Turbine Proliferation?
Wind turbines will be an increasingly frequent sight on the London skyline as planning regulations become more renewable energy-friendly, and BT have set the ball rolling in Southwark by installing one of central London’s biggest renewable energy projects so far.
Green Building 10th April 2008
See a photograph of the wind turbines on the Blackfriars Road exchange.
If turbines are too become a more frequent site in Scotland - like the one pictured here at Haymarket in Edinburgh - changes will have to be made to the current permitted development proposals, which currently suggest only allowing turbines if they are at least 100 metres away from the nearest building. You have until 12th May to respond to the consultation.
week ending 11 April 2008
Green Mayoral Candidate
Sian Berry wants to see "feed-in tariffs" - in which energy companies are obliged to buy energy from householders who generate their own electricity, for example through wind turbines.
BBC 10th April 2008
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Feed-in Tariffs
The LCBP has been an unmitigated disaster. If we are going to reduce carbon emissions from homes by 80 per cent by 2050, we need to be installing low-carbon technologies into 600,000 houses each year. As a matter of urgency the Government should add provisions to the Energy Bill going through Parliament that would pay householders more for producing electricity from the sun. Under a "feed-in tariff" system, similar to the ones operated in many continental countries, home owners would be paid between three to four times more for the electricity they feed back to the National Grid, transforming an annual £250 payment into nearly £1,000.
Telegraph 10th April 2008
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Green New Deal
A report to be released this summer will show how the seriousness of the credit crunch is being grossly under-estimated, and will also demonstrate how public and private funds can be used in a massive nationwide investment programme resulting in substantially less energy use. Given that the reduction of carbon emissions will become an ever more urgent government priority, investing in such programmes will provide a safer haven for pensions and savings.
Guardian 10th April 2008
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Ground Source Heat Pump Investment
Scottish and Southern Energy said yesterday it has agreed to invest up to £15m in cash for a 20% stake in Coventry-based Geothermal International. A spokesman for Geothermal said the investment will help the firm, which is the UK's leading supplier of ground-source heating and cooling systems, develop growth.
Herald 10th April 2008
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Hertfordshire School
Commissioned by Hertfordshire County Council, one of Britain's more environmentally conscientious local authorities, Howe Dell is almost an experiment in how green and sustainable a building can be.
Independent 10th April 2008
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Heat Pump Takeover
ECO Heat Pumps, which installs systems that can heat homes and commercial premises by extracting energy from fresh air or the ground under your feet, has been acquired by Danfoss, based in Nordborg, in Southern Denmark. The deal is Danfoss' sixth heat pump company acquisition in less than three years and is part of ambitious plans to become a leading European player in the sector.
Sheffield Star 10th April 2008
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Micro-hydro lessons
ANYONE who would like to use the power of water to generate energy is invited to a one-day seminar run by the University of Exeter on April 30. Organised by the British Hydropower Association, the event will provide information and inspiration on how and where to start developing a micro-hydro scheme.
This is the West Country 9th April 2008
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Swindon’s Climate Change Bill
Anne Snelgrove’s Private Members' Bill seeks to control the energy performance of public sector buildings. The organisations supporting it include the Association for the Conservation of Energy, Friends of the Earth, the Sustainable Energy Partnership, Micropower Council, Campaign to Protect Rural England, British Energy Efficiency Federation and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Intelligent Energy.
This is Wiltshire 9th April 2009
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Feed-in Tariff 2
The UK renewable energy industry has called upon MPs and businesses to support a new clause added to the Energy Bill by Labour MP Alan Simpson that would introduce a feed in tariff (FIT) to incentivise the installation of onsite renewable energy technologies. Leonie Green of the Renewable Energy Association said that the new clause would be voted on at the end of the month and had already secured support from a number of high profile MPs, including Conservative shadow business secretary Alan Duncan and former Labour environment minister Michael Meacher.
Business Green 9th April 2008
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Green Shop
A Pioneering eco-group which grew from a garage forecourt to become a multi-million pound business is moving to a new green HQ. The Greenshop group, started more than 20 years ago by Bisley garage owner Roger Budgeon, is preparing for the opening of its £700,000 offices by environmental campaigner Jonathon Porritt. It commissioned the new HQ from eco-architects Architype in order to bring together the five branches of its business - Greenshop, Auro Paints, Consolar UK, Greenshop Solar and Rainharvesting Systems Ltd. It features log and solar thermal heating, photovoltaic solar panels.
This is Gloucestershire 9th April 2008
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Bury School Turbine
PARRENTHORN High School has become the latest venue to join Bury's green revolution by drawing up plans to install its own wind turbine.
Bury Times 9th April 2008
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Micro-CHP
People from the UK will be using a new type of, boiler that combines heat and power (CHP) to produce electricity and, thus turning every house int a micro power station, and being heated in the same time. The fuel cell boiler is developed by the British company Ceres Power and has the goal of completely replacing the regular boilers.
EcoFuss 9th April 2008
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Biomass CHP
Grants of up to £100,000 available for firms installing biomass fuelled heating and combined heat and power systems.
Business Green 9th April 2008
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London Elections
Johnson says he would "work towards" the 60% cut in the city's
emissions that Livingstone has pledged to reach by 2025 by incorporating
the Tory party's plans for more microgeneration and decentralisation of electricity,
combined heat and power plants and energy saving. London is now recognised
around the world as the city that has gone furthest to address climate change,
and Livingstone's manifesto plays on his record. It is setting standards
in the UK on renewable energy.
Guardian 9th April 2008
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Energy Infrastructure
Britain’s energy infrastructure needs huge investment to accommodate new offshore wind farms and nuclear reactors – all of which will need to be hooked up to areas of demand – as well as an increase in microgeneration at a local level.
Times 9th April 2008
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Solar Power Murdered?
In Brussels, British officials have campaigned to persuade the EU to allow unrestricted trading in "renewable energy certificates". These certificates are credited to units of renewable energy. This would allow the UK to count renewable energy produced in other EU states towards UK targets by buying the virtual (certificate) value of the renewable production. The most expensive British sources would be lost, including solar power, wave power and offshore windfarms. Successful "feed-in tariff" systems in Germany, Spain and elsewhere will be undermined if they are forced to accept trading.
Guardian 8th April 2008
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Sail Power
THE Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is in the running for a national award for its attitude to the environment. The academy has been able to generate its own renewable energy on site.
Dorset Echo 8th April 2008
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Green Farm
A Welsh farm runs on a mix of wind power, solar panels and heat pumps to cut the costs of running a dairy farm, a cheesemaking operation, milk round, potato and grain production, four holiday cottages, a campsite, a seasonal farm shop. There is also a biodigester producing methane gas from slurry that powers the farmhouse Aga cooker and the hot water cylinder for washing down the milking parlour. As well as a free source of fuel, the digester removes the smell from the waste without detracting from the nutrient value of the slurry.
Western Mail 8th April 2008
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Cornish Eco-town
Plans for new eco-town settlements in Cornwall's china clay country are to be revealed. China clay giant Imerys Minerals's plans for Cornwall are on a Government shortlist of 15 projects nationwide confirmed by the Department of Communities and Local Government.
PA 8th April 2008
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Bristol Apartments
SACO apartments currently under development at the Purifier House on Bristol's Harbourside will set new green standards by using wind power and being cooled by harbour water. The company is also rolling out a series of environmental measures across its network.
Bristol Evening Post 8th April 2008
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BT going green
A pilot green energy system featuring wind turbines and solar panels went operational today at BT's Colombo house in London with the aim of making the office a net contributor to UK renewable energy sources.
VNUnet 8th April 2008
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Green Building 10th April 2008
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BRE Grant Scheme
BRE has announced the launch of a grant scheme for microgeneration and energy saving technologies. The aim of the scheme is to help community based organisations in England reduce their energy bills and environmental impact. The scheme, called the Community Sustainable Energy Programme (CSEP), is funded through the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces Programme. It will provide grants towards the cost of technologies such as solar thermal systems, heat pumps and small scale wind turbines. Energy efficiency measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation can also be funded in combination with the microgeneration technologies.
Building 7th April 2008
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Engineer 9th April 2008
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Kettering Grants
Homeowners who go green could be in line for cash rewards as part of a council-backed incentive scheme. A group of Kettering councillors set up to investigate green issues has come up with 12 recommendations – including making money available for people wanting to have solar panels on their roof or a wind turbine.
Northants Evening Telegraph 7th April 2008
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Sheffield School
A SHEFFIELD school has shown it is keen to be green - after becoming the first secondary in South Yorkshire to win a top international environmental award - gold Eco-School status. The school has been getting involved in activities ranging from recycling and anti-litter campaigns to the installation of a wind turbine on the roof.
Sheffield Telegraph 7th April 2008
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Halifax B&Q
Halifax B&Q is hoping to cuts its carbon footprint by installing two wind turbines and solar panels.
Halifax Evening Courier 7th April 2008
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Glasgow Plan
GLASGOW will become Scotland's greenest city under plans to cut carbon emissions by 20% in the next five years. City councillors have agreed an ambitious carbon management strategy which it's hoped will transform Glasgow's image.
Evening Times 7th April 2008
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Huntingdonshire Action Plan
A five-year action plan to help the district cope with climate change has been launched by Huntingdonshire District Council.
Town Crier 7th April 2008
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Hampshire Biomass
Things are heating up at Queen Elizabeth Country Park as it takes the lead for Hampshire County Council in renewable energy! Each year up to 60 tonnes of wood that is cultivated from the surrounding land will be used to fuel a new biomass boiler
Hampshire County Council 7th April 2008
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Microgeneration Murdered
Ministers are strangling the very industry they will need to help them meet ambitious targets for renewable energy and build new ecotowns across the country, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. The number of households installing solar panels and other clean energy systems has slumped by up to three-quarters in England and Wales because grants to make them more affordable have been slashed and rationed. Last week the energy minister Malcolm Wicks rejected widespread pleas to increase them, leading the industry to warn that it was being driven to the wall.
Independent on Sunday 6th April 2008
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South-west Bioheat
The South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) has been awarded £3 million to invest in a range of bioheat projects, putting the region at the forefront of the renewable energy sector.
This is the West Country 5th April 2008
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Green Fire
Four new fire stations planned for Cheltenham and Gloucester will use renewable energy where possible.
Western Daily Press 5th April 2008
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Co-op Eco Town
The Co-operative Group is celebrating after its proposal for land it owns in Leicestershire was included in the government's shortlist of 15 eco-towns.
Crain’s Manchester Business 4th April 2008
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Teeside Snubbed
Teesside was rueing a missed opportunity today, as the government snubbed its renewable energy capability by excluding it from a list of proposed new ‘eco-towns’
Newcastle Evening Gazette 4th April 2008
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Existing Houses Ignored
Government housing policy risks neglecting the environmental impact of the UK’s 25 million-plus existing houses, a House of Commons Committee concludes.
House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee Press Release
2nd April 2008
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Existing Housing and Climate Change Report. House of Commons Communities
and Local Government Committee, 2nd April 2008
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WWF Press Release 2nd April 2008
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The UK's poorly insulated, energy inefficient housing stock could be easily transformed into cheaper to run, low carbon homes by the end of the next decade.
WWF Press Release 31st March 2008
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How Low Report, WWF, 31st March 2008
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Solar bollards
Westminster City Council is to become the first local authority in the UK to replace all its illuminated bollards with eco-friendly models in a drive to cut carbon emissions. Following a successful trial run last year, the authority will replace up to 2,000 illuminated bollards in the heart of the capital with solar powered models from June 2008.
City of Westminster 20th March 2008
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