Ponzi (film)

Ponzi is 2021 Nigerian comedy film based on the victims 2016 MMM Ponzi scheme. It was written by Toluwani Obayan, produced by Vincent Okonkwo and directed by Kayode Kasum. It stars Jide Kosoko, Chinyere Wilfred, Timini Egbuson,Tope Tedela, Broda Shaggi and Mr Macaroni. It was released theatrically on 12 March 2021.
Plot.
"Ponzi" follows residents of a close who welcome a politician’s long lost son into their world. He responds to their kindness by establishing a Ponzi Scheme which leaves them in a situation desperate enough to inspire an amateur heist which does not go according to plan.
Production and release.
The movie is based on the experiences of Nigerians during the 2016 MMM online scheme which promised 30% returns on investment. The scheme inadvertently crashed and put subscribers in distress. In an interview, the movie’s producer, said the project is aimed at sensitising Nigerians to avoid get-rich-quick schemes. It was shot in Lagos.


Blyton Group

Blyton Group is an Australian media and entertainment company. The company primarily operates in the radio industry under their subsidiary Capital Radio Network and owns hospitality, service and entertainment businesses in New South Wales.
History.
The company was started by Kevin Blyton who first acquired a radio station 2XL (now XLFM) in the Snowy Mountains and has since grown the radio network and expanded into hospitality. With the exception of XLFM, Snow FM and 3GG, all radio stations are operated as a 50/50 joint-venture with Grant Broadcasters.
The current CEO of Blyton Group is Josh Elliot. Former radio host with Capital Radio Network, Andrew Dunkerley, served as Operations Manager until his departure in July 2020.
In 2020, Blyton Group announced a 10 year master-plan for continued development of their Charlotte Pass Snow Resort, beginning with an upgraded chair lift.
Radio Network.
Operating under the name Capital Radio Network, the Blyton Group wholly owns three radio stations and has a joint venture with Grant Broadcasters for the remaining stations. The radio network operates in 5 locations across Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. The Snowy Mountains radio station organised the automated music for the Blyton Group's Magic Mountain amusement park speakers.
Former stations.
In the 1990s, Kevin Blyton held a 40% stake in Newcastle's NXFM.
Outside of buying and selling stations in the same stations/territories as current stations, he has also held stations in Tasmania and owned Q92fm in Queenstown, New Zealand which he purchased in 1992.
Hospitality and services.
Blyton Group operates two snow resorts in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains region. The two resorts are Charlotte Pass Snow Resort and Selwyn Snow Resort.
The company also has multiple hotels as a part of their operations in the region:
In the 2019-2020 Australian summer bushfires, the Selwyn Snow Resort burned down, the Blyton Group has committed to rebuilding.
In addition to the resorts and hotels, the Blyton Group owns the Snowy Mountains Airport Corporation, which operates Cooma Airport and as a part of their Charlotte Pass resort, operate an over-snow bus service linking the village to Perisher Valley.
Entertainment.
Group also operates the movie theatres in the Snowy Mountains townships of Jindabyne and Cooma. In Merimbula, New South Wales, the Blyton Group have the Magic Mountain amusement park.


Poly Bridge 2

Poly Bridge 2 is a simulation-puzzle game that is the sequel to "Poly Bridge". The game is developed and published by Dry Cactus, with music composed by Adrian Talens. It is available worldwide for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Android, and iOS.
Gameplay.
The objective of "Poly Bridge 2" is still building a bridge that is able to take vehicles from place A to place B with materials provided within a limited budget. In addition to the materials that were already featured in "Poly Bridge", a new material, spring, is introduced. The game offers six different worlds which consist of 16 levels each, along with five "challenge worlds" consisting of harder versions of the levels contained in the first five worlds, adding up to a total of 176 levels. The addition of a feature similar to the Steam Workshop allows players to make and upload their own levels for other players to enjoy. This workshop service is hosted on Dry Cactus's servers, making the game compatible with other launchers such as the Epic Games Store, whereas "Poly Bridge"'s workshop was hosted on the Steam Workshop and was thus restricted to the Steam launcher.
Development and release.
"Poly Bridge 2" is still developed and published by New Zealand-based video game developer Dry Cactus, with Canadian composer Adrian Talens returning to compose the original soundtrack. The game was released via Epic Games Store and Steam on 28 May 2020 for Linux, macOS and Microsoft Windows. It released with four regular worlds and four challenge worlds, with two additional normal worlds and one challenge world added on 2 August 2020. A mobile version of "Poly Bridge 2" was released 26 October 2020 for Android, and 27 October 2020 for iOS.
Reception.
"Poly Bridge 2" received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic; however, the game has received "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews on Steam, with a score of 96/100 and 2,852 reviews as of 22 March, 2021. It has earned a rating of 4.83/5 stars on the Google Play store and 4.43/5 stars on the App Store.
Russell Archey of "Gaming Nexus" rated the game 8.5 out of 10. He felt the game was enjoyable and relaxing, and brought him a lot of happiness every time the bridge he built broke and drivers drove into the water.
Chris O'Connor of "Impulse Gamer" gave the game an overall 3.6 stars out of 5. He praised the game for being good fun at a pretty reasonable price, but criticised it for not having enough stages.
John Walker of "Rock, Paper, Shotgun" commented the game is "far more like an expansion pack than a whole new game", and thought it difficult to enjoy if creating on one's own.


SimpleXML

SimpleXML is a PHP extension that allows users to easily manipulate/use XML data. It was introduced in PHP 5 as an object oriented approach to the XML DOM providing an object that can be processed with normal property selectors and array iterators. It represents an easy way of getting an element's attributes and textual content if you know the XML document's structure or layout.
Compared to DOM or the Expat parser, SimpleXML takes a fewer lines of code to read text data from an element.
Error handling.
It is possible to suppress all XML errors when loading the document and then iterate over the errors.


Joseph McGarrity

Joseph McGarrity (March 28, 1874 – September 4, 1940) was an Irish-American political activist best known for his leadership in Clan na Gael in America and his support of Irish Republicanism back in Ireland.
Early years.
McGarrity was born in Carrickmore, County Tyrone, Ireland in 1874. His family grew up in poverty, motivating his need to immigrate later in life. He grew hearing his father discussing Irish politics, including topics such as the Fenians, the Irish Parliamentary Party, and Irish Home Rule. By the time he was an adult, he had developed a keen interest in politics himself.
He immigrated to the US in 1892 at the age of 18. He is reputed to have walked to Dublin before boarding a cattle boat to Liverpool disguised as a drover, and then sailing to America using a ticket belonging to someone else. He settled in 4900 Wynfield Ave West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and became successful in the liquor business; however, his business failed on three occasions, twice due to embezzlement by his business partner.
Entry into Politics.
In 1893 he joined Clan na Gael, an Irish organisation based in America committed to aiding the establishment of an independent Irish state. Clan na Gael had been heavily involved with the Fenian Brotherhood that McGarrity had grown up hearing about, and by the latter half of the 19th century had become a sister organisation of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. In the decade just before McGarrity joined, Clan na Gael and the Fenian movement had waged the Fenian dynamite campaign, where they attempted to force the British state to make concessions on Ireland by bombing British Infrastructure. However, this had caused a split within Clan na Gael that was not mended until seven years after McGarrity joined when in 1900 the factions reunited and pleaded to support "the complete independence of the Irish people, and the establishment of an Irish republic.". In the years that followed the 1880s and 1890s, McGarrity is, amongst others, credited with helping to stitch the organisation back together and bring it renewed strength.
McGarrity helped sponsor several Irish Race Conventions and founded and ran a newspaper called "The Irish Press" from 1918-22 that supported the War of Independence in Ireland. He was the founder of the Philadelphia chapter of Clan Na Gael.
During the First World War, while the USA was still neutral, McGarrity was involved in the Hindu–German Conspiracy; he arranged the "Annie Larsen" arms purchase and shipment from New York to San Diego for India.
When Éamon de Valera arrived in the US in 1919 they struck up an immediate rapport and McGarrity managed de Valera's tour of the USA. He persuaded de Valera of the benefits of supporting him and the Philadelphia branch against the New York branch of the Friends of Irish Freedom organisation led by John Devoy and Judge Daniel F. Cohalan. He became president of the American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic. He christened his newborn son Éamon de Valera McGarrity, although their relationship became strained upon De Valera's entry back into Dáil Éireann in the Irish Free State.
The Anglo-Irish Treaty and after.
He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and travelled to Dublin in 1922 and assisted the development of the short-lived Collins/De Valera Pact by bringing de Valera and Michael Collins together before the 1922 Irish general election.
The Irish Civil War saw a split in Clan na Gael just as it had split Sinn Féin back in Ireland. McGarrity and a minority of Clan na Gael members supported the anti-treaty side but a majority supported the pro-treaty side, including John Devoy and Daniel Cohalan. Furthermore, in October 1920 Harry Boland informed the Clan na Gael leadership that the IRB would be cutting their ties to the Clan unless the IRB was given more influence over their affairs. Devoy and Cohalan resisted this but McGarrity saw the Clan's connection with the IRB as vital. While McGarrity's faction was initially labelled "Reorganised Clan na Gael", they were able to inheritance total control of the Clan na Gael name as Devoy was not able to keep effectively organisation of the group. In general, however, the in-fighting amongst the Irish on both sides of the Atlantic was quite disheartening for Irish-Americans and in the years to come neither pro or anti-treaty sides of Clan na Gael saw much in the way of donations.
With the scope of Clan na Gael now narrowed, and Devoy and Cohalan removed from the picture, McGarrity became chairman of the organisation. He did not support the founding of Fianna Fáil in 1926 and opposed the party's entry into the Dáil in 1927. Even after the Irish Civil war, McGarrity still supported the idea that a 32 county Irish Republic could be achieved through force. in the spring of 1926, he received IRA Chief of Staff Andy Cooney to America. Cooney and Clan na Gael formally agreed that each organisation would support each other and that Clan na Gael would raise funds, purchase weapons and build support for the IRA in America.
Going into the late 1920s though Clan na Gael, as most Irish-American organisation were, was struggling. Having limped past the split caused by the Irish Civil War, the rejection of Fianna Fáil had caused a second split in the membership. Many Irish-Americans saw the IRA and Fianna Fáil as one and the same at that point and Clan na Gael and McGarrity's hostility to them caused much friction.
By July 1929, the Clan's membership in one of its strongholds, New York City, was down to just 620 paid members. Then in October that same year Wall Street Crashed and the Great Depression hit. In 1933 McGarrity was left almost bankrupt after he was found guilty of "false bookkeeping entries". McGarrity's livelihood was saved when he became one of the main ticket agents in the US for the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake. He was a personal friend of Joe McGrath, one of the founders of the Sweepstake. The sweepstakes allowed McGarrity to turn his fortunes back around.
Despite the trying times of both Clan na Gael and his personal life, McGarrity held fast in his belief in physical force Irish Republicanism. In 1939 supported the demand from Seán Russell for the "S-Plan" bombing campaign in Britain, which proved disastrous. McGarrity is alleged to have met Hermann Göring in Berlin in 1939 to ask for aid for the IRA, which led indirectly to "Plan Kathleen".
He was a lifelong friend of fellow Carrickmore native and avid Republican, Patrick McCartan. When he died in 1940 a mass was held in the St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. McGarrity remained an unrepentant physical force republican all his life.
A number of his papers are in the National Library of Ireland. He donated his personal Library to Villanova University.
The IRA signed all its statements 'J.J. McGarrity' up until 1969 when the organisation split into the 'Official' and 'Provisional' movements. Thereafter the term continued to be used by the Officials while the Provisionals adopted the moniker 'P.O'Neill'


The Holderness Family

The Holderness Family are American internet personalities best known for their Facebook and YouTube channels, which have over 5 million combined subscribers and over 1 billion total views. They create family-centered parodies, skits, and vlogs. They are a family of four based in Raleigh, North Carolina consisting of the father (Penn Holderness), the mother (Kim Holderness), their daughter (Lola), and their son (Penn Charles).
Career.
The Holderness Family first found fame in 2013 when they released “XMAS Jammies” - a parody of Will Smith’s “Miami” meant to be their family's digital Christmas card. Overnight, their video went viral on YouTube, garnering 15 million views in one week. They have been making videos ever since.
Subsequent releases included a Halloween-themed Snoop Dogg parody called “Kin and Moose,” a Meghan Trainor parody about Thanksgiving titled “All About That Baste”, a parody of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and a parody of Dean Martin’s “Baby, Just Go Outside” which garnered over 75 Million views on Facebook.
In 2020 when COVID-19 hit, they made several viral parodies and skits, including a Hamilton medley about wearing a mask.
In March 2021, The Holderness Family released a Frozen parody called “It’s Vaccination Day” to showcase their reactions to securing a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
They have released a new “XMAS Jammies” every holiday season, and have added over 300 additional parodies in between. Kim has also starred in a number of viral skits in their subchannel ”Holderness Family Laughs”, including “When Rona Won’t Leave”, “The New Normal” and “Every Hallmark Movie Ever.”
On broadcast Television, the Holderness Family have appeared The Today Show, Fox and Friends, Good Morning America, CNN, HLN, CBS This Morning, and multiple times on Right This Minute. Their full-length specials include The Holderness Family on UPTV, The 12 Foods of Christmas on The Food Network, and The Greatest Holiday Video Countdown on the CW.
Books.
On March 30, 2021, Kim & Penn's book about improving communication in a marriage, "Everybody Fights: So Why Not Get Better At It", was published by the HarperCollins subsidiary Thomas Nelson.
Podcasts.
On May 1, 2018, The Holderness Family premiered their podcast "Holderness Family Podcast".
Personal life.

Chiahui Power Corporation

The Chiahui Power Corporation () is an independent power producer company in Taiwan.


Palmetto Electric

Palmetto Electric Cooperative Inc. is a non-profit electric utility cooperative headquartered in Ridgeland, South Carolina. It has a membership of approximately 66,000 customers.
History.
Palmetto Electric was formed in 1940 by a group of residents in response to the lack of service in rural areas by investor-owned utility companies. By 1942, the company began servicing Hampton County. Shortly thereafter, they began servicing Jasper County. In 1950, they energized the first lines to Hilton Head Island.
Leadership.
Palmetto Electric Cooperative is governed by 12 trustees, six of whom reside in Beaufort County, three of whom reside in Hampton County, and three of whom reside in Jasper County. Board members serve terms of three years each. As of January 2012, elected persons include:
Service area.
Palmetto Electric services southern Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties.
There are offices located in the towns of Hampton, Hilton Head, Hardeeville, and Ridgeland.
Charity.
In 2017, Palmetto Electric donated $50,000 to the TCL's Criminal Justice Program towards their virtual weapons training system, which can be used by local law enforcement agencies to educate and improve the skills of law enforcement officers.
Energy sources.
Palmetto Electric receives 100% of its energy from Santee Cooper.


List of electric distribution utilities in the Philippines

The following are the list of electric distribution utilities in the Philippines based on the local administrative area it is assigned:
Electric franchises are granted by Congress by virtue of a law and is regulated by the Energy Regulatory Commission. Electric cooperatives are given recognition to operate by the National Electrification Administration.
Special Service Areas.
Candaba.
The municipality of Candaba, Pampanga (PSGC:035405000) has two electric utilities.


Huadian Power International

Huadian Power International Corporation, formerly Shandong International Power Development Company Limited, is the largest power producer in Shandong Province, China, and is the Hong Kong listed subsidiary of China Huadian, one of the five largest power producers in China. The parent company produces about 10% of China's power, and the subsidiary produces approximately another 5%.
It is headquartered in Jinan, Shandong. It is engaged in the construction and operation of power plants and power generation.
H shares and A shares of the company were listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Shanghai Stock Exchange in 1999 and 2005 respectively.


Lists of solar power stations

A solar power station may either concentrate sunlight to make steam, or may use solar panels to directly generate electricity. The following articles contain lists of solar power stations:


Out-flow radial turbine

Radial means that the fluid is flowing in radial direction that is either from inward to outward or from outward to inward. If the fluid is flowing from inward to outward then it is called outflow radial turbine.
In radial outflow turbine the fluid expands in the turbine that is the fluid enlarges in the rotor. It follows the organic rankine cycle. Here the flow is radially outwards and it gets discharged at the periphery of the runner. But here the speed is difficult to control.
Components of Out-flow Turbine.
The Main Components of Reaction Turbine are :
Advantages.
Some of the advantages of radial outflow turbine are:
So the radial flow turbines are indeed the more preferred form of energy extraction than even compared to axial flow turbines, especially in small engines. Radial flow turbine rotor does not use aerofoil sections, as a result of which the rotor of radial flow turbine has a shape very similar to a centrifugal compressor and it uses 3D shape for energy extraction. This 3D shape has been become a great interest in modern research.


Electrical energy in Kosovo

The electricity sector of Kosovo relies on coal-fired power plants (97%) and is considered one of the sectors with the greatest potential of development. The inherited issues after the war in Kosovo and the transition period have had an immense effect on the progress of this sector.
Regulation of activities in energy sector in Kosovo is a responsibility of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO). An additional factor in the energy sector in Kosovo is Ministry of Economic Development (MZHE), which has the responsibility of dealing with issues that have to do with energy. MZHE prepares legislation and drafts strategies and projects.
Policy and regulation.
The main institutions responsible for the energy sector management in Kosovo are: Ministry of Economic Development (MZHE) and Energy Regulatory Office (ERO). Important responsibilities are also held by the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Besides government institutions, there are also companies with great impact in energy sector such as Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK), Transmission, System and Market Operator (KOSTT) and Kosovo Electricity Distribution and Supply (KEDS).
A lot of legislative documents that aim the adjustment of electricity sector have been approved. This includes:laws, administrative instructions and strategic documents. All this legislative framework is drafted relying on EU corresponding documents.
Electricity generation.
Coal plants.
Lignite exploitation in Kosovo started in 1922. New mines were opened to satisfy the needs by increasing generation capacities.
Kosovo Energetic Corporation (KEK) is a public company, which owns and operates with generation assets of electric energy.
The greatest part of generation capacities of Kosovo are the two power plants: Kosova A and Kosova B. There is a third plant, Kosovo C, currently being planned.
The capacities of the two power plants are lower than the installation parameters level, because of the outdated system and lack of maintenance during the last decade of the 20th century. The first unit of Kosova A power plant started working in 1962 with a power of generation 65 MW. The last unit A5 was built in 1975. A1 and A2 units are out of function and they are planned to be decommissioned. A3, A4 and A5 units are still in function.
Kosova B power plant is composed of two units. The first unit was built in 1983 with a capacity of 340MW, while the second unit was built in 1984 with the same power of generation. The conditions in Kosova B power plant have improved after recent investments.
The power plants and coal mines are located in Kastriot (Obilić),only 3 km away from the borders of the municipality of Prishtina.
Technical and commercial losses and the conditions of the power plants together with the high debts have brought KEK in a difficult financial situation.
Hydro power.
The only major power station outside of KEK is Ujmani (Gazivoda) hydroelectric power plant which is administrated by the Hydro-economic Enterprise "Iber-Lepenc". Hydroelectric power generation is mainly provided by Ujmani power station with a capacity of 70MW. In the past, Kosovo has had four functional hydroelectric power plants. After the 1999 war they stopped working, but they have been rehabilitated in the recent years.
Wind.
There are a few areas in Kosovo where the wind reaches the necessary speed to be used for wind farms.
The only wind farm in Kosovo was installed in Golesh by a private company, and started working in 2010. Shortly after, the farm stopped functioning, because the Energy Regulatory Office refused to pay the tariffs required by the company. The ERO officials stated that the plants were outdated. Further studies are required before investments in this field. In 2018 the firm "Enlight Renewable Energy Solutions" bought the rights of a project consisting of 27 wind turbines, and the plants has a planned capacity of 105 megawatts.
Solar.
Kosovo has the potential of capturing solar energy directly and converting it to electricity. The region of highest solar potential based on global horizontal irradiation is the southeastern part of Kosovo, centred around the city of Gjakova.
Solar power is already used on the roofs of some buildings. However, due to the weak nature of Kosovo's economy, it cannot afford to develop a grid-scale photovoltaic power station of its own.
JAHA SOLAR, a subsidiary of the larger JAHA-Group, was founded in 2016 and is the first producer of solar panels in the Western Balkans.
Electricity consumption.
Consumption of electrical energy in Kosovo has increased continuously. This is mostly caused by commercial losses. Furthermore, the constant increase of economic development and population have increased the energy demands.
Generation of energy from power plants has increased year by year, while the generation of energy from hydroelectric power plants has decreased. To cover the request Kosovo imports energy in certain periods of time (mostly during the winter).
Import-Export.
Import covers 5-10% of the consumption.
Usually, in Kosovo the imported energy is much more expensive than export. This is because Kosovo imports energy one day before needed, in the other hand energy is exported during the night when the demands are under generating level. Imports and exports have a negative impact for electrical energy price.
Transmission.
Transmission System and Market Operator (KOSTT) was founded in 2006. It is a public company, responsible for operation, planning, maintenance and development of transmission network and interconnection with neighboring energetic systems, in order to retain supply insurance in Kosovo. KOSTT is also responsible for the operation of electrical energy market in Kosovo.
Kosovo was part of the Regional Energy Community and was connected with the regional system through interconnections with Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania. KOSTT made an agreement with ENTSO-E so Kosovo gets his own independent region of energy administration. Kosovo gets full independence and control of its energy industry. Kosovo establishes a separate joint with Albania according to the agreement with ENTSO-E. Kosovo is a key point in Southeast Europe because of its geographic position in the center of the region. Electrical energy transmission system is connected with neighboring systems in 400 kV level, but with Albania due to Serbia's intervening the 400 kV interconnection wasn't enabled. After the agreement between KOSTT-ENTSO-E, Kosovo makes a joint with Albania and the 400 kV interconnection known as "Energy Highway" (or in Albanian "Autostrada Energjetike") will be enabled and fully functional for Kosovo and Albania.
Distribution.
Kosovo Energy Distribution and Supply Company (KEDS) is a company operating throughout Kosovo having the exclusivity for electricity supply and distribution in the territory of Kosovo. Since May 2013, Kosovo Energy Distribution and Supply split from Kosovo Energy Cooperation and started its operational activities as a joint stock company. KEDS is owned now by Turkish companies Çalık Holding and Limak. KEDS is considered as one of the largest employers in Kosovo, having 2618 employees. Furthermore, over 450 thousand customers are provided with electricity supply covering household customers, commercial and industrial customers. Currently there are three main projects concerning distribution: Construction of medium voltage distribution facilities of the new 110/10(20) kV Prishtina 7 substation, Expansion and reinforcement of the low voltage distribution network 2013, and Expansion and reinforcement of the medium voltage distribution network 2013. Additionally, KEDS intends to invest 110 million euros on the 5 forthcoming years and 300 million euros on 15-year period.
Tariffs.
Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) is an independent company which sets the regulatory framework founded on the principals of free trade.
The energy price is determined by different factors: operative cost, maintenance cost, import and other factors. The decrease of commercial and technical losses would affect positively. Factors that have kept the low prizes until now are: foreign investments as grants, government subventions, the lack of investments for environment protection and inexpensive labor force.
KEK generating about 97% of the energy has the monopoly of market. ERO has the jurisdiction of setting tariffs for energy services.
Power plants impact on environment and health.
Environment protection is a mission of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MMPH). Since most of electric power is produced by power plants in Kosovo they are considered as the main environment pollutant. Actual emission of gases, dust and waste-water discharged from the existing power plants, are above the levels allowed by the EU directives. According to the World Bank’s statistics, 835 deaths, 310 new cases of chronic bronchitis, 22,900 new cases of respiratory diseases among children, 11,160 emergency visits to country's hospital and there is a 100 million euros loss are caused each year because of coal plants.
Energy efficiency.
Kosovo Agency for Energy Efficiency - KAEE is executive institution under the Ministry of Economic Development. KAEE implements energy efficiency policies through evaluating energy saving opportunities and implementing energy efficiency measures in all sectors of energy consumption. This agency has drafted Energy Efficiency legislative frameworks aiming to implement the best EU practices. The World Bank is preparing a project of $32.5 million in order to finance investment, and to technically support the strengthening of renewable energy regulation and policies.
Cooperation.
Based on the increase of demand, the role of import is essential to provide stable supplement.
Kosovo has signed several agreements for cooperation on energy sector with Albania. The fact that the electrical energy system of Albania relies on hydro energy (almost 100%), while Kosovo relies on power plants, is a great opportunity for cooperation between the two countries. Moreover, a 400 kV interconnection line is in its final proceeding before the beginning of building.
The kosovar Ministry of Economic Development has negotiated with Montenegrin and Macedonian economy institutions to deepen the cooperation, especially in the energy sector.
New alternatives for energy.
Kosova e Re is a project for building a new power plant. The building of this power plant would fulfill the needs for electric power in Kosovo. This project has been modified several times. Minister of Economic Development, Fadil Ismajli, claimed that Kosova e Re is due to being built in 2015.
Zhur Hydroelectric Power Plant project is a new opportunity for using reliable energy potentials. It is evaluated that Zhur HPP generation capacity would be 305 MW. The project is pending because of the high cost, limited capacities and issues that relating with the use of water with Albania.
Studies have shown that beside hydroelectric power plants there are other alternatives to lignite power plants.
It is considered that an ideally located solar collector in Kosovo can produce 1600 kWh/m2/year. A study made by Energy and Recourses Group University of California claims that the approximate energy that Kosovo could generate from biomass resources is 6600 GWh/yr. While neighboring countries (Macedonia and Serbia) generate a portion of their electric power by using geothermal sites, in Kosovo there is a lack of studies on this field.


AES Corporation

The AES Corporation is a Fortune 500 company that generates and distributes electrical power. AES is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, and is one of the world's leading power companies, generating and distributing electric power in 15 countries and employing 10,500 people worldwide.
History.
The company was founded on January 28, 1981, as "Applied Energy Services" by Roger Sant and Dennis Bakke, two appointees of the Federal Energy Administration under president Richard Nixon. The company was initially a consulting firm; it became AES Corporation, which went public in 1991. Sant was chairman, CEO, and president and Bakke was executive vice president until assuming the position of president in 1987. Bakke would later become the company's CEO in 1994, serving for 8 years until his resignation in 2002, in the midst of a liquidity crisis that followed the collapse of the energy giant Enron. Sant remained as executive chairman until 2003 and as a member of the board until 2006. Paul Hanrahan was appointed President and CEO and served for 10 years, overseeing the stabilization of the company. Until the early 2000’s the company followed self management delegating much responsibility to ordinary employees. In 2012, Hanrahan resigned, his position as President and CEO of the company succeeded by Andres Gluski. As CEO, Gluski has implemented a strategy of reducing the number of countries in which AES does business, from 28 to 16, for the purpose of consolidating operations and reducing costs. Additionally, he also began a program of reducing the company's total carbon emission intensity.
Bakke and Sant oversaw much of AES's initial global expansion, building power plants in 29 countries and expanding its staff from 1,400 to 32,000 employees, and also instilled a system of decentralized management that emphasized social responsibility above profit. In recent years, AES has also signaled a commitment to providing their consumers and clients with renewable forms of energy, and their operations across the world have increasingly focused on the construction, and provision of solar and wind based energy storage systems.
AES acquired the assets of Indianapolis Power & Light, Ipalco, in 2000.
AES acquired the Chilean-based subsidiary "Gener" in 2000.
AES acquired DPL Inc. known as Dayton Power & Light in 2011.
In fiscal 2015 AES's total revenue was $15 billion.
In 2018, AES acquired the subsidiary "sPower".
Major projects.
Fluence.
Launched during January 2018, "Fluence" is a joint venture between "AES Energy Storage" and Siemens that is focused on the development of, and expansion of energy storage technologies and services. Chaired by former AES vice-president for energy storage platforms Stephen Coughlin, and headquartered in Washington D.C., Fluence aims to implement AES's extensive research into the potential of lithium-ion powered energy sources by relying upon Siemens' expansive global presence in the industrial sector; for the purpose of addressing the rapidly rising demand for clean energy technologies. Fluence has been deployed in 16 countries, with major projects including the following:
Key Fluence technologies.
Fluence is expected to employ three different types of grid technology.
i):"SIESTORAGE": An electrical energy storage system fueled predominantly by wind and solar energy. Siestorage relies upon the closed-loop controls and pulse modulation built into its semiconductors, in order to provide consumers with increased dependability.
ii):"Advancion": A storage system that is made up of several small, modular nodes and powered by Lithium ion batteries, which enables the Advancion energy store system to provide consumers with a heightened degree of consistency in performance.
iii): "Sunflux Energy": Announced in January 2018, Sunflex was developed for the purpose of expanding upon the possibilities offered by photovoltaic solar energy. This technology is built to capture energy during peak solar hours in order to expand energy delivery.
Projected ventures using Fluence technologies.
Presently, the biggest project in Fluence's portfolio is a 100–400 Mwh "power center energy storage project" for Southern California Edison. This system will be housed within AES's power center in Los Alamitos, California.
During January 2018, the subsidiary AES India, working in partnership with Mitsubishi, commenced construction of a 10 MW energy storage solution that will be located in Rohini. This storage solution, which shall operate off Fluence's Advancion technology, is projected to be the first utility-scale system to be in India.
sPower.
Headquartered in Salt Lake City and acquired from Fir Tree Partners Inc in a purchase during 2017, as part of a joint acquisition with Alberta Investment Management Corporation. Spower is one of the largest operators and developers of utility-scale solar in the United States; operating across 11 states, and with particular focus on the states of California and North Carolina. Spower's current operating portfolio includes 1.3 GW worth of solar and wind based properties, in addition to over 10,000 MW worth of projects that are in the developmental stage.
Investment in drone technologies.
As part of an effort by AES to protect its employees from industry hazards and to improve workplace safety, the company announced a partnership with a drone provider, "Measure", to inspect their various energy infrastructures sites across 17 countries.


StarTex Power

StarTex Power was a Texas-based retail electricity provider between 2004 and 2018. The company was headquartered in Houston, Texas.
History.
Texas deregulated the electricity market in 2002. StarTex Power was founded in 2004 by Marcie and Bob Zlotnik. Marcie previously served as president and director of Gexa Energy, a retail electricity provider she co-founded in 2001. StartTex was purchased by Constellation Energy in 2011 and the StarTex brand was discontinued on June 20, 2018.
The Company.
StarTex Power served roughly 170,000 customers. The company sold its services to commercial and residential customers and collaborated with different companies to provide StarTex Power Green.
In 2009 StarTex Power was ranked #1 by JD Power and Associates for customer satisfaction. In 2010, StarTex Power was a Pinnacle Award recipient by the Better Business Bureau for their customer care and ethical practices. StarTex was also named a Houston Chronicle Top Workplace in 2010 after their launch of an employee stock ownership plan and for their continuing efforts to foster employee growth and encouragement.
On May 27, 2011 Constellation Energy announced its intention to purchase StarTex Power, which was completed on June 1, 2011. After the acquisition, StarTex kept its headquarters in Houston, where its 150 employees reside.


Dennis Spurgeon

Dennis Ray Spurgeon (born October 23, 1943) is a former Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy within the United States Department of Energy. He was sworn in on April 3, 2006, becoming the most senior nuclear technology official in the American government. In addition, he is the leader of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a strategy aimed at accelerating the demonstration of a more proliferation resistant closed fuel cycle and reducing the possibility that nuclear energy could be used for non-peaceful purposes. In his capacity as Assistant Secretary, he has previously served as Acting
Under Secretary of Energy for Energy and Environment.
Career and education.
Prior to becoming Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, Dennis Spurgeon was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Office for USEC, Inc., an international supplier of enriched uranium for nuclear plants. Prior to that, he was Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and principal owner of Swiftships, an international company in shipbuilding for commercial and military markets. He had held posts in the Gerald Ford administration, including Assistant Director for Fuel Cycle in the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration. He was also a member of a White House task force that developed Ford's policy on nuclear energy.
Spurgeon served in the United States Navy, achieving the rank of captain. During his time as a U.S. Naval officer, he served as technical assistant to Commissioner Tommy Thompson and later to Dr. Glenn Seaborg, Chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission and the predecessor agency of the department. He also held executive positions at the former United Nuclear Corporation, where, as Chief Operating Officer, he managed the manufacturing of reactor cores for the Navy and operation of the Department's former N-reactor, located at the Hanford Reservation. He previously worked for the General Atomic Company, where he assisted in the development of nuclear reactor plants for electric power generation.
Dennis Spurgeon graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He holds a Master of Science degree in nuclear engineering and a degree of Nuclear Engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy.
Dennis Spurgeon has said that because of the Nuclear Power 2010 Program, under which the Department of Energy is cost-sharing the preparation of early nuclear power plant site permits, he expects announcements of new power plants before President George W. Bush leaves office, and the beginning of construction by 2010. He told the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Water and Development Appropriations that additional repositories for nuclear waste are needed, as the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository will be oversubscribed by 2010. He also manages the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative program. Under the program, the U.S. attempts to recycle spent nuclear fuel using advanced technology while reducing nuclear proliferation and the amount of nuclear wastes requiring permanent geological disposal.
Assistant Secretary Spurgeon has termed the conditions brought about by popular demand for a clean alternative to fossil fuels and global warming a "global renaissance" for the nuclear industry. He has said that Australia and Canada would be given special consideration in the development of the uranium enrichment industry, because they would play a pivotal role in a new nuclear suppliers club that the United States is trying to establish.


Beam tetrode

A beam tetrode, sometimes called a "beam power tube", is a type of tetrode vacuum tube (or 'valve') with auxiliary beam-focusing plates designed to augment power-handling capability and help reduce unwanted emission effects. These tubes are usually used for power amplification, especially at audio-frequency.
History.
The problem of secondary emission from the anode (US: plate) in the tetrode tube was solved by Philips/Mullard with the introduction of a suppressor grid, which resulted in the pentode design. Since Philips held a patent on this design, other manufacturers were keen to produce pentode type tubes without infringing the patent. In the UK, two EMI engineers, Cabot Bull and Sidney Rodda, produced and patented an alternative design in 1932. Their design had the following features (compared to the normal pentode):
The design is today known as the beam tetrode but historically was also known as a kinkless tetrode, since it is a four-electrode device without the negative resistance kink in the anode current vs anode voltage characteristic curves of a true tetrode. Some authorities, notably outside the United Kingdom, argue that the beam plates constitute a fifth electrode.
The EMI design had the following advantages over the pentode:
Disadvantages of the beam tetrode were:
The MOV (Marconi-Osram Valve) company, under the joint ownership of EMI and GEC, considered the design too difficult to manufacture due to the need for good alignment of the grid wires. As MOV had a design-share agreement with RCA of America, the design was passed to that company. RCA had the resources to produce a workable design, which resulted in the 6L6. Not long after, the beam tetrode appeared in a variety of offerings, including the 6V6 in December 1936, the MOV KT66 in 1937 and the KT88 in 1956, designed specifically for audio and highly prized by collectors today.
After the Phillips patent on the suppressor grid had expired, many beam tetrodes were referred to as "beam power pentodes". In addition, there were some examples of beam tetrodes designed to work in place of pentodes. The ubiquitous EL34, although manufactured by Mullard/Phillips and other European manufacturers as a true pentode, was also produced by other manufacturers (namely GE, Sylvania, and MOV) as a beam tetrode instead. The 6CA7 as manufactured by Sylvania and GE is a beam tetrode drop-in replacement for an EL34, and the KT77 is a similar design to the 6CA7 made by MOV.
A beam tetrode family widely used in the US comprised the 25L6, 35L6, and 50L6, and their miniature versions the 50B5 and 50C5. This family is not to be confused with the 6L6 despite similar designations. They were used in millions of All American Five AM radio receivers. Most of these used a transformerless power supply circuit. In American radio receivers with transformer power supplies, built from about 1940–1950, the 6V6, 6V6G, 6V6GT and miniature 6AQ5 beam tetrodes were very commonly used.
In military equipment, the 807 and 1625, with rated anode dissipations of 25 watts and operating from a supply of up to 750 volts, were in widespread use as the final amplifier in radio-frequency transmitters of up to 50 watts output power and in push-pull applications for audio. These tubes were very similar to a 6L6 but had a somewhat higher anode dissipation rating and the anode was connected to the top cap instead of a pin at the base. Large numbers entered the market after World War II and were used widely by radio amateurs in the USA and Europe through the 1950s and 1960s.
The beam tetrode produces the lowest distortion of this class of tube by producing significantly less third-harmonic distortion, and lower intermodulation distortion when used in ultralinear mode. Even-harmonic distortion is automatically cancelled in a push-pull design. The beam tetrode can be operated as a triode (by connecting its screen grid to its anode), and in this mode functions more efficiently than a pentode operated in the same manner.


Florida Municipal Electric Association

The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) is the non-profit trade association representing the unified interests Florida’s 33 public power communities. FMEA provides its members with government relations, mutual aid coordination, communications, education, and networking opportunities. The association is at the forefront of energy industry news and trends and supports its member utilities by promoting public power and delivering superior services through advocacy, mutual aid, education, and collaboration.
Based in Tallahassee, FMEA was established in 1942 in response to WWII fuel shortages and is now the statewide trade association and voice for Florida’s 33 municipal electric utilities, serving more than three million residential and business customers in the state and employing more than 5,000 Floridians.
FMEA’s membership categories, along with the 33 municipal electric utility members, also include associate member companies, affiliates, and public agencies. FMEA is governed by its board of directors and its members.
Member Services.
Government Relations: FMEA has a broad legislative team actively representing public power’s interests on a wide variety of state and federal legislative and regulatory issues.
Mutual Aid Coordination: FMEA serves as the mutual aid coordinator for our member utilities, arranging assistance from other utilities to provide help following a storm, hurricane or other emergency situation. FMEA also serves as the statewide mutual aid coordinator as part of the American Public Power Association mutual aid process.
Information Clearinghouse: FMEA functions as an information clearinghouse for industry news and trends, providing access to a comprehensive news archive, electric industry statistics, legislative and regulatory updates,  and technical information for individual utility members.
Industry News: Through a weekly Headline News email, FMEA provides a comprehensive listing of industry related news articles. Although the news concentrates on Florida’s electric and energy industry, pertinent national stories are also run featuring governmental and regulatory news, technical and utility operations news, and environmental impact news.
"Relay" Magazine: FMEA’s quarterly "Relay" magazine provides a close-up look at Florida’s public power utilities highlighting their communities, employees, projects, and events. . Relay covers the latest industry trends, technical features, interviews with top industry professionals, and comprehensive feature stories on current topics of interest. Relay is Florida’s only electric utility industry magazine and has a readership of more than 1,500.
Florida Electric Bill Comparison: FMEA conducts a monthly comparison of electric bills for Florida’s municipal and investor-owned electric utilities.. . The monthly report provides a fair comparison of customer bills served by different utilities. The report includes utility rates, average franchise fees of 6 percent, and local payments in lieu of taxes
Lineman Assistance Fund: The FMEA Lineman Assistance Fund provides FMEA member utilities’ lineworkers with emergency financial assistance as they deal with medical conditions. The Fund assists linemen and their families when an on-the-job injury creates a special need.
Professional Network: Through member surveys, roundtables, conferences, and other events, FMEA provides opportunities for its members to network with each other, sharing information, best practices and lessons learned.
FMEA also produces a monthly bill comparison report that includes information from Florida’s municipal and investor-owned utilities. It compares utility bills for residential, commercial and industrial electric customers categorized by consumption in 15 categories. This information is available to the public on its website.
Events.
FMEA offers many conferences, roundtables, workshops, and training programs for member utilities. FMEA hosts five signature events throughout the year:
The FMEA Annual Conference, which brings top industry speakers, informative workshops and discussion groups together for utility managers and CEOs, city managers and directors, local policymakers and elected officials from public power municipalities, and other electric utilities.
The Energy Connections Conference & Trade Show, a two-day event delivering cutting-edge information to members on how to improve their day-to-day business operations, focusing on customer service, safety, utility operations, cybersecurity and technology, and more.
The Florida Lineman Competition, an annual day-long event that pits utility lineman teams from all over the state against one another in competitions demonstrating their skills, knowledge and teamwork.
The FMEA Hurricane Forum, a one-day educational event focusing on hurricane preparedness and response, mutual aid, FEMA issues, and other disaster and emergency response related  topics.
The FMEA Legislative Rally, a convening of FMEA members in Tallahassee during Florida’s annual legislative session to discuss legislative proposals affecting public power communities and to advocate these critical issues before the legislature.


Wind power in Kenya

Wind power in Kenya contributes only a small amount of the country's electrical power. However, its share in energy production is increasing. Kenya aims to generate 2,036 MW of wind power, or 9% of the country's total capacity, by 2030.
Kenya has one major wind farm, Ngong Hills Wind Farm, located in Ngong, Kajiado County. It produces around 5.1 MW of electricity. It is owned by Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) and cost KES 1.6 billion (US$18 million) to construct.
Notable projects.
Lake Turkana Wind Power.
Kenya is building the largest wind farm in Africa, the Lake Turkana Wind Power consortium (LTWP). It aims to provide 300 MW of low-cost electrical power. With a projected cost of KES 70 billion (US$800 million), it would be the largest single private investment in Kenya's history. This wind farm would allow Kenya to eliminate its thermal generating plants, saving KES 15.6 billion (US$180 million) per year on imported fuel. The project would stimulate the Kenyan economy by contributing KES 3 billion (US$35 million) every year in tax revenue, a total of KES 58.6 billion (US$673 million) over the life of the project.
According to a case study from the Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP), the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project will increase the national electricity supply while creating jobs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 310 MW of wind energy capacity will:
Wind power facilities in Kenya.
 Source: KenGen


Gas-cooled reactor

A gas-cooled reactor (GCR) is a nuclear reactor that uses graphite as a neutron moderator and a gas (carbon dioxide or helium in extant designs) as coolant. Although there are many other types of reactor cooled by gas, the terms "GCR" and to a lesser extent "gas cooled reactor" are particularly used to refer to this type of reactor.
The GCR was able to use natural uranium as fuel, enabling the countries that developed them to fabricate their own fuel without relying on other countries for supplies of enriched uranium, which was at the time of their development in the 1950s only available from the United States or the Soviet Union.
Generation I GCR.
There were two main types of generation I GCR:
The main difference between these two types is in the fuel cladding material. Both types were mainly constructed in their countries of origin, with a few export sales: two Magnox plants to Italy and Japan, and one UNGG to Spain. More recently, GCRs based on the declassified drawings of the early Magnox reactors have been constructed by North Korea at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center.
Both types used fuel cladding materials that were unsuitable for medium term storage under water, making reprocessing an essential part of the nuclear fuel cycle. Both types were, in their countries of origin, also designed and used to produce weapons-grade plutonium, but at the cost of major interruption to their use for power generation despite the provision of online refuelling.
Generation II GCR.
In the UK, the Magnox was replaced by the advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR), an improved Generation II gas cooled reactor. In France, the UNGG was replaced by the pressurized water reactor (PWR).
Types.
Gas-cooled reactor types include:


Electricity sector in Malaysia

The Electricity sector in Malaysia ranges from generation, transmission, distribution and sales of electricity in the country.
Regulators.
Electricity in Malaysia is regulated by:
Generation.
Installed capacity.
The installed capacity in Peninsular Malaysia in 2014 was 8,636 MW.
Power generation.
Power generation in Peninsular Malaysia in 2014 came from natural gas (53.8%), coal (35.3%), hydropower (10.3%), distillates (0.6%) and MFO (0.04%).
Transmission and distribution.
Interconnection.
Power grid in Malaysia is interconnected to Singapore and Thailand.
Load.
Peak load.
The peak load in Peninsular Malaysia in 2014 was 16,901 MW.


Fortum India


Reversed field pinch

A reversed-field pinch (RFP) is a device used to produce and contain near-thermonuclear plasmas. It is a toroidal pinch which uses a unique magnetic field configuration as a scheme to magnetically confine a plasma, primarily to study magnetic confinement fusion. Its magnetic geometry is somewhat different from that of the more common tokamak. As one moves out radially, the portion of the magnetic field pointing toroidally reverses its direction, giving rise to the term "reversed field". This configuration can be sustained with comparatively lower fields than that of a tokamak of similar power density. One of the disadvantages of this configuration is that it tends to be more susceptible to non-linear effects and turbulence. This makes it a useful system for studying non-ideal (resistive) magnetohydrodynamics. RFPs are also used in studying astrophysical plasmas, which share many common features.
The largest Reversed Field Pinch device presently in operation is the RFX (R/a = 2/0.46) in Padua, Italy. Others include the MST (R/a = 1.5/0.5) in the United States, EXTRAP T2R (R/a = 1.24/0.18) in Sweden, RELAX (R = 0.51/0.25) in Japan, and KTX (R/a = 1.4/0.4) in China.
Characteristics.
Unlike the Tokamak, which has a much larger magnetic field in the toroidal direction than the poloidal direction, an RFP has a comparable field strength in both directions (though the sign of the toroidal field reverses). Moreover, a typical RFP has a field strength approximately one half to one tenth that of a comparable Tokamak. The RFP also relies on driving current in the plasma to reinforce the field from the magnets through the dynamo effect.
Magnetic topology.
The reversed-field pinch works towards a state of minimum energy.
The magnetic field lines coil loosely around a center torus. They coil outwards. Near the plasma edge, the toroidal magnetic field reverses and the field lines coil in the reverse direction.
Internal fields are bigger than the fields at the magnets.
RFP in Fusion Research: comparison with other confinement configurations.
The RFP has many features that make it a promising configuration for a potential fusion reactor.
Advantages.
Due to the lower overall fields, an RFP reactor might not need superconducting magnets. This is a large advantage over tokamaks since superconducting magnets are delicate and expensive and so must be shielded from the neutron rich fusion environment. RFPs are susceptible to surface instabilities and so require a close fitting shell. Some experiments (such as the Madison Symmetric Torus) use their close fitting shell as a magnetic coil by driving current through the shell itself. This is attractive from a reactor standpoint since a solid copper shell (for example) would be fairly robust against high energy neutrons, compared with superconducting magnets. There is also no established beta limit for RFPs. There exists a possibility that a reversed field pinch could achieve ignition solely with ohmic power (by driving current through the plasma and generating heat from electrical resistance, rather than through electron cyclotron resonance heating), which would be much simpler than tokamak designs, though it could not be operated in steady state.
Disadvantages.
Typically RFPs require a large amount of current to be driven, and although promising experiments are underway, there is no established method of replacing ohmically driven current, which is fundamentally limited by the machine parameters. RFPs are also prone to tearing modes which lead to overlapping magnetic islands and therefore rapid transport from the core of the plasma to the edge. These problems are areas of active research in the RFP community.
The plasma confinement in the best RFP's is only about 1% as good as in the best tokamaks. One reason for this is that all existing RFPs are relatively small. MST was larger than any previous RFP device, and thus it tested this important size issue..
The RFP is believed to require a shell with high electrical conductivity very close to the boundary of the plasma. This requirement is an unfortunate complication in a reactor. The Madison Symmetric Torus was designed to test this assumption and to learn how good the conductor must be and how close to the plasma it must be placed. In RFX, the thick shell was replaced with an active system of 192 coils, which cover the entire torus with their saddle shape, and response to the magnetic push of the plasma. Active control of plasma modes is also possible with this system.
Plasma Physics Research.
The Reversed Field Pinch is also interesting from a physics standpoint. RFP dynamics are highly turbulent. RFPs also exhibit a strong plasma dynamo, similar to many astrophysical bodies. Basic plasma science is another important aspect of Reversed Field Pinch research.


Caithness - Moray Link

The Caithness - Moray Link is a HVDC submarine power cable beneath the Moray Firth in Scotland, linking Spittal in Caithness and Blackhillock in Moray. Constructed by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, it is capable of transmitting up to 1,200 MW of power. It was officially completed in January 2019, under budget at a cost of £970m, and was reported as the largest single investment in the northern Scottish electricity network since the 1950s.
The link was constructed to improve the connectivity of the Scottish electricity transmission network, and allow increased flow of electricity from renewable energy sources in the north of Scotland, such as the Beatrice and Dorenell wind farms. It is the second HVDC link to be constructed within the National Grid (as opposed to as an interconnector), after the Western HVDC Link.
Construction.
The route was originally intended to form part of the Shetland HVDC Connection, however the project was split into two parts, with the Caithness - Moray link to be constructed first at a projected cost of £1.2 billion.
The Caithness - Moray link was approved by regulators in 2014, with the contract for laying the undersea cable awarded to NKT A/S. of the link runs beneath the sea, with a total of of underground XLPE cable at both ends.
The project required the construction of two new HVDC converter stations, at Spittal and Blackhillock, with the construction contract for these awarded to ABB Group. After the addition of the converter station, Blackhillock Substation became the largest in the UK, at the size of 24 football pitches.
The wider project also involved the augmentation of other parts of the power transmission network in northern Scotland, with upgrades carried out on a total of eight substations and two overhead transmission lines.


Reiner Lemoine

Reiner Lemoine (2 February 1949 – 6 December 2006) was a German entrepreneur in the area of renewable energy.
During his studies of aerospace engineering he co-founded Wuseltronik, a socialistic collective for engineering based in Berlin-Kreuzberg. In 1996 he co-founded Solon AG, followed in 1999 by the solar cell manufacturer Q-Cells. In 2005 he was awarded as "Entrepreneur of the year" together with Anton Milner for Q-Cells.
Shortly before this death in December 2006 he founded the "Reiner Lemoine Foundation" which offers stipends for Ph.D. candidates in the area of renewable energies. On 20 August 2008 the German Minister of Environment Sigmar Gabriel inaugurated the Reiner-Lemoine-Research Center at Q-Cells SE.


Idaho Power

Idaho Power Company (IPC) is a regulated electrical power utility. Its business involves the purchase, sale, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in eastern Oregon and southern Idaho. It is a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc. The company's service area generally follows the area around the Snake River and its tributaries.
Idaho Power owns and operates 17 hydroelectric dams and three natural gas power plants. IPC also owns shares of two coal-fired power plants.
In 2007, electricity sold by IPC was 33% hydroelectric, 39% thermal, and 28% purchased from other generation companies.
History.
Idaho Power Company originally filed for incorporation in Maine on May 6, 1915. It was reincorporated in Idaho as a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc on October 1, 1998.
This was followed by the purchase of the assets of five small southern Idaho power companies: Idaho-Oregon Light & Power; Great Shoshone and Twin Falls Water Power; Idaho Railway, Light & Power; Idaho Power & Light; and Southern Idaho Water Power Company.
In 2018 Idaho Power sponsored the annual "Drive Electric Week" car show event at the state capitol. At the show people can learn about electric vehicles. Interest in electric vehicles has increased because of changing gas prices, improvements in battery technology, concerns for the environment and federal tax incentives for buying electric vehicles. To respond to customer interest, Idaho Power added tools to its website to guide customers investigating purchasing an electric vehicle.
In 2019, Idaho Power set a goal to provide 100-percent clean energy by 2045. In addition to its hydropower facilities, which typically meet almost half its customers’ energy demands, Idaho Power plans additional investments in wind, solar and other clean sources. Clean energy resources are becoming more affordable, which could help Idaho Power accomplish its goal while keeping prices fair. Grid upgrades and battery-storage technology should help maintain Idaho Power’s impressive reliability while moving the company closer to its goal. Continued energy efficiency efforts will help. Clean energy initiatives are not new to Idaho Power. In 2009, the company adopted a resolution to reduce carbon emissions. Since then, it has made sustainable, measurable advances toward a clean-energy future, all while providing reliable power at affordable prices. Idaho Power has reduced its carbon emissions intensity — measured in pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per megawatt-hour — by almost 50 percent since 2005. The company has entered agreements to end participation in two coal plants and is exploring exiting a third — and final — coal plant.
Hydroelectricity.
IPC's 17 hydroelectric power plants have a generation nameplate capacity of 1,988,615 kilowatts, and it is one of the nation's few investor-owned utilities with a significant hydroelectric generating base. Four-fifths of Idaho’s electricity generation is from hydroelectric. Idaho Power built the majority of its hydroelectric facilities during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, culminating with completion of the three-dam Hells Canyon Complex (Brownlee Dam, Oxbow Dam, then Hells Canyon Dam) in 1968.


El Paso Electric

El Paso Electric () is an investor-owned Texas based public utility company, engaging in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in west Texas and southern New Mexico. Its energy sources consist of nuclear fuel, natural gas, purchased power, solar and wind turbines. The company owns six electrical generating facilities with a net dependable generating capability of approximately 2,010 megawatts. It serves approximately 400,000 residential, commercial, industrial, public authority, and wholesale customers.
The company distributes electricity to retail customers principally in El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico; and resells electricity to electric utilities and power marketers. El Paso Electric Company was founded in 1901 and is based in El Paso, Texas.
El Paso Electric was sold to JPMorgan's IIF fund in 2020. Unlike most other Texas utilities, El Paso Electric operates as a monopoly, so its 400,000+ customers from Hatch, New Mexico to Van Horn, Texas are captive and don't have the opportunity to choose among competing providers.
The company is headquartered at the Stanton Tower in Downtown El Paso. The company's Chief Executive Officer is Mr. Adrian J. Rodriguez.
History.
El Paso Electric (EPE) first began serving its customers on August 30, 1901. It was then known as the El Paso Electric Railway Company. Initially its primary business consisted of providing transportation via mule-drawn streetcars, which were replaced in 1902 with electric streetcars. The company is reported to have provided electricity to Nikola Tesla's property in Colorado.
By 1925, the company's core business had evolved to producing and distributing electricity. That year, the company changed its name to the El Paso Electric Company. It was also granted authorization to transact business in New Mexico.
Today, El Paso Electric is a regional electric utility providing generation, transmission, and distribution service to approximately 400,000 retail and wholesale customers in a area of the Rio Grande valley in west Texas and southern New Mexico. Its service territory extends from Hatch, New Mexico to Van Horn, Texas.
As of 2013, El Paso Electric had 32 electric car charging stations in its service area. The service stations recharge Nissan Leafs, Chevrolet Volts, and other electric cars. The company is also working to expand adoption of electric vehicles through its Plug-in Electric Vehicle and Charging Infrastructure Plan (PEVCIP) for the Rio Grande Valley region.
2020 Sale to JPMorgan Chase.
On July 29, 2020, El Paso Electric was sold to a JPMorgan Chases' Infrastructure Investments Fund for $4.3 billion. As part of the sale agreement, all thirteen El Paso Electric Board Members received payouts and stock share awards ranging from $800,000 to over $8.8 million.
El Paso Electric touted a one time $21 million dollar discount to customer bills as part of the agreement. The result of this credit was an average monthly bill decrease of $0.88.
Transmission system.
El Paso Electric transmission system voltages are 115,000 volts and 345,000 volts. There are also two 115 kV interconnections with Mexico to the south.
Generating plants.
El Paso Electric ownership in power plants include a 15.8 percent interest in the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station near Tonopah, Arizona, the Rio Grande Power Station in Sunland Park, New Mexico, the Newman Power Station, the Copper Power Station and the Montana Power Station in El Paso and the Hueco Mountain Wind Ranch in Hudspeth County, Texas.
On February 20, 2014 El Paso Electric signed an agreement with Colorado-based Juwi Solar, Inc., to build a 10 megawatt (MW) solar energy facility in Northeast El Paso next to EPE's Newman Generation Station. JSI will be responsible for developing, designing, building, and operating the Newman Solar project. The design phase will begin in early summer of this year, shortly followed by construction and final completion of the project tentatively scheduled for the end of 2014. The construction of the new solar facility will help power over 3,800 homes throughout the year. The facility will be built on approximately 100 acres. EPE will sublease the land in partnership with the El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU) and currently leased to EPE for the Newman Generation Station. EPE currently has 47 MWs of solar power in its generation mix and recently secured an additional 50 MWs of solar power that will be online by the summer of this year. In total, 5 percent of EPE's dedicated generation, which includes long-term purchase power agreements, will come from solar energy.
Lawsuits.
In January, 2003, a complaint was filed against EI Paso Electric alleging that the company issued materially false and misleading information by misrepresenting and/or omitting adverse facts concerning illegal arrangements with Enron Corporation and by artificially inflating revenues. A settlement of $10,000,000 was reached in 2005.


NiSource

NiSource Inc. is one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across seven states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. The company, based in Merrillville, Indiana, has more than 8,000 employees. As of 2018, NiSource is the sole Indiana-based utility company.
Company operations.
NiSource's natural gas utilities provide domestically produced supplies of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers via nearly 60,000 miles of pipeline and related facilities in seven states: Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
NiSource provides electric energy to nearly 500,000 customers, all located in northern Indiana. NiSource's electric operations include power generation, transmission and local distribution, as well as wholesale and electric transmission transactions. NiSource uses both traditional and renewable generation sources, including natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, and coal generated supplies, providing a total system operating net capability of more than 3,000 megawatts.
NiSource has had a climate change policy in place since 2009.
In 2015, NiSource was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability—North America Index for the second year in a row and for the ninth time since 1999.
Internal organization.
NiSource operates seven local utilities in its service region:
Recent corporate actions.
On July 1, 2015, NiSource separated Columbia Pipeline Group (NYSE: CPGX) into a stand-alone publicly traded company. Each NiSource shareholder at the time of the separation received one share of Columbia Pipeline Group for each share of NiSource. The separation of Columbia Pipeline Group included Columbia Gas Transmission, Columbia Gulf Transmission, Columbia Midstream Group, its ownership in Columbia Pipeline Partners (NYSE: CPPL), and other natural gas pipeline, storage and midstream holdings.
In January 2019, the company announced that it would accelerate retirement of its five coal-fired units, and focus on "renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind energy, along with battery storage technology," as part of an initiative titled "Your Energy, Your Future", with a goal of "reducing carbon emissions by more than 90 percent by 2028."
Criticism.
In December 2011, the nonpartisan organization Public Campaign criticized NiSource for spending $1.83 million on lobbying and not paying any taxes during 2008–2010, instead getting $227 million in tax rebates, despite making a profit of $1.4 billion, and increasing executive pay by 33% to $11.2 million in 2010 for its top five executives. One rule NiSource, among other companies, benefitted from was a bonus depreciation rule that lowered the federal tax expense. NiSource stated, "This law, enacted by Congress, encouraged companies like NiSource to accelerate capital investments to spur economic recovery by permitting portions of these investments to be deducted at an accelerated rate. Only the timing of the deductions was changed, and not the amount that could be deducted. This means our income tax expense will likely be higher in the future."
Massachusetts gas line explosions and exit from Massachusetts.
On September 13, 2018, 80 homes in Andover, Massachusetts, Lawrence, Massachusetts, and North Andover, Massachusetts, simultaneously exploded and caught fire due to issues with gas lines owned by Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, a subsidiary of NiSource.
At least 25 people were injured and one was killed; residents from parts of three towns had to be evacuated for a few days and electricity service turned off until the area was inspected for gas. Gas service to 8,600 customers was disrupted, in some cases for months. Columbia Gas admitted that maintenance workers mishandled sensors that monitored gas line pressure, and pled guilty to violating the federal Pipeline Safety Act. The company paid a fine of $53 million, in addition to a $143 million settlement with residents and businesses, $83 million paid to municipalities, undisclosed amounts paid for injuries and one death, and direct spending on replacing damaged pipelines and appliances. NiSource agreed to sell its Massachusetts gas business to competitor Eversource, at a loss compared to what it paid to acquire Columbia Gas.


Trustpower

Trustpower Limited is a New Zealand electricity generation and electricity retailing company, listed on the New Zealand stock exchange.
Trustpower is New Zealand's fifth largest electricity generator (in terms of MW capacity, GWh output and revenue) and the fourth largest electricity retailer (in customer numbers).
In New Zealand, Trustpower now has 29 hydro-electricity schemes, with a total of 47 power stations.
Trustpower operates a multi-product retail business in New Zealand, including electricity, gas and telecommunications products with approximately 270,000 electricity customer connections, 38,000 gas customer connections and 91,000 telecommunications customer connections (figures accurate as at November 2018).
The company's ownership structure is dominated by its two major shareholders: Infratil which owns 51.0% and the Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust (TECT) which owns 26.8% and the remaining 22.2% is widely held.
History.
Tauranga city.
In 1913, the Tauranga Borough Council applied to the Department of Lands to have the Omanawa Falls vested in their body corporate for the purposes of water power generation. They also applied under section 268 of the Public Works Act 1908 for a licence to generate electricity.
In October 1914, the Public Works Department gave its approval for water to be taken from the Omanawa River to generate electricity and circulate it throughout the Borough and surrounding area.
With plans underway to build its new Omanawa Falls Power Station the Tauranga Borough Council established on 5 October 1914 a municipal electricity department to market and distribute the electricity that would be produced by the new station. Its supply area ranged from the causeway bridges leading through the town, 17th Avenue in the south to Sulphur Point in the north, a total of 210 square miles (544 square km).
In 1915 the Borough Council hired Lloyd Mandeno as its electrical engineer, with responsibility not only for building the distribution system that will take power from the new power station but also to convince the population of 1,540 to give up their candles, kerosene lamps and town gas for the new untried electricity.
By 1924 68 homes out of the 700 in the borough were using electric cooking.
Lloyd Mandeno was made chief electrical engineer in 1917.
Local citizen R.S. Ready was so sure of the advantages of electricity that he built on 5th Avenue the first house in New Zealand that relied solely on electricity. Mandeno designed a hot water cylinder for the house, that was built from galvanized iron insulated with 150 mm of pumice. Within four years the council had expanded its reticulation to supply rural areas as far as Gate Pa, Otumoetai, Papamoa and Oropi.
By 1923 the department had 845 customers generating a revenue of £10,470.
In 1921 Lloyd Mandeno undertook some investigations and proposed that the borough consider building a new power station using the head generated by fall on the Wairoa River. With demand increasing the borough council agreed to build what became the McLaren Falls power station. This began generating on 25 June 1925.
The falls and the power station were to named after a couple who operated a cookhouse during construction and whose son had been killed in World War I.
In addition to his duties as an employee of the Tauranga electricity department, Mandeno was also a consultant to Te Puke Town Board and the newly constituted Tauranga Power Board. In 1925 Mandeno resigned after being accused of a conflict of interest by Tauranga's Mayor, Bradshaw Dive. He was replaced by Claude W. Boak as electrical and general engineer.
By 1928 the department had installed 232 water heaters and 120 electric stoves and was supplying 848 customers with a revenue of £22,116.
With demand still continuing to increased through the 1930 the combined output of Omanawa Falls and McLaren Falls was proving insufficient. As a result, the electricity department was forced to arrange with the SHD to take supply from its Aongatete and Te Puke. In 1962 the department began using underground cabling systems in new subdivisions.
In the same decade the department decided to proceed with construction of two new power stations that utilized the waters of the Mangapapa and Wairoa Rivers, which had been designed by consultants Mandeno Chitty & Bell in whom Lloyd Mandeno was a principal. Approval to proceed was granted by the New Zealand government in 1963 continual upon the station's output being equally shared with the Tauranga Electric Power Board. As a result, the Tauranga Joint Generation Committee was established in 1965 to develop, control and sell electricity generation. As a result of this initiative the original two planned stations, the Lloyd Mandeno Power Station was commissioned in 1972, and the Ruahiti Power Station in 1981. In between these two dates an additional station, the Lower Mangapapa Power Station had been commissioned in April 1979. All three stations were operated as part of the Kaimai hydro power scheme.
By 1981 the Tauranga Joint Generation Committee was making a profit of NZ$1.29 million and had 231 employees.
In 1989 the McLaren Falls Power Station was decommissioned.
Following the introduction of the Energy Companies Act in 1992, after consulting with local citizens the Tauranga City Council transferred the assets of its electricity department to the newly established Tauranga Electricity Ltd. The majority shareholder in the new company was the council owned Tauranga Civic Holdings Ltd, which held 5,099,994 shares with the remaining six shares in the company held by the public. In June 1993 Tauranga Civic Holdings Ltd took full control. By that year the company had 5,576 customers.
Tauranga Electric Power Board.
Using the provisions of the Electric Power Boards Act of 1918 proposals were put to create a power board to supply the rural areas of the Bay of Plenty. As a result, the Tauranga Electric Power Board was established and held its first meeting in 13 September 1923. The following year a poll of ratepayers in the board's area which covered 667 square miles (1,753 km2), including the towns of Katikati, Mt Maunganui and Te Puke the board raised a loan of £110,000 to construct its distribution system. Rather than build its own power stations the board arranged to obtain its electricity from the Electricity Department of the Tauranga Borough Council.
Following his resignation from Tauranga Borough Council Lloyd Mandeno took up a position as general manager of the Tauranga Electric Power Board in January 1926. He was only in the position until he resigned on 25 May of that year, leaving the position in August, to go into private practice in Auckland. However the board retained him as their consulting engineer on an annual retaining fee of £250 plus travelling expenses, a position he retained until 1929. During his period of evolvement with the power board he invented, developed and introduced into service the single wire earth return reticulation system. This allowed the board to reduce the cost of distributing electricity across its predominately rural customer base.
In response to the State Hydro-Electric Department (SHD), introducing charging for peak demand the power board in 1952 introduced what is believed to have been the world's first automatic load control system. That same year the power board also began manufacturing pre-stressed concrete power poles. It is believed that it was one of the first power boards to do this in New Zealand. In 1958 the SHD was renamed the New Zealand Electricity Department (NZED).
By the early 1990s the power board was supplying those areas the city of Tauranga, where it had expanded out of the defined city electricity department's geographical inner city area, the surrounding Tauranga country and the towns of Te Puke and Mt Maunganui. In 1990 it had a staff of 201, 43,158 customers and was making a profit of 2.55 million.
In response to the introduction of the Energy Companies Act in 1992, the Tauranga and Rotorua Electric Power Boards proposed to merge, but it was rejected both by the public and the government.
The power board investigated other options and in 1994 changed its name to Trustpower and its financial structure so that 50% of the ownership was held in a consumer trust, 49% was directly held by customers with the remaining 1% in an employee share ownership scheme.
On 18 April 1994 Trustpower listed on the New Zealand stock exchange. This allowed the specialist infrastructure and utility investor Infratil Ltd to acquire 11 million shares and become its largest shareholder. By this time it had approximately 40,000 customers as well as a half share in the Kaimai hydro power scheme. Meanwhile, the Rotorua Electric Power Board had also changed its financial structure to become the Roturua Electricity Ltd. By 1995 Trustpower had built up a 67.7% shareholding in this new entity and in 1996 took full control.
In 1995 Trustpower purchased Taupo Electricity Limited and Taupo Generation Limited which gave it a total of 89,000 customers to make it New Zealand's fourth largest power company and third largest power generator.
Merger with Tauranga Electricity.
While for many years the directors of Tauranga Electricity had been opposed to merging with other companies to create a Bay of Plenty wide energy company as they were of the opinion the resulting monopoly would push up prices. Eventually however the City Council after receiving many proposals over the years agreed to merge with Trustpower.
The merger which occurred on 31 October 1997 guaranteed that the City Council's shareholding in Trustpower would provide an annual revenue of NZ$3.3 million over the next five years.
By 1998 the addition of the Tauranga City's customers meant that new company was supplying 96,513 customers. In 1998 the state-owned Electricity Corporation of New Zealand sold five of its smaller hydro stations, of which Trustpower purchased Coleridge (NZ$91 million), Highbank/Montalto ($37 million) and Matahina ($115 million) hydro power stations.
1998 electricity sector reforms.
In 1998 the New Zealand Government passed the Electricity Industry Reform Act 1998 which was intended to change the structure of the electricity industry to encourage competition. This Act required the operational separation of lines and generation business activities by 1 July 1999 and separation of the ownership by 1 January 2004. As by now Trustpower had built up a substantial generation portfolio it elected to be a generator/retailer and so sold its lines and its contracting business, PowerLink Limited. Following a competitive sales process, TrustPower sold its lines business to United Networks Limited (formerly Power New Zealand) for $485 million. Trustpower also acquired the retail business from eight energy companies: Waipa Power, Wairoa Power, Marlborough Electric, Buller Electricity, Westpower, Electricity Ashburton, Central Electric, and Otago Power.
Using the proceeds of the sale of these businesses Trustpower began purchasing the generation assets being shed by those energy companies that had opted to be a lines company. This led to it purchasing the following hydro power stations and schemes: Arnold, Branch and Waihopai, Kumara, Mangorei, Motukawa, Paerau, Patearoa, Patea (for $72m) Wahapo, Waipori (for $70m) as well as the Tararua Wind Farm (for $49m). Thus by March 1999 it had 421.5 MW of installed capacity, capable of generating up to 1,769 GWh per annum.
In March 2003 Trustpower completed the purchase of the Cobb Power Station for $92.5m from NGC.
Share buyback.
In 2003 Trustpower bought back some of its shares. Infratil did not participate in the buy-back, which lead to it increasing its shareholding to 33.5%. In 2006 Infratil purchased Allient Energy's shareholding for NZ$6.20 a share, which gave it 51% and thus majority control of Trustpower.
Expansion.
In 2013, Trustpower bought Energy Direct, a Wanganui electricity and gas company.
In 2015, it bought 65% of King Country Energy Ltd from Nova Energy. King Country Energy generates all of its electricity from renewable sources (principally hydro-electric generation) and supplies electricity to the Waitomo, King Country and Ruapehu Districts. King Country Energy was incorporated in 1991.
On 18 December 2015, Trustpower announced that it was considering a process to demerge its wind assets in Australia and New Zealand, separating into two New Zealand incorporated listed companies by way of a Court-approved scheme of arrangement. The Demerger, effective on 31 October 2016, resulted in the creation of two new companies, Trustpower and Tilt Renewables. The demerger enables each business to focus on their respective areas of specialisation.
In 2018, Trustpower and King Country Electric Power Trust (KCEPT), assumed full ownership of King Country Energy Limited (KCE). This is the outcome of a joint venture takeover made by a wholly owned subsidiary of Trustpower and KCEPT, initiated in December 2017, that sought to acquire the balance of KCE's ordinary shares at $5 per share. Trustpower now controls 75% of KCE, with KCEPT controlling the remaining 25%. KCE sold its retail business to Trustpower in July 2018.
Trustpower sold its Australian hydro-power generation assets operator GSP Energy Pty Limited for A$168 million ($129.46 million), as the company focuses on its core New Zealand business.
Power stations.
Decommissioned stations.
The McLaren Falls Station on the Kaimai hydro power scheme was decommissioned in 1989 following the commissioning of the Ruahihi Power Station.
In 1998 Trustpower decommissioned the Omanawa Falls Power Station and gifted it to the Tauranga City Council.


Viking Link

Viking Link is a 1,400 MW HVDC submarine power cable under construction between the United Kingdom and Denmark.
Route.
The cable will run between Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire, the United Kingdom and Revsing in southern Jutland, Denmark.
With a length of of which would pass through Danish, German, Dutch and British waters it would cross and be longer than the world's currently longest submarine power cable, the long NorNed.
Specification.
The interconnector would be capable of transmitting up to 1,400 MW at 525 kV i.e. an annual transmission capacity of 12.3 TWh.
It is similar in capacity, completion date and length to the UK–Norway North Sea Link.
Ownership.
The project is a cooperation between British National Grid and Danish Energinet.
Project status.
In July 2020, construction commenced with the building of an access road at Bicker Fen. In February 2021, Balfour Beatty started drilling work for the project.
Future plans.
 the cable was expected to be operational by the end of 2023, increasing the UK's electricity interconnection level (transmission capacity relative to production capacity) from its comparatively low rate of 6%.
Project history.
In November 2015 Viking Link was put on the EU "Projects of Common Interest" list, along with the COBRAcable between Jutland and the Netherlands, and the Krieger offshore wind turbine cable to Germany.
In January 2017 Viking Link announced a €1.3 billion tender for seven contracts that detail all aspects of constructing and later maintaining both the land and sea components of the link.
In March 2017 Fugro announced the completion of their contract to survey the seabed for the subsea section of the interconnector.
According to some experts including National Grid's head of strategy the UK's decision to leave the EU can negatively influence the effort to link the UK power grid with the continent and may put planned interconnectors such as Viking Link on hold. In reaction to the Brexit referendum Viking Link stated that the plans to build and operate the interconnector remain unchanged and that they consider the project unlikely to be influenced since it has a strong business case, while National Grid claims that leaving the internal energy market would jeopardize interconnector projects such as Viking Link.
In July 2019 Viking Link announced three contracts totaling €1.1 billion, one with Siemens for the two onshore substations and two for the manufacture and laying of the undersea cables to be done by Prysmian Powerlink S.r.l. and NKT HV Cables AB. Construction work is scheduled to start mid-2020 and expected to be complete by 2023.
In December 2019, contracts were awarded for the UK onshore construction works.
In November 2019, it was announced that preparation work had started on the beach in Denmark.
In July 2020, Viking Link announced that work had started on the 475 mile interconnector.
Economic impact.
The Viking Link will give the UK access to the west Denmark bidding area (DK1) of Nord Pool Spot. An analysis in 2016 showed a DKK 5.6 billion overall benefit for the society using Viking Link, and a DKK 20 billion benefit for heat pumps in district heating. Combining the two yields a benefit of DKK 22.8 billion. By 2022 prices in Denmark are projected to rise by 15 DKK/MWh, and fall in England. The investment is estimated at 13.4 billion DKK.
A new 400kV supporting power line in Denmark is expected to increase internal transmission capacity and reduce overhead power lines from 324 km to 145 km.


RS Components

RS Components is a trading brand of Electrocomponents plc. The company supplies industrial products, electronic components; electrical, automation and control, and test and measurement equipment; and engineering tools, and consumables via e-commerce, telephone and RS Local stores. RS Components operates in 80 countries.
History.
J.H. Waring and P.M. Sebestyen founded the business in 1937 in London under the name "Radiospares", supplying radio repair shops with spare parts – replacement electronic components and mechanical components for radio receivers and transmitters. When television sets became popular, Radiospares' added television parts to their product list. By the end of World War II, the company had evolved into a large national distribution company. In 1954, the founders of Radiospares expanded the company's focus from shops and home users to the industrial sector and began selling electronic components to manufacturers. The company rebranded as RS Components in 1971.
Operations.
RS Components is part of the Electrocomponents group, and has historically traded in Europe and Asia. In April 2019, RS Components launched into North America with a focus on electronic components. Electrocomponents also has an industrially focused business in the Americas: Allied Electronics. The group distributes more than 500,000 products, including electronics, automation and control components, engineering tools and consumables, to over one million customers.
Electrocomponents has operations in 80 countries and ships over 50,000 parcels a day. The company has used a variety of channels to market including selling via e-commerce, catalogues, and trade counters. The group has distribution centres in some parts of the world.
In 2003, RS Components was awarded 'E-Business Strategy of the Year' by the UK National Business Awards. In 2011, the company was named 'Distributor of the Year' and 'Company of the Year' at the 2011 Elektra European Electronics Industry awards.
In 2012, both RS and Allied became two of the main manufacturers and distributors for the Raspberry Pi. The company provides free-to-use PCB layout software, DesignSpark PCB.