Made my day….

I get the #BlueMonday thing, but the feeling when your bins are collected and you have cleared the post-Christmas rubbish backlog gives me a perhaps disproportionate shot of endorphins….

An excellent response from @tomforth.co.uk to the TBI proposal for new R&D institutions outside universities. I agree that it would be better if the UK had more diversity in R&D institutions; Tom brilliantly identifies some blind-spots in the TBI analysis. To pick out a few key points...

77? Seventy fucking seven….

🚨Just released🚨 'Tipping the balance: Cheaper electricity is needed to drive clean heating' Our brand new globally focussed paper looks at the role of energy pricing in delivering clean heat uptake and provides examples of what has been done to reduce electricity prices.

A bit of self-indulgence on a chilly Tuesday. Some reflections 10 years on from Amber Rudd's 'Reset' energy speech. What worked out as we hoped? What did not? Coal, offshore wind, system operator reform, half-hourly settlement. All the exciting stuff...

If you are in energy, you literally have nothing better to do right now than read this by @knowledgeproblem.bsky.social .... What the Economics Nobel teaches us about energy and innovation.... substack.com/home/post/p-...

1. To opinions! Solar is the cheapest source of bulk electricity in many countries, and the quickest to deploy, and now you couldn't stop it being built if you wanted to. The limits to PV build in most places are grid access, permitting, and sometimes installation labour.

Rental properties are often left behind when it comes to heating systems. If you'd like to learn how Fornax can help future-proof your portfolio, get in touch and join the growing number of landlords getting ahead of the curve. #HeatPumps #CleanTech #Fintech #NetZero #Landlords lnkd.in/p/ej_k4nKs

These flags at the Last Night of the Proms are out of control…..

Essential reading…..

Interesting big study looking at the geography of public R&D funding in 200 regions across 22 European countries. It supports the @tomforth.co.uk @richardaljones.bsky.social argument that R&D policy can often act as a form of anti-regional policy www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

This ONS article is helpful for thinking about the magnitudes of energy crisis vs. Brexit. (NB France, Italy and Germany also had an energy crisis, of course.) www.ons.gov.uk/economy/econ...

Invention vs. Innovation The need for market signals in power What is needed to deliver clean power plans and reduce costs to consumers? Today’s Transmission guest is @guynewey.bsky.social - check it out on the usual channels

As someone who has dislocated both shoulders many, many times, I can tell you that trying to run fast three days after doing it is not advisable…

Somewhat ambitious holiday reading list….

Excellent thread. What a missed opportunity…..

I hope Lucy Bronze, as she walked up to take her penalty, looked up at the ‘Abba > Beatles’ sign in the crowd and thought: ‘I’m not having that…’

I tell you naught for your comfort, Yea, naught for your desire, Save that the sky grows darker yet And the sea rises higher. Pretty much sums it up….

Any zonal chat here?

Catch our CEO, @guynewey.bsky.social, on 13 June at @uk100.org’s 5 and 25 Local Climate Conference in Birmingham. Join Guy at 2PM for the “How a Local Area Energy Plan Can Unlock Growth” session. Secure your space: www.uk100.org/events/uk100...

Sooo... the government has removed the 1m planning rule in England, and the BBC have opened the comments section on their article...😱😳 Because I clearly hate myself, let's do a quick fact check on some of the most popular comments... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Hot fuss: A fast-to-install, flat-against-the-wall, heat pump and hot water tank in one... As part of my new Substack, I am going to profile some of the most exciting up-and-coming UK clean tech companies. First up, Bristol-based heat pump innovator Nusku.

Hot fuss: A fast-to-install, flat-against-the-wall, heat pump and hot water tank in one... As part of my new Substack, I am going to profile some of the most exciting up-and-coming UK clean tech companies. First up, Bristol-based heat pump innovator Nusku.

@guynewey.bsky.social joins UKERC Director Rob Gross on UKERC's Talking Energy podcast to explore the intersection of innovation and clean energy policy. @energysyscat.bsky.social Don't miss this insightful episode. ukerc.ac.uk/multimedia/t...

There has been lots of chat about the 21st century being China’s century….. now I believe it. #snooker

Off to watch the mighty Enfield Town. For those of you not paying attention @ETFCOfficial had a magnificent promotion last year, winning the play-off game against Chatham...

Now turned into a fuller blog with some thoughts on how I would approach the decision if I was still in the game... open.substack.com/pub/guynewey...

A few zonal pricing thoughts for the weekend, as ministers contemplate politically difficult, contentious changes to the way electricity is priced....

Whose fault is it? Beckett? Blair? Bloody windmills? Why are British electricity prices so high and how did we get here? I have tried to break this down in a new, rather long Substack and look at the potential factors in our high prices.

Just had a chat with a high-potential SME in a part of the energy sector which is desperate for innovation. They are trying something that would be great for customers and it appears to be being stifled by regulatory intransigence.

In this week's newsletter: A new podcast with @guynewey.bsky.social @energysyscat.bsky.social. New research on flexibility in the GB power system. Join our webinar on May 6 on understanding global energy technology supply chains. Plus jobs, events and funding. mailchi.mp/3ed43ab5321e...

NET ZERO AT WAR A new post on the Unbalancing Mechanism. What would it take to win a war in a world where the UK's access to fossil fuels is limited? How do the measures we're taking to decarbonise impact this? How should war plans impact policy now? open.substack.com/pub/unbalanc...

Fancy getting a new efficient, heating system for free? We're looking for homeowners with electric heating and smart meters to join our research project (note we are looking for quite a select target group - so please pass on to anyone you think might fit the bill/benefit).

New speakers added to Heat Pump Unconference June 23 2025 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-heat-p... @openenergymon.bsky.social @l-bow.bsky.social @petereastern.bsky.social @nestauk.bsky.social @guynewey.bsky.social @protons4b.bsky.social

If you read one thing this weekend on the energy transition, read this. It won't happen if it doesn't work properly... utilityweek.co.uk/delivering-c...

Woefully late to the party, I have started a substack - The Widening Gyre.

One of the barriers to take up of heat pumps is the upfront cost. One of the potential ways to solve that problem, as we have done in loads of other markets, is creating a serviced offer (in this case, heat as a service)....

On the off chance you are thinking about potential credible pathways to net zero, we have done the whole system modelling so you don't have to.... tl;dr: it is very tough, but possible with LOTS of innovation. But you need to get on with it.

Some new Looking for Growth @lfg_uk merch arrived today. Very excited….

‘‘For aficionados of planning-based acronyms in the energy sector, these are halcyon days’. My post on how we might get the emerging energy plannjng regime to work, and the essential role of robust local area energy planning in getting stuff built.

Who needs 6Nations rugby when you can be at the Sidemen charity match? If you don’t know who the Sidemen are - they are a bunch of YouTubers who can sell out Wembley in 45 minutes.

Always amazed by the turns innovation takes us on, but 'The Mind' is blowing my, er, mind. A game sold for £8.99 where the equipment is, I kid you not, cards with the numbers 1-100 written on it. And it is brilliant, super simple, family fun. Gotta love the market economy...

Calling all civil servants and data nerds in the energy & climate space: if you were going to preemptively save any particular documents or data from websites (just in case, no reason), what would it be? (feel free to DM or hmu on Signal if you'd rather not reply publicly)

Today is a good day. First the Government looks like it is going to lean towards the radical on planning reform (including the creation of a Nature Restoration Fund, which will be a better way of offsetting damage).

Is it just possible that both gas prices AND the cost of renewables are responsible for GB's high energy prices (plus coal and nuclear decisions, and countless other myriad design choices)?

Let's give this cross-X/Bsky posting thing a go (via Buffer)....

This is a nice OECD study I just sent to @tomforth.co.uk about the impact of devolving local government control. It uses a lot of data to test Tom's thesis that excessive centralisation is a huge drain on productivity. So what does it find.... Drum roll please... www.oecd.org/en/publicati...

This is a really interesting post, and helped sharpen up lots of things this non-economist brain grapples with….. important for energy and climate policy, and theories of….