Ofgem RIIO-2 Consultation : Response from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC)

The RIIO (Revenue=Incentives+Innovation+Outputs) model, introduced in 2013, is designed to ensure that payments to companies running the gas and electricity transmission and distribution networks are fair to network users and permit the recovery of reasonable costs in developing, maintaining and operating the networks. The network licensees’ allowed revenue is linked to their performance and should therefore offer them incentives for securing investment, driving innovation and delivering the service that customers expect. However, some commentators have suggested that the licensees have been making unjustified profits. With network charges making up around a quarter of the average household energy bill, it is anticipated that the new price control framework will be tougher and provide lower expected returns for network licensees. The RIIO-2 framework consultation is welcome. Ofgem’s final view on price control allowances will be published by the end of 2020 with the new network price controls ('RIIO-2') due to be implemented in 2021. General comments In our submission we responded to the individual points raised in the call. We also note the following: We support the proposal to reduce the price control period from 8 to 5 years. The energy system is undergoing unprecedented change, not only with continued transformation of the generation background but also major changes to the way electricity is used, such as for transport and heating. However, the rate and precise locations of these changes is uncertain. A shorter price control period will provide the opportunity for incentives and cost recovery to be adapted to the changing circumstances. Maintenance of acceptable levels of reliability while facilitating the energy system transformation at least cost requires substantial innovation in technologies, business processes and commercial arrangements. The development of new innovations and associated benefits to consumers often takes years to be realised, sometimes beyond a price control period in which network company shareholders would expect a return. We therefore support the proposal to retain dedicated innovation funding but encourage greater clarity on the scope of activities that can make use of such funding and on best practice in the generation and dissemination of evidence on proposed innovations. We welcome moves to increase the accountability of the network companies and would urge Ofgem to concentrate on those measures that have a genuine and positive impact on the network companies’ activities in the context of the whole energy system. We note that this is not restricted to the business plans submitted under RIIO-2 but extends to a whole raft of codes and interactions. These include the evolving responsibilities of the Electricity System Operator (ESO), the relationships between the ESO, the transmission owners and the Distribution Network Operators, and the processes for ensuring that the full set of codes, standards and market arrangements are coherent and fit for purpose. This is a challenging task that requires constant attention to ‘the big picture’ and sufficient resources, commitment and expertise on the part of the network owners, system operators and Ofgem. In applying tighter controls that avoid excessive returns to the network licensees’ owners, the upside and downside risks should be clearly assessed and incentives for managing risk placed on those parties best placed to do so

Complementarity between Position and Momentum as a Consequence of Kochen-Specker Arguments

We give two simple Kochen-Specker arguments for complementary between the position and momentum components of spinless particles, arguments that are identical in structure to those given by Peres and Mermin for spin-1/2 particles.Comment: 4 pages, LaTe

Large Scale Simulations of Conduction in Carbon Nanotube Networks

Macroscopic wires fabricated from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are an exciting new material that aims to replicate the exceptional electric properties of microscopic individual CNTs in a macroscopic scale material. Recently there have been significant experimental advances that allow these wires to be synthesised reliably and on an industrial scale. Their electrical conductance, however, is orders of magnitude lower than expected and the origin of this poor performance is not well understood. In these wires, the CNTs form a conducting network whereby current flows along individual CNTs and also between the CNTs. This dissertation presents theoretical investigations of mechanisms that affect conduction in these networks. First, the factors that affect tunnelling rates between axially-aligned CNTs are investigated. Using scattering theory and tight-binding calculations, a novel mechanism is identified whereby momentum scattering induced by weak perturbations can greatly improve conductances between CNTs with a large chirality mismatch. It is suggested that the disorder found in realistic networks is vital to the conductance of the network as a whole and, unintuitively, that purifying these networks by removing disorder will decrease rather than increase the overall network conductivity. This mechanism is then investigated using first-principles calculations for the specific structural perturbations of terminations and bends in CNTs. An optimised methodology is described that couples density functional theory with the Landauer-Buttiker transport formalism and allows for the unbiased study of the quantum conductance of systems containing thousands of atoms. Using this methodology, it is found that small, physically realistic bends can improve the conductance between CNTs by an order of magnitude, confirming the relevance of the momentum-scattering mechanism to realistic CNT networks. A comparison is made between improvements to the conductance and the induced backscattering due to bends and a range of termination geometries. Finally, the evidence for charge doping of CNTs by adsorbed water molecules is investigated. The conclusion of earlier calculations from the literature that water dopes carbon nanotubes is suggested to be unreliable due to the difficulty in isolating charge doping from charge polarisation effects due to the permanent electric dipole moment of water. Using large-scale first-principles simulations, novel semi-classical models and an analysis of the local electronic structures it is shown that the residual charge transfer between water and carbon nanotubes, once charge polarisation have been accounted for, is negligible.The work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Research Council and a scholarship from British Telecommunications

Evaluating the delivery, impact, costs and benefits of an active lives programme for older people living in the community

Aim Age UK Lancashire received Big Lottery funding to deliver an active lives programme from January 2012 to December 2014 to the population of West Lancashire aged over 50 years. The overall aims of the associated evaluation were to measure older people’s experiences of participating in the programme, identify the impacts on their health and well-being and their suggestions for services development, and establish the cost-benefits of the programme. Background The World Health Organisation recommends older people should be able to achieve physical, social and mental well-being throughout their lives, and that international, national and local policies should be developed to support older adults, promote their independence and well-being, and encourage physical exercise. Consequently, the West Lancashire programme was to establish preventative community support for older people to assist in improving their well-being and physical and mental health, particularly those isolated due to age-related illness or disability. It was to provide interventions not available from local social care providers. Methods A mixed methods approach was adopted, with the qualitative evaluation utilising focus groups to establish people’s experiences, identify impacts on their health and wellbeing, and suggestions for services development. This paper describes the quantitative evaluation which involved three surveys and a costs analysis. The surveys were scheduled to give timely feedback to management about programme delivery and content, and overall benefits of participation. Findings The active lives programme and groups offered a wide range of flexible and local activities that provided benefits for older people in terms of health & wellbeing, social wellbeing and quality of life, and reducing social isolation. There was interconnectivity between these benefits. The programme was delivered in an affordable and flexible manner. Such programmes should be made more widely available

Which direction for sustainable development? A time series comparison of the impacts of redistributive versus market policies in Bolivia and South Korea

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MThis article examines two major policy frameworks for achieving sustainable development: the market-based 'Green Economy' approach (exemplified by South Korea), and the redistributive 'Living Well' approach (exemplified by Bolivia). We compare the two paradigms in qualitative terms using document analysis, and we assess quantitatively how they have fared in terms of delivering progress towards sustainable development in each country. Time series data for the Sustainable Development Index and the Gini index were examined. The results show that, since 'Living Well' was initiated, social outcomes have continued to improve in Bolivia and, while emissions and material footprint have increased, they remain low and within or near sustainable boundaries. By contrast, South Korea has regressed in terms of sustainability. Social indicators have improved, but the Green Economy policy has failed to reduce ecological pressures. This raises significant questions about the legitimacy of the Green Economy paradigm as a modelfor achieving sustainable development

The relationship between regional medical campus enrollment and rates of matching to family medicine residency

Background: The Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine expanded its medical education across three campus sites (Hamilton, Niagara Regional and Waterloo Regional) in 2007. Ensuring the efficacy and equivalency of the quality of training are important accreditation considerations in distributed medical education.  In addition, given the social accountability mission implicit to distributed medical education, the proportion of learners at each campus that match to family medicine residency programs upon graduation is of particular interest. Methods: By way of between campus comparisons of Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) match rates, this study investigates the family medicine match proportion of medical students from McMaster’s three medical education campuses. These analyses are further supported by between campus comparisons of Personal Progress Index (PPI), Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination-Part 1 (MCCQE1) performances that offer insight into the equivalency and efficacy of the educational outcomes at each campus. Results: The Niagara Regional Campus (NRC) demonstrated a significantly greater proportion of students matched to family medicine. With respect to education equivalency, the proportion of students’ PPI scores that were more than two SD below the mean was comparable across campuses.  OSCE analysis yielded less than 2% differences across campuses with no differences in the last year of training.  The MCCQE1 pass rates were not statistically significant between campuses and there were no differences in CaRMS match rates. With respect to education efficacy, there were no differences among the three campuses’ pass rates on the MCCQE1 and CaRMS match rates with the national rates. Conclusions: Students in all campuses received equivalent educational experiences and were efficacious when compared to national metrics, while residency matches to family medicine were greater in the NRC. The reasons for this difference may be a factor of resident and leadership role-models as well as the local hospital and community environment