Archive for category: General News

A golf day organised by the Automatic Door Suppliers Association (ADSA) turned out to be its ‘best by par’ raising approximately £3,500 for charity.

The event, at Branston Golf and Country Club, Staffordshire, saw 28 teams – made up from 34 of ADSA’s members – battling to take the top spot

Winners of the ADSA Cup were SDG Access, of Lincoln, who were delighted with their achievement – one member was so thrilled that he stood on his chair to enjoy a moment of celebration when the winning team was announced. Runners-up were new ADSA member Hephaestus Solutions (HSL), who played on home turf, based in nearby Burton upon Trent. And in third place, were last year’s champions, Copperjax Contract Maintenance, from Kent.

Individual awards were presented for ‘nearest the pin’ on the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th holes, longest drive on holes three and ten and a novelty putting competition on the practice green. Some of the holes were sponsored by ADSA’s corporate members.

The day started with a golfers’ breakfast prior to tee-off on an 18-hole championship course and culminated with dinner at the Pavilion, attended by 140 people.

A raffle was held following dinner, with prizes including a round of golf at Enville Golf Course, a golf bag, a ‘pub in a box’, spirits, food hampers and gift vouchers.

All funds raised are being donated to ADSA’s chosen charities:

• Golf Fanatics – a charity that provides mobility equipment to young people
• Lighthouse Construction Charity
• Changes, Tamworth

ADSA MD Ken Price said: “The ADSA charity golf day is always a much anticipated date for the diary and this year, it was bigger and better than ever before. In the main, we were blessed with good weather and everyone had a great time.

“One of the highlights of the event, was the raffle from which we managed to raise a serious amount of money for our chosen charities and we would sincerely like to thank members, suppliers and partners who generously donated prizes.”

These included: BEA, Branston Golf and Country Club, Crucial Engineering, Door Industry Journal, Dormakaba, FAAC Entrance Solutions, GEZE UK, GFI, Horton Automatics, Insight Automation, Koru Media, L2 Media, Label UK, RTR Services and Tillymint Communications.

For more information on ADSA membership contact: rachel@adsa.org.uk or visit: www.adsa.org.uk

Sunak condemned HS2 as “the result of the old consensus”.

He said that in the years since it was initially conceived, with spiralling costs and changes in travel patterns,  “the facts have changed – and the right thing to do when the facts change is to change direction”.

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce – ‘Fed up of broken promises’

Commenting on the news that the Northern leg of HS2 is to be cancelled by the government, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s Director of Policy, Chris Fletcher, said: “After much speculation Government has at last shown its hand by announcing the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2 and the money to be re-invested into yet another new scheme, ‘Network North’.

“Whilst this may sound like a better use of the money with new lines promised and road schemes included too the simple fact is that irrespective of what it is called we are still no nearer getting the transport network that we actually needed years ago to unlock the north’s potential. We have been promised a lot before and nothing has been done and this latest attempt from government will be treated with cynicism and scepticism by a lot of people.

“HS2 was a major investment opportunity for the UK that would unburden a worn-out network already at over capacity; boost the country’s net zero ambitions and open up labour markets and job opportunities on a scale like never before. Plus it was also a cornerstone of Northern Powerhouse Rail. Network North has to deliver all this and more and in a shorter timescale if this government is to have any credibility and successive government’s performance on this over the last decade has not been great.

“If the scale of what the PM announced is to be realised then there will have to be a huge investment in upskilling and training an army of workers for the challenge ahead. At present there are gaps and shortages in critical construction and engineering jobs, something HS2 has been good at resolving through apprenticeships and that will have to be stepped up unless we are to face yet more hold ups and delays in construction.

“This still has the feeling of a political concept rather than a practical solution. I would like to see the technical and engineering data and reports that this decision for HS2 was based on and, how they have identified what the new programme of infrastructure will deliver. My guess is that this is still a back of a beer mat plan and reality will be very different.

“Put bluntly we are fed up of broken promises, delays, cuts and hopes about finally getting what we need being dashed for political expediency. We will be watching closely and waiting on further details of what will be delivered and, more importantly, when.”

Lord McLoughlin, Chair of Transport for the North – ‘Quite a few areas that require further clarification’

“The cancelling of the northern leg of HS2 is naturally disappointing. It’s undeniable that this will be seen by many as a missed opportunity for the region, and the country as a whole. Only last week, northern business and political leaders came together at our TfN Board to speak with ‘one voice’ to reaffirm our position that HS2 and NPR in full are vital to truly transform the North.

“The announcement of investment in the region is obviously welcome. And we will look to work with government to fully understand the implications for the North of the proposals set out today in the Prime Minister’s speech, and consult with our Board on the best way forward in light of this new change of policy. There are still quite a few areas that require further clarification from the Department for Transport, which we will be seeking from them.”

Alex Green, Head of Let’s Go Zero – ‘What we need from the government is leadership’

“It’s laughable to focus on changing the A-Level system. Young people’s priority is the quality of their futures in an uncertain and dangerous world – the effect of climate change on their future food supplies, jobs, homes, cost of living, and security. When students are asking their teachers ‘what’s the point of us getting good exam results if we have no future?’ – we’re in a desperate situation.

“What we need from government is leadership on net zero policies that will make a long-term impact to all young people, but all we’ve seen to date is net zero policy U-turns that will give them little hope. While the government faffs around making changes to A-Levels, our children will continue to be educated in crumbling, carbon-emitting buildings that are wholly unfit for our changing climate.”

Let’s Go Zero enables schools to take action to become zero carbon by 2030, demonstrating a commitment to climate action that will ripple through society. There are more than 2,400 schools now signed up to the campaign.

Sir Robert McAlpine CEO Paul Hamer – ‘Robust Delivery Plans’

“disappointing that the economic and political climate has deterred this ambitious project to improve and rebalance the overall economic health of the country from inception to completion”.

Regarding the promised alternatives, Hamer said they “must now be accompanied by robust delivery plans to ensure intentions are viable and we are still building towards a better future, rather than taking a step back”.

Ramboll UK managing director Philippa Spence – ‘Ripple effect on jobs and growth’

“Major Capital Projects like HS2 have an incredible economic multiplier effect which enables skills growth and world-leading innovation in technology and construction techniques. When such projects are cut, there is a ripple effect on jobs and growth through many sectors. We haven’t seen the likes of anything as significant as the recent infrastructure rollback the government is leading for a long time, so will the replacement Network North deliver the growth we need?”

 Tim Seal, Head of Construction at law firm Ridgemont – ‘Terminating contracts’

“In particular what does the termination clause say about terminating the contract where the Government shelves the project?  It may well have been drafted to limit or exclude the contractor from having a right of recourse, which would make it difficult for affected businesses to dispute the termination of their HS2 contracts.”

Protium tells us about hydrogen’s role in the UK’s pursuit of a cleaner and more resilient energy future and the opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation through strategic local projects

Like many other countries, the UK is facing the challenge of modernising its energy infrastructure while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint. The challenges are multi- faceted, ranging from intermittent renewable energy sources to the need for energy storage and grid stability. Here, we look at how a more agile, less conventional approach to green hydrogen might just deliver a solution.

A growing role in the energy transition

Green hydrogen is increasingly recognised worldwide for its importance in the transition to a net zero economy. It has the potential to decarbonise multiple sectors of the economy by providing an energy resource for hard-to-abate industries, a zero-carbon transportation fuel for larger vehicles, an on-demand carbon- free fuel for power generation, and a cleaner residential heating fuel.

The UK Government has highlighted the critical role that green hydrogen will play in its energy system, supporting both UK energy independence and carbon reduction targets within its 2022 British Energy Security Strategy – in which the Government laid plans to double the UK’s hydrogen production, up to 10GW by 2030.

While headlines often focus on large-scale and major hydrogen projects, often imagined to be serving as massive, straightforward electricity storage facilities, a more compelling argument for hydrogen may lie in a step change away from conventional thinking. Instead, one exciting approach is to look to smaller, more focused projects with greater flexibility to deal with the challenges facing the National Grid.

Supporting localised production

Electricity distribution is moving away from centralised production based on fossil fuels and towards localised production as more renewables are added to the grid. The rate at which the UK is achieving this historical shift is commendable, however, National Grid is struggling to keep up with the rate
of change.

Smaller-scale green hydrogen projects can contribute to this by servicing more localised demand. Excess electricity can be converted into hydrogen close to electricity production, reducing the need for electricity transmission. As a storable energy vector, hydrogen can then be utilised at a later point, for example,
in industrial heating applications.

These projects can also be deployed more rapidly, building up a network across the UK that can better negotiate regulatory frameworks and scales of investment to play a full part in the development of low-carbon hydrogen.

Optimising intermittent renewable sources

In 2022, 40% of UK power came from renewable or low-carbon sources, including nuclear. However, their intermittent nature poses a significant challenge to grid stability. Localised and decentralised hydrogen plants – rather than a single large one – can react flexibly to supplies and peaks of electricity on the grid, all in different locations. Any imbalances in the grid would not just be in one specific location but rather spread around
the grid.

Decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors – and equity in regions

While the UK has made significant progress in decarbonising its electricity generation – other sectors such as heavy industry, transportation, and heating remain challenging to
electrify directly.

There are also equity considerations and implications within the UK because more remote areas grid-wise mean fewer options to increase energy consumption via electricity, leading to energy-deprived regions that will potentially be left behind in the energy transition. Green hydrogen can increase the amount of usable energy in these regions due to its flexibility in production and consumption. This extends to electric vehicles, industrial heat, and indoor heating.

Challenges and considerations

Electrification has been seen by many as the route to decarbonisation, but the reality of achieving this is starkly different. A recent independent report by Nick Winser, the UK’s Electricity Networks Commissioner, examined how to accelerate the deployment of strategic electricity transmission infrastructure. “Currently, the expectation is that strategic transmission may take twelve to fourteen years from identification of the need to commissioning,” he writes.

Challenges around hydrogen that must be addressed include reducing hydrogen production costs, the need for infrastructure development, and ensuring the sustainability of hydrogen production methods. Additionally, the efficiency of hydrogen production, storage, and conversion technologies needs to be improved to maximise the benefits of using hydrogen as an energy carrier. So, there is no single silver bullet – green hydrogen complements electrification by presenting an opportunity to de-bottleneck and decongest areas of the grid that struggle with the rate of change.

The proof is in the delivery

Small ideas can have big impacts, as Protium is demonstrating already, by working on initiatives in the UK and aiming to deliver 1GW by 2030. A great example of this is Protium’s partnership with AB InBev, where the companies are working on UK projects together to decarbonise the Budweiser Brewing Group operations. Most significant is the plan for a green hydrogen production facility at AB InBev’s site in Magor, South Wales, which produces one billion pints of beer per year – 8% of the UK’s beer. The facility will provide heating for the operations and for HGVs and forklifts.

In summary and recommendations

Hydrogen can offer a versatile tool in the pursuit of a cleaner and more resilient energy future. There is a golden opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation through strategic local projects – particularly in hard-to-electrify sectors and remote areas.

It is, therefore, vital that future energy planning has a focus on smaller assets. Making more projects a reality requires an easier planning and permitting process; the option for hydrogen to be brought in at an earlier stage in localised planning and establishing ancillary services on the grid, enabling easier connection of hydrogen production facilities.

Source: Open Access Government

The North Sea Transition Authority, the responsible regulatory body, said last week that the UK has approved the exploration of oil and gas in its largest undeveloped field

To improve energy security and ensure low energy prices, according to the authority, it had “granted development and production consent” to the companies Equinor and Ithaca Energy.

Production on the Rosebank field, located in the North Sea some 128 kilometers (80 miles) northwest of the Shetland Islands, is expected to start in 2026 at the earliest and could produce an expected 300 million barrels of oil over its lifetime.

What is the government saying?

The British government said developing new fields is necessary to improve the UK’s energy security and ensure stable prices, particularly in light of the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.

UK Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said the measures would help grow the national economy and “help us deliver the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy.”

The approval comes on the heels of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak significantly softening some of the UK’s climate policies. Last week, Sunak pushed back the phase-out of combustion engine cars and gas boilers, among other steps that would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Nonetheless, the government says it is still on track to meet zero carbon emissions by 2050, as the new project will cause “significantly less emissions than previous developments.”

Approval draws anger from activists and opposition       

But environmental activists and Green politicians have blasted the decision, arguing the measures mean the UK will miss its climate targets.

“This is morally obscene,” Green Party lawmaker Caroline Lucas posted on social media. “It won’t improve energy security or lower bills — but it will shatter our climate commitments.”

In August, 50 politicians from both houses of the UK Parliament and representing all major parties wrote to the government to block the approval, saying it could produce 200 million tons of carbon dioxide.

Several climate scientists have come out against the conservative government’s U-turn on climate policy, which is seen by observers as an attempt to win over voters ahead of the 2024 election.

There are increasing concerns that civil servants in the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) are attempting to undermine the Prime Minister’s attempts to reset the UK’s net zero policies.

In a briefing issued to the heating industry only hours after the PM’s net zero speech officials outlined their continuing approach to “encouraging” households to fit heat pumps, retaining unrealistic targets for heat pump installations and their commitment to the Clean Heat Market Mechanism (CHMM) that will add hundreds of pounds to the cost of a new boiler.

The Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) is calling on the Number 10 and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) to confirm policy direction for decarbonising heating, as claims around heat pump installations in the Prime Minister’s speech last week unravel.

Mike Foster, Chief Executive of the EUA says it’s not clear who is driving domestic heat policy. “The Prime Minister’s net zero reset is unravelling fast. He told the country that households did not need to fit a heat pump instead of a gas boiler until 2035, but Whitehall officials have directly contradicted this by insisting that 600,000 heat pumps are fitted a year by 2028. That’s one in three homes. Which is it, Prime Minister?”

Under Whitehall targets one in three homes will need to be fitting heat pumps and not gas boilers, seven years earlier than the Prime Minister’s alluded to in his speech.

Mr Foster says consumers will foot the bill.

“We now know how they plan to do this, by putting a boiler tax on the cost of a new boiler to make them more expensive. The downside of all this is that those who cannot afford a heat pump, will have to pay more to buy a boiler.”

In his speech, the Prime Minister explained that his new policy was driven by concerns about the cost of heat pumps compared to gas boilers. According to the government average, heat pumps cost £13,000 each compared to £2,500 for a gas boiler replacement.

Mr Foster continued:

“Even with the extra money provided for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which now offers a grant of £7,500, homeowners will still need to pay around £5,500 for a heat pump installation – a grant which is now capped at 20,000 homes per year.”

Amid the lack of consumer demand highlighted by the Prime Minister in his speech, the CHMM threatens to fine boiler manufacturers £340 million next year if they fail to fit 68,000 heat pumps. The following year fine will be over £500 million. It is expected that boiler manufacturers will increase the price of a boiler to pay for the fine or “boiler tax” as it has been dubbed.

“I want to believe the Prime Minister is genuine in his intent but the briefing from officials suggests his statement was all spin and not for real,” says Mr Foster. “He can prove he genuinely believes what he said by scrapping the CHMM and not imposing a further boiler tax on heating our own homes.”