Europe has built up one of the best gas distribution infrastructures in the world. There's one problem, though. Today it distributes natural gas, a fuel that will hardly be able to use if we're to reach net zero targets in the future. So, can we use this infrastructure instead for clean hydrogen, either blended with natural gas as a stepping stone to net zero or with pure hydrogen in the future? 

Delta-EE Director Jon Slowe was joined on Talking New Energy, the podcast from Delta-EE, by Eva Hennig, chair of Eurogas’ Distribution Committee and Head of Department for EU Energy Policy, Thüga; Keith Owen, Head of Systems Development and Energy Strategy and Northern Gas Networks in the UK; and Delta-EE Analyst Robert Castek. They discuss whether the degree to which hydrogen can be used in networks – both blended with natural gas in gas distribution networks, and with pure hydrogen flowing through networks.  

The New Energy Business Model team have been gazing into their crystal ball - borrowed from the Talking New Energy team - to predict what 2021 will bring for the energy transition. As ever, they don’t agree on everything. What do you think of their predictions and what do you believe 2021 has in store? Get in touch and let us know.

Andy Bradley, Director

Customer research is a vital part of what Delta-EE does, looking in-depth at the needs and wants of energy customers as they become an increasingly important part of the energy transition. With the recent publication of Delta-EE’s report The New Energy Consumer: Who are they and what do they want?, host Jon Slowe was joined on a recent episode of Talking New Energy – the podcast from Delta-EE – by Principal Analyst David Trevithick and Analyst Lodovico Di Deodato. They discuss how companies are using customer insight to develop their business models and propositions for the future. 

David Trevithick says, “consumers are a part of the decarbonisation equation, so we need to bring the customer on the energy transition with us. And to do that as industry, we need to really and deeply understand them: what makes them tick, how they live their lives, their energy-related needs, motivations and preferences. And remember, of course, this varies between us all.  

Demand side flexibility across Europe is growing. It’s multidimensional, from residential to commercial and industrial customers, kilowatts to kilowatt hours, and networks to electricity markets. But how are businesses seizing the opportunities it provides?

In a recent episode of Talking New Energy, the podcast from Delta-EE, host and Delta-EE Director Jon Slowe discussed the issues of standards and operability with guests Adriaan van Eck from the Flexibility Alliance Network, Nina Klein from the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and Lucinda Murley, Delta-EE Analyst.

2020 has been a year like no other. It’s hard to remember what the news covered before the Covid-19 crisis. Businesses have been challenged, with job losses and restructuring commonplace, and lockdowns across the world have put countless things on hold. 

That said, the energy transition has continued to gather pace. New entrants continue to enter the market, despite companies like Tonik Energy and Yorkshire Energy going under, and companies such as Ekwateur and So Energy see the challenges the year has presented as just that: a challenge. 

Delta-EE Director Jon Slowe was recently joined by representatives from the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) to discuss the role of policy and regulation in the energy transition.

Regulation and policy play a critical role, both with competitive networks and markets, but they were typically built around old energy. There is now a need to evolve, facilitate and lead the way to new energy.