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Energy Guidelines Breached:

Felipe — Tue, 24 May 2011 23:49:10 +0000

UK Companies are Breaching Guidelines on Environmental Disclosure

The EA’s third environmental disclosure summary revealed that only a minority of FTSE All-Share companies are providing quantitative environmental statistics in accordance with Government guidelines. Back in 2003 the Environment Agency was asked by the Government to evaluate environmental disclosures in the annual business reviews and accounts of public companies (FTSE All-Share companies) listed on the London Stock Exchange.

With the objective of establishing a baseline before the new Companies Act became law in 2006 and determine a methodology for future assessments in 2006 and 2009.

The latest study revealed that environmental disclosure among FTSE All-Share companies has improved considerably since the last assessment in 2006.

“99% of FTSE listed companies made qualitative environmental disclosures with 89% on waste management, 79% on pollution, 62% on climate change, 61% on environmental management systems, 57% on energy, and 57% bio-diversity and land use.”

Despite the increase in environmental information disclosure, the quality of reports varies too much and in some cases is very basic. Business should report on their emissions, waste disposal to air, land and water their business gas, energy and water usage and, why not, their environmental fines.

In 2006 the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs issued a voluntary guidance with a list of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on which businesses can disclose information.

According to the 2009-2010 EA’s environmental disclosure summary only 28% of companies surveyed followed these KPIs last year an increase from 10% in 2004.

Key Findings:

67% of FTSE All-Share companies are reporting quantitatively on their environmental impacts – up from 42% in 2006.
36% of the environmental disclosures were made in audited sections of the annual report and accounts.
Quantitative disclosures follow government guidelines most often for climate change and energy use (22%), but only 12% reported on waste and 10% reported on water use in line with the latest government guidance.
The biggest percentage increase in environmental topics discussed between 2006 and 2009-2010 was for environmental management systems (EMS) – up from 33% to 61%.
57% of companies now refer to biodiversity or land use, and 33% made reference to environmental procurement.

The 2006 Companies Law is aimed to help companies provide relevant, comparable and reliable information through the disclosure of quantified data on environmental impacts. Only precise measurement can enable effective management and reductions of environmental impacts. Precise measurement using standard metrics can help businesses identify cost savings opportunities, productivity gains, regulatory compliance, secure business continuity and improve competitiveness.

The Government and EA are urging not only big companies to report their environmental disclosure but all UK businesses and recommends that companies report on the following KPIs:

Disclosure of absolute quantities of business energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste in annual reports and accounts;
Companies providing data on any other environmental KPIs which might affect the development, performance or position of the business;
Companies could report figures for entire global operations in line with financial accounting;
Companies may choose to provide supporting information on related policies and their effectiveness;
Choosing to report gross GHG emissions from operations over which the company has financial control in tonnes of CO2e;
Providing information on direct use of oil, coal and renewable energy such as wind or solar power in standardised metrics such as joules;
Reporting quantities of water in absolute cubic metres using data from automatic meter readings or water bills for supplied water, or using pumping data for abstracted water. Sectors could also outline policies on water use, highlighting variances in water related pressures;
Companies could report absolute tonnes of waste by disposal route, for example volumes of landfill and recycled waste.

Further Information

Companies who already produce reports on their sustainable development performance

Environmental Agency Website

2009-2010 Environmental Disclosure Summary Report.pdf

Treasury Sustainability and Environmental Reporting

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Inaccurate CRC Report Fines:

Felipe — Wed, 04 May 2011 07:15:51 +0000

Big Fine for Companies Who Provide Inaccurate CRC Reports

Time is running out for UK organisations whose half hourly electricity consumption totals more than 6,000 MWh per year (equivalent to approximately £500,000 annual spend) and are yet to compile all data for their CRC report.

Companies covered under this Energy Efficiency Scheme must provide a carbon emission report based on their annual energy consumption by the end of July, more precisely the 31st. Those who fail to meet the deadline will face severe financial penalties.

For instance, companies who hand in their CRC reports after the deadline will have to pay a fine of £5,000, plus £500 for each day that the report is overdue.

Inaccurate reports could cause serious damage to a business’s energy bill with increases of 5 to 10 percent. For each tonne either over or under-reported the fine is £40. For example, an organisation spending £20 million on energy could expect a fine of £1 million for a 20% error. Ouch!

A more realistic example would be, an organisation with an energy bill of half a million pounds, submitted 20 days late and with a 20% error, could face a fine of £55,433 (11% extra).

Recently the consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCooper conducted a research and found that only 21% of the companies interviewed were monitoring and reporting their carbon emissions. Out of the 160 companies surveyed only 67% reported that they were CRC participants.

Henry Le Fleming, carbon reporting specialist at PwC, said, however, that many companies are unprepared for the process of collecting the data, having not “stress tested their processes, systems and controls”.

In fact, the Carbon Commitment Reduction Scheme is not a considered scheme anymore, it is a straight forward tax intended to promote energy efficiency by the country’s largest users of energy.

Companies who comply with the scheme providing accurate CRC reports will enjoy significant financial benefits in the long run, due to improved energy efficiency. If done accurately these companies could reduce energy expenditure of 10% every year.

Complete information about the CRC can be found at our Carbon Commitment Reduction page. For more details about PWC’s research visit their website at: http://www.pwc.co.uk

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IEA and IMF Announcements:

Felipe — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 05:45:59 +0000

IEA and IMF Announcements Pulled Oil Prices Down

At the start of the session on Monday Brent crude oil was being traded above $127 per barrel and dipped below $125.50 later in the same session, after Saudi Arabia assured it can pump more oil if needed and hopes of a peace settlement in Libya. On Tuesday prices continued to drop after announcement of the IEA and the IMF that crude prices above the $100 are starting to hurt global economy.

The International Energy Agency report showed that high prices are already starting to dent oil demand while the IMF Economic Outlook predicted that US and Japan economies will expand at a slower pace than previously predicted. As both countries are the first and third largest oil consumers the report had a direct impact in oil prices that slid as much as $4 from Monday to Tuesday.

At the time of writing Brent Crude oil prices were being traded at $123.56 after falling as much as $2.01, or 1.6 %, to $121.97 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London.

Falling oil prices dragged UK gas prices with it and Winter 2011/12 gas eased trading at 73.50 pence per therm and despite a disruption in supply from Norway where a gas field was shut down due to a gas leak, spot gas prices also backed a little and where trade at 59.00 pence per therm thanks to strong LNG supply.

May gas contracts prices also registered a slightly reduction and were traded at 61.30 pence per therm down 0.10 pence while prices for the third quarter fell nearly half a penny to 64.30 pence.

Despite a secured line of LNG tankers already on its way to Britain gas brokers are concerned LNG terminals won’t be able to compensate further supply disruptions.

Backed by lower gas prices, OTC (over-the-counter) energy prices also fell with the MWh being sold at 50.90 pounds, 85p lower than previous sessions. The restart and reintegration to the grid of Hartlepool 1 nuclear reactor on Monday also influenced lower energy prices.

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Oil Prices Hit New Highs:

Felipe — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 06:12:41 +0000

Brent Crude Hits Highest Levels since Financial Crisis

Brent crude oil prices hit a 2 1/2 year high and firmed at $121.06 yesterday. Concerns of a disruption in supply due to the unrests in the Middle East and the lowest US unemployment rate in two years were the major factors for this surge in oil prices. Last time Brent crude oil prices traded above the $120 mark was back in September 2008, right in the middle of the financial crisis. According to some analysts we have reached a “danger point” and if oil prices continue to rise global economy could suffer an inflationary shock putting global growth to a halt.

Estimates from the International Monetary Fund suggest that every $10 increase on oil prices shaves 0.2pc off world growth. Before the turmoil started in the Middle East Brent crude oil was being traded at around $98 to $100 a barrel, so with prices now at the $120 mark we can conclude that global growth will retract 4pc, based on the IMF estimates.

Over the past few days’ oil prices surged from $115 to $120. Market analysts stated that such increase was a “cumulative impact” of weeks of unrests in the Middle East, especially with military action in Libya showing no signs of an easy resolution.

Speaking to The Telegraph Paul Horsnell, head of commodities research at Barclays Capital, said:

“Oil at $120 is a psychological level and it looks like it could be a trigger number, with markets suspecting something on the supply side from Saudi Arabia or OPEC. Spare capacity is becoming more limited and there is concern about the next supply outage.”

Paul Horsnell wasn’t the only analyst questioned by The Telegraph over the surge in oil prices. In the article “Oil rises above $120: what the analysts are saying” renowned market analysts explained why Brent crude oil prices peaked.

What affects will higher Brent crude Oil Prices have in the UK economy?

So it has already doubled the Monetary Policy Committee’s 2pc target at 4pc as climbing oil prices could accelerate inflation. The Office of Budget Responsibility has already estimated an increase of 0.5 percentage points in inflation this year due to the increase in oil prices since November 2010.

Not to mention other commodities that are directly and indirectly tied to crude like energy and gas. Higher oil prices means higher energy and gas prices.

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Energy Market Report Apr11:

Catalyst Commercial Services Ltd — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 05:45:44 +0000

Energy Market Report April 2011

Our monthly analysis of the UK gas and power markets is now available on line for the month of April 2011. The service is intended to keep you up to date with all the major news in Europe’s gas and power markets. It is also designed to keep power executives focused on market activity in an easy to digest format.

Your find our April 2011 report here and all historical energy reports can be located here.

If you would like more information on our services or would like to find out how this could benefit your business, simply call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a call back at time to suit.

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Time To Turn Back on Nuclear:

Felipe — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:21:31 +0000

Should Britain Turn its Back on Nuclear?

The catastrophic events in Japan that led to Fukushima’s nuclear crisis made the world review their concepts about nuclear energy generation. What once was seen as an effective way to generate carbon free electricity is now being questioned about its safety that will sure comprise its economical viability.

What happened at Fukushima’s nuclear power plant caused deep wounds on the nuclear industry, forcing governments in every corner of the globe to review their nuclear development policies.

As countries around the globe start to decarbonise their economies, nuclear power is seen universally as a vital and cost effective carbon free energy generating resource. But new safety policies and other costs for new and existing nuclear power plants could turn nuclear power less economic or even uneconomic.

The nuclear industry has a strong safety record and there is no reason to believe that this cannot be maintained into the future but events in Japan have changed these parameters. Although we don’t have a detailed report of what happened at Fukushima nuclear power plant further improvements on the current high safety levels will sure be implemented and required by new nuclear power plants.

This leads us to the question: “Is it safe for Britain to go on building new nuclear plants?”

Writing to the telegraph Lord Hutton of Furness former secretary of state for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, 2007-8, answered this question with an emphatic “YES” stating:

“Safety must, of course, always be at the heart of the case for nuclear energy, and regulators must make this their top priority. In 2008, when I had responsibility for energy policy, the safety case was fundamental to my decision to sanction a new generation of nuclear power stations for Britain. I have every confidence that this will be the same approach taken by ministers today. Modern nuclear technologies have multi-layered safety systems in place that offer a huge improvement on the older power plants.”

With ageing power plants due to close in coming years, time is running out for Britain and nuclear power seems like the most probable solution to not only to keep the “lights on” but also to cut down carbon emissions.

If Britain turns its back on nuclear the Government would be limited to very few energy generating resources. Renewables would be one of them, for the delight of the energy secretary Chris Hune. The second option would be gas as it is unlikely that the Government would sanction a new coal-fired power plant.

Meanwhile one thing is for sure the nuclear crisis in Japan will result in rising business gas prices and consequently higher business energy prices as LNG cargoes are diverted to the Far East to fill the gap left by the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

To sum things up I leave you with the question: “Should Britain Turn its Back on Nuclear?” – Share your thoughts and opinions in our comments section.

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Japan’s Disaster Impacts on UK:

Felipe — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:17:42 +0000

Japan’s Disaster Impacts on the UK Energy Market

As uncertain to the future of the UK energy market, Japan’s disaster has caused even more uncertainties. Should the government stick with the nuclear energy programme? Or was what happened at Fukushima’s nuclear plant a warning that as efficient as nuclear might be, safety comes first?

Once again energy market specialists are divided into two groups. Those that believe Japan’s nuclear crisis will change global energy markets for good and those that despite knowing the risks of nuclear power plants still think the Government must not divert from its nuclear energy programme.

The events at Fukushima nuclear power station are likely to change national energy policies in nuclear countries and that includes the UK. China has already suspended new nuclear plant approvals and those that are under construction that do not conform to safety standards must immediately cease construction.

New safety policies and other costs for new and existing nuclear power plants could turn nuclear power less economic or even uneconomic. Nuclear’s loss could be natural gas and renewable’s gain. Although it is very early to say how this will affect the British power sector potential changes should not be downplayed.

Speculative analysis shows that gas could significantly be impacted by long-term policy changes which could lead to higher gas prices.

“With gas-fired power stations normally the marginal source of generation capacity in the UK, this is likely to result in higher electricity prices.” – stated an Energy Broker.

Unfortunately the UK relies on nuclear power stations to replace coal-fired stations that will be switched off over the next decade. Even those who once described nuclear energy as a “tried, tested and failed technology”, are now advocating that Britain needs a more balanced energy strategy, in which nuclear will be crucial.

On Sunday, Chris Hune, the energy secretary, ordered the chief nuclear officer to conduct an immediate review of the safety of Britain’s nuclear power stations.

Mr Hune who once was totally against nuclear power has recently turned into a supporter for new nuclear stations. Right now there are plans for five nuclear plants to be built in the UK over the next decade. Shifting to nuclear is crucial if Britain is to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

Despite agreeing that the UK will need to rely on nuclear to “keep the lights on”, Mr Hune still believes the UK can meet its climate change commitments without relying too much on nuclear.

“We can do the 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050 without new nuclear, but it will require a big effort on carbon capture and storage and renewables.”

On the other hand, the Conservatives are likely to oppose any move to scale back the nuclear programme. The prime minister said that nuclear should be par of the mix.

I leave you with the questions asked in the beginning of this article – Should the government stick with the nuclear energy programme? Or was what happened at Fukushima’s nuclear plant a warning that as efficient as nuclear might be, safety comes first?

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Renewable Energy Ideas:

Felipe — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:00:04 +0000

Innovative Renewable Energy Generation Ideas

Portable Ethanol Refinery Turns Food Waste into Fuel – Every year in the UK alone thousands, maybe millions of tones of food goes to waste. What if we could find a use for all this waste? That is exactly what a California based company did, they’ve created a portable ethanol refinery that produces the fuel out of food waste.

Launched in 2009 the E-Fuel Microfueler replaces the traditional ethanol reflux column system with a solid state distillation technology, making it possible for homeowners and small businesses to safely and cost-effectively create their own fuel, on-site.

How it works

Compatible with just about any type of organic waste (discarded liquids rich in sugar, waste sugar, liquids with residual alcohol, cellulosic materials and even algae) that will be used as feedstock. The Microfueler uses a patented technology consisting of micro sensors and state-of-the-art semiconductor technology to produce ethanol in a combustion free process, making it possible for homeowners and small businesses to safely and cost-effectively create their own fuel, on-site.

About Ethanol

For those of you how don’t know what Ethanol is here is quick explanation. If you already know what Ethanol is please skip this section.

Ethanol is ethyl alcohol, yes the same alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. As a fuel it can be classified as biofuel since it is made by the fermentation of feedstock sugarcane and corn. In countries like Brazil Ethanol is widely used as an alternative fuel for gasoline and diesel.

Whilst there aren’t many if any cars in the UK that run on Ethanol. The Microfueler can be used with another purpose, as an independent renewable energy generator suitable for household use and even for small businesses.

With the GridBuster electric generator home and business owners will be able to drop off the conventional and expensive electrical grid and generate their own electricity.

According to its manufacturer the E-Fuel MicroFueler can produce a US Gallon – equivalent to 0.8 imperial gallons – of ethanol for only 56 cents of Dollar. With a weekly production of 233 gallons per week can be a cost effective renewable energy resource for small to mid-size business.

For more information about E-Fuel’s Microfueler please visit.

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Gas Rises on Japan Shortages:

Felipe — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:44:44 +0000

Gas Prices Rise with Power Shortages in Japan

Yes you read it right, power shortages in Japan made UK gas prices rise four percent yesterday. In total 10 nuclear plants are out of action in Japan which increases the likelihood of LNG tankers being diverted away from the UK to Japan. “The severity of the situation is heightened by the possibility that the injection of seawater for emergency cooling of several of the reactors affected by the earthquake could require the scrapping of those reactors, so resulting in a permanent loss of some of the nuclear capacity already down,” Deutsche Bank analysts said in a note on Tuesday.

Gas for delivery next winter surged to its highest levels since late 2008 on the prospect of less LNG being available to cover potential demand spikes during cold winter weather. Contracts were closed at 74.25 pence per therm at market opening on Tuesday before falling to 73.20 late in the morning.

Summer contracts also closed a record high levels trading at 65 pence at the start of the session and then falling to 64.5 pence per therm. Spot gas prices shed one penny to 63 pence, while day ahead contracts firmed at 63.10 pence per therm.

“Prices are still strong. They are up from yesterday but there’s a bit of selling coming in now. Prices are not coming off much though,” said one Business Gas broker.

The same Business Gas trader stated:

“I can’t see it coming down a lot while we have nuclear issues in Japan. It’s very unclear on what is happening with Japanese LNG demand so the market is nervous,”

As complex as it is now the UK gas market has to deal with consequences that are happening on the other side of the globe. Who would expect that the devastating natural disaster in Japan could influence UK gas prices?

What baffles me the most is the fact Japans nuclear plants insurance doesn’t cover tsunamis and earth quake damages. According to experts all together this catastrophe could cost Japan a total of £115 BILLION.

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Middle East Unrests Continues:

Felipe — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 02:29:12 +0000

Middle East Unrests Continue to Influence Gas Prices

UK gas prices climbed to its highest levels in more than 21 months supported by conflicts in Middle East which are pushing Brent crude oil prices close to the $120 a barrel. On Monday Brent crude oil prices firmed at $117.40 a barrel, causing a rally in the UK gas market. Winter gas contract prices climbed to 68.50 pence per therm on Monday morning, the highest since May 2009.

Concerns about the turmoil in Libya, tensions in Saudi Arabia and rumours of the wave of anti-government protests spreading across the Middle East and North Africa, spooked the market early this week.

So far Libya has cut off only 2 percent of Europe’s gas supply but as unrests spread to countries like Oman, Yemen and Algeria, the uncertainties about future oil and gas production in these countries increase.

“The potential disruptions of gas production in countries currently under social unrest are significant,” – said an energy broker.

Higher oil costs push up some mainland European gas contracts and affect prices in the U.K. because of pipeline connections to Europe. Stronger oil also means that European gas suppliers may buy gas in the UK over the coming months as their oil hooked up prices rise in price.

Gas for summer 2011 contracts rose 1.75 pence to 59 pence and April’s climbed to 58.90 pence. Meanwhile spot gas prices were traded at 59.75 pence on Monday, up 2 pence from Friday. On Tuesday prices continued to surge hitting 60 pence per therm. At the time of writing.

Stronger gas prices means higher energy prices, baseload power for Tuesday was traded at 51 pounds per megawatt-hour. The biggest rise was seen on Winter 2011/12 contracts with increases of 2 pounds trading at 56.90 pounds per megawatt-hour. At the time of writing.

Updated

U.K. natural-gas and power contracts declined after two days of gains as crude fell and milder weather was forecast.

Gas for summer, the six months from April, lost as much as 1.55 pence, or 2.6 percent, to 58 pence a therm, according to broker prices compiled by Bloomberg. It was at 58.4 pence as of 9:25 a.m. in London. The winter contract dropped as much as 1.05 pence to 67.75 pence.

Gas for same-day delivery fell 0.9 pence to 58.9 pence.

Power for next month dropped for the first time in nine days, losing 90 pence, or 1.8 percent, to 50.10 pounds a megawatt-hour.

source: Bloomberg Businessweek

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Innovation, Not Insulation:

Felipe — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:16:04 +0000

We need Innovation, Not Insulation Says Bill Gates

Conservation and behaviour change alone will not get us to the dramatically lower levels of CO2 emissions needed to make a real difference. We also need to focus on developing innovative technologies that produce energy without generating any CO2 emissions at all.

These are the words of Bill Gates about global warming and the global urge to reduce CO2 emissions. Recently we published an article about Mr. Gates quest to find a clean source of energy that will “save us” from the eminent threats of climate change. The man who revolutionized personal computing is now investing millions to stop global warming.

In his article “Why We Need Innovation, Not Just Insulation“, published on his personal blog “The Gates Notes“, he says right now the world has two goals for CO2 reduction – 30% (off of some baseline) by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

The first target seems to be more achievable and it is why we tend to focus on it. According to Bill Gates to achieve the 80% CO2 reduction goal by 2050 we will have to reduce emissions form transportation and electrical production in participating countries close to neutral levels.

But we would still be left with emissions from other activities such as domesticated animals, making fertilizers and decay processes. Not to mention that some countries will still be too poor to invest in new technologies to reduce their CO2 emissions.

That is when the problem grows more complex. As the demand for energy from poor countries increases and it is clear these countries won’t have the money to invest in the latest and green energy generation resources it will be hard to reduce CO2 emissions.

Reason why Bill Gates defends the theory that: “no amount of insulation will get us there, only innovating our way to what is essentially zero carbon energy technology will do it. If we focus on just efficiency to the exclusion of innovation, or imagine that we can worry about efficiency first and worry about energy innovation later, we won’t get there.”

Cutting a long story short, we need an “energy miracle”, a carbon free energy generation resource. Will we ever find it? Do you agree that we need innovations and not insulations to stop global warming? Have your say in our comments section.

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Middle East Price Impact:

Felipe — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 23:47:43 +0000

Gas Prices Rise as Middle East Unrest Continues

What started in Egypt seems to be spreading all over the Middle East. Popular revolt and political uncertainty is making investors plan for the unpredictable, as crude oil prices continues to rise, which in turn is contributing to higher gas and energy prices.

When the protests started in Egypt crude oil prices were below the $100 mark, more precisely at $98 a barrel. Last Monday the Brent crude oil barrel was traded at $108. As UK gas prices are tied up to oil prices, prompt and curve gas prices rose too.

Prompt gas contracts for immediate and day-ahead delivery were both up nearly one penny from Monday’s close at 54.55 pence. While winter 2011 gas contract traded at 63.50 pence per therm, the highest level since October 2009.

On Tuesday morning National Grid data showed that the system was undersupplied which associated with a slightly higher increase in demand was also responsible for higher wholesale gas prices.

Since nearly 50% of UK power production uses gas as a fuel day-ahead energy prices also reported an increase of 0.75 pounds and were traded at 47.25 pounds per megawatt-hour. A drop in wind power generation also added to higher energy prices.

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Bill Gates Investing Millions:

Felipe — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:08:32 +0000

Bill Gates Investing Millions to Stop Global Warming

The man who revolutionised personal computing now wants to revolutionise the way we generate energy. After stepping down as the CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates has been investing millions of dollars to fight global warming; his ultimate goal is to find an energy source completely free of CO2 emissions.

Will Bill Gates ever find a way to generate carbon-free energy? Have your say here.

For the past few years Gates has dedicated most of his time and money to projects that range from the development of high voltage batteries to machines capable of extracting CO2 from the air.

As one of the most successful business men in history his words carry enormous credibility which gives more visibility to projects that might not leave the drawing board. Above all Bill Gates is seen as a visionary and if he believes such projects could change our lives, a lot of people will sit and hear what he has to say.

According to Mr. Gates the world needs an “energy miracle”, an energy source that is reliable, cheap and carbon free. He says we shouldn’t put all our eggs in one basket and purse every available path to achieve this really big breakthrough.

Around the globe there are many countries generating energy from renewable energy resources that look very promising but not big enough to cause the impact needed to make a change. Tidal energy, geothermal and even wind are all good and clean energy generating resources but we need more than that.

The father of Windows is working on a new nuclear approach called travelling-wave reactor, which uses waste uranium for fuel. That dream is far from becoming a reality but if it does we could have cheaper energy with no CO2 emissions.

To sum things up Bill Gates points out two immediate solutions the American and other Governments around the globe should take note to make the transition towards a carbon free society quicker. Increase investment in research and development of new energy generating technology and a well structured energy plan that considers each option based on the likelihood of success.

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Latest Business Gas Prices:

Felipe — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 03:44:16 +0000

Business and Commercial Gas Prices Drop with Mild Weather

UK gas prices plunged to seven week lows to levels last seen before the cold snap. Milder weather and strong supply from LNG terminals kept the market well supplied pushing business and commercial gas prices down.

On Monday gas for day ahead and February delivery fell to prices similar to November, before we were hit by the coldest spell on record. Spot prices fell 1.55 pence and were traded at 54.75 pence per therm, while gas for delivery in February was traded at 55.00 per therm, 1.20 pence lower than previous sessions.

“Weather and LNG supply are weighing on prices. Some may be going short here with the idea that it has room for downside in the week,” said a business gas broker.

With weather forecasts predicting that North West European temperatures will rise 1 to 6 degrees Celsius over the next 5 days. The biggest question now is how far gas prices will drop.

Energy and gas brokers are having a tough time this winter predicting energy and gas prices. Back in mid December when the coldest spell on record was forecasted UK gas prices dropped. The same happened last week when gas prices plunged 60p for spot contracts.

In both cases strong supply from the continent and steady imports on LNG helped gas prices drop despite the cold weather. Now we are experiencing a more logical scenario.

Temperatures are climbing and business and commercial gas prices are falling. Which is easier to understand even though gas demand remained above seasonal averages.

“All seems to be about the weather today. There is still potential cold weather at the back end of the forecast but everyone is looking at warm weather over the next few days,” one energy broker said.

The power market is also looking strong thanks to gas. Despite loosing two nuclear reactors over the weekend, day-ahead power contracts traded at 48.00 pounds per megawatt-hour (MWh), 2.20 pounds below the previous session.

But with Dungeness B-21 and Hartlepool 1 reactor expected to go offline on January 15 and January 17, respectively, supply margins could tighten pushing energy prices up.

If you would like more information on our range of energy broker services or would like to find out how this could benefit your business, simply call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a call back at time to suit.

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Internet’s Energy Consumption:

Felipe — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 04:04:01 +0000

The Internet’s Energy Consumption and Its Carbon Footprint

Over the past few years there has been an ongoing debate about the growing amount of energy needed to power the World Wide Web, a.k.a the Internet, and the impacts on our environment. Many have tried to pin down the exact amount of energy needed to power the internet and its carbon footprint. Recently The Guardian published an article saying that the Internet’s carbon footprint was around 300 million tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to every person in the UK flying to America and back twice over.

The article was published in August and with the number of internet users growing by the day worldwide I wouldn’t be surprised if these figures were higher nowadays. According to the UN by the end of the year there will be 2 billion world internet users, that is 1/6 of world population.

Hypothetically, if these growth rates remain the same, the entire world would be online by 2020.

To measure the Internet’s exact power consumption and then determine its carbon footprint we would need to know the precise number of computers, laptops and mobile phones that are online these days (which we don’t). Add that to the amount of energy consumed by all the Data Centres worldwide to then determine the internet power consumption and its carbon footprint.

Scary isn’t it? But we gathered some data just to give you a better understanding of roughly how much energy is needed to power the World Wide Web these days.

Back in 2006, data centres in America consumed a total of 61,000,000,000 kWh (yes you read it right 61 trillion kWh), which is enough to power the UK for 2 whole months.

A single Google search produces 0.2g of CO2. Not that much right? But now, 3,100,000 Google searches emit enough CO2 to power an average house for a whole month.

The monthly searches processed by Google produce 260 tons of CO2 which is equivalent to power an American fridge-freezer for 5,400 years. This consumes 3,900,000 kWh of energy, which is equal to washing 5.57 million loads of laundry.

But wait, it gets worse! A single spam message produces the equivalent of 0.3 grams of CO2. Multiply that by 62 trillion pieces of spam circling the World Wide Web each year and we have the emissions equivalent of driving around the Earth 1.6 million times.

Despite its huge energy consumption the internet is likely to play an important role as we move towards a low carbon economy. Thanks to advances in communication technologies an estimated 40% of the working population could work from home. If 40% of American workforce worked from home twice a week, carbon emission would be reduced by 53 million metric tons year, equivalent of taking 10 million cars on the road.

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Energy Guidelines Breached:

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