News Archive

week ending 24 April 2009

 

Feed-in Tariffs

A government official has warned the small-scale renewables industry not to expect a “perfect” feed-in tariff when it is introduced in April 2010. John Moriarty, from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), said on Tuesday that the tariff will “inevitably have problems” when it is implemented, but that the government will keep it under review. Speaking at the International Small Wind Conference in Watford, hosted by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) over the last two days, Mr Moriarty urged the industry to have patience in the early days of the tariffs.

New Energy Focus 24th Apr 2009 more >>

Small Business Loans

The Energy Saving Scotland Small Business Loans Scheme provides interest-free loans of between £1k and £100k to help companies introduce measures to reduce energy consumption or instal renewable technologies.

Press and Journal 24th Apr 2009 more >>

Geothermal Frustration

World-renowned geophysicists met with Liberal Democrat energy spokesman Lord Teverson this week to seek help in challenging the government’s “blind spot” when it comes to geothermal energy. The meeting came ahead of a gathering of the Geological Society’s engineering group on Tuesday night, in which the potential for so-called “heat mining” in the UK and Europe was likened to the scale of the nuclear industry. For the price of a single “clean coal” power station, they believe the technology could become a fully commercial venture - providing valuable “baseload” power alongside wind and solar power projects, operating as much as 90% of the time, without emissions.

New Energy Focus 23rd Apr 2009 more >>

Anaerobic Digestion

One of the makers of Marks & Spencers ready meals is to use its own food waste to power its factory in Newport, South Wales. RF Brookes, part of Premier Foods plc, has been awarded £500,000 by the Welsh Assembly government towards its own £5 million anaerobic digestion plant at its Rogerstone site.

New Energy Focus 23rd Apr 2009 more >>

Bradford Solar

A primary school in Bradford has become the first in the district to be fitted with solar panels. The 24 photovoltaic panels should generate around 3,300 kWh of electricity each year. The £20,000 solar panels are half-funded through The Co-operative’s £2 million Green Energy for Schools scheme, with match-funding from the Government’s Low Carbon Building Programme. The school is one of 80 across the UK chosen to receive cash for renewable-energy technology as part of the second phase of the scheme.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus 23rd Apr 2009 more >>

Eco-City

Dongtan in Shanghai was to be a model for the world by 2010, but after lots of grand promises, the old entrenched ways mean little has happened

Guardian 23rd Apr 2009 more >>

Sunny Outlook

“This was a good day” for solar power, according to Andrew Lee, general manager of Sharp Solar UK, after the chancellor announced £45m for small-scale renewable energy. Mr Lee had feared the government would leave solar power companies in limbo, because one subsidy system had ended and the new regime will not be introduced until next year.

FT 23rd Apr 2009 more >>

Mixed Reaction

The Renewable Energy Association praised the “green lining” to the Budget, with director general Philip Wolfe adding: “We are glad the government has sought to respond to areas we identified as critical.” However, the organisation expressed disappointment that Lord Stern’s call for 20 percent of stimulus packages to focus on green investment was not met. It also warned that the UK continues to provide “substantially less” funding to sustainable energy during the downturn than other nations. The Environmental Industries Commission, an association of green technology and services firms, suggested that the extra £1.4 billion of funding for low carbon initiatives “is timid and inadequate - and puts the UK at a competitive disadvantage”.

Low Carbon Economy 23rd Apr 2009 more >>

European Plan

The European Commission plans to focus on energy savings in its work this year on updating its 2006 energy efficiency action plan, said the head of the energy efficiency unit, Pirjo-Liisa Koskimaki, at Cogen Europe’s annual conference. She invited input from the CHP industry on how to encourage more CHP plant. “I’m sure we’ll have a discussion on CHP targets,” she said. “And should we have EU-level legislation on district heating?” But she added that heat is a local issue, not part of the internal EU market, and so the legal basis for EU rules on heat is weak. Other possible ideas for promoting CHP include giving CHP-generated power referential access to the grid, and looking to encourage take-up of micro-CHP.

Platts 22nd Apr 2009 more >>

Micro CHP

Carbon Trust field trials had proved that wider adoption of onsite mini and micro CHP generating power and heat at the point of use would cut annual carbon emissions from heating by 20 per cent.

Approved Business 22nd Apr 2009 more >>

EU Funding

Scotland is hoping to improve the energy efficiency of its utilities sector following the publication of the European Union’s (EU) Economic Recovery Plan. According to energy minister Jim Mather, companies proposing green energy projects in the country will be able to bid for up to £342.5 million of funding from the £3.47 billion that the EU has set aside for investment.

Low Carbon Economy 21st Apr 2009 more >>

RSPB Proven

The RSPB has installed a 15kW wind turbine in one of its nature reserves, in a bid to make its visitor centre completely carbon neutral. The Society commissioned Buckinghamshire-based Ardenham Energy to carry out the installation at its Rainham Marshes nature reserve near Purfleet, Essex. The 15kW Proven ground mounted grid-connected turbine completed commissioning two weeks ago and is expected to make the site’s new BREEAM excellence-rated visitor centre completely self-sufficient.

New Energy Focus 21st Apr 2009 more >>

Meadows trailblazer

THE Meadows has been hailed as a trailblazer for other communities to follow in the drive to cut Notts’ carbon footprint. Residents throughout the county are being urged to follow the area’s lead in becoming a Climate Friendly Community. The Energy Saving Trust wants communities to take steps to cut waste and energy use, and has highlighted ongoing eco-projects in The Meadows as the way forward. This month marks the halfway point in the year-long campaign by The Meadows Partnership Trust to win £1m to shape the estate’s green agenda for years to come.

Nottingham Evening Post 21st Apr 2009 more >>

Bristol

Colston Hall Foyer: The Arts Council donated £7m to the project in a series of grants, with the remaining £13.5m coming from Bristol City Council and £30,000 from EDF Energy for the roof’s wind turbine.

Bristol Evening Post 21st Apr 2009 more >>

Northern Ireland top-up grants

As part of its Smart Programme, NIE will be offering a new top-up grant to those householders who have successfully applied for a grant from the Government’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme Stream 1. The top-up grant is available for solar thermal (water heating), wind turbines and solar photovoltaics (electricity).

4NI.co.uk 21st Apr 2009 more >>

Solar Finance

Municipalities are catching on to an innovative plan started by the City of San Diego to make solar panels more affordable to city residents, with a number of city governments expressing interest in the new financing scheme. The San Diego Clean Generation Program, announced in December, will be the first of its kind in any major US city, according to San Diego’s Mayor, Jerry Sanders. Under the scheme, the city will pay for residential solar panels, which householders and businesses will then pay for over time through their property taxes.

Guardian 21st Apr 2009 more >>

Too little to save the planet?

The Guardian revealed yesterday that the chancellor will announce an extra £500m of “green” spending in tomorrow’s budget, of which £40m will be used to top up the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, a grant system for renewables. But the REA and opposition politicians say the extra money is too little to kick-start the sort of low-carbon revolution that Lord Stern urged countries to adopt to pull themselves out of the economic slump

Guardian 21st Apr 2009 more >>

Liverpool Advice

WIRRAL-BASED global renewable energy specialist Stiebel Eltron is launching a new free eco- design advice service for architects and developers to help their projects meet tougher green building standards.

Liverpool Daily Post 20th Apr 2009 more >>

Eigg Influx

Eigg is holding a week-end of events as part of its campaign to win funding as part of the Big Green Challenge.

Press and Journal 20th Apr 2009 more >>

Super insulated power house

There are solid floors, double-glazing and insulated cavity walls, but little other insulation or draught-proofing. The main bedroom and bathroom are on the first floor, but otherwise it is basically a bungalow. The big advantages are its southerly aspect and the sunny flat roof of the extension. We are planning solar hot water and as many solar photovoltaic (PV) panels as will fit on the flat roof.

Guardian 20th Apr 2009 more >>

Building Integrated Renewables

A new generation of construction materials could soon allow buildings to generate energy using their walls and roofs, according to one of the world’s largest providers of building materials and insulation. Kingspan has revealed that its panels division, which specialises in highly insulated metal panels for buildings, is working on a variety of new products designed to integrate renewable energy technologies - such as solar cells and heat pumps - directly into building materials.

Enviro Solutions 20th Apr 2009 more >>

Great British Refurb

New research published today (April 20) reveals there is strong support among the UK public, at deliberative research events, in favour of ambitious Government action to decarbonise the nation’s housing stock. Under the UK Government’s ‘Great British Refurb’ plans, at least seven million homes will have been offered ‘whole-house’ upgrades with energy efficiency and micro-generation technologies by 2020, and every home by 2030 - virtually eliminating carbon emissions from our homes. The changes will also help keep consumers save money on their energy bills.

DECC Press Release 20th Apr 2009 more >>

Solar saved?

Gordon Brown - with business secretary Lord Mandelson and skills secretary John Denham - will publish a comprehensive state of British competitiveness paper, “designed to frame the budget statement, and the government’s subsequent detailed policy statements in the remainder of the year covering low-carbon industrial strategy”. Darling will announce an extra £500m of government spending on reducing carbon emissions, including a pledge of £40m to top up and keep open a grants programme for renewable energy technologies.

Guardian 20th Apr 2009 more >>

Green con?

Most of the Prime Minister’s vaunted green initiatives have not materialised and, in some cases, are likely to set back his professed strategy for “the creation of a low-carbon economy”. It has found that, over the past four years, ministers have launched a staggering 91 consultations relating to the issue, while actually doing little. A new study on the UK economic stimulus package - carried out for WWF and E3G – a respected environmental group – found that the harmful effects of new spending on roads, which will increase traffic, far outweighed the contribution of extra expenditure on energy saving and rail infrastructure. And it points out that Britain has “yet to include any investments at all dedicated to renewable energy”. Installation of rooftop windmills has been held up through bureaucratic delays over planning issues. Homeowners have also been discouraged from installing other renewable energy systems, such as solar electric panels. Just as they were beginning to take off, ministers slashed the level of grants available. They will end such funding for commercial buildings and charities altogether in June.

Independent on Sunday 19th Apr 2009 more >>

Staff are being laid off by British solar power companies weeks after the government promised to create thousands of jobs in the “green” economy. Companies from across the industry will this week accuse ministers and civil servants of damaging their business with funding cuts, “delay and disinterest”. More than 20 companies and lobby groups will petition the prime minister just weeks after Gordon Brown launched a strategy that forecast 400,000 new jobs could be created in low-carbon sectors in the next decade. Jeremy Leggett of Solarcentury, a former government adviser who coordinated the petition, said he knew of three companies that had made staff redundant, and another installation business had gone bust. More “needless job losses” will follow unless the government makes an “urgent intervention” in this week’s budget, warns the petition, which will be delivered tomorrow.

Observer 19th Apr 2009 more >>

Britain’s economic stimulus is one of the least green in the world. A new study estimates that its net impact on the environment will be negative, in stark contrast to those of many other countries, including America, France and Germany.

Independent on Sunday 19th Apr 2009 more >>

Micro-CHP

Fuel cell company Ballard Power Systems Inc. has entered into a three-year supply agreement with micro combined heat and power company Baxi Innotech GmbH. Under the terms of the agreement, Baxi Innotech is to exclusively purchase Ballard fuel cells through to the end of Phase 2 of the German Callux Project, scheduled to conclude in 2012.

Penn Energy 18th Apr 2009 more >>

Lancashire Plan

CAMPAIGN has been launched to cut Lancashire’s carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2020. As part of the strategy, grants are given to small businesses and community groups for climate change measures, insulation will be improved in homes, and cheap low-energy lightbulbs will be available for residents. More wind turbines will be needed in parts of Lancashire, but any new farms would be “sensibly located”, according to Andy Mullaney, of the council’s environment department.

Lancashire Telegraph 17th Apr 2009 more >>

Herculean Task

Britain must improve the energy efficiency of millions of its residential buildings that will still be occupied in 2050, it has been suggested. According to a joint publication from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), 27 percent of UK carbon emissions currently come from domestic buildings. While the government plans for all new homes to be carbon-free by 2016, the report suggested that existing residential properties will need to be “radically refurbished” if Britain is to meet its emissions targets by the midpoint of the century. It was published to coincide with calls from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee for the government to make retrofitting existing buildings a priority of its £535 million green stimulus package. The University of Loughborough’s Professor Kevin Lomas, who worked on the report, warned: “To complete the task in 40 years we would need to refurbish an entire city the size of Cambridge every month.”

Low Carbon Economy 16th Apr 2009 more >>

 

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