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Electricity markets

Close up of smart meter display with index finger of a hand pressing one of the operating buttons

EI Member only

1/10/2025 Feature / Janet Wood

The clock is ticking on transformation to a flexible electricity system

The UK’s electricity sector is working towards a complete transformation of the settlement process in the back office. The outcome could offer radically improved consumer propositions from next year, writes Janet Wood.

Data centres

View down two rows of data centre computer racks to left and right of image, lit up with blue lighting

EI Member only

11/6/2025 Feature / Brian Davis

What are the risks associated with data centre growth?

Artificial intelligence (AI) demands large amounts of data and power. And the demand is rising. But what does this mean in terms of energy consumption? Where are the new data centres likely to be located, and what will be the associated costs and risks? These and other issues were addressed in the Aurora Energy Research spring forum held in London last month. New Energy World Features Editor Brian Davis reports on a keynote session, ‘Navigating data centre growth: Beyond the hype’, presented by Richard Howard, Global Research Director.

Grid management

Barge with yellow equipment for installing pipes floating in calm water with hills in background

EI Member only

3/7/2024 Feature / Gavin Bollan

Addressing capacity constraints in the UK energy transition

The UK is facing daunting challenges on the cusp of the energy transition. As the UK phases out ageing nuclear reactors and plans the closure of its final coal-fired power station, there is potential for a substantial shortfall in baseload electricity generation capacity. Gavin Bollan, Technical Director at consultancy ITPEnergised, explores the pressing issues accompanying the transition.

Electricity

Computer generated image of northern hemisphere of globe showing the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in relation to Russia and Europe

EI Member only

5/2/2025 Feature / Will Dalrymple

Baltic states synchronise electricity grid with Europe

This week, the energy systems of the Baltic States will disconnect from Russia’s energy system and join the energy system of continental Europe. This project, the largest energy independence and regional security project in recent decades, is jointly being implemented by the Baltic power transmission system operators Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) of Latvia, Litgrid of Lithuania and Elering of Estonia, writes New Energy World Senior Editor Will Dalrymple.

Grid management

Row of pylons silhouetted against sunset, with two maintenance operators at top of first pylon

EI Member only

15/5/2024 Feature / Janet Wood

Why Great Britain is going towards a ‘whole system’ network transmission approach to energy operations

To deliver a ‘net zero carbon’ economy, Great Britain has to remake its energy system, both physically with expanded networks and economically with new markets. A new National Energy System Operator (NESO) will have responsibility for delivering the change across both electricity and gas, reports Janet Wood FEI.

Grid management

Rows of electricity transmission lines and pylons, and some wind turbines, with corn field and trees in foreground, blue ski and white clouds above

EI Member only

12/3/2025 Feature / Charlie Bush

Overcoming renewable energy variability for a stable grid

Integrating large amounts of solar and wind into electricity grids is a major challenge due to their intermittency. As the world installs more renewables, the peaks and troughs in power generation will extend beyond hourly or daily fluctuations into seasonal patterns. Managing these variations requires flexible energy systems that can adjust output throughout the year to balance intermittency and maintain grid stability, reports Charlie Bush.

Grid management

Close up of rear of electric vehicle with cable running to charger, set against night-time skyscraper skyline

EI Member only

4/12/2024 Feature / Alex Howard

Building a flexible energy market is key to the UK’s energy transition

As the UK advances towards its net zero goals, the onus is on electricity networks to enable the transition. Building more physical infrastructure is of course a big part of the solution, but flexibility also has a significant role to play, writes Alex Howard, Head of Flexibility Markets at UK Power Networks DSO.

Demand side response

Close up of rear of electric car, with charging cable attached to outside home charger; dark nighttime, with orange lights showing on car and house

EI Member only

6/11/2024 Feature / Andrew Mourant

Powering up the consumer: UK power networks trial app-controlled off-peak charging with variable success

Trials carried out by network companies and utilities are aimed at proving it is possible to shift electricity demand by offering incentives to customers, reports Andrew Mourant.

Solar

EI Member only

2/9/2025 Feature / Fatima Al Hammadi,Feras Farooque,Asma Mohamed,Steve Young

Using solar power for oil and gas – a case study

In June 2025, the Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC), in collaboration with Emerge – a joint venture between Masdar and EDF Renewables – commissioned the 60 MW Sana solar power plant, the first utility-scale solar facility in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Located within the boundaries of SNOC’s main Al Sajaa hydrocarbon processing complex, the Sana solar plant generates more electricity annually than the complex consumes, with the surplus supplied to the local utility. This case study, written by Project Engineer Fatima Al Hammadi, Electrical and Instrumentation Team Leader Feras Farooque, Electrical Engineer Asma Mohamed and Maintenance Manager Steve Young, chronicles the journey and technical solutions that led to the successful implementation of this landmark project.

Digitalisation / AI

Close up shot of bearded man wearing safety helmet and safty glasses, face close to a large sreen with computer lines of code and graphics, which are reflected in glasses

EI Member only

5/3/2025 Feature / Nnamdi Anyadike

Europe’s rocky road towards energy digitalisation

Europe’s efforts to digitalise its energy sector are hampered by a number of challenges. These include inadequate interoperability between systems, insufficient data governance and cyber security measures, and limited ‘grid observability’. These handicaps all combine to restrict real-time monitoring and advanced forecasting of energy delivery. Nnamdi Anyadike reports.

New Energy World™

Search results:

The clock is ticking on transformation to a flexible electricity system

What are the risks associated with data centre growth?

Addressing capacity constraints in the UK energy transition

Baltic states synchronise electricity grid with Europe

Why Great Britain is going towards a ‘whole system’ network transmission approach to energy operations

Overcoming renewable energy variability for a stable grid

Building a flexible energy market is key to the UK’s energy transition

Powering up the consumer: UK power networks trial app-controlled off-peak charging with variable success

Using solar power for oil and gas – a case study

Europe’s rocky road towards energy digitalisation