What do we expect from Great British Energy, the new company that was one of Labour’s flagship policies in the last UK election?

Those who feared or welcomed a nationalisation of the UK’s energy industry – caught up in the momentum behind talks of re-nationalisation of the rail and water industries perhaps – can put these fears or hopes on ice, as the existing industry will continue unscathed. Instead GB Energy is merely a new kid on the block, designed to accelerate development in a greener direction.

This is why I believe the policy is full of both danger and hope. The hope clearly comes from improved investment in renewable electricity generation capacity. But as Len Williams outlines in his article (see p22), it is as much about progress in newer technologies. There has been a feeling within the industry that some technologies have suffered due to the success of others. Specifically, wind and solar energy can now be generated on a basis that is cost competitive with fossil fuels. But...