United Kingdom

Despite debates in some parts of the world, we can expect environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) regulation to continue making headlines in 2025. Everoze Partner Ragna Schmidt-Haupt demystifies the key sustainability risks and opportunities for solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects.

Planning permission granted for 1.8 GW/ 40 GWh pumped hydro project in the Scottish Highlands. Developer Gilkes Energy says the real work begins now and is seeking “substantial capital” for the project.

The Clean Heat Market Mechanism puts new obligations on fossil fuel boiler manufacturers in the United Kingdom. Those who fail to hit targets for heat pump sales could face civil penalties in the shape of fines or even criminal prosecution.

Trafigura says it has scrapped plans for a $471.2 million green hydrogen plant in Australia after a feasibility study, while Aurora Energy Research says Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Great Britain could drive over 50% of renewable energy demand by 2035, requiring €100 billion in investment.

Renewables accounted for majority of annual UK electricity generation for the first time in 2024, with solar enjoying record highs despite fewer sun hours Gains for PV reflect increased deployed capacity, which hit 18 GW in February 2025 according to the latest government figures.

Chile’s economic development agency Corfo has selected three companies – two Chinese and one Spanish – to build electrolyzer production facilities in the country. The projects, set to begin operations by mid-2026, will assemble alkaline and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers ranging from 50 kW to 5 MW.

HyIron says it has produced the first green hydrogen molecules at its Namibian facility, while Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has secured AUD 814 million ($512 million) for its Murchison Green Hydrogen project in Western Australia.

First Great British Energy project will see the state-owned renewables company roll out rooftop solar across around 200 schools and 200 National Health Service (NHS) sites in England. Monies for community energy groups and power schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland included in investment package.

A research team from two London universities have developed a multi-layer device that addresses the instability of organic materials in water to further their use in direct solar hydrogen generation. Monolithic tandem anodes fabricated by the team reached a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 5%, a record in organic photoelectrochemical device performance. 

Scientists in the U.K. have used alumina oxide in perovskite solar cells to achieve lifetimes exceeding 1,300 h under standards-based heat and humidity testing. Their analysis showed that a reference cell based on conjugated polyelectrolytes degraded in one-tenth the time.