Former coal mine to be transformed into revolutionary new energy source — here's how it could power 3 million homes
Two large, grid-supporting battery storage facilities have been approved in Scotland, according to the BBC.
Billed as Europe's largest such effort, perhaps of most interest is the fact that part of the installation will be on the site of a former coal mine, a representation of the country's transition to cleaner, renewable energy. Around 90% of Scotland's electricity is generated using wind, sun, and nuclear power, per the BBC.
"Battery storage, which is well located … enhances energy security, provides the grid with much-needed flexibility and enables low-cost renewables to be deployed faster," Nischal Agarwal, regional lead of project developer Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, said in a news release.
The packs are crucial to renewable energy's success, as they can store the power for later use, making it available during peak demand. The saved juice also offers blackout protection, a growing concern in some places. Euronews reported that more than 30% of global electricity is generated by renewables. Tesla's Megapacks are an example of the tech being used to hold some of it.
While the latest projects are a good start, energy experts estimate the United Kingdom needs to add six times more battery storage capacity by the end of the decade to meet energy demand flow across the U.K., the BBC reported.
Another project, Devilla, is planned near Kincardine. The three locations will be able to power 4.5 million homes for two hours, according to CIP.
The new locations will cost about $998 million, the release continued. The investment can go a long way to reducing heat-trapping air pollution, linked by NASA to a growing risk of severe weather events, including coastal storms and wildfires.
The Coalburn project will be charged by wind turbines, and the packs are set to be online later this year. It's all part of the United Kingdom's goal of reaching the often-touted "net zero" mark by 2050, the BBC reported.
The United Nations described net zero as reducing planet-warming air pollution to amounts that can be naturally absorbed safely in the environment. It's a goal companies and governments often include in strategic plans but sometimes fail to take sufficient action to reach. As citizens and consumers, we can help by staying educated on the progress. The knowledge can help you to make informed decisions when you vote and shop.
When you're buying a kitchen appliance, which of these factors is most important to you?
Price
Safety
Effectiveness
Style and appearance
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
In Scotland, the BBC reported that the work order also includes a nine-turbine wind project, set to be complete by 2027.
"By helping to supply reliable and secure power to our homes and businesses, well-located storage systems, such as batteries and pumped hydro storage, can move us closer to net zero and directly support the communities around them," Scotland First Minister John Swinney told the BBC.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Scottish Government refuses to rule out changes to pensioners' winter payment
The Scottish Government has not ruled out making changes to its equivalent on the winter fuel payment scheme, amid concerns some pensioners could be left worse off than their counterparts south of the border. A spokesperson for First Minister John Swinney said ministers at Holyrood were 'trying to understand the fiscal implications' of Monday's policy change by the UK Government. After cutting the winter fuel payment for all but the poorest pensioners last year, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has now confirmed some nine million pensioners in England and Wales will receive the benefit this winter. The payment, worth up to £300, will be restored to the vast majority of pensioners who previously received it, with those with an income of under £35,000 a year qualifying for the UK Government's payment. Today we are expanding Winter Fuel Payments to benefit nine million pensioners this winter. It is right that we continue to means-test this payment so that it is targeted and fair. That's why we have acted to expand eligibility so no pensioner on a lower income will miss out. — Rachel Reeves (@RachelReevesMP) June 9, 2025 In Scotland, ministers had already announced plans to ensure all pensioner households receive a payment. The Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will see all pensioner households get at least £100, with poorer pensioners getting either £200 or £300 depending on their age. Labour, however, challenged SNP ministers to ensure that 'no struggling Scottish pensioners will be left out of pocket under their plans'. Mr Swinney's spokesperson confirmed that, as it stands, the policy in Scotland has not been changed. But adding that ministers are 'trying to understand the fiscal implications' of what has been announced', the spokesperson refused to rule out future changes to the payments. 'We will always seek to support pensioners in Scotland the best we can, we are absolutely committed to that,' the spokesperson said. The change in policy from the UK Government will bring additional money for the Scottish Government – with the spokesperson stressing SNP ministers are 'still trying to understand' how much extra cash could be due. Here, the spokesperson stressed the Scottish Government's budget is 'set largely by Westminster', adding: 'We have to, frankly, read the tea leaves sometimes about what is going to happen to our block grant throughout the year.' The comments from the First Minister's spokesperson came as Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville described the UK Government's handling of of the benefit as 'shambolic'. Ms Somerville welcomed Labour's U-turn on the benefit cut, but said the decision should never have happened in the first place. She told BBC Radio Scotland it was 'very difficult to try and run a devolved social security system when you're actually finding out some of the details on social media before you can actually find out the details from the Government'. The Social Justice Secretary insisted that was 'no way for the Governments to work together,', adding she was 'deeply disappointed in the way that the UK Government have handled this once again with the Scottish Government'. Scottish Secretary Ian Murray stressed the benefit was devolved to Scotland, saying: 'This is a devolved payment. There's lots of social security that is devolved in Scotland. It is up to the Scottish Government to develop that and come up with their own policy.' The Labour MP also told BBC Radio Scotland the Scottish Government's winter fuel payments system meant that 'limited public money' will go towards helping millionaire pensioners with their heating bills. He insisted the initial decision by the UK Government to scrap the universal payments had been the 'right thing to do at the time', but added that changes could be made to this now the economy has been 'stabilised'.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
World Snooker Championship Post Event Analysis 2025: BBC Secures Snooker Broadcasting Rights Until 2032 in Landmark Deal Extension
Explore the record-breaking 2025 World Snooker Championship, featuring insights into its sponsorships, broadcasting milestones, and attendance. With 29M streams across BBC platforms and a renewed BBC rights deal until 2032, the championship highlights its growing popularity in the UK snooker scene. Dublin, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Post Event Analysis - World Snooker Championship 2025" report has been added to analysis of the recent 2025 World Snooker Championship, including a look at its sponsorship portfolio, broadcasters, attendance and the UK, the 2025 World Snooker Championship achieved a record-breaking 29 million streams across the BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app. The tournament achieved a cumulative television reach of 12.6 million viewers across BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC Four in the UK. At the beginning of 2025, the World Snooker Tour renewed its long-running rights deal with the BBC, the UK public-service broadcaster, until 2032. The five-year deal extension ensures that the World Snooker Tour's flagship 'Triple Crown' events (the World Championship, the UK Championship, and the Masters) remain free-to-air across the UK. UK-based television sports production and media company Sunset+Vine announced in 2024 that it will be the new official production partner for the BBC's snooker coverage. This deal runs through 2027; no production partner has signed for BBC's five-year deal through to 2032 to 2025 World Snooker Championship had an estimated sponsorship revenue of $1.71 million. The 2025 World Snooker Championship's largest agreed partnership in terms of annual value is the tournament's deal with Halo, the workflow automation software company, which served as the competition's title sponsor. The deal is worth an estimated $1 million annually. Nongfu Spring, the mineral water supplier, have been a partner of the World Snooker Tour since 2023-2024 and the partnership has been agreed to continue through the 2024-25 season. The deal covers the Triple Crown Series and the Welsh Open only. Star Xing Pai, the snooker table manufacturer, have served as an official supplier of the World Snooker Tour since 2009 and the partnership has been confirmed to continue through the 2024-2025 2025 World Snooker Championship saw a total prize money of £2,395,000 ($3,195,624). The winner, Zhao Xintong, took home a prize of £500,000 ($667,249), with the runner-up, Mark Williams, claiming £200,000 ($266,899).? Mark Allen won the prize for the tournament's highest break at the Crucible received a bonus of £15,000 ($20,015). He achieved the only 147 of the year's championship and the 15th maximum break ever witnessed at the venue. In comparison to other snooker tournaments, the winner of the Saudi Arabia Masters also receives £500,000 ($667,249), whilst the winner of the Masters received £350,000 ($467,608). Company Coverage: Halo Midnite Nongfu Spring WSP Textiles Star Xing Pai Key Topics Covered: 1. Event Introduction Executive Summary Introduction 2. Media Landscape World Snooker Championship 2025 Viewership and Domestic Media Rights World Snooker Championship 2025 Broadcasters Breakdown 3. Sponsorship Landscape World Snooker Championship 2025 Sponsorship Portfolio World Snooker Championship 2025 Sponsorship Breakdown 4. Prize Money World Snooker Championship 2025 Prize Money Breakdown 5. Attendance and Ticketing World Snooker Championship 2025 Ticketing Breakdown World Snooker Championship 2025 Attendance Breakdown For more information about this report visit About is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@ For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Teachers can use AI to save time on marking, new guidance says
Teachers in England can use artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up marking and write letters home to parents, new government guidance says. Training materials being distributed to schools, first seen exclusively by the BBC, say teachers can use the technology to "help automate routine tasks" and focus instead on "quality face-to-face time". Teachers should be transparent about their use of AI and always check its results, the Department for Education (DfE) said. The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said it could "free up time for face-to-face teaching" but there were still "big issues" to be resolved. BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, said it was an "important step forward" but teachers would "want clarity on exactly how they should be telling... parents where they've used AI". Teachers and pupils have already been experimenting with AI, and the DfE has previously supported its use among teachers. However, this is the first time it has produced training materials and guidance for schools outlining how they should and should not use it. The DfE says AI should only be used for "low-stakes" marking such as quizzes or homework, and teachers must check its results. They also give teachers permission to use AI to write "routine" letters to parents. One section demonstrates how it could be used to generate a letter about a head lice outbreak, for example. Emma Darcy, a secondary school leader who works as a consultant to support other schools with AI and digital strategy, said teachers had "almost a moral responsibility" to learn how to use it because pupils were already doing so "in great depth". "If we're not using these tools ourselves as educators, we're not going to be able to confidently support our young people with using them," she said. But she warned that the opportunities were accompanied by risks such as "potential data breaches" and marking errors. "AI can come up with made-up quotes, facts [and] information," she said. "You have to make sure that you don't outsource whatever you're doing fully to AI." The DfE guidance says schools should have clear policies on AI, including when teachers and pupils can and cannot use it, and that manual checks are the best way to spot whether students are using it to cheat. It also says only approved tools should be used and pupils should be taught to recognise deepfakes and other misinformation. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the guidance aimed to "cut workloads". "We're putting cutting-edge AI tools into the hands of our brilliant teachers to enhance how our children learn and develop – freeing teachers from paperwork so they can focus on what parents and pupils need most: inspiring teaching and personalised support," she said. Pepe Di'Iasio, ASCL general secretary, said many schools and colleges were already "safely and effectively using AI" and it had the potential to ease heavy staff workloads and as a result, help recruitment and retention challenges. "However, there are some big issues," he added. "Budgets are extremely tight because of the huge financial pressures on the education sector and realising the potential benefits of AI requires investment." Research from BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, at the end of last year suggested that most teachers were not using AI, and there was a worry among those who were about telling their school. But Julia Adamson, its managing director for education, said the guidance "feels like an important step forward". She added: "Teachers will want clarity on exactly how they should be telling those parents where they've used AI, for example in writing emails, to avoid additional pressures and reporting burdens." The Scottish and Welsh governments have both said AI can support with tasks such as marking, as long as it is used professionally and responsibly. And in Northern Ireland, last week education minister Paul Givan announced that a study by Oxford Brookes University would evaluate how AI could improve education outcomes for some pupils. Teachers 'improving work-life balance' with AI 'Most of our friends use AI in schoolwork' Can you pass your degree using ChatGPT?
