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Electricity Storage development is in sharp focus. Across the whole of the UK, developers are looking to find suitable opportunities to build this much needed form of development. Opportunities exist to identify and develop viable sites ““ if you happen to know where to look! Image.jpg TNEI has been assisting clients to find suitable sites utilising a unique set of skills to identify those areas with the best commercial viability, whilst also having the lowest possible environmental impact. Importantly, site finding always begins with the identification of substations with sufficient import and export grid capacity availability. No viable grid connection, no viable project. Any works carried out without undertaking this crucial first step are likely to be abortive, meaning time wasted and money wasted. TNEI’s dedicated developer support team, which includes electrical grid connection specialists, are able to target Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and identify substations across the entire UK

East Africa has a wide ranging and complex mix of energy issues, including lack of access to services and high electricity prices. As an independent specialist consultancy with a base in South Africa, TNEI is well placed to offer expert solutions to improve the energy systems of the region. Recently, our African co-leads, Johan Smith and Etienne Du Preez from our Cape Town office, organised an exploratory trip in order to find out more about the region’s energy mix and expand our African business footprint to include countries in East Africa. The trip was planned around a solar exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya, and in order to maximise the potential for meetings, we also decided to visit Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Kigali (Rwanda). We landed first in Dar es Salaam, which looked like a tropical island from above, as we were able to see the sea bed. We met with

TNEI’s specialist Environment and Consents team has achieved another successful planning consent for a hydrogen car refuelling station, this time in Abergavenny in Wales. Riversimple, a car manufacturer of hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles based in Wales, approached TNEI to assist with the planning and environmental inputs to install and operate a hydrogen refuelling station designed specifically for their bespoke hydrogen fuelled car ““ the Rasa. As a leading consultant in delivering environmental and planning advice for hydrogen refuelling stations, TNEI guided Riversimple through the site feasibility, site design and planning application production process. Sites across the town of Abergavenny were considered and their feasibility assessed for the development of a hydrogen refuelling station. The bus station site was found to be the most appropriate given land availability and its strategic location adjacent to the A40 (a major thoroughfare in Abergavenny). Likely environmental effects of the development were assessed and

TNEI, a specialist, independent energy consultancy with offices in Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and Cape Town is pleased to further grow its Networks and Innovation team with the recent addition of Dr Gordon Watson to its Glasgow base. Gordon joins us primarily to focus on the design and grid integration of innovative network projects such as electrical vehicles, battery storage, and marine renewables. Since achieving his PhD at the University of Strathclyde, Gordon has been working in the renewables industry, specialising in the grid connection and power systems of solar farms, onshore wind farms, offshore wind farms, as well as hydro, tidal, and wave projects. He has worked on a variety of renewables projects, including transient studies, compliance simulation, due diligence, as well as design and implementation. His most significant project work includes the design of an HVAC export route solution for a long distance 1.2 GW offshore wind farm (circa

TNEI’s Noise Team is well known throughout the UK for its wind turbine noise assessment services, having worked on over 4GW of onshore wind projects. In addition to renewables, the team also undertakes work in many other energy sectors, with an increasing number of planning applications for gas and diesel powered peaking plants and battery storage projects, including the 49MW Rooscote battery facility, one of the largest in the UK. Following a flurry of activity in these sectors, TNEI has been working with developers with various levels of knowledge and experience, some of whom are quite new to the market. As such, there are an increasing number of clients who, whilst understanding the importance of environmental noise assessments, may not be fully aware of the level of risk introduced to a project by the assumption that any noise issues can be alleviated later in the design or procurement process. Due

The 2018 Budget has seen the introduction of new and extended Permitted Development (PD) Rights across the industry as the Government attempt to further reduce development red tape. Electrical Charging Vehicle (ECV) infrastructure is one of the areas set to benefit, thanks toan increase in permitted development height from 1.6 metres to 2.3 metres. This demonstrates the Government’s continued support for low carbon transport, and specifically the evolution of the electric vehicle market. It will alsosupport the delivery of a range of benefits including rapid charging and market growth, as well as wider vehicle to grid benefits. Connecting ECV infrastructure ““ How TNEI support our clients TNEI has been working closely with our clients to develop ECV infrastructure over the last few years. TNEI’s specialist Developer Support team has provided site-finding services to our clients, identifying sites across the UK. We start by identifying substations with sufficient grid capacity for