined to a large extent by market conditions and the extent to which an adequate infrastructure is developed. Hence, particular emphasis will be placed on the priorities for the development of technology and research, technical integration of solutions and financial support for alternative fuels.

scholarly journals Modelling Socio-Environmental Sensitivities: How Public Responses to Low Carbon Energy Technologies Could Shape the UK Energy System

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brighid Moran Jay ◽  
David Howard ◽  
Nick Hughes ◽  
Jeanette Whitaker ◽  
Gabrial Anandarajah
Keyword(s):  
Risk Aversion ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Low carbon energy technologies are not deployed in a social vacuum; there are a variety of complex ways in which people understand and engage with these technologies and the changing energy system overall. However, the role of the public’s socio-environmental sensitivities to low carbon energy technologies and their responses to energy deployments does not receive much serious attention in planning decarbonisation pathways to 2050. Resistance to certain resources and technologies based on particular socio-environmental sensitivities would alter the portfolio of options available which could shape how the energy system achieves decarbonisation (the decarbonisation pathway) as well as affecting the cost and achievability of decarbonisation. Thus, this paper presents a series of three modelled scenarios which illustrate the way that a variety of socio-environmental sensitivities could impact the development of the energy system and the decarbonisation pathway. The scenarios represent risk aversion (DREAD) which avoids deployment of potentially unsafe large-scale technology, local protectionism (NIMBY) that constrains systems to their existing spatial footprint, and environmental awareness (ECO) where protection of natural resources is paramount. Very different solutions for all three sets of constraints are identified; some seem slightly implausible (DREAD) and all show increased cost (especially in ECO).

scholarly journals Investigating Freight Corridors Towards Low Carbon Economy: Evidence from the UK

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 1865-1876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulus T. Aditjandra ◽  
Thomas H. Zunder ◽  
Dewan M.Z. Islam ◽  
Eero Vanaale
Keyword(s):  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Carbon Economy

scholarly journals Could energy-intensive industries be powered by carbon-free electricity?

2013 ◽  
Vol 371 (1986) ◽  
pp. 20110560 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. C. MacKay
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Electricity Supply ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Main Thrust ◽  
Material Efficiency ◽  
Industrial Energy ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Energy Intensive Industries

While the main thrust of the Discussion Meeting Issue on ‘Material efficiency: providing material services with less material production’ was to explore ways in which society's net demand for materials could be reduced, this review examines the possibility of converting industrial energy demand to electricity, and switching to clean electricity sources. This review quantifies the scale of infrastructure required in the UK, focusing on wind and nuclear power as the clean electricity sources, and sets these requirements in the context of the decarbonization of the whole energy system using wind, biomass, solar power in deserts and nuclear options. The transition of industry to a clean low-carbon electricity supply, although technically possible with several different technologies, would have very significant infrastructure requirements.

Energy system retrofit in a public services building

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 302-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Rafael Galvão ◽  
Licinio Moreira ◽  
Gonçalo Gaspar ◽  
Samuel Vindeirinho ◽  
Sérgio Leitão
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Energy Model ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Photovoltaic Panels ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Avoided Emissions

Purpose Taking into account the current relevance of the concept of smart city connected with the Internet of Things, this work aims to study the implementation of this concept by applying a new energy model in an existing public building. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the sustainability and energy autonomy of the building. Design/methodology/approach The building referred to in the case study is a library, and simulations related to the ongoing study are based on an energy audit, comprising a survey on electrical and thermal energy consumption. The innovative proposed model consists of a mix of energy production processes based on photovoltaic panels and biomass boilers. Economic analysis of the energy model has already yielded some results regarding the payback on investment, as well as avoided emissions in the context of development of a low-carbon economy with avoided emissions and socioeconomic advantages. Findings It is possible to enhance the sustainability of the library studied by the retrofit of the current energy system. With the integration of photovoltaic panels and the conversion or replacement of boilers from natural gas to biomass, the GHG emissions could drop around 121 t CO2 per year. Another benefit would be the inclusion of endogenous resources over imported energy resources. The payback period for the measures proposed ranges from 2.5 to 8 years, proving that the increase in environmental sustainability is viable. Originality/value The intention here is to implement the concept of smart city, in more sustainable buildings, bringing them to the lowest possible energy consumption levels, hence increasing performance and comfort. Also, taking into account that the energy-consuming buildings are already constructed, it is urgent to reconvert them to lower the use of energy and emissions using technologies based on renewable energy, boosting the use of local resources.

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