week ending 3 December 2010
Community Fund?
Farmer, ice cream maker and potato crisp manufacturer Maitland Mackie yesterday challenged to the Scottish Government to come up with the cash to enable rural communities to benefit from the current surge of interest in renewable energy. A year ago, Mackie suggested a rolling fund so that communities rather than multinational energy companies could become involved in bringing forward their own projects and benefiting from the income generated.
Scotsman 3rd Dec 2010 more >>
Myths that hold back climate progress
Energy efficiency offer economic returns that dwarf those of most other development projects. In Ethiopia, for instance, a $5m scheme to distribute compact fluorescent light bulbs obviated the need to spend $100m to lease and fuel diesel power plants. Vietnam, too, has met rapidly growing demand for energy in part through efficiency investments. Promoting energy efficiency right now helps defer the need to build long-lived fossil fuel plants, buying time for wind and solar power to become more cost-competitive.
Guardian 2nd Dec 2010 more >>
UNEP calls time on incandescent bulbs
The United Nations Environment Programme has urged every country in the world to ditch inefficient incandescent lightbulbs as a "quick-win" way of slashing greenhouse gas emissions.
Business Green 2nd Dec 2010 more >>
AD Framework
The Government today invited industry to work with it to increase the use of anaerobic digestion across England. The invitation came in the form of a new framework document, published today that sets out the steps the Government believes need to be taken to increase energy from waste in England through anaerobic digestion (AD).
Green Wise Business 1st Dec 2010 more >>
Renewable energy specialist Farmgen has revealed it is talking to agricultural colleges with a view to supplying them with commercial anaerobic digestion plants. The news came as the government yesterday outlined its plans for growing the anaerobic digestion (AD) sector.
Cardiff Hydro
Cardiff Council is hoping to harness the power of the famous River Taff in a bid to cut carbon emissions and earn money through the government's Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) incentive scheme.
Devon Homes
Pearce Construction are due to start this week on the first phase of work to develop 18 new homes to rent, buy or part own, two employment space workshops and an environmentally sustainable biomass heating system for the new buildings at Little Bickington Farm, High Bickington.
Devon 24 1st Dec 2010 more >>
Ravenscraig new homes
Work has started on a housing development that could change the future of house-building in Scotland. The project is under way at the site of the former Ravenscraig steelworks, Motherwell, which is being redeveloped into a new town for 10,000 people. A two-acre plot will incorporate four full-scale demonstrator houses and a visitor centre, and will channel more than £2million of new technology investment. The houses, which will showcase how homes of the future could be built, will tackle issues such as affordability, energy efficiency, the use of recycled materials, carbon emissions and sustainable methods of construction.
Evening Times 1st Dec 2010 more >>
Coleraine homes heated for £5 per week
ENVIRONMENT Minister Edwin Poots unveiled the first private housing development in Northern Ireland to achieve the highest level of energy efficiency on Thursday
Coleraine Times 1st Dec 2010 more >>
Solar Growth
If the past few months have proved anything about renewable energy, it's that solar power, under the direction of the feed-in tariff (FiT), is the fastest-growing source of green power in the UK. According to the latest figures from Ofgem, since the introduction of the FiT on April 1, 2010, the total installed capacity of solar was almost 40MW (39.241MW) while wind reached 13.021MW and hydro and micro CHP only managed 7.666MW and 0.014MW, respectively. So, if the solar power industry is taking off at such a great rate, why is the Government so keen to put the kybosh on its growth? The recent Spending Review saw the first industry wobble as we all waited with bated breath to see whether the very same Government that gave us the FiT with one hand was about to take it away with the other. A collective sigh of relief followed this review as it was announced that there will be no changes to the (41.3 pence per kilowatt hour) tariff until 2013.
Solar Power Portal 1st Dec 2010 more >>
Micro-CHP Order
LIVERPOOL-based Energetix Group has announced that it has received an order from E.ON for a batch of the Kingston microCHP boilers produced by its Genlec subsidiary. E.ON has ordered an initial batch of small boilers which will be tested at facilities in Germany and in the UK.
The Business Desk 1st Dec 2010 more >>
Solihull Hospital CHP
ENER-G and the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust are the recipients of the Combined Heat and Power Association's (CHPA) Public Sector Award for a trigeneration solution at Solihull Hospital. ENER-G's £5.7 million trigeneration system is expected to reduce costs by £293,000 annually and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1,920 tonnes, around 45 percent, all without any capital investment.
Smart Meters 2nd Dec 2010 more >>
Environmental Expert 1st Dec 2010 more >>
How do you get homeowners to invest in retrofitting their homes to reduce carbon emissions, particularly when very few social landlords and even fewer tenants have the funds to green their properties? One option available to social landlords is to look at utilising funds from the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) or the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) programme. Both measures are funded by an obligation placed on energy suppliers by the government to deliver a reduction in household carbon savings across England, Scotland and Wales. Measures covered under these programmes include insulation, draught proofing and microgeneration technology.
Birmingham's low carbon lighting
A groundbreaking programme to replace more than 95,000 street lights in Birmingham with state-of-the-art Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology which will cutcarbon emissions and improve safety is to be launched this week. The cutting edge lights will not only reduce carbon emissions by up to 50% and be brighter than traditional lights, but they will also enable operators to control and adjust their levels remotely according to what is happening in the surrounding area. The replacement work is being carried out by Birmingham City Council and Amey as part of its £2.7bn Highways maintenance PFI
New Civil Engineer 30th Nov 2010 more >>
Low Carbon Buildings
Transforming the built environment in accordance with the government's low carbon agenda could create 40 years of work for small businesses, a new report has claimed. Published by the Innovation and Growth Team (IGT), the study suggests small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK will be presented with a wealth of opportunities from green building programmes, which will act as a "springboard" to 200,000 new firms. A "quantum change" within the construction industry was said to be needed to reach the 80 percent cut in carbon emissions on 1990 levels by 2050, which was laid out in the Climate Change Act. The report will now be sent to the government for consideration, before a response to the recommendations is published next year.
The construction industry must deliver a "quantum change" in its approach to energy efficiency and sustainable infrastructure if it is to play an adequate role in the development of a low-carbon economy. This is the stark warning released yesterday by the government-appointed Innovation and Growth Team (IGT), a panel of experts drawn from the construction industry by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to help advise on building policy
Solar Park (1)
THE UK's first solar panel park connected to the National Grid will be built at Conisholme, near Louth. Ecotricity has been given permission to build the five-acre park in the shadow of the firm's wind farm, which is the biggest in Lincolnshire. The project at Fen Lane wind farm will one of the first in the world to combine the energy of both the wind and the sun into one powerhouse. Hundreds of solar panels will be positioned in 59 rows, standing at just two metres high
Grimsby Telegraph 30th Nov 2010 more >>
A former World War II airfield has joined the race to become the UK's first functioning solar park after its owners secured planning permission to install the first tranche of 1,500 panels. Rockspring Property Investment Managers confirmed on Friday that it has received permission to develop a solar park on runway 31 at the former Westcott airfield in Buckinghamshire.
Aquifers and disused mines could be used to store waste heat from power stations as part of ambitious proposals being considered by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), which could boost the efficiency of cogeneration technology and reduce demand for gas imports. The government-backed agency will today announce it is kickstarting a £140,000 project to examine the feasibility of capturing and using large quantities of waste heat from power stations and industrial processes and storing it underground for use later in homes and offices.
Micro Hydro
Hydropower currently provides just 40% of the UK's renewable energy production, but changes in government policy have provided opportunities to develop hydropower projects which previously would have been unviable. Recent surveys have shown that there is potential in the UK for a further 2GW of capacity, with significant further development possible, particularly for new micro scale hydropower projects. Many of these micro generation projects will make use of existing infrastructures such as old mill sites and weirs, or water utility assets such as reservoirs and water transfer schemes, as well as opportunities to enhance existing hydro schemes.
Water Power Magazine 29th Nov 2010 more >>
North East Eco-homes
Plans for a new environmentally friendly housing development at a north-east village were revealed at the weekend. The proposal is for 39 homes, most with two or three bedrooms, at Village Farm, Tarland. The developers are examining a range of renewable energy technologies such as biomass, heat pumps and solar panels in order to provide homes which were "thermally efficient with low running costs".
Aberdeen Press & Journal 29th Nov 2010 more >>
Micro-CHP
The generation of electricity and heat with no pollution and with considerably less emission of the greenhouse gas CO2 sounds too good to be true. However, it is possible with the so-called SOFC fuel cells, which Ris has been conducting research into for over 20 years. The technology is now on its way to reach Danish and international companies including consumers.
Click Green 29th Nov 2010 more >>
Science Blog 29th Nov 2010 more >>
Gizmag 2nd Dec 2010 more >>
Daily Tech 30th Nov 2010 more >>
Everest is best known as a double glazing and door fitter, but the company is moving into the energy sector with the launch of a new boiler, insulation and solar panel business.
Telegraph 29th Nov 2010 more >>
Low Carbon Networks
Ofgem has set up the Low Carbon Networks (LCN) Fund. Over the next five years it will provide up to £500m – backing research by the companies whose networks distribute our electricity. The emphasis will be on how low-carbon and energy-saving projects – from electric vehicles and heat pumps to micro and local generation and demand-side management – can be made a reality. It will help to develop the opportunities provided by the roll-out of smart meters across the UK's 27m homes. And it will bring together the distribution network operators into partnership with suppliers, generators, technology providers and others.
Solar Hazard
Farmers are in danger of being ripped off, left with huge tax bills or tied to long-term but worthless deals if they leap into the new "gold rush" to turn their fields into renewable energy parks. That was the sobering warning from industry experts who are warning farmers to avoid the "horror stories" in the "immature industry" of renewable energy. They said farmers could make money from giving their land over to wind farms and "sun parks", but they need to take advice and not jump into business with the first renewable energy provider that comes along.
This is Somerset 27th Nov 2010 more >>
Gloucestershire Plan
SOLAR power, wind turbines and energy-producing bacteria could fill in Gloucestershire County Council's carbon footprint within 10 years – but it would cost £25 million. A task force set up by the authority to devise ways to deal with climate change wants to create a swathe of "solar farms" and self-sustaining buildings to minimise the council's environmental impact and save £5 million a year.
This is Gloucestershire 27th Nov 2010 more >>
BBC 26th Nov 2010 more >>
Eco Housing in NI
NI's first 'A Grade' eco friendly private development has been welcomed by an Executive Minister - and hailed as 'heartening' because it is offering heating costs of just £5 weekly.
4NI 26th Nov 2010 more >>
Solar Church
WORSHIPPERS could soon be praying for good weather after plans were unveiled to create the region's first solar-powered church. The 50-strong congregation at St Andrew's in Epworth is hoping to provide an enlightened example of how to produce low-cost electricity. And the move could create the most sacred solar panels in North Lincolnshire.
Scunthorpe Telegraph 26th Nov 2010 more >>
Renewable Eggs
AN egg producer branching into eco-friendly energy has been given the go-ahead to build a wind turbine on one of its farms to demonstrate its potential. John Bowler Eggs applied to South Derbyshire District Council to install an 18m generator on a farm with more than 20,000 chickens in Willington.
Derby Telegraph 26th Nov 2010 more >>
RHI Details Soon
Farmers considering investing in biogas production should soon find out what additional support will be available under the long-awaited Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
Farmers Weekly 25th Nov 2010 more >>
Greg Barker's Speech
Greg Barker speech to the Micropower Council: Energising the Big Society - the role of industry in the local energy revolution.
DECC 23rd Nov 2010 more >>