Eight riders…
If you’re buying Apple’s new M5 MacBook Pro in Europe, you won’t get a charger in the box.
This is hardly surprising, given that Apple started shipping iPhones and other devices without a charging…
Aled ThomasLocal Democracy Reporting Service
SBCAn industrial-sized rechargeable battery installed at a council waste and recycling facility three years ago to help power the site has never been switched on.
Councillor Chris Watts, of Labour-run Swindon Borough Council, blamed the previous Conservative administration for the stalled project at Waterside Park waste and recycling plant.
He said the battery was never connected to the National Grid as planned due to “financial pressures” but there were now plans to do so.
Swindon Conservative group leader Gary Sumner said: “Our understanding is that the 2.5-MW solar farm and the 850-KW battery at Waterside were correctly installed and signed-off by senior council officers as fully operational.”
Local Democracy Reporting ServiceThe battery was due to be hooked up and connected to the Barnfield Park solar farm in 2022 so it could store the facility’s excess energy, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Watts said: “I do not have full visibility into why the project was never commissioned, as the officers and councillors originally involved are no longer with the council.
“However, it is likely that when the battery system failed during the commissioning stage, the limited resources and financial pressures in the summer of 2022 led to the project being mothballed.”
A report to the council’s Build a Greener Swindon Policy and Scrutiny Committee revealed the battery was never connected, a discovery made in 2024.
Meanwhile, Sumner continued: “We have asked council officers questions and have yet to receive any responses.
“We sincerely hope councillors have not been misled, and if we have then someone needs to be held accountable.”
Work is under way by the council to see if the battery can be used following a visit by a specialist contractor.
Saudi Arabia has announced the launch of the…
Indonesia has cited their longstanding political and diplomatic principles for their decision.
“We are aware of the Israeli Gymnastics Federation’s plan to appeal to Cas. We are anticipating the lawsuit and will face it respectfully, following…
A student cricket club in Cardiff has been suspended following allegations of “degrading” behaviour during a social event.
Cardiff Students’ Union confirmed on Wednesday that it had suspended the men’s cricket club while it conducts an…
Aryna Sabalenka has always been Jessica Pegula’s kryptonite. Before their matchup in the Wuhan Open semi-finals, Sabalenka comfortably led Pegula in the H2H tally, with a dominant 8-2 record. But the American got her shot to trump Sabalenka in…
Analyst(s): Olivier Blanchard
Publication Date: October 15, 2025
Amazon’s Alexa+ takes a distinct approach to AI assistance, emphasizing natural, conversational interactions across voice-driven home devices rather than productivity or…
There’s a downside, though, and it isn’t minor: Once Sonar is running, you’ll need to keep your system’s default audio device set to one of the new outputs the app creates during installation. If you switch between speakers and headphones,…
