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The myth of flexible coal and the flextech that works instead
Coal power is not fundamentally a flexible technology. On the roof of Pleasants Power Station in West Virginia, I could almost hear the sun. It was so…
Feb 23
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Lucy Shaw
3
1
1
Britain’s rooftop solar could be cheaper. Here’s how.
In a rare moment of parental bonding over energy economics, my mum and I both got quotes for rooftop solar this week. The UK's rooftop solar costs more…
Feb 16
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Lucy Shaw
2
3
1
Coal's second life: how to turn liabilities into infrastructure for the future
With 500 acres of land, a former grid connection of over 1.5 gigawatts, and proximity to local ports, Aberthaw is an infrastructure developer’s dream…
Feb 9
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Lucy Shaw
5
7
2
Off-Grid AI: what data centre developers can learn from Africa
Ten years ago, in the middle of the “cruellest place on earth”[i], we watched the football on a big screen under the stars.
Feb 2
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Lucy Shaw
2
1
January 2026
This Week's Energy: undervalued coal privatisations, off-grid data centres, collapsing power prices and more
What caught my eye in the energy news this week.
Jan 30
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Lucy Shaw
3
2
Cheap solar and batteries still can’t match India’s $11b+ coal rents
Renewables will need to compete on upstream benefits like tax revenue, foreign exchange savings, and energy independence to push coal out of the system…
Jan 26
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Lucy Shaw
6
5
5
Death by a thousand cuts: is there any hope for lower electricity bills in Britain?
This is the third part in a series on UK electricity prices.
Jan 19
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Lucy Shaw
7
9
1
If renewable energy is cheap, why would we contract above traded prices?
High prices cure high prices. This doesn't seem to yet be working for British electricity. Government contracts reduce the cost of capital, but they…
Jan 12
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Lucy Shaw
4
1
1
What 2025 prices really tell us about "gas setting the price of electricity"
“Gas sets the price of electricity” might just have been the most popular British energy commentary of 2025. This insight offers a simple solution to…
Jan 5
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Lucy Shaw
6
4
1
December 2025
Solar plus storage now rivals fossil fuels for delivering affordable dispatchable electricity
“If your mother was on life support, would you want coal or renewables supplying electricity to her hospital?” Historically, using renewable energy…
Dec 18, 2025
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Lucy Shaw
2
3
1
Who's telling the truth about the cost of net zero?
No wonder people are confused about whether achieving net zero carbon emissions will cost us more, or less. Just look at two headlines covering the same…
Dec 12, 2025
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Lucy Shaw
1
1
2
"Municipalisation" could save London's car clubs and de-congest the city
Zipcar's shock exit is a wake-up call for London's incoherent car club policies
Dec 7, 2025
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Lucy Shaw
1
1
1
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