In the news
Bright Blue Senior Researcher Sam Hall is quoted in BusinessGreen about the capacity market. He is commenting on a report, which finds that the capacity market could be scaled back and targeted so that it encourages clean, smart technologies.
Here's an excerpt:
"As the remaining unreliable coal plants are taken offline, the challenge for government is to encourage more investment in renewables, energy efficiency, storage, and demand-side management."
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall is quoted in the Guardian commenting on the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report on consumer-funded energy policies. He argues that greater transparency is required over costs to consumers of not giving fixed-price contracts to onshore wind and solar.
Here's an excerpt:
“The committee is right to ask government for greater transparency over consumer-funded energy policies. One area where more clarity is needed is the cost to consumers of excluding the cheapest renewable energy sources, onshore wind and solar, from competing for fixed-price contracts.”
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall is quoted in The Guardian commenting on remarks by Myron Ebell, Donald Trump's pick to lead the transition team at the Environment Protection Agency. He asserts that UK Conservatives are continuing to take action on climate change.
Here's a quote:
“Despite the attempt by fringe elements to import ‘alternative facts’ from the US, mainstream conservatives in the UK support tackling climate change cost-effectively."
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall was quoted in an article by The Independent about climate scepticism and the right. He argues that Conservatives need to loudly distance themselves from the ideas of climate sceptics, and not follow the path of Trump.
Here's an excerpt:
Sam Hall, of Bright Blue, which campaigns for liberal conservatism, warned the centre-right could be “contaminated” as the “increasingly irrelevant ideas” of sceptics are shown not to be true.
Bright Blue Associate Fellow Ben Caldecott is quoted in The Guardian ahead of the publication of the government-commissioned review of tidal power. He argues that it needs to prove it can be quickly cost-competitive.
Here's an excerpt:
"The key thing is for tidal to demonstrate it can be a cost-competitive renewable technology without subsidy – if not today, then soon."
Bright Blue Associate Fellow, Ben Caldecott, has commented on the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank (GIB). He argues that the GIB has failed in its remit to reduce the cost of capital and had acted like any other asset manager.
Here's an excerpt:
"If the government doesn’t want a state-owned infrastructure bank, it should privatise the GIB completely and treat it like any other asset manager.”
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall is quoted in the Guardian on the Environmental Audit Committee's report on the impact of Brexit on the natural environment. He argues that any new legislation should increase ambition, for instance, on air pollution.
Here's an excerpt:
Sam Hall, at the liberal conservative thinktank Bright Blue, said: “Brexit is an opportunity to improve the UK’s environment.
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall has written for centre-right website Reaction about the recent rises in energy prices. He argues that, far from being the major cause of the increase, green policies could help cut bills.
Here's an excerpt:
But these environmental measures are a much smaller part of consumer bills than the wholesale price.
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall was quoted in a BusinessGreen article on the launch of the Greener UK coalition, campaigning for EU environmental protections to remain post-Brexit. He calls for improvements in air quality standards in particular.
Here's an excerpt:
This optimistic outlook was echoed by Sam Hall of the conservative-leaning Bright Blue think tank. "Britain needs a green Brexit," he said.
Bright Blue's report, Keeping the lights on: security of supply after coal, is referred to in a Carbon Brief article about the coal consultation. The research is cited to show that coal can be phased out without jeopardising security of supply.
Here's an excerpt:
However, it maintains that a coal phase out would have “no impact” on security of supply. Analysis from Conservative thinktank Bright Blue came to a similar conclusion earlier this year.
Bright Blue associate fellow Ben Caldecott is quoted in City A.M. in response to the publication of the coal consultation. He calls for all coal to be phased out by 2023, two years ahead of the Government's plans.
Here's an excerpt:
"There are significant benefits of phasing coal out sooner, rather than later," said Ben Caldecott, associate fellow at think tank Bright Blue.
Bright Blue's associate fellow, Ben Caldecott, has been quoted in The Guardian following the publication of the consultation on the phase-out of coal. He calls for the date of the phase-out to be brought forward to 2023.
Here's an excerpt:
"We believe that the 2025 target should be brought forward by at least two years to give investors greater certainty to invest, which will improve security of supply.”
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall is quoted in The Guardian in response to the Government's defeat at the High Court over its air quality plan. He calls for all English cities to be enabled to set up low emission zones.
Here's an excerpt:
Sam Hall, at conservative thinktank Bright Blue, said there should be more power and funding devolved to local authorities to enable all English cities to set up clean air zones and more support for electric cars.
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall is quoted in the Independent in response to new air quality statistics, showing 40% of councils were in breach of legal air pollution limits in 2015. He calls for all cities to have the powers and funding to establish low emission zones.
Here's an excerpt:
“The government’s current plans for clean air zones in just five cities do not go far enough. Ministers should enable all city councils to set up clean air zones to restrict the dirtiest cars from urban centres."
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall had a quote in The Guardian in response to figures obtained by Neil Parish MP that 40% of local authorities in the UK breached legal limits of nitrogen dioxide. He mentioned Bright Blue's campaign for all city councils to be enabled to set up a low emission zones.
Here's an excerpt:
Sam Hall, environment researcher at Bright Blue, said the worst polluting cars should be banned from cities in order to tackle the problem.
Bright Blue researcher Sam Hall is quoted in BusinessGreen welcoming the new report on air pollution by the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change. He calls for all city councils in England to be enabled to establish low emission zones.
Here's an excerpt:
The report also won the backing of Bright Blue, where Sam Hall, researcher at the liberal Conservative think tank, said air pollution was a "major public health issue".
Bright Blue's Associate Fellow, Ben Caldecott, is quoted in a BusinessGreen article about the risks of blackouts from closing down coal. He argues that keeping coal would deter investment in new energy infrastructure.
Here's an excerpt:
"Based on independent modelling, even in a 'high stress' scenario where Hinkley Point C is cancelled, deployment of renewables is slower than expected, and energy demand grows significantly, there is plenty of time to build new gas-fired power stations and keep the lights on," he notes.
Bright Blue's Associate Fellow was quoted in The Telegraph in response to a new report from the Centre for Policy Studies. Ben argues that phasing out coal would strengthen, not threaten, security of supply.
Here's an excerpt:
Ben Caldecott, of green conservative think-tank Bright Blue, disputed the CPS’s findings on coal. “Closing old, unreliable, and polluting coal-fired power stations would improve UK security of supply, not threaten it,” he said.
The launch of Bright Blue's new report, Better homes: incentivising home energy improvements, has been covered in BusinessGreen. They highlight one of the principal recommendations to establish a new 'Help to Improve' loan scheme to reduce interest rates for households.
Here's an excerpt:
In a new report released today, the conservative modernisers recommended that the government adopt 'Help to Improve' loans that would support households to implement measures such as energy efficiency improvements and decentralised renewables.
Bright Blue's Associate Fellow Ben Caldecott is quoted in The Guardian on Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. He is calling for the government to adopt a new Plan A, with renewables, energy efficiency, and energy storage prioritised instead of the new nuclear plant.
Here's an excerpt:
The government should abandon Hinkley C – pursuing it in light of all the evidence of cost reductions in other technologies would be deeply irresponsible.
