Botanic Gardens
Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens has a new £16 million visitor centre. The centre is part-powered by a wind-turbine, a bio-mass boiler, and solar panels. A spokesman for the gardens said: “Obviously it helps us as it will provide a lot of energy for the building, but as well as that we wanted to show people how this technology works, and how it can be incorporated into a modern building.” The turbine is a Quiet Revolution vertical axis turbine.
Edinburgh Evening News 3rd August 2009 more >>
week ending 11 September 2009
Digester Plan
Plans for a second multi-million pound anaerobic digester near Silloth have been unveiled. Businessman Simon Rigby bought Dryholme Farm and feed mill from David Montgomerie last month because he thought it was a good site for a digester.
Cumberland News 11th Sept 2009 more >>
Super Green Housing
A new energy efficient housing project that claims to be ‘super green’ is set to be unveiled in Wales. Affordable property group Wales & West Housing Association is launching the initiative later this month. There will be 16 new flats and houses revealed in the home development in St Athan on September 15th. Anne Hinchey, chief executive of Wales & West Housing Association, said that the new homes will be 40 per cent more energy efficient than other properties.
Low Carbon Economy 10th Sept 2009 more >>
Devon Solar
YOUNGSTERS at a Brixham primary school are planning to plug into the Sun as part of an exciting environmental project. Eden Park Primary has secured a £25,000 grant towards installing solar panels to offset its electricity bill. The grant, provided by the Low Carbon Building Initiative, must be match funded and the school is currently in the process of bidding for more money.
Devon Herald Express 10th September 2009 more >>
New York Micro-CHP
ECR International today announced its support of the legislation, signed into law Aug. 27 by Governor Paterson, which expands New York State’s current net metering law to include residential micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP). Micro-CHP technologies, like ECR’s freewatt system, combine an ENERGY STAR-rated, high-efficiency natural gas or propane furnace or boiler with a Honda co-generator to produce heat and electricity for homes.
PRWeb 10th Sept 2009 more >>
Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Competition
A competition for up to £7.2 million of funding for firms to develop hydrogen and fuel cell technology was launched on September 10. Hydrogen and fuel cells have the potential to cut carbon emissions because they only emit water and heat as by products. The competition, funded by DECC (the Department of Energy and Climate Change), is part of government efforts to stimulate low carbon technologies announced in this year’s budget. The initiative could support projects that enable the demonstration of residential micro CHP and distributed power generation products based on fuel cells and hydrogen technologies.
Heating & Ventilating 10th Sept 2009 more >>
New Energy Focus 10th Sept 2009 more >>
Solar Hair
A new type of solar panel using human hair could provide the world with cheap, green electricity, believes its teenage inventor. Milan Karki, 18, who comes from a village in rural Nepal, believes he has found the solution to the developing world’s energy needs. The young inventor says hair is easy to use as a conductor in solar panels and could revolutionise renewable energy.
Daily Mail 10th Sept 2009 more >>
Coolest Gadgets 10th Sept 2009 more >>
Aberystwyth
A new £15m council office which will be home to more than 400 workers has opened in Aberystwyth. The building will be partially powered by a small wind turbine and solar panels, funded by a £313,000 grant from the Energy Saving Trust.
BBC 10th Sept 2009 more >>
Stockton takes climate action
A TEESSIDE council is the first in the North-East to show how its services contribute to climate change. Stockton Borough Council has been working with experts Arupa to produce a report on its carbon footprint. It covers all aspects of council activity, from cleaning to construction.
Northern Echo 9th Sept 2009 more >>
Grimsby Solar
ECO-FRIENDLY Barrie Horwell is a shining example to us all when it comes to thinking green. The Waltham resident has wiped out his fuel bills by harnessing solar power – and is now encouraging other residents of North East Lincolnshire to bounce back from the recession and do the same.
Grimsby Telegraph 9th Sept 2009 more >>
Micro Grid
The UK’s first “island” micro grid system is up and running at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Wales. It will allow the centre to use the power it generates itself instead of relying on national grid supplies and help them reduce their carbon footprint. Centralised electricity systems like the national grid waste around 65% of energy through heat loss in power stations and transmission lines before reaching our homes. Previously, any power generated by the centre’s wind turbines or solar panels was exported to the national grid. Now the power will be used around the Centre, with only the excess exported to the national grid.
Guardian/Ecologist 9th Sept 2009 more >>
New Energy Focus 4th Sept 2009 more >>
Barrow Zoo
The Dalton Zoo expansion will include two wind turbines.
NW Evening Mail 8th Sept 2009 more >>
Durham Renewables Boom
Sean Collier, from installation company Access Renewables, claims business has never been more brisk, as clients clamour for their share of an additional £35m funding pot from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP).
Middlesbrough Evening Gazette 8th Sept 2009 more >>
Public Sector Commitments
Public sector bodies are setting increasingly ambitious targets for carbon reduction, doubling their commitments over the last four years, the Carbon Trust reported today. In 2008/09, organisations participating in the Carbon Trust’s annual Public Sector Carbon Management Programme committed to reduce their carbon emissions by an average of 25% over a five year period. Some organisations are aiming even higher; Cranfield University is one of those leading the field with a commitment to halve its carbon emissions in only five years. Four years ago the average commitment of participants was a 12% reduction. The Carbon Trust has seen it rise every year since then.
Carbon Gtrust 8th Sept 2009 more >>
India solar plan
India will provide a 55 per cent subsidy on solar power installations for homes and offices, according to a senior government official. The subsidy will come from the $22bn (£13.4bn) that the federal government plans to budget for solar power development to 2030
Business Green 8th Sept 2009 more >>
National Trust
A 17th century Derbyshire mansion owned by the National Trust (NT) has reduced its carbon emissions by more than 80 per cent, a year after a green energy system was installed. In September 2008, bio-mass wood pellet boilers were installed at Sudbury Hall, near Ashbourne, as part of a wider renewable energy partnership with npower to reduce the property’s carbon footprint. Other measures to be introduced at the mansion include compact fluorescent lamps, water-saving devices in all flush systems, an experimental area of double glazing and draught exclusion in one domestic area of the hall.
Leisure Opportunities 8th Sept 2009 more >>
Plumbing Park 7th Sept 2009 more >>
Sustainable Development
G.Park Blue Planet at Chatterley Valley, designed by Gazeley partners, Chetwoods Architects, has been awarded the prestigious LEAF (Leading European Architects Forum) Best Sustainable Development Award for 2009. Located in North Staffordshire, UK, the 52 acre site features a variety of renewable and sustainable features including on-site renewable energy generation and energy saving fittings. The project has a bio fuel micro power station that provides heat and power to the development and a thermal efficiency far exceeding current UK Building Regulations. The sustainable development has ETFE roof lights with inbuilt photovoltaic cells.
Zawaya 8th Sept 2009 more >>
Sussex School Turbine
Turners Hill School, which won awards for its green credentials in the last year, is hoping to continue with its energy saving by harvesting rain water and installing another wind turbine.
East Grinstead Courier and Observer 8th Sept 2009 more >>
Brixton Low Carbon Zone
Several green projects in Brixton are to go ahead as a result of funding announced by Boris Johnson last week. The London borough is one of ten that are being made into low carbon zones with the help of an investment from the mayor and City Hall. Each local area will receive a grant of £200,000 to boost energy efficiency in households, encourage residents to cut their carbon emissions and create hundreds of ‘green collar’ jobs.
Low Carbon Economy 7th Sept 2009 more >>
Barnet Primary
Solar panels, ground source heat pumps, a small wind turbine and rainwater collection tanks will make the school one of the greenest in the borough.
Hendon & Finchley Times 7th Sept 2009 more >>
Lakeland Hydro
UP to 350 homes are set to be powered by a South Lakeland river. Work is about to start on a hydroelectric station at Beck Foot Farm, close to Duddon Bridge. It should be up and running by April and will generate electricity for the National Grid using water from Logan Gill, an offshoot of the River Duddon.
NW Evening Mail 7th Sept 2009 more >>
EST Training Initiative
COMMUNITIES across Worcestershire are being urged to work together under a new initiative launched to help fight climate change at grass roots level. The Green Communities scheme, launched by the Energy Saving Trust, will offer training courses, one-to-one consultation and an online carbon footprint tool to assist people interested in collaborating in this community-wide, energy saving initiative.
Evesham Journal 7th Sept 2009 more >>
Scots would pay more
EST says 42% of Scots would be willing to pay more for a home where some of the energy was supplied by renewables.
Press and Journal 7th Sept 2009 more >>
Eigg
Islanders on Eigg have won a place in the £1million Big Challenge competition, run by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta).
Press and Journal 7th Sept 2009 more >>
Grid System
With more people wanting to be energy self sufficient and goverments providing financial incentives to make this ideal more affordable, we are looking at a future where domestic energy generation is rolled out to the masses. Can our grid system cope?
Wind Energy Planning 6th Sept 2009 more >>
Bristol School
NAILSEA’S new £30-million state of the art school is to open for the first time to students next week. The school will also partly run on renewable energy and has a woodchip biomass boiler and solar panels to heat the water.
Bristol Evening Post 5th Sept 2009 more >>
Slurry Power
PLANS to turn slurry into electricity as part of a £3.5 million community project near Silloth were unveiled at a public meeting yesterday. Just six anaerobic digesters are currently operating in Britain and this new scheme could be built and running in Cumbria by next summer. A planning application will be submitted to Allerdale Council next month by Community Renewable Energy North West (CoRE), which already has 20 local farmers onboard.
Carlisle News and Star 5th Sept 2009 more >>
Baxi Micro-CHP
A new energy efficient boiler is being introduced to the UK domestic heating market. This type of boiler, called a Combined Heat and Power (or CHP) boiler, utilises the latest technology in order to address increasing concerns regarding the Environment. Baxi already have a CHP boiler on the market, called the Baxi Ecogen, which generates both a domestic heating and electricity supply. It is similar in appearance to a conventional wall hung unit, and has low noise levels. Baxi boilers have received an award for the Baxi Ecogen, from the Micropower Council, in recognition of its energy efficiency.
eMediaWire 5th Sept 2009 more >>
Eco-celebs
The campaign to raise the profile of eco-homes has received a welcome boost from celebrities who extol their virtues.
Inside Housing 4th Sept 2009 more >>
Zero Carbon
The government’s drive to drastically cut carbon dioxide emissions has created a focus on the 1 per cent of new build homes at the expense of the rest.
Inside Housing 4th Sept 2009 more >>
Nottingham Options
Wood-fuelled stoves and boilers can replace traditional gas-powered units. Solar panels can also be used to heat and power a home. A well designed solar water heating system can provide up to a third of a home’s annual hot water needs, while the technology can often be integrated into existing systems. Another option is a heat pump, which utilises natural warmth from the ground, water or air to heat the home.
Nottingham Evening Post 4th Sept 2009 more >>
WITH experts predicting an energy price burst in the near future, there has never been a better time to investigate ways of cutting your household bills. While many may be tempted to shop around for the best deal, a push is being made to get more people in Notts to consider setting up their own energy supply to meet their needs. The Energy Saving Trust is offering residents the chance to start planning for the long-term and investigate what renewable energy technology is available for their homes, and which suits them best.
Nottingham Evening Post 4th Sept 2009 more >>
Callander Climate Challenge
Callander Community Development Trust’s “Callander and Climate Change has been awarded £113,031. The grant will enable the group to employ a project manager who will develop projects for householders to improve insulation and energy efficiency in their homes. It will also be used to look at the use of renewable energy technologies in public buildings, as well as measures to help reduce carbon emissions from travel, an important issue for a rural community.
Stirling Observer 4th Sept 2009 more >>
Brighton Open House
Six Eco homes will open their doors next week, from Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 September for the second Eco Open Houses event in the city. Homeowners will be showcasing their own sustainable DIY and renewable energy installations, such as solar panels and wind turbines, along with project work by commissioned architects, community groups and local eco builders. The aim of Eco Open Houses is to educate and inspire visitors to make similar changes by seeing what simple, inexpensive and practical steps can be taken to save on household bills while improving the environment.
Brighton and Hove Council 4th Sept 2009 more >>
Berwickshire Sport Plan
SportDuns are now embarking on a public consultation process to identify what sports facilities local people would like. There is also the opportunity to take advantage of the very latest renewable energy and sustainable technology advances, which could mean that existing activities such as the swimming pool (which has to deal with ever-rising heating costs), and other spaces such as the old sports hall, could be made even more efficient and help ensure we control future operational costs and meet our environmental obligations.
Berwickshire News 2nd Sept 2009 more >>
EST Survey
A significant number of potential house buyers in the UK claim they would be prepared to pay more for a home fitted with renewable energy.
Edie 4th Sept 2009 more >>
With over six months still to go until the introduction of the UK government’s new clean energy cash-back scheme, interest is continuing to grow in domestic renewable energy technologies, according to a major new survey from the Energy Saving Trust (EST). The EST survey of 2,700 UK adults found that half of respondents are interested in finding out whether their home is suitable for renewable energy systems, such as solar panels or micro wind turbines.
Enviro Solutions 2nd Sept 2009 more >>