News Archive

week ending 31 August 2007

 

Merton rule safe?

There are fears that the property industry had succeeded in convincing ministers that the Merton rule is ineffective. New planning guidance on sustainable development being negotiated could effectively abolish the rule if developers get their way. The Department for Communities and Local Government played down these claims. A spokesman said: ‘We want councils to deliver more ambitious carbon-saving measures and set tougher targets for renewable energy for new development, as we move to a zero-carbon culture. Our reforms are about greater use of renewable energy for new developments, not less.’ The Local Government Association said it was reassured by the statement. A spokeswoman said: ‘The LGA is pleased… that [DCLG has] no intention of stopping elected council leaders introducing local policies like the Merton rule.

Public Finance 31st August 2007
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Green London

Up to 100 of the capital's public sector office buildings, including City Hall and Transport for London's headquarters, are to be given a green makeover at a cost of about £10m. Ken Livingstone, London mayor, will today invite energy and utility management companies to bid for the contract to increase energy efficiency in the buildings by about 25 per cent. Under the terms of the contract, the companies will have to plan and implement energy-saving measures for each building, possibly ranging from reducing heat gain and installing energy-efficient lighting and better insulation, to adding "smart" controls for buildings' services and even sustainable energy systems.

FT 31st August 2007
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Windy solar plant

A US company is to outline plans to turn its groundbreaking solar energy factory in South Wales into a “green operation.” G24 Innovations (G24i) is pushing ahead with its strategy to manufacturer renewable energy products (solar cells) using entirely renewable energy.

Western Mail 31st August 2007
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Solar Century

Solarcentury Holdings Limited today announces the completion of a GBP13.5m round of financing to fund its product development and international expansion strategy. The round was led by zouk ventures, a European Cleantech investor, and co-led by Good Energies, a global investor in renewable energy. Additional investors are Vantania Holdings Limited (advised by the Consensus Business Group) and Foursome Investments, along with participation by existing investors VantagePoint Venture Partners and Scottish and Southern Energy.

PR Newswire 30th August 2007
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Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre

Architects working on the centre, Wilkinson Eyre, are aiming to make it the most environmentally-friendly venue in Europe, with its own wind farm and a design which will produce half the CO_ emissions of a traditional building.

Liverpool Daily Post 30th August 2007
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Green Fire Station

With solar panels on the walls and a wind turbine on the roof, the new Nottingham Road fire station will be a far cry from the crumbling 1950s building it is replacing.

Derby Evening Telegraph 30th August 2007
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Aberdeen

Space-age designs have been unveiled for Aberdeen's new energy centre. Aberdeen City Council has released dramatic designs for the seafront building. The Energy Futures Centre would bring together Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire's world-class energy development expertise in oil and gas and renewables.

Aberdeen Press and Journal 29th August 2007
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Old MacDonald had a solar panel

A CITY farm has boosted its eco-credentials by reducing its carbon hoof-print. Kentish Town City Farm in Cressfield Close, Gospel Oak, has installed solar panels to help heat its water.

Camden Gazette 29th August 2007
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Camden New Journal 30th August 2007
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Green University

The green credentials of UEA in Norwich have received a further boost with plans for its fifth state-of-the-art low carbon building.

East Anglian Daily Press 29th August 2007
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Merton Rule?

Will the government cave in to volume housebuilders over the Merton rule? This is the groundbreaking planning policy, pioneered by the London borough of Merton, which demands the use of onsite renewable energy to reduce annual CO2 emissions in all new public buildings.

Guardian 29th August 2007
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Intelligent Design

A wind turbine doesn’t make a green building. It contributes so little to the building’s energy use that it almost misses the point. Developers have a responsibility to encourage people to maximise efficiencies in terms of how energy is used and to ensure the building is designed to retain energy – rather than papering over the cracks with ‘green gestures’ which only attempt to replace energy.

Liverpool Daily Post 29th August 2007
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Leicester

Leicester wants to create an energy company for the city to generate its own electricity. "We'll be looking at wind turbines, not just one or two but significant electricity generation and having our own energy company so Leicester starts to become more self-sufficient."

Leicester Mercury 28th August 2007
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Council Tax rebates

Households should receive council tax rebates to encourage them to install solar panels and wind turbines, an independent think tank claims. The New Local Government Network says planning laws should be relaxed to increase the take-up of green energy. It also suggests local authorities could offer interest-free loans towards the cost of installation. The New Local Government Network report, Finding the Energy, says ministers need to be bolder by allowing councils to be even less restrictive where there is public support. It is calling for local councillors to be able to consult with residents on whether to reduce the amount of planning permission required to create eco-friendly homes.

BBC 28th August 2007
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e-Politix 28th August 2007
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Local Government Chronicle 28th August 2007
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Finding the Energy: Domestic Microgeneration and Planning, New Local Government Network, 28th August 2007.
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Join the microgeneration game

So how do we join this green energy revolution and, most importantly, can we save money and the environment when we are powering our homes? First you need to assess what type of turbine is suitable for your home. There are two types - mast-mounted, which are free-standing and located near the buildings that will use the electricity, and roof-mounted.

Western Daily Press 27th August 2007
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Dublin

Dublin City Council has announced its plans for the €18m redevelopment of Fr Collins Park near Grange Road and Baldoyle, North Dublin. Wind turbines will generate electricity for the Park's energy needs, while a sustainable drainage system will also be in place. Reed beds will be used to recycle and clean water for the lake.

Enviro Solutions 26th August 2007
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Let there be light

The first combined lamp-post and wind turbine will be installed on the bridge at Castillon-la-Bataille, in Gironde, France, by the end of the month.

Enviro Solutions 26th August 2007
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Merton Rule

Councils will no longer be able to impose blanket targets for renewable energy on site under government plans to scrap the Merton rule following pressure from housebuilders. In a Department for Communities & Local Government working draft of the planning policy statement on planning and climate change obtained by LGC – due to be published next month – it states that when it comes to energy supply councils should “avoid blanket requirements applying across extensive areas with a broad range of development proposals and circumstances”. Councils will still be able to set targets for renewable energy for individual sites, but only where it is feasible and viable. The report emphasis there should be clear opportunities for these sites to use renewable energy.

Local Government Chronicle 24th August 2007
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The government has denied speculation that revised planning policy on climate change, due by the end of the year, will provide less encouragement than at present to English councils who want to require new developments to incorporate on-site renewable energy.

e-gov Monitor 24th August 2007
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Power to the People
Residents of Woodbridge in Suffolk are being invited to a special "Power to the People" event to find out how they can plug into their own energy supply at home. The Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre Anglia (ESTACA), in partnership with Suffolk Coastal, has linked up with manufacturers and accredited installers of solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps and biomass burners for the "Power to the People" event.

24 Dash 24th August 2007
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Cheaper Solar

Durham University’s Centre for Renewable Energy is working on overcoming the technological challenge of producing new and less costly ways of extracting electricity from daylight to power homes.

Newcastle Journal 24th August 2007
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Green loos

FOUR new green public loos on the Island are set to be anything but bog standard. Users will be able not only to spend a penny but save the planet in the new toilets. Features in the four toilets — together costing more than £1 million — include a wind turbine to generate electricity, a roof made of drought-resistant plants, photo-voltaic cells that will use the Island's sunshine to create electricity and a mini hydro-electric generator.

Isle of Wight County Press 24th August 2007
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More wind from Tesco

NOVEL plans for a wind turbine at Tesco’s Edinburgh Road Store in Perth have been submitted to the council. Tesco plc, through agent TNEI Services Ltd, hopes to blow some green energy into the store by building a 10.6-metre high turbine in the supermarket’s car park. The turbine would be capable of generating six kilowatts of electricity and have an estimated lifespan of 15 years.

Perthshire Advertiser 24th August 2007
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Merton Railway Station

Merton Council has agreed for a new railway station to be built next to Eastfields Road level crossing in Mitcham. The new station, with its modular and contemporary design making use of renewable energy sources, will be the first of its kind in the country.

London Borough of Merton 24th August 2007
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Micro-CHP

Micro-Combined Heat and Power, or Micro-CHP, is an approach to delivery of energy to homes that can dramatically lower overall energy use and reduce impacts on the environment. The fuel used to heat the home is used twice: first to generate electric power, and then heat the home. A long-time dream of many, Climate Energy now brings forward, for the first time in America, Freewatt™ a complete system that meets all the technical and practical requirements for Micro-CHP in the home.

Climate Energy August 2007
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