Edinburgh University Solar
Scotland’s largest array of
building-integrated photovoltaic tiles on the William Rankine building, University
of Edinburgh, demonstrates how zero-emission technologies can be integrated
harmoniously into new buildings.
See Architecture Scotland
week ending 9 November 2007
Local carbon planning
ACTION plans being developed by three of Britain's biggest cities to tackle climate change could help Sheffield become greener. Bristol, Leeds and Manchester are taking action to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide - and their work will be used to help other cities including Sheffield to follow suit.
Sheffield Star 9th Nov 2007
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Cleveland
Bydales School Specialist Technology College, which was completely rebuilt to the latest specifications, as part of a £155m schools building programme in east Cleveland. It has a wind turbine, hydrogen fuel cell and photovoltaic solar panel
Northern Echo 9th Nov 2007
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Nissan
Two extra wind turbines will be added to Wearside's Nissan factory to help boost the plant's energy efficiency and cut costs. Installation will start in December, with the turbines expected to be in place by January, making Nissan a saving of almost £1million a year.
Sunderland Echo 8th Nov 2007
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Hartlepool Mail 9th Nov 2007
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Micropower’s emotional connection
Two years ago a small study for the Sustainable Development Commission found that UK households that generated their own energy, through solar power, wind turbines or air source heat pumps, became more likely to conserve energy. They would buy A-rated appliances and turn things off. This didn't just apply to rich eco-fanatics: it applied equally to social housing tenants. Irrespective of whether they had chosen it or not, the process of generating their own energy seems to have given many people an “emotional connection”, says the study. The visibility of the solar panels or wind turbines made them proud to be pioneers.
Times 8th Nov 2007
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Peterborough
THE city's environmental credentials have been underscored today by the unveiling of plans for a trail-blazing Green Quarter. A state-of-the-art six-storey building overlooking Peterborough railway station would boast some leading environmental companies and create 2,500 jobs.
Peterborough Evening Telegraph 8th Nov 2007
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Darlington
PLANS to build one of the UK's greenest warehouse developments look likely to be given approval. Council planning officers have recommended permission is granted for a renewable energy centre.
Northern Echo 8th Nov 2007
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Manchester
This week work will begin on a 440-property development in Manchester and is expected to be a major catalyst for regeneration in Moss Side. It will use state-of-the-art technology to slash energy consumption, builders Lowry Homes have revealed. Solar panels will be used to heat water in some properties, while wind turbines and boilers powered by biomass - renewable fuels made of plant matter - will also put the estate at the forefront of ecological living.
Manchester Evening News 8th Nov 2007
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Micro-hydro
Welsh and his business partner, Helen Walker, are about to build their first renewable energy power station, with plans for another eight. But before John Hutton, the energy secretary, gets too excited, Welsh says these are quite small ones. In fact, they are classed as "micro" hydro stations, producing enough electricity to power a few hundred homes each.
Guardian 7th Nov 2007
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North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire Council has a number of schemes in place which encourage energy efficiency. Just recently we re-launched 'SHEEP' (South Humber Energy Efficiency Partnership), a discount insulation and renewable energy scheme. SHEEP offers discounted cavity wall and loft insulation to householders, as well as renewable technologies such as solar panels and ground source heat pumps.
Scunthorpe Telegraph 7th Nov 2007
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Bromley Solar
A Bromley primary school will become one of the greenest in the country after having solar panels installed on its roof after a receiving a grant from the Co-op.
Bromley Times 7th Nov 2007
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East Midlands
A RECORD number of exhibitors and attendees made the East Midlands Expo 2007 – Make Climate Change Your Business – the best yet.
Northants Evening Telegraph 7th Nov 2007
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Eco-Island
The Isle of Wight may seem an unlikely candidate for a pioneering eco-island but councillors believe ambitious plans could be realised within a decade.
Southern Daily Echo 7th Nov 2007
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Renewable Lighthouse
A PARTNERSHIP of North-East expertise has scored a world first by designing a fuel cell to power an historic lighthouse. The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), based at Wilton on Teesside, has worked with some of the world’s top fuel cell companies to give it a reliable, sustainable source of power.
Newcastle Journal 7th Nov 2007
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Somerset
Residents and organisations in Somerset are being asked for their views on Somerset County Council’s ambitious plans to rise to the challenge of climate change.
Somerset County Council 7th Nov 2007
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Zero-carbon, not zero-cost
Many people are still put off making their homes greener because of the cost, according to a recent survey by Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Most people interviewed said they did agree with the Government’s plans for ‘zero-carbon homes’, however.
Green Builder 7th Nov 2007
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Taunton Protocol
Taunton's unique stance on sustainable development is set to become an exemplary model for the country as a whole.
South West Regional Development Agency 7th Nov 2007
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Wind Battle
Hockerton Housing released new figures today on the performance of their two competing wind turbines. The 5kW Iskra AT5-1 turbine has outperformed its rival 6kW Proven model for the first time since its installation in 2005. The Iskra had some new shape blades fitted earlier this year to produce 1716 kWh/yr in the period between April and October 2007. That’s a 216kWh/yr increase on the same period last year. Proven have responded to the competition by sending out their own improved blades and a new single 6kW inverter to replace two 2.5kW inverters currently in use.
Building 7th Nov 2007
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Leicester
The City Council has set out its plans for the next steps of its climate change strategy, with a new management structure that will give environmental responsibilities to every member of its ruling cabinet. By widening the involvement of councillors, and by working more closely with the Leicester Partnership*, the council hopes that action on climate change can be accelerated to reflect the urgency of the situation.
e-Gov monitor 7th Nov 2007
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Bracknell
A SCHOOL hoping to cut its carbon footprint has become the first in Berkshire to install solar panels. Hawthorns Primary School in Woosehill has invested around £8,000 to kit out the Diamond Way buildings with the panels to generate electricity. It is hoped the installation will encourage the 420 pupils to learn about how to protect the environment.
Bracknell News 7th Nov 2007
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Eco-homes
According to recent research by CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) 87% of buyers want to know if their homes are eco-friendly and 84% would pay extra for a green home.
Your New Home 6th Nov 2007
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Many people are put off making their own homes greener because of the perceived cost, even though they agree with government plans for zero-carbon homes, according to a recent survey.
Thrifty Scot 6th Nov 2007
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Park & Ride
Much awaited work has begun on further reducing the carbon footprint of the Chelmsford Park and Ride building. The terminus building already utilises ground source heat from underneath the car park and solar energy from the roof to provide all the hot water and under floor heating required for the building. Now, work has started on ground works which will make it possible for a state-of-the-art wind turbine to be erected. This will enable all the lighting, machines and display boards in the building to be powered by renewable sources. The building will even feed power back into the national grid, off-setting carbon emissions for the 926 space site.
Essex County Council 6th Nov 2007
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Eyemouth
Scottish Enterprise Borders invites expressions of interest for the development of a sustainable energy brief which will promote the installation of renewable energy technology and sustainable heat and energy generation at the Gunsgreen site in Eyemouth. The brief may in time be adopted as a model policy for the whole of the Borders area.
Scottish Enterprise 6th Nov 2007
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Totnes
The Totnes Renewable Energy Society is being set up to investigate and promote renewable sources of power in the Totnes and surrounding area.Its 'flagship' project is going to be to set up a hydro power operation at Totnes Weir, which could supply electricity to the next door King Edward VI Community College and whatever new development goes ahead at the old Dairy Crest site. The society's emphasis is on a local operation helping local communities, and only people living in Totnes or the surrounding 15 parishes will be allowed to invest and become members.
Herald Express 6th Nov 2007
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Local Action
THE council could work with supermarkets to use fewer carrier bags, offer residents low-cost composting, and encourage household solar panels and wind turbines, according to a climate change report. Other steps could include recycling roadshows, and a move towards carbon neutral developments. The ideas were put forward in Darlington Borough Councils economy and environment scrutiny committee climate change action plan.
Northern Echo 6th Nov 2007
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Gloucestershire School
Education is about being sustainable and to reflect this we've got wind turbines, a sedum roof, which will recycle rain water to flush our toilets. We want to achieve a carbon neutral footprint.
Gloucestershire Gazette 6th Nov 2007
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Cornwall Bio-energy
Farmers and farm consultants in Cornwall keen to get ahead in the renewable energy boom have until 16 November to sign up for a subsidised trip to Austria, to learn how farms there turn everyday waste into green energy.
This is the West Country 6th Nov 2007
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Back the Boyack Bill
Labour MSP Sarah Boyack has been campaigning for several years on green issues and is now preparing to enter stage 1 of the parliamentary process with her Member’s Bill on Energy Efficiency and Microgeneration. The Bill content is now shaped around council tax rebate, application of microgeneration for all new build and targets for CO2 reduction for all properties.
Scottish Renewables Review November 2007
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Anglesey
A ground-breaking ceremony has marked the start of work on Anglesey's first "green" primary school. The new Ysgol-y-Graig on the outskirts of Llangefni will produce its own electricity and sell any extra to the national grid when it opens in 2008. The design includes solar roof tiles, a wind turbine and a natural habitat for plants and insects on the roof.
BBC 5th Nov 2007
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News Wales 5th Nov 2007
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Solar Bury
SOLAR panels are set to help pupils shine in the classroom as two Bury schools prepare to power their buildings with the eco-friendly technology, as part of the Co-op’s £1m campaign to provide free solar panel to 100 schools.
Bury Times 3rd Nov 2007
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Esher
A VISIT to the Antarctic sparked a green revolution in a Walton school with the installation of a wood-fuelled boiler, solar panels and energy saving lights.
Esher News and Mail 2nd Nov 2007
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Hexham
ACTION on climate change begins at home – that was the message broadcast by Hexham’s first green energy fair. Organised by the Tynedale branch of Greenpeace, the Energy Saving Fair brought together a wide range of Northern companies producing cutting edge technology.
Hexham Courant 2nd Nov 2007
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Ideas competition
The government has revealed that it will hold a two-stage design competition for the five eco-towns to be built by 2016. Architects, urban designers and planners have been invited to contribute to an “ideas competition” ahead of a more specific design competition to develop the towns themselves. It is understood that the first phase will call for general ideas that could be adapted to the towns, including low-carbon technologies.
Building 2nd Nov 2007
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Aesthetics
The heating and micro-power industry is responding to the challenges of climate change and energy security by developing a diverse range of renewable and high efficiency products such as condensing boilers, CHP and wind turbines. However, aside from condensing boilers, the technologies are struggling to break into the mainstream. There are many barriers to widescale uptake of the new technologies, including high costs and low consumer awareness, but one element that seems almost entirely overlooked is aesthetics – the look and feel of the products.
Find a free article March 2007
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