Our Insight papers offer detailed and evidence-based thought leadership on key market characteristics. They are designed to provide thought-provoking perspectives and recommendations as well as contribute to industry debates. Through a combination of in-depth industry knowledge and practical experience, our Insight papers will help you keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the market.
E-mobility and low carbon
At the back end of 2020, the government published a plan to put an end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by the end of the decade. While welcome news for many, this target – the most ambitious in the G7 – brought into...
Low carbon generation
From 6 April 2022 it has become mandatory for over 1,300 of the largest UK-registered companies to disclose their climate-related financial information in line with the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations. As part of this, all corporations on the Financial Conduct Authority’s Official List (are “listed”) are required...
Low carbon generation
Contributors from Womble Bond Dickinson: Richard Cockburn, Chris Towner, Matt Lewy, Anthony Alderman, Vicki Redman, Simon Hughes, Sebastian Briggs, Lisa Rushton, Belton Zeigle The United Kingdom is well placed to play a key role in global efforts to dramatically reduce carbon emissions over the coming decades. An urgent need to...
Business supply and services
This report outlines the challenges that energy intensive industries (EIIs) face in decarbonising their heat supply, (currently dominated by natural gas) by switching to grid-supplied electricity. The paper has been sponsored by the Confederation for Paper Industries (CPI) and therefore has a particular focus. However, many of the challenges highlighted...
Low carbon generation
With climate change high on the agenda, many countries are looking at decarbonising their electricity generation and incorporating more renewable generation into their electricity systems. This research snapshot focuses on energy market design in Great Britain (GB), Ireland and Australia, considering what is being done to adapt to the changing...
Home supply and services
Ireland has an ambitious vision to reach net zero by 2050, and decarbonising residential heating is a significant challenge. This report examines the potential for hydrogen-based heating solutions in decarbonising residential heating in Ireland.On comparing the various options of using hydrogen for domestic heating in Ireland, hydrogen blending in the...
Business supply and services
A corporate power purchase agreement (or CPPA) is an agreement between a generator and a corporate end-user. Typically, it will set out pre-agreed volumes, contract length and price, which will be on a bespoke basis. The energy is delivered over the public network, so the negotiations are essentially about appropriately...
Low carbon generation
In our latest short research paper, we consider policy options and solutions for the building and repowering of assets across GB, Ireland, and Australia. While technology can be uitilised to optimize renewable energy assets and extend their life, the components and materials from decommissioned assets can be refurbished, reused or...
Net zero corporates and ESG
An increasing number of businesses are looking to reduce their emissions and become sustainable to align with the government’s net zero strategy. Setting targets is crucial for companies with complexity across sectors, technologies and business structures. This paper, in partnership with Shoosmiths, explores the potential routes to decarbonisation that businesses...
Net zero corporates and ESG
This paper addresses one of the fundamental issues in the transition to net zero: how to resolve the accrual of national decarbonisation benefits with the imposition of regional network costs through distribution charges. It examines this through the lens of North Scotland, where the tension between these two forces is...
E-mobility and low carbon
Cornwall Insight and TLT spoke to stakeholders in the Electric Vehicle (EV) charging space about the charging infrastructure market and the business models that support it. The UK’s 2030 petrol and diesel car sales ban is igniting the charging infrastructure race. However, there are still challenges ahead related to technology,...
Business supply and services
Hydrogen has an important role in decarbonising the industrial sector; simultaneously, industries need to redesign and reinvent their processes to use hydrogen. Low carbon hydrogen should be adopted in applications with maximum emission reduction potential to maximise its decarbonisation potential. Read here Training on Net zero transition: Low carbon heat...
Home supply and services
A connected home is defined as one with multiple integrated devices that can be automated and easily controlled to create a safe, convenient, and comfortable environment. The largest companies operating in the connected home sector are the technology majors such as Amazon, Google and Apple, but there are also many...
Energy storage and flexibility
With battery storage and demand side response (DSR) set to play a significant role in supporting the delivery of greater amounts of renewable power and managing electricity networks, we consider revenue streams for related flexibility services across GB, Ireland, and Australia. While outside the scope of this paper, routes to...
Net zero corporates and ESG
Ahead of COP26, Cornwall Insight and TLT spoke to industry leaders about the UK’s progress with building a green finance market and what’s needed to make green finance mainstream. As the whole world looks to the Glasgow summit for new, progressive policies, what do businesses, investors and financial institutions deem...
Home supply and services
The domestic energy supply market has gone through a period of intense competition over the last five years. Lower barriers to entry saw a rise in licensed competitors to a peak of 62 in 2018, diversifying propositions, service and added value options for consumers. Today, that number has fallen to...
Low carbon generation
There is no single technological fix to resolve the climate crisis. Instead, a range of technologies must be developed and deployed at scale to tackle the vast challenges associated with the deep decarbonisation of the economy. This report will cover a few of those technologies, including carbon capture, hydrogen, floating...
Low carbon generation
In light of delayed RESS-2 auctions in Ireland, and the prospect of buying constraints in the next CfD auction (for established technologies) leading to many disappointed developers, the question of whether “merchant” project development is viable will soon be occupying the minds of our customers in both Ireland and Great...
Heat networks
The costs of decarbonising the power system have mainly been funded through consumers’ electricity bills. In 2020-21 these costs amounted to £10bn with the expectation that support for low carbon generation will continue to be necessary. If we are to maintain a trajectory to net zero carbon emissions at 2050,...
Power and gas networks
We have compiled this research note on the UK hydrogen economy as a primer for an upcoming series of hydrogen insight papers. We discuss past and current hydrogen support schemes in the UK as well as the bodies that have been established to stimulate a hydrogen economy. We explain various...
Low carbon generation
The scale and speed of the net zero targets require a refocus of the traditional goals of electricity market design to ensure efficient dispatch, adequate capacity and optimal investment. Electricity markets need to support the investment and dispatch to meet low carbon objectives, but the fundamental drivers of the electricity...
Energy storage and flexibility
WSP, Cornwall Insight and Complete Strategy are undertaking a Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) funded project on behalf of National Grid Electricity System Operator (NG ESO) and Western Power Distribution (WPD). The project is investigating the optimal coordination of Active Network Management (ANM) schemes on both the distribution and transmission networks...
E-mobility and low carbon
PwC & Cornwall Insight have partnered to better understand and explain the rapidly evolving market for fleet electrification. Fleet charging has the potential to revolutionise EVs. It has the scale to accelerate the adoption of EVs across the UK, improve air quality, lower noise pollution and ultimately play a critical...
Regulation and policy
This is the third research paper in a series exploring the evolution of regional flexibility markets and how they can support the development of an efficient, low carbon energy system. The series is prepared by Cornwall Insight, Complete Strategy and Shakespeare Martineau. This paper has been led by Complete Strategy...
Regulation and policy
This is the second in our series of “Future Networks” discussion papers. It builds on the background laid out in our recent “Setting the Scene” publication. The focus of this paper is on how the future roles of Distribution System Operators (DSOs) may evolve if flexibility exchange platforms became widespread,...
Regulation and policy
This is the inaugural research paper in a series that will explore the evolution of regional flexibility markets and how they can support the development of an efficient, low carbon energy system. Entitled “Future Networks”, the series will be jointly prepared by Cornwall Insight, Complete Strategy and Shakespeare Martineau. This...
Low carbon generation
Increasing levels of intermittent generation around the world are prompting debates for market participants and operators about how to optimise network design and ensure appropriate regulatory and commercial arrangements. This includes the most appropriate methods for charging for networks, managing access to them and dealing with issues such as network...
Low carbon generation
With the recent activity in the Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) market in Ireland, one can be forgiven for thinking that the landscape for energy purchasing by large Corporate entities is shifting drastically and quickly. Amazon has signed direct agreements with two wind farms and the government has set stretch...
Heat networks
The UK faces a variety of challenges in terms of tackling heat decarbonisation and implementing effective, low-risk options to serve toward meeting 2050 targets. Carbon produced from heat is the single largest contributor to overall emissions in the UK, at 37% of the total per year. Heat networks may have...
Low carbon generation
A wind turbine is the same piece of engineering no matter where on earth it is located, yet assuming largely similar natural wind resources, the variety of risks and value wind turbines create is very much driven by the market characteristics in which they operate. As a pre-eminent energy research,...
