by Hardwick Legal | Feb 26, 2020 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<article data-sf-ec-immutable=""><section><p>Energy analysis: Maria Connolly, partner at TLT Solicitors, discusses the Energising Our Electric Vehicle Transition report, published by the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce, and analyses the various proposals and strategies which are intended to facilitate the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) while minimising the impact on the UK’s electricity system.<font size="-1"></font></p></section></article><section><p><i></i></p><section><h2><mark id="CITEID_802658"></mark>What is the background to this report?</h2><p>The UK is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Road transport is a key piece in that jigsaw, accounting for 25% of total greenhouse gas emissions and 28% of all energy consumed in the UK.</p><p>Electric Vehicles (EV) sales are increasing and there are now some 70,000 EVs on the UK’s roads. However, the UK remains in the early stages of the transition to EVs, with EV market share having reached around 1.3% of new car registrations.</p><p>The government’s Road to Zero strategy, released in July 2018:</p><ul><li>set an ambition that all new cars and vans would be effectively zero emission by 2040</li><li>noted that the most credible technology currently available is the plug-in EV, and</li><li>recognised that the electrification of road transport could increase today’s electricity consumption by around 30% by 2050</li></ul><p>The government set up the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce (Taskforce) to investigate and propose ways to manage the transition to EVs. Energising Our Electric Vehicle Transition is the Taskforce’s report on these issues.</p></section><section><h2><mark id="CITEID_802659"></mark>What are the key issues/priorities raised in the report?</h2><p>The Taskforce’s work has focussed on two key challenges: effectively managing the impacts on the electricity system and providing consumers with a good EV charging experience.</p><p>The Taskforce believes smart charging to be essential to managing the first challenge by providing benefits to the wider electricity system. The second is to be overcome by adopting a strong consumer focus in all aspects of the transition to EVs, but specifically by achieving smooth interoperability between different EV models and charging infrastructure and by ensuring the availability of a significant network of ultra-fast charge points.</p><p>Accordingly, there are three key priorities running through the proposals made in the report:</p><ul><li>agreeing common standards and codes of practice to enable interoperability and the sharing of data within the EV sector and with the </li></ul></section></section>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
Examining the proposals put forward by the Energising Our Electric Vehicle Transition report
by Hardwick Legal | Feb 26, 2020 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p>The fast-growing online finance community ‘Finimize’ recently brought together a panel of industry insiders to discuss the future of renewable energy in a world still powered predominantly by oil and gas. While the event was aimed primarily at investors, it provided an interesting insight into the feasibility of the energy transition. <br></p><p>Panellists included Forbes Mitchell, a member of Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV) Europe, Rebecca Williams, a Policy Manager at the renewable energy trade association RenewableUK, and Bas Sudmeijer, a partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group. While the latter two share a positive outlook on the ability of renewables to undercut and disrupt the market for traditionally-sourced energy, Forbes Mitchell believes that industry giants such as Saudi Aramco, will remain profitable investments for the foreseeable future.</p><h2>Investing in renewable energy</h2><p>The panellists laid out the current themes influencing energy markets - increases in global demand for energy, growing awareness of the risks associated with warming climates, carbon pricing, and the rapid growth and resulting drop in prices of commercial-scale renewable energy generation – all of which represent underlying risks to the oil and gas industry that are now being priced into its valuation. <br></p><p>Next, barriers to a successful transition to renewable energy were discussed – the huge financial cost of sunk assets, the </p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
A Waste of Energy? The Big Shift to Renewables.
by Hardwick Legal | Feb 13, 2020 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p><u></u></p><p>Excellent presentation and discussion on ‘How Effective is Environmental Regulation?’ This week at the Law Society, hosted by Castle Debates with the support of UKELA.</p><p>Presenters included Professor Bob Lee, Director of the Centre for Legal Education and Research at the University of Birmingham, who gave a conceptual answer to the question; Professor Maria Lee, Professor of Law at UCL, who concluded that to be effective, regulation has to be enhanced by scrutiny and a politically and legally supported institutional framework of individuals and NGOs; and Peter Kellett, Legal Director at the Environment Agency, who spoke in defence of good, solid regulation which he argues is vital for addressing environmental emergencies. </p><p>After the presentation, the floor was opened to questions and lively debate. Will the Environment Agency operate a ‘lighter touch’ in terms of enforcement post-Brexit? Peter Kellett considers that the enforcement approach of the EA is unlikely to change, but emphasised the importance of spending available funds well, and ‘in the rig</p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
How Effective is Environmental Regulation?
by Hardwick Legal | Feb 12, 2020 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p><i>Jonathan Spencer (Partner) and Jordane Watson (Trainee Solicitor) of Simmons & Simmons consider the judgment in Lejonvarn v Burgess <a data-sf-ec-immutable="" href="https://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/legal/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=5Y57-14D3-GXFD-827V&csi=279841&oc=00240&perma=true&elb=t" target="_blank">[2020] EWCA Civ 114</a>, in which the Court of Appeal held that costs should have been awarded on an indemnity basis following an unsuccessful professional negligence claim.</i></p><p>This case is known to many in the construction industry. The underlying dispute involved an architect who was sued by her neighbours for providing allegedly-negligent free advice, concerning a significant landscaping project.</p><p>The last chapter in this unusual story involved a victory for the architect, when the High Court rejected the claimants’ allegations of breach of duty in respect of the services the architect actually provided – describing aspects of the case as “threadbare” and offending common sense. The full background to this case and an analysis of the earlier decisions can be found <a target="_blank" href="[f669d9a7-009d-4d83-ddaa-000000000002]22CE9C9F-2904-42B9-8325-107E19D7FEF2/construction-professionals-and-duties-of-inspection">here</a>.</p><p>The latest decision involves a ruling on costs, and some very interesting commentary from Lord Justice Coulson who described the case as one that has “echoes of the bad old days” when “construction litigation was a byword for expense and delay”.</p><p>In short, the architect appealed the court’s ruling that costs should be awarded on the standard basis and argued that they should be awarded on an indemnity basis. The court found in favour of the appellant and, in doing so, addressed three distinct issues:</p><h3>1. Was the respondents’ conduct out of the norm?</h3><p>The central issue was whether the respondents (or their advisors) sho</p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
The case that keeps on giving: Lejonvarn v Burgess
by Hardwick Legal | Feb 11, 2020 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p>Welcome to our February 2020 environmental law podcast. In this month’s podcast, Christopher Badger and Mark Davies take us on a deep dive on certain key aspects of the Environment Bill (the Bill), which was reintroduced to parliament on 30 January 2020. </p><p>To listen to the podcast, click <a href="http://ln-multi-web.cloudapp.net/blog/docs/default-source/purpose-built-documents/2020_02_10_envipodcast_draft1.mp3?sfvrsn=f57b60e5_2&download=true" data-sf-ec-immutable="">here</a>. </p><p>To start with Mark takes us through the structure of the Bill, highlighting each part of the legislation which the government says forms part of the ‘pitch to be a world leader on the environment as we leave the EU’, with it setting ‘a gold standard for improving air quality, protecting nature, increasing recycling and cutting down on plastic waste’. We hear Chris and Mark’s thoughts on how comprehensive they think the Bill really is.</p><p>On environmental targets, we hear that the Bill </p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
Environmental law podcast - February 2020
