Only halfway through 2026, and the year has already seen major shifts in the energy industry.
The UK has navigated several major weather events including record breaking heat waves. And with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the energy industry saw shocks to gas prices that were felt across the UK.
It’s been a significant year already for the energy industry, and the impacts of the past few months are only just becoming evident. Industries like manufacturing and independent brewing are listing energy prices as a top concern, compiling on other operational pressures like increased minimum wages and NI contributions. And any business renewing energy contracts right now will almost immediately be feeling the effects of the recent energy shocks. As the UK currently claims some of the highest industrial electricity prices in the world, shocks like these are increasingly perilous for businesses.
Tackling the energy mix becomes more important every year, so far 2026 has proven this to the next level. And for our team at CleanEarth Energy, the first half of the year saw major milestones; like being awarded CfD support for Clay Country Windfarm, the first windfarm in a decade to have received this. Clay Country Wind Farm is also the largest wind farm to be built in England within that same decade, amassing 5 turbines individually consented and each 135m to tip in height. And as 60GWh a year is set to be generated at Clay Country Wind Farm, we’ve also been hard at work on solar projects.
High energy costs and other pressures are reported to be putting Britain at risk of deindustrialisation, and we’ve seen manufacturers pushing their energy mixes forward into renewable more cost-effective on-site generation. In the first half of the year, we’ve been back to Sharp Clinical to triple their solar capacity, installed for artisan furniture producers Artichoke, and installed for manufacturers like Polyformes Ltd and CI Precision. Our team also stopped by Thamesdown Recycling and Guarantee Laundries. And as we head into Q3, we’ve got even more businesses across the UK ready to take control of their energy mix.
These past 6 months have been big for the energy industry, and with more installations and projects in the line up we’re doing everything we can as solar and wind providers to decarbonise commercial industry across the UK.
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