News Archive

week ending 17 October 2008

 

Feed-in Tariffs are Go

Mr Miliband announced that the government was ready to encourage small-scale electricity generation through technology such as home-based solar panels and wind turbines. He told the Commons the Energy Bill would be amended to introduce a “feed-in tariff” to guarantee prices for micro-generation projects which are able to supply electricity to the national grid.

BBC 16th Oct 2008 more >>

Guardian 17th Oct 2008 more >>

Telegraph 17th Oct 2008 more >>

Independent 17th Oct 2008 more >>

Express 17th Oct 2008 more >>

Mirror 17th Oct 2008 more >>

Daily Mail 17th Oct 2008 more >>

Mini-Milliband

Dave Sowden, from the Micropower Council, welcomed the establishment of the Climate Change and Energy Department, but issued a warning. He said: “I think bringing together the energy and climate change brief into one and linking demand side and supply side has to be welcomed. “One important component which remains unclear is building policy. Building regulations and in particular Part L are important drivers for our sector and it remains to be seen whether policy making will improve if that aspect remains with the Department for Communities and Local Government while the rest of energy policy is under the new department.”

H&V News 16th Oct 2008 more >>

Feed-in Tariffs

More than 80 MPs and Lords said last night that they would support an amendment to the Energy Bill that would introduce a “feed-in tariff” for renewable energy at an event hosted by the Renewable Energy Association (REA). The Bill – complete with the new amendment – will be voted on by the Lords later this month before going back to Commons for a final vote by MPs.

Business Green 15th Oct 2008 more >>

Park and Blow

THREE 18m-high wind turbines could soon loom large over Kew Park & Ride, if planning permission is granted this evening.

Southport Visiter 15th Oct 2008 more >>

College Turbine

A COLLEGE has become one of the first in the country to install a wind turbine to generate its own power and reduce its carbon footprint. The 11-meter high turbine at Ashton Sixth Form College, Tameside, will provide 34 per cent of its annual electricity to a new building with a library and 15 classrooms. It will save 218 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 20 years.

Manchester Evening News 15th Oct 2008 more >>

Best Property in Britain?

A Milton Keynes housing estate built by one of the country’s biggest developers may be about to win an unexpected accolade – the award for the best property in Britain.

Independent 15th Oct 2008 more >>

Grant Uptake

A Government grant scheme to help public-sector and other not-for-profit organisations generate their own renewable energy, is attracting large numbers of applications from local authorities, housing associations, schools, hospitals, charities and community groups. Under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2 (LCBP2), £48 million of grant funding is available for all such organisations wanting to take advantage of free green energy. They can apply for grants of up to £1 million to pay for half the equipment and installation costs associated with a number of solar, wind, heat pump, biomass and other renewable energy technologies.

Local Government News 14th Oct 2008 more >>

Isle of Wight NHS

MORE than £1.5 million has been won by the Island’s NHS for eco-friendly initiatives, which are expected to cut CO2 emissions from Newport’s St Mary’s Hospital by more than 1,300 tonnes a year. The Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust, which runs the hospital, won the cash from the Department of Health’s sustainability fund in competition with NHS organisations nationwide that put forward carbon emission and energy reduction schemes.

Isle of Wight County Press 14th Oct 2008 more >>

Looking back from 2050.

SUSAN ROAF explains how solar energy helped cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 80 per cent. Architects began to understand that low carbon buildings needed to: halve the demand for energy with good architecture; double the efficiency of the machines in the building; halve the carbon intensity of the energy used to run the machine; and get the rest of the greenhouse gas savings through load shaving and shifting and behavioural changes by occupants.

Scotsman 13th Oct 2008 more >>

Carbon Trust

The Carbon Trust is doubling the size of grants available under its flagship Applied Research scheme from £250k to £500k. The announcement will provide a boost to low carbon businesses, entrepreneurs and academics seeking to develop carbon saving technologies.

Carbon Trust Press Release 13th Oct 2008 more >>

The Engineer 14th Oct 2008 more >>

Selby Grants

Selby District Council is working alongside the Energy Partnership to offer grants to install money-saving solar powered hot water systems at a substantially reduced cost. This is part of the authority’s commitment to champion a reduction in greenhouse gases to combat climate change.

Selby District Council 13th Oct 2008 more >>

York Press 14th Oct 2008 more >>

Germany sets an example

Germany could provide a model for using green technology to save construction jobs during a major downturn. A report from the United Nations has highlighted the success of a strategy used in Germany earlier this decade to protect jobs by retrofiting hundreds of thousands of homes. The report said the approach was especially important as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that retrofitting and replacing obsolete equipment in buildings has the largest potential for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030.

H&V News 13th Oct 2008 more >>

Green Jobs: Towards decent work in a sustainable low carbon world. UNEP Sept 2008 more >>

Caithness Micro-drive

A drive to encourage people in Caithness to switch to micro-renewables has been stepped up.

Press & Journal 13th Oct 2008 more >>

Caernarfon Tesco

Tesco wants to build one of its largest, most modern and “greenest” supermarkets, complete with its own wind turbines, on the outskirts of the Caernarfon .

Daily Post 13th Oct 2008 more >>

Basildon Tesco CHP

A SUPERMARKET is hoping to generate electricity on site in a bid to become more green. Tesco Extra, in Pitsea, has applied to Basildon Council to install a combined heat and power plant, within the existing service yard. The plant will use natural gas or sustainable biofuel.

Essex Echo 13th Oct 2008 more >>

Heat Pump Status

A CUMBRIAN company has joined an elite group of renewable energy businesses. Encompas, suppliers and installers of underfloor heating, heat pumps and solar panels, has won accreditation from the Building Research Establishment. It means that whenever the firm, based at Warwick Bridge, near Carlisle, installs a ground source heat pump at a private home, the homeowner can automatically claim a £1,200 grant from the Government.

Cumberland News 13th Oct 2008 more >>

Dundee Turbines

Dundee could be in line for its third major wind turbine as a development company seeks to provide free electricity to tenants of a proposed multi-million pound office project.

Dundee Evening Telegraph 13th Oct 2008 more >>

CHP factory sought

Fuel cell specialists Ceres Power are now assessing a shortlist of sites for a new factory, as the firm prepares to commercialize its ‘electro-chemical engine’ micro-CHP system for households. The company based in Crawley, Surrey. This year has seen the company forming a close relationship with British Gas-owners Centrica, the energy company investing £20 million in Ceres in return for a 10% stake, as well as agreeing a forward order for 37,500 units.

H2Daily 13th Oct 2008 more >>

Manchester Mini-Stern

Manchester’s economy could lose £21bn over the next twelve years if it fails to re-tool its workforce to take advantage of the impending shift to a low carbon economy, according to a new report - ‘Mini Stern’ assessment of the likely impact of climate change on the city.

Enviro-Solutions 13th Oct 2008 more >>

Ecotricity

Ecotricity is investing in the infrastructure to handle future growth, including the construction of a new zero-carbon headquarters. The company is also putting money into research and development to produce a domestic wind turbine for use on urban roofs.

Sunday Times 12th Oct 2008 more >>

Asda Turbine

SUPERMARKET giant Asda is to build its first UK wind turbine at its Falkirk distribution centre to generate three quarters of the energy required for the depot. The retailer has been granted planning permission by Falkirk Council to construct the turbine. The £2m project is part of Asda’s aim to reduce energy requirements for its stores and distribution centres by 20% by 2012.

Scotland on Sunday 12th Oct 2008 more >>

Kirkless Revolution

A revolutionary green scheme to power Kirklees’ homes with renewable energy is on the brink of being implemented. The £2m Kirklees Council scheme is the first in the country to offer residents the chance of having renewable energy technologies – such as solar panels – installed in their homes with no large up-front costs and no monthly payments or interest payments. The costs of the installation are recovered from homeowners when they sell their homes.

Huddersfield Examiner 11th Oct 2008 more >>

Leyland Solar School

There will be a bit of drama at a Leyland primary school on Monday when pupils take part in an environmental theatre workshop as part of a tour of schools chosen to receive free solar panels with funding from The Co-operative.

Preston Citizen 10th Oct 2008 more >>

Birmingham Builders

Thomas Vale has just signed a partnership agreement with Coventry-based E.on, one of the UK’s leading electricity and gas suppliers, so together they can offer renewable and sustainable energy solutions. He predicts geothermal energy using ground source heat pumps will become a major player in the sustainability field. They may cost twice as much but the financial equation is swaying the geothermal way as the pumps can halve a building’s carbon footprint as well as saving up to 70 per cent on heating and cooling costs in a world of ever-rising energy prices.

Birmingham Post 10th Oct 2008 more >>

Merton Schools

Nearly half of all Merton schools have been awarded “eco” status with only two other borough’s in London boasting a better environmental record. The eco-school stamp was issued to 45 per cent of Merton’s 67 schools last week - testament to the implementation of new borough-wide green measures. Judges from environmental charity ENCAMS marked the schools on their ability to save energy, use renewable energy sources, clear litter, cut waste and save water.

Croydon Guardian 10th October 2008 more >>

Bo’ness School

A WIND turbine at Deanburn Primary School in Bo’ness is set to start up again, after positive talks were held between Falkirk Council and its manufacturers on Monday.

Linlithgow Gazette 10th Oct 2008 more >>

Retail Park

The grand opening of the Giltbrook retail park took place on 10th Oct. It incorporates wind turbines, photo voltaic cells to power the lights, and solar collectors to provide hot water.

Eastwood and Kimberley Advertiser 9th Oct 2008 more >>

Micro-Grid

UK communities could be given the know-how to become carbon neutral, following a groundbreaking microgrid project in the Cheshire village of Ashton Hayes. The village of 1000 people is being used by power engineering specialist EA Technology as a test bed to develop a new way of generating and managing energy communally. The model would then be available as a ready-to-use template for other communities.

EA Technology 6th Oct 2008 more >>

Baxi Revolution

One of Preston’s most famous firms will become a hub for new technology which could revolutionise the way our homes are heated and powered. The Baxi manufacturing site on Club Street in Bamber Bridge, near Preston, will house a production line for the firm’s latest product, the microCHP boiler which generates electricity while also heating the home. Baxi UK chief executive Mark Kelly said production work would start this month, securing the jobs of 600 workers at the site.

Lancashire Evening Post 25th Sept 2008 more >>

 

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