More microgeneration needed
There are going to have to be over 2 million microgeneration installations by 2020 if Scotland is going to meet its targets according to a new report by the Association for the Conservation of Energy – like this solar heating project in housing association houses in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh.
week ending 30 October 2009
Smart Energy
It’s a case of “all systems go” on two fronts affecting those interested in the opportunities and challenges offered by onsite renewable energy in both the public and private sectors. The Government’s consultation on Feed-in-Tariffs (FiTs) closed mid-October. Secondly, activity at the inaugural Smart Energy exhibition and conference being held in London in early December is ramping up, with the publication of the conference programme designed with decentralised energy users, and potential beneficiaries of the upcoming FiTs and heat incentive in mind.
Smart Energy 30th Oct 2009 more >>
Scottish Energy Plan
Around 1.8 million solar panels will be needed to help Scotland create energy saving homes and meet the targets set out in the Climate Change Scotland Act, according to a study by the Association for the Conservation of Energy and sustainable energy consultant Dr Joanne Wade. Meeting the targets would need the installation of over 1.5 million efficient boilers, 1.8 million solar panels, 2.2 million draft-proofing strips and 1.5 million loft insulation packages, as well as smaller numbers of wood fuel boilers and insulation for solid walls. The combined cost of the measures was estimated as £13.4bn in addition to current investment plans.
New Energy Focus 29th Oct 2009 more >>
ACE Report 27th Oct 2009 more >>
ASDA Biomass
Two 145kW Remeha Biomass boilers fed by wood pellets are helping ASDA’s recently built store in Bootle become ‘eco friendly’. Alongside ASDA’s determination to achieve zero waste to landfill by the end of 2010, its new model supermarket incorporates a variety of technologies, reducing energy use by 40 per cent and cutting carbon emissions by a 50 per cent in comparison to a standard new build store.
New Energy Focus 29th Oct 2009 more >>
LGA on FiT
Councils that help residents install renewable energy generation capacity should receive some or all of the money they then receive from Feed-in Tariffs, the Local Government Association has claimed. Responding to the Government’s consultation on Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs), which closed on October 15, the Local Government Association (LGA) said that it supported the introduction of FiTs, which will give small-scale generators of energy, from micro-wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) panels, a payment for generating energy and for exporting it to the grid, from April 2010.
New Energy Focus 29th Oct 2009 more >>
Stoke ASHP
A bungalow in Stoke, home to three elderly residents, is benefiting from the latest sustainable heating after an Ecodan air source heat pump was installed to provide all the hot water and heating needed. The new system sits outside the property so the occupants don’t even notice it working away.
ADF Online 29th Oct 2009 more >>
EDM on Feed-in Tariffs
Believes that decentralised energy could make a considerable contribution to cutting the UK’s carbon emissions, tackling fuel poverty, increasing energy security and generating green jobs; is concerned that tariffs proposed for the Government’s Clean Energy Cashback scheme will mean decentralised renewable electricity is anticipated to contribute just two per cent. of the UK’s electricity by 2020; considers this to be a wholly inadequate level of ambition;
EDM 2196 29th October 2009 more >>
Eden Geothermal
Plans are being drafted for a geothermal energy plant to be built at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The sustainable energy plant would provide heat and electricity for the attraction and 4,000 homes on the National Grid.
BBC 28th Oct 2009 more >>
South West Sustainability
Promoting sustainable building has been a key priority for the South West RDA since it was established a decade ago and it has recently been nominated for a sustainability award by the UK Green Building Council. Across the South West there is now a group of cutting-edge sustainable buildings and projects that we hope will inspire greater community and industry interest in low carbon construction. They range from housing developments, retail centres and office buildings to community spaces and innovation centres, and extend to both new build and regeneration of historical buildings and sites.
This is Somerset 28th Oct 2009 more >>
Cambridge sheltered housing
HOUSING bosses have opted to bid to build sheltered housing for elderly people on the site of Royston’s former Priory Cinema. The grounds will be landscaped to include a winter garden and a summer house, and renewable energy features will be incorporated.
Cambridge News 28th Oct 2009 more >>
London’s rubbish
Converting non-recyclable rubbish such as leftover food into energy, through methods that did not involve incineration, could reduce the amount sent to landfill – an increasingly expensive option as the tax on dumping waste in the ground is high and rising. Creating gas from the rubbish which could be used for heating or generating electricity could also cut London’s carbon dioxide emissions by 1.2m tonnes and reduce emissions of another greenhouse gas, methane, which is produced when waste breaks down in landfill, the report found. The environment committee called on Johnson to take the lead in developing the technologies to convert energy from waste such as anaerobic digestion, gasification and pyrolysis.
Guardian 28th Oct 2009 more >>
New Energy Focus 28th Oct 2009 more >>
Low Carbon Economy 30th Oct 2009 more >>
Blairgowrie Plan
PLANS FOR a £1.1 million visitor centre to be built in Blairgowrie on the banks of the River Ericht have been unveiled. The intention is to construct an iconic building which will showcase the latest environmental thinking, including a wind turbine and heat pump in an effort to give it a zero carbon footprint. This together with the hydro project planned for the river marks the beginning of phase one of the regeneration project for Blairgowrie and Rattray.
Dundee Courier 28th Oct 2009 more >>
National Trust carbon cut
AN energy-saving project at a Derbyshire landmark has helped cut its carbon emissions by almost 80%. A year ago Sudbury Hall became one of the first National Trust properties in the country to be powered by small-scale renewable energy through a partnership with Npower. As a result, its annual carbon emissions have dropped from more than 52 tonnes to around 12 tonnes. Lorien Engineering Solutions installed bio-mass wood pellet boilers at the historic house, which played a major role in helping it reduce its carbon footprint.
Derby Telegraph 27th Oct 2009 more >>
Peak Hydro
A FREE workshop to showcase how water power could be a renewable energy source of the future for people in the Peak District is set to be held next month. Water Power Enterprises, a social enterprise company part-funded by the Co-operative Group, will explain how people can go about setting up their own small-scale hydro power scheme.
Yorkshire Post 27th Oct 2009 more >>
Role of Planning
A coalition of environmental, countryside and leading development planners will today set out proposals to overhaul the planning system and force local councils to consider climate change impacts when making planning decisions. TCPA energy policy manager Kate Henderson said there was an urgent need for more ambitious reforms. “The planning system can play a key part in tackling climate change by ensuring we get the right amount of renewable energy, by encouraging zero-carbon development and by shaping development which reduces the need to travel by car,” she said. “But despite some excellent rhetoric, much of the planning system is still locked in the age of stupid. It allows carbon-intensive development and often refuses real solutions to climate change such as renewable energy projects.”
Guardian 27th Oct 2009 more >>
Friends of the Earth 27th Oct 2009 more >>
Inside Housing 27th Oct 2009 more >>
Smart-CHP
CHP systems go hand in hand with micro generation from renewable sources. Ultimately, even natural gas is a limited resource and CHP really gives us a way to extend, actually double, our limited supply of natural gas. But the efficiency gains of CHPs will be key even for renewable and carbon neutral sources of carbon based fuels like biomass (wood cuttings, straw, and so on) and bio-fuels in general. Adding other micro generation facilities in the mix such as geothermal and rooftop solar panels, will even increase the efficiency further and thanks to the high operational efficiency of CHP systems, a hybrid system will work very well; this is one of the keys for introducing renewable sources over time.
Smart Grid 27th Oct 2009 more >>
Heat Pumps
Interest in heat pumps is accelerating as consumers seek to find new ways of reducing energy consumption, reducing costs and wanting to explore new avenues of sustainable and renewable energy sources.
Plumbing Park 27th Oct 2009 more >>
Eco-schools
UK schools produce more than 10m tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution each year, about 2% of Britain’s carbon emissions, but 15% of those from the public sector. But they also offer an opportunity. There are 315 children at the Fox school, and most will have parents who don’t think twice about flying abroad, driving when they could walk and leaving the lights on when they leave the room.
Guardian 27th Oct 2009 more >>
Renewable Installers
BRE and Business Link are holding a one-day seminar on the 18th November that provides an overview of the business, financial and technical considerations involved in setting up a renewable energy installation business.
Electrical Times 26th Oct 2009 more >>
Green Bike Shed
A new £20,000 bike shed at a Highlands primary school is capable of generating “green energy”. The shelter at Glenelg in Wester Ross has solar panels on the roof to help provide classrooms with renewable energy.
BBC 26th Oct 2009 more >>
Highland Council 26th Oct 2009 more >>
Exeter (and Plymouth) Geothermal
EXETER could be in line to reap the economic benefits from the exploitation of a previously untapped underground energy source. The Government says harnessing geo-thermal power in the area would not only help towards meeting the nation’s energy needs, but also create thousands of jobs in the region building and running new power plants.
Exeter Express & Echo 26th Oct 2009 more >>
Plymouth Herald 26th Oct 2009 more >>
Sheffield Challenge
COUNCIL leaders in Sheffield have been challenged to come up with more ideas for renewable energy in the city after opponents pointed out that neighbouring authorities were leading the way. According to Coun Furniss, when Labour was in control of the authority, 10 potential sites for hydro-electric generation were identified but she said the idea appeared to have been dropped by the ruling Lib Dems.
Yorkshire Post 25th Oct 2009 more >>
Drop in the Ribble
JUST ten householders will benefit from cash to improve renewable energy in their Ribble Valley homes. This comes as the council revealed that more than half of the properties in the Ribble Valley have no gas supply and are dependent on oil or coal, to heat their homes. However, council chiefs at Ribble Valley Borough Council have only offered ten homes the chance to apply for a share of £15,000 to install solar heating panels and domestic wind turbines. A further £10,000 is up for grabs for loft and wall insulation.
Lancashire Telegraph 24th Oct 2009 more >>
Alnwick Hydro
A HYDRO-ELECTRIC system which lay dormant for more than half a century is being revived to provide green electricity for the Duke of Northumberland’s estate.
Newcastle Journal 24th Oct 2009 more >>
Suffolk AD
A POWER plant fuelled by pig waste and capable of providing electricity for up to 2,000 homes is to be built in west Suffolk. It is understood the plant will be the first in Suffolk capable of turning vegetables, energy crops and pig manure into power using a system called anaerobic digestion.
Beccles and Bungay Journal 23rd Oct 2009 more >>
Bernard Matthews Turbines
TURKEY giant Bernard Matthews has taken another step into the world of renewable energy after lodging plans for two wind turbines on one of its production sites in Norfolk with planners. The poultry firm wants to build the turbines on a former airfield at North Pickenham, directly adjacent to an existing eight turbine wind farm operated by energy firm Enertrag. It is part of £20million investment into renewable energy unveiled at the start of this year.
Watton and Swaffham Times 23rd Oct 2009 more >>
Hot rocks
NATURAL heat thousands of feet below the earth’s surface could see the Westcountry generate 2 per cent of Britain’s electricity, the Government claimed last night as it unveiled a multi-million pound fund to develop the hot rocks technology.
Western Morning News 23rd Oct 2009 more >>
Edinburgh Hydro
The Water of Leith may be set to become a power generator once more with plans to site five turbines along the waterway. Renewables group Community Energy Scotland has awarded more than £30,000 to the city council and four community groups to assess the feasibility of installing “micro-hydro” generators at five points on the waterway.
Edinburgh Evening News 22nd Oct 2009 more >>
Fuel Poverty
The Government’s £2.7 billion-a-year budget for winter fuel payments might be better spent on lagging, insulating, reglazing and modernising the homes of pensioners who cannot afford to heat them properly, suggested local government spending watchdog the Audit Commission.
Herald 21st Oct 2009 more >>