Latest news with #UK-side
Business Mayor
18-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Can Britain's neighbours help it keep the lights on?
As cold, still weather settled across Britain on January 8 and with coal-fired power plants turned off for good, the team in charge of keeping the country's lights on turned to other power sources hundreds of miles away. National Grid's Energy System Operator paid up to £179 per megawatt hour — more than double the typical rate for electricity bought a day ahead — to import electricity from Denmark via the Viking Link, a 475-mile undersea cable that stretches between Jutland and Lincolnshire. Denmark, in turn, had to pull in electricity from Germany. 'It was a tight day,' said Fintan Devenney, senior energy analyst at advisory firm Montel. The trade highlights Britain's growing reliance on importing and exporting electricity from and to neighbours — which is set to increase as the country seeks to make wind turbines and solar panels the backbone of the electricity system, as part of its plan to decarbonise power by 2030. Greater interconnection should make the system more resilient. Yet it also exposes electricity supplies to international political tensions. Some of those are already coming to bear: rising protectionism over electricity exports and complaints over post-Brexit barriers to British exports to the EU. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to push for closer links with the EU's energy and carbon markets as part of the much-anticipated EU-UK 'reset' summit taking place in London on Monday. This is the final part in a series on the future of Britain's electricity grid 'It's all on the table currently [but] being held up by silly things like fishing negotiations,' said one government figure. 'It has the full support of industry the UK-side.' Read More Oil prices fall as trader unfazed by Israel-Hezbollah escalation Britain's electricity cables to neighbours have proliferated since the first to France came online in 1961. Ten now link Britain to France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Norway and Denmark. In 2023, the latest year which for data is available, the UK imported a net 23.8 terawatt hours of electricity, or about 7.5 per cent of domestic demand. Several more 'interconnector' cables out of Britain are planned alongside the growth of wind and solar power, both in Britain and on the continent. Along with zonal pricing and demand-side flexibility, they are a means of tackling the intermittency of renewables by, in effect, increasing the size and flexibility of the market. Power can be imported when it is less windy in Britain, potentially at lower cost than turning on domestic supply, and exported on blustery or very sunny days when the country has more than it can handle. The UK government wants to more than double Britain's current 31.4 gigawatt wind capacity and almost triple solar power capacity by 2030, by which point interconnector is forecast to have risen by about 4GW. If those goals are met, NESO estimates Britain would become a net exporter of electricity in five years' time. 'In electricity terms we are not an island,' said Ben Wilson, president of National Grid Ventures, a division of National Grid, which owns the Viking and other cables and is developing others. 'We are well connected.' Greater interconnection between countries is also a key goal in the EU. Yet rising power prices and energy security concerns have started to test the limits of that ambition. In January 2023, Norway set out measures allowing energy exports to be curtailed if there was a risk of domestic shortages, and shortly after refused permission for a new interconnector to Scotland. The coalition government in Oslo collapsed in January because of opposition to EU energy policies by the Centre party, the junior partner. But Norway's ruling Labour party is also sceptical: it has asked Statnett, the state-owned electricity system operator, to postpone planning for any new interconnectors until 2029. It also wants to switch off two of three cables to Denmark when they come up for renewal in 2026. Energy prices and interconnectors are set to feature prominently in Norwegian parliamentary elections in September. Adam Bell, director of policy at consultancy Stonehaven and former head of energy strategy in the UK government, said: 'I think Norway has now realised they have a very valuable resource that they are in effect giving away very cheaply, and it's not unreasonable for them to want to create some scarcity.' Britain has imported £2.9bn worth of electricity from Norway since the first cable between the two opened in October 2021, highlighting its reliance on the Scandinavian country for its own electricity supplies. Pranav Menon, at Aurora Energy Research, said Britain could benefit if Norway cut capacity only to Denmark, owing to reduced competition for exports. But political rhetoric in Norway suggested it may not, he cautioned. 'A loss of interconnection with Norway is likely to significantly increase price volatility in the near term,' Menon added. Exports are also coming under scrutiny in France, Britain's largest source of imports. In legislative elections last year in which the far-right party won nearly one-third of the vote, Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National put forward proposals to take greater control of exports. France and Norway are particularly important to Europe's electricity system, since their respective nuclear and hydropower supplies help protect against the risk of simultaneously low or high wind supplies across the north of the continent. Experts differ on the severity of that risk, although recent research by consultancy Wood Mackenzie pointed to a 'wind drought' across northern Europe in March 2021, noting a 'strong correlation' between onshore and offshore fleets in 2020 'across a broad geographic footprint'. Analysis by the International Energy Agency shows that, roughly five or six times over the past 30 years, cold, low wind spells have simultaneously affected large parts of Europe for a week or more, including areas where most onshore and offshore projects are located. Protectionist moves comes as Brexit has introduced new trading barriers, which are pushing up costs and threatening new investment, industry analysts and lobbyists warn. Britain's exit from the EU's single energy market means that interconnector capacity between the two is no longer automatically allocated but needs to be expressly purchased by traders in separate auctions, resulting in a less efficient market. Moreover, industry warns that Britain's electricity exports to the EU will be heavily taxed from 2026 due to the combined effect of the EU's carbon border tax and Britain's split from the EU's emissions trading scheme. Simon Virley, head of energy at advisory firm KPMG UK, said there was a lot at stake as Starmer prepares to meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in London. Ministers hope to improve 'market linking' between the UK and EU over interconnectors while also linking emission trading schemes. 'Harmonising energy trading rules, and removing current frictions, could help lower bills for consumers and ensure greater energy security and resilience,' Virley said. In theory, taking more rules from the EU could be politically contentious, although ministers believe the issue is too technical to become a problem on the doorstep. 'I doubt anyone would notice or care except [Nigel] Farage,' said the UK government figure. A government spokesperson said 'We are resetting our relationship with the EU to improve trade and investment and promote climate, energy, and economic security. 'We look forward to hosting the European Commission for the UK-EU Summit next week, where we hope to make real progress on these issues.' Wilson at National Grid agreed there was an 'opportunity' to re-link electricity and carbon trading, which would be 'mutually beneficial'. In the meantime, National Grid and others are forging ahead with new interconnector projects, including 'hybrid' projects connecting North Sea wind farms to markets on either side. 'Security of supply lies in diversity,' he added. Additional reporting by Richard Milne. Data visualisation by Janina Conboye
The Independent
28-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
This whitening kit brightened my teeth after one use – and it's currently half price
Finding a teeth whitening kit UK-side that works as well as those you find across the pond is no easy feat. While our neighbours in the US can delight in treatments boasting up to six per cent hydrogen peroxide (the common bleaching agent), here in Blighty our at-home whitening is limited to a measly 0.1 per cent HP. So, you ask, how can we possibly achieve a Hollywood set of pearly whites? Enter, SmilePro's advanced teeth whitening kit (was £97, now £49, Swapping out hydrogen peroxide for phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid (PAP) – a gentler whitening agent – SmilePro's dual LED and serum approach aims to accelerate the brightening process with the help of blue light. According to the brand, the blue LEDs speed up the oxidisation process of the PAP which, after diffusing through enamel, works via a reaction that lightens the pigments caused by food and drink staining. The question is: is this fast-tracked reaction as effective in practice as it is on paper? Scroll on to find out. How I tested Following the brand's instruction, I tested SmilePro's advanced whitening kit for 10-30 minutes daily over a period of seven days. While a single treatment using the LED mouthguard spans 10 minutes, I adhered to the upper limit session times and proceeded to reactivate the light twice over for a total 30-minute's wear. To use, I simply had to coat the visible teeth with the included dental-grade formula. After applying (and avoiding moistening the newly-coated teeth), I then applied the mouth guard and activated the blue LEDs using the touch power button. While I maintained use of the blue light mode throughout my testing, the SmilePro device does afford users additional gum/tooth sensitivity protection with the addition of red light and dual blue-red light modes. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews With experience speaking to dentists and aesthetics experts alike, I was able to apply a combined knowledge of oral health and LED innovation when testing SmilePro's whitening kit. I have also tested a range of teeth whitening kits and have covered topics including Waterpik flossers and Oral-B electric toothbrushes previously. Below, see my SmilePro impressions after one week's use.
The Independent
30-01-2025
- Business
- The Independent
This shampoo and conditioner start at £5 a bottle - here's why they're my favourite
If you don't know Monday Haircare then get to know, because this aesthetically-packaged brand has become the key to a budget blow-dry in my house. I first stumbled across Monday back in 2021, around one year after the brand's market launch. Indeed, with its founder – Jaimee Lupton – being New Zealand-based, our lucky Kiwi friends got their hands on the haircare range 18 months before the products finally landed UK-side. Since then, the brand has expanded to over 40 countries – something which comes as no surprise given that the moment the baby pink bottles graced my shower stand, I was obsessed. Four years since my first test, Monday now boasts seven different shampoo and conditioner ranges, each targeted toward a different haircare need. Namely, they are moisture, clarify, smooth, volume, repair, colour protect and gentle. While I've tested over half the collection, including moisture, smooth, gentle and repair, the moisture range (shampoo: £5, conditioner: £5, is a personal favourite. If you struggle with knots and tangles, these formulas will be a surefire way to get through those tugs and they smell wonderful, too. Keep reading for my in-depth review. How I tested As well as using the Monday haircare shampoo and conditioner back in 2021 (and several times since), I've been testing the moisture range from the brand more closely of late. I rinse and repeat with the shampoo before brushing the conditioner through my hair while in the shower. For context, I also brush my hair pre-shower but whether my hair brush glides through my wet hair is a completely different matter, so I've certainly been taking note of how detangling the moisture conditioner is. Plus, I have hair that grows halfway down my back so it most definitely gets tangled. Other things to note? I paid attention to the scent and the feel of my hair post-drying, as well as how long the wash lasted before I needed another. Why you can trust us As someone with more than five year's of experience writing about beauty products, plus four years using Monday Haircare, Lucy is confident in her knowledge of which ingredients are good (and bad) for your hair. As for her wider expertise in the haircare field, she recently tested 14 out of the 35 products reviewed in our IndyBest shampoo and conditioner round-up. Within that edit, she crowned Monday Haircare the overall best buy, describing it as 'a wonder for damaged hair.' In addition to real-world testing and experience, Lucy has accrued knowledge from various haircare experts, like Michael Douglas and Samantha Cusick (to name a few) – all of which have informed her writing and reviews.
