In July’s Bryt Insight, we highlight the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) new report, which addresses and advises the UK Government on their progress in reducing emissions. This year, the CCC’s report focuses on the route towards making electricity less expensive, in order to help accelerate decarbonisation. 

This month’s edition also highlights positive Government support for cutting carbon emissions in the hospitality sector, as well as a call for businesses to get involved in the UK’s largest survey on net zero, in order to understand businesses’ greatest challenges in decarbonisation. 

You can find out more, including other news related to renewable energy and sustainability, in July’s Bryt Insight: 

At the beginning of June, long-term wholesale electricity prices increased to the highest seen since the announcement of US tariffs in February of this year, but then prices dropped towards the end of the month. This initial rise was driven by uncertainty around the escalating conflict in the Middle East, which could have limited the supply of gas and oil from the region. Concerns about the reliability of supply from France’s nuclear fleet also drove the increase in prices, as some nuclear reactors had recently been found with corrosion, which may lead to reduced generation as maintenance will be required.

On the other hand, the second half of June saw wholesale prices fall to levels that were almost the lowest that have been seen this year. This was driven by a few factors:

• The conflict between Israel and Iran began to de-escalate, easing concerns around the availability of oil and gas supply.
• With gas prices falling as a result of this de-escalation, increases in gas generation to supplement low levels of wind generation did not cause an increase in wholesale electricity prices.
• The heatwave across Southern and Western Europe increased electricity demand for cooling, but this was balanced out by increased solar generation from the sunny weather.

Short-term wholesale electricity prices were very volatile across the month, with one day seeing prices decrease to the lowest since August 2024, but then two days later climbing to the highs that were last seen in May. This volatility has been caused by both fluctuating levels of renewable generation, including less wind, and increasing demand, with higher temperatures driving additional energy usage for cooling. This was only partially balanced by increased solar generation, tightening the gap between supply and demand.

Additionally, at this time of the year, the UK’s nuclear and thermal fleets often go through maintenance, and there have been delays in some of these power plants returning to service. This can impact the amount of supply available, which is particularly challenging on days of low renewable energy generation.

Looking ahead, wholesale electricity prices may be driven upwards, with the damage to French nuclear reactors, as well as similar issues with the Torness nuclear plant in Scotland, affecting the amount of supply available. With the forecast of a continuously hot summer across Europe, there is also likely to be an increase in electricity demand for cooling, which could increase wholesale prices. Additionally, any escalating conflict between countries could also create higher prices, due to uncertainty over the impact on oil and gas supplies. These factors indicate that the cost of wholesale electricity might increase, looking forward.

Following the decrease in Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificate prices over the last few months and a small increase last month, prices appear to have now stabilised. This is likely due to the end of the compliance reporting period for 2023/2024, and we may begin to see some changes as the summer continues.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has published their annual report for Parliament, detailing the UK’s progress on emissions reductions. The report specifically focuses on the remaining carbon budgets that were set by the CCC for the UK Government and their 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). This NDC, submitted as part of the Paris Agreement, outlines the UK’s goal of decreasing emissions by at least 68% by 2030, compared to 1990, in order to reach net zero by 2050.

The report made 38 recommendations to the Government, but its primary advice was to invest in ways to make electricity cheaper, which the CCC has identified as a main barrier to decarbonisation. The report argues that lower electricity costs will increase the scale and pace of the electrification of heat and transport. The CCC therefore advised that the Government removes legacy policy costs, such as the Renewables Obligation and Feed-in Tariffs, from electricity bills, instead placing them on gas bills or within general taxation. The report states that these actions would reduce the gap between the UK’s electricity and gas prices, making the switch to electrification more cost effective.

Other factors in electricity prices

Whilst this could be a significant step towards reducing electricity bills, a new article has also explored the ways that the high cost of gas affects electricity costs¹. Whilst some have attributed the cost of electricity to the ‘green’ levies that support the growth of renewable energy, these levies and network charges make up 6% and 20%, respectively, of the rise in electricity bills in the UK since before the energy crisis of 2022, compared to the 53% that is driven by gas. The article explains that gas prices climbed, along with UK energy bills, as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and have not returned to price levels seen prior. The article suggests that reducing the UK’s reliance on foreign imports of gas, in favour of homegrown renewable energy, would therefore significantly contribute to lower wholesale electricity prices, potentially cutting businesses’ energy costs by 15%.

Progress and next steps

Encouragingly, the CCC’s report states that UK emissions have reduced by 50.4% compared to levels in 1990, and fell by 2.5% in 2024 compared to 2023. This decrease in emissions is thought to have been largely driven by the decarbonisation of the UK’s electricity supply, with coal power being phased out completely at the end of September 2024. Although this is incredible progress, the report highlights that 80% of the emissions reductions that are now needed until 2030 will be through sectors other than the energy supply sector, such as the electrification of transport, buildings and industry, which require a more complex and considered approach when decarbonising.

The Government will respond to the CCC’s report and their recommendations regarding decreasing the cost of electricity in the coming months. In the meantime, you can access the CCC’s full report, here².

New scheme from DESNZ will help the UK’s hospitality sector cut carbon emissions

A newly launched scheme from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) aims to assist the UK’s hospitality sector in cutting its carbon emissions³. The UK Government will provide £350,000 for a trial that will be delivered by the Zero Carbon Services, which will run until March 2026. The scheme will provide free energy and carbon reduction assessments to 615 hospitality businesses, alongside advice on cost-effective, energy-saving changes that they could implement, such as insulation, lighting and heating. The Government estimates that the scheme will save businesses that participate £3 million in total.

It’s encouraging to see support for those in the hospitality sector getting involved with the UK’s journey to net zero, creating potential financial savings along the way. To find out more about the Government’s scheme, visit here.

Businesses encouraged to take part in the UK’s largest survey on net zero

For the second year in a row, the Net Zero Business Census has called for UK businesses to get involved in their net zero survey. The survey aims to gather responses about how businesses are approaching net zero, setting emission reduction goals, and taking climate action, as well as the barriers and challenges they experience. The census is delivered by Planet Mark and the UK Business Climate Hub. More than 2,000 businesses responded to last year’s census, and we reported on the findings in September 2024.

To find out how you can get involved and ensure that your voice is heard in this year’s census, visit here⁴.

55,000 jobs are supported by the wind industry in the UK

In just two years, the amount of people who work in the UK’s offshore wind energy industry has increased by 24%, from 32,000 to 40,000, according to a new report from RenewableUK and the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC)⁵. The report also revealed that the number of people working in the entire wind industry now stands at 55,000, with those in the onshore wind industry making up 15,000.

The report predicts a further increase in jobs by 2030 depending on various potential deployment scenarios, with the highest number of new jobs expected in Scotland, Yorkshire, the Humber and East England.

As wind energy is a large part of our own fuel mix and such an abundant source in the UK, we are thrilled to see such significant growth in this sector, as we see how it can support job growth whilst helping to decarbonise the nation.

Solar power increases by 42% in the UK’s sunniest spring on record

Following the sunniest spring ever recorded, UK solar farms and rooftops have generated record-breaking volumes of electricity in the first five months of the year⁶. From January to May 2025, 7.6 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity was generated, which is 42% higher than the same period last year. Also, for the first time, solar power made up over 10% of the UK’s monthly electricity generation for two months in a row, across April and May.

Encouragingly, this solar generation avoided gas imports that would have cost the UK £600 million and have released 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO₂), according to Carbon Brief’s calculations.

Tenants are willing to pay more for a ‘green’ premium for UK businesses and homes

According to 92% of landlords of commercial buildings and homes, tenants are willing to pay more money for sustainable and energy efficient premises, with this potentially becoming a competitive advantage to landlords offering such opportunities. In the poll, comprising of 200 landlords and property investors, 77% reported significant interest from tenants about sustainable services such as heat pumps and solar generation in their buildings, as part of their wider decarbonisation strategies.

In our recent office move⁷, we too prioritised a building that aligned with our sustainability ambitions, so it’s encouraging to see that a majority of landlords are seeing the same values in other tenants. To read more about the results of this poll, visit here⁸.

Low-carbon technologies that are needed to prevent 40% of global emissions are on track for 2030

New research has been released by Systemiq and the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC), exploring the progress of ‘positive tipping points’ that are required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, through climate solutions and low-carbon technology. Systemiq explains that these tipping points are achieved when a set of conditions allows a new technology to out-compete conventional alternatives, creating feedback loops that reinforce and accelerate progress.

According to their research, technologies that impact around 40% of global emissions, such as solar PV and batteries, are expected to have reached their tipping points by 2030. The research found that there are significant differences in the progress of different nations in deploying various low-carbon technologies, and that supportive policies are vital in the early phases of achieving tipping points. In most countries, the tipping points for solar PV and wind have already been reached, and the tipping point for electric vehicles (EVs) is approaching.

The uptake of low-carbon technology is a key aspect of the transition to a net zero energy system, and business have an important role in this. You can find out more about how to incorporate and benefit from low-carbon technologies in your energy strategy, here.

You can download the full research, here⁹.

Statkraft will provide £130,000 for primary school science workshops

Statkraft have partnered with educational charity Edinburgh Science Foundation to deliver more than 150 workshops to primary schools that are near to their onshore wind projects in Scotland. The focus of these workshops will be on sustainability and explaining how energy is generated, with the aim of inspiring interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

In addition, Statkraft has committed to an annual Skills Fund to support those living near future wind farm projects once they are operational. This is a £10,000 fund per year, which the local community could use to support education and further develop STEM skills.

You can read more about this update, here¹⁰.

If you have any questions about how these updates might affect you or would like to find out more, our team of experts are happy to provide further insight. You can contact them on 0330 053 8620 or at heretohelp@brytenergy.co.uk.