Energy future is decentralized

Lubomir, 11.4.2022 10:41:56

Centrica signs development deal for pipeline of grid-scale solar energy projects with Push Energy Centrica signs development deal for pipeline of grid-scale solar energy projects with Push Energy Centrica Business Solutions has signed a framework agreement with renewable energy developer Push Energy, to build a pipeline of solar farm projects in the UK. It forms part of Centrica Energy Assets’ ambitions to deliver 900MW of solar and battery storage by 2026. Push Energy is renowned for its ability to develop, construct and operate high quality renewable energy assets, and has delivered 350MW of energy projects across grid-scale and roof top solar. Centrica Energy Assets, a team established by Centrica Business Solutions to develop large scale, grid-connected solar and battery storage assets in the UK and Europe, will work with Push to take projects from site identification to commercial operation. "This is an important relationship and a big step towards our aim to develop, build, manage and optimise a 900MW portfolio of Centrica-owned solar and battery projects" Bill Rees, Director of Centrica Energy Assets In addition, Centrica will use Push as a turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) provider to build solar projects that are developed through a framework agreement between Centrica Energy Assets and Push. Bill Rees, Director of Centrica Energy Assets, said, “This is an important relationship and a big step towards our aim to develop, build, manage and optimise a 900MW portfolio of Centrica-owned solar and battery projects, that will help provide our customers with clean energy.” Amit Oza, Chief Commercial officer of Push said, “Push is committed to helping the UK reach net zero by 2050, by developing and constructing sustainable solar farms that give back to the local community. Working with Centrica is an excellent opportunity which will help us accelerate this process.” Centrica has committed to reach Net Zero by 2045 and for its customers by 2050. Reducing the carbon content of the company's energy supply by supporting the expansion and take-up of clean energy is core to achieving Net Zero.

EREVITA Team, 8.10.2020 20:31:50

Hethel, Norfolk, UK, 8 October 2020 – Lotus and British Gas Business have embarked on a new green electricity deal, which sees the UK’s largest energy supplier provide renewable power to the sports car maker’s headquarters and supporting facilities. The contract, which began on 1st October, is REGO-backed (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin), where the power is purchased from 100% renewable sources, ensuring the electricity used across Lotus’ UK sites is carbon neutral. As a flexible contract, Lotus can also develop its own renewable assets on sites to self-support its power needs and further its green credentials In May, Centrica (the parent company of British Gas) and Lotus announced a partnership to develop a new model for electric vehicle (EV) ownership that fully integrates future mobility and energy. Together, the companies aim to redefine and integrate the relationship between consumers, cars and electricity – controlled by smart devices at home and on the move – which will result in more efficient energy usage, carbon and cost savings. The companies are also set to introduce a comprehensive sustainability programme across Lotus, leveraging innovative, low-carbon technologies and mitigating the impacts of key business operations from manufacturing through to sales and supporting functions. "This is an exciting new partnership which has got off to a fast start with this new supply contract announced today. Green power supplies offer an efficient means to supercharge commercial sustainability, and there is much more to follow from Centrica and Lotus as we plot the carmaker’s course to zero carbon." Carl Bayliss, Vice President of Mobility at Centrica. “This is a huge first step for us in our commitment to becoming a 100% carbon neutral business. Next steps include working across our supply chain as part of our net-zero pledge, launching more zero-emissions vehicles as introduced with the Lotus Evija hypercar, and ensuring these vehicles are manufactured and distributed using the latest, sustainable technology and techniques,” said Uday Senapati, Lotus Cars’ Executive Director of Corporate Strategy and Product Management. He added: “This is a step change and the start of an exciting journey for Lotus, which is not only about decarbonisation and environmental awareness, but also about making a significant, positive contribution to the customer journey. We will integrate cars, homes and mobile devices, making our model the most efficient, convenient and connected way to utilise energy.”

EREVITA Team, 24.7.2020 08:03:33

British Gas owner Centrica has said it will sell off its US energy retail arm in a £2.8 billion deal. Direct Energy, which was bought by Centrica in 2000, will be sold to NRG Energy, allowing the British company to focus on its home markets in the UK and Ireland. Direct Energy has around 4,000 employees and four million customers, making it one of North America’s largest gas and electricity suppliers. The news of the US sale came as Centrica, which is trying to turn around its flagging fortunes, revealed that it had more than halved its pre-tax loss to £264 million in the six months to June 30, compared to £569 million over the same period last year. The company said it had lost 5% of its home energy customers, bringing it to around 5.2 million. Chief executive Chris O’Shea, who took over earlier this year, said: “Centrica delivered a resilient performance against the unprecedented backdrop of the Covid-19 crisis during the first half of the year. “That is due to the response of colleagues across the group to keep our customers warm, safe and supplied with energy and services during the pandemic. I am truly grateful for their efforts. “Our mission now is to turn around the company by putting customers at the heart of everything we do and creating a simpler, leaner, more modern and more sustainable company. “The sale of Direct Energy is a fundamental step towards this, and although we have a lot more to do, we have the people, the brands and the market positions to deliver a successful turnaround.” Centrica also reiterated its intention to restart the sale of its 69% stake in Spirit Energy when markets recover from the Covid-19 pandemic

EREVITA Team, 26.5.2020 12:12:23

Centrica Business Solutions and AVK have today (Tuesday 26th May) signed an exclusive collaboration agreement to co-develop solutions for the data centre market utilising gas engine power generation systems and other energy technologies. AVK is the largest supplier of data centre and financial sector critical power solutions in the UK and Ireland , while Centrica Business Solutions specialises in gas generation, route to market services, optimisation and innovative financial structures, such as the provision of energy as a service. In order to combat the shortage of grid capacity available to data centres, and to overcome changing environmental legislation around the use of diesel generation, they will join forces to deploy gas back up and prime power solutions into the data centre market across the UK and Europe. "We have been actively seeking a partner to help us develop our capability in prime power and gas back-up generation. Centrica has extensive experience with gas engines and the nuances of the energy markets and represents the ideal partner with which to develop a compelling market offering." Ben Pritchard, Sales Director, AVK The collaboration agreement commits both companies to co-develop a suite of secure power offerings that deliver a more sustainable energy pathway for data centres without any compromise to on-site resilience.

EREVITA Team, 11.5.2020 15:24:11

LONDON, May 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Centrica plc, the parent company of British Gas, and British motor manufacturer Lotus are working together to develop a new model for electric vehicle ownership that fully integrates future mobility and energy. By making the car an extension of the home, capable of storing electricity, minimising emissions and generating new income by providing services to the energy market, the companies aim to redefine the customer relationship with cars – one controlled by smart devices at home and on the move. The energy company will also facilitate a sustainability program that leverages innovative, low carbon technologies, and helps mitigate the environmental impact of everything from manufacturing through to sales and the day-to-day activities of Lotus employees, helping meet Lotus' carbon reduction aspirations. The new partnership will help establish a new global charging and energy infrastructure for new products as part of Lotus' journey to net zero carbon following huge investment into the business since 2018.

EREVITA Team, 27.1.2020 15:19:33

New wind turbine to supply green energy to 1,100 Cornish homes Construction has started on Cornwall’s first, smart grid-connected wind turbine which will power the equivalent of around 1,100 homes and help cut carbon emissions. The 2.3 megawatt (MW) turbine will be sited on Cornwall Council land at Ventonteague, near Carland Cross, on the A30, and is the first to be built in Cornwall since 2016. It will generate enough renewable electricity to reduce Cornwall’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2,800 tonnes a year over the next two decades. The smart grid-connected turbine will help Cornwall better manage its energy supply and power the equivalent of around 1,180 Cornish homes, representing a significant contribution towards the Council’s climate emergency agenda. Transforming the energy sector is an essential part of Cornwall Council’s response to tackling the climate emergency as Cornwall now generates around 37% of electricity from renewables, up from around 6% in 2009. Award-winning initiatives such as the Green Cornwall programme have driven forward major changes promoting community and Council-owned renewable energy projects and developing potential new forms of power in technologies such as deep geothermal. The new wind turbine is part of an EU-funded trial and forms part of the innovative Cornwall Local Energy Market (LEM) which aims to help increase the amount of renewable energy that can be deployed by managing the electricity network more efficiently. Launched in December 2016, the LEM project is receiving £11.5m support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is a collaboration between Centrica, Western Power Distribution (WPD), N-SIDE, Imperial College, the University of Exeter and National Grid. The project brings Cornish homes and businesses together via a fully automated online flexible energy market platform. The platform allows network operators, the organisations that run our electricity distribution and transmission networks, to improve the way the grid works by buying energy flexibility from local homes and businesses, helping to balance both grid demand and capacity. The LEM is now in its live trials phase, which are set to continue until March.

EREVITA Team, 13.1.2020 11:27:56

Mixergy raises £3.6m for FFR hot water tanks rollout Cleantech company Mixergy has raised £3.6 million to continue its rollout of hot water tanks used for firm frequency response (FFR). The Oxford University spin-out has a partnership with Centrica to integrate its hot water tanks into a virtual power plant (VPP) that is being established in the UK by the energy giant. The 2.5GW VPP secured permission in September from National Grid to use the tanks for FFR, a service Mixergy says it has now started to provide. The company has now raised £3.6 million in its Series A financing to both support the roll out of tanks with British Gas customers and to fuel the next stage of growth in developing innovation and efficient tanks, it said. The lead investor in this round was Foresight Williams Technology, an early stage investor scheme fund collaboration between Foresight Group and Williams Advanced Engineering, with Centrica Innovations also coming back to the company. It made a previous investment into Mixergy in February 2019. Other investors in the Series A funding round were Oxford Sciences Innovation and IP Group. Chris Wiles, senior investment manager at Foresight Group, said the fund was “very impressed” with Mixergy’s vision for better hot water tanks that save consumers energy whilst facilitating the uptake of renewables. “We look forward to supporting Mixergy in the coming years with the rollout of its products across the UK, Europe and North America.” Mixergy’s tanks use machine learning, enterprise data dashboards and an app interface, heating water only when needed. It provides FFR through turning on and off when required, achieved through developments in sensing and control, along with a software platform capable of optimising household heating schedules across a national network of smart connected hot water tanks it has dubbed the Internet of Tanks. Peter Armstrong, CEO of Mixergy, said the funding round comes at an exciting time in markets across the UK, Western Europe and North America. "With recent pledges to transition from natural gas in new build properties by 2025 across Europe along with unprecedented volatility in the UK’s electricity balancing market, Mixergy is well positioned to accelerate the low carbon transition through relationships with low cost manufacturing supply chains that cater to a global market.”

EREVITA Team, 14.12.2019 08:41:59

Centrica has struck a deal to install electric car charging points on the outskirts of London. The British Gas owner will add charging points to ten car dealerships owned by Citygate. The sites are 'the gateway to London', said Centrica executive Carl Bayliss, spanning an arc on the edge of the proposed ultra-low emissions zone from Ruislip in West London to Reading. Innovation: Smart charging means electric cars will help 'smooth' electricity usage from the National Grid through the day by being charged mainly at night +1 Innovation: Smart charging means electric cars will help 'smooth' electricity usage from the National Grid through the day by being charged mainly at night Centrica plans to install electric vehicle charging points in homes too. In the summer, it announced plans to develop a home charging installation service for Ford owners, offering cheaper tariffs for overnight charging. Smart charging means electric cars will help 'smooth' electricity usage from the National Grid through the day by being charged mainly at night, when demand is low. Last month 246,000 plug-in cars had been registered in the UK, up from 3,500 in 2013. The boom will require 29,000 charging points by 2030, when electric vehicles are expected to account for 60 per cent of new car and van sales.

EREVITA Team, 11.12.2019 22:31:41

Chris O'Shea, Executive Director, bought 6,150 shares in the company on the 9th December 2019 at a price of 80.99p. The Director now holds 118,985 shares representing 0.00% of the shares in issue.

EREVITA Team, 21.11.2019 10:07:16

Trading Update 21 November 2019 "Our performance has been solid so far in the second half of the year and we remain on track to achieve our full year targets for both adjusted operating cash flow and net debt. I am encouraged by further growth in customer accounts and the recovery of business energy supply margins in North America, while we also continue to drive material levels of efficiency and maintain capital discipline. Our focus remains on satisfying the changing needs of our customers, providing energy supply and its optimisation, and services and solutions to enable the transition to a lower carbon future."