News Archive

week ending 6 November 2009

 

District Energy

Conservative shadow energy minister Greg Barker MP has officially launched the UK District Energy Association (ukDEA)- which aims to promote district energy as a means to deliver significant carbon savings and establish a direct link between the Government and the industry’s small market base. The body will be a not-for profit association of companies and public sector organisations, initially including representatives of the six main district energy schemes in the UK today.

New Energy Focus 6th Nov 2009 more >>

Timber Plan

JOBS will be created in Girvan as a result of a Scottish Government grant. Land Energy Ltd will get £300,000 towards a wood pellet production facility. The new site meets one of Land Energy’s key criteria of re-using resources, by making use of an existing building that was a former textile factory. The £15m project will include an onsite biomass combined heat and power plant to supply process heat and electricity to the new wood pellet factory, using the UK’s first power generating turbine using Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology from industry leaders Turboden.

Ayrshire Post 6th Nov 2009 more >>

Nottingham Energy Partnership

As we face years ahead of steep energy price hikes, and certainly an end to cheap energy – we as a city must invest further in generating local, cheap, low-carbon energy to further protect our city’s residents and businesses. “The city council and NEP are delivering and supporting several groundbreaking projects in the city. These projects are at the forefront of the UK’s transition to a low carbon economy; particularly The Nottingham Warm Zone, in partnership with Scottish and Southern Energy, providing energy-efficiency measures to all private households.”

Nottingham Evening Post 6th Nov 2009 more >>

Scottish AD

Shanks, formerly a landfill company, has begun building its first anaerobic digestion plant, capable of generating enough renewable electricity to power up to 3,000 homes. The £8 million plant will be built in Scotland and take waste food from Scottish homes and hotels and from restaurants and retailers in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It will harness the gases produced by the rotting food to fuel a power plant. The power generated will be sold back into the National Grid, while also earning the company double Renewable Obligation Certificates a government subsidy for renewable energy producers.

Times 6th Nov 2009 more >>

Support Mechanisms

On October 15, the government closed a three month consultation on Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) - a proposed new renewable energy subsidy. Set to be introduced in April 2010, FiTs will run alongside the current renewable energy financial incentives scheme, the Renewables Obligation - involving the supply of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs). New Energy Focus aims to shed some light on the two schemes and look at the benefits and drawbacks of each.

New Energy Focus 5th Nov 2009 more >>

Tomorrow’s Farming

Farmers and growers are also key players in the green energy revolution; with their farmland acting as platform for renewable energy, both for growing sustainable fuel crops and turning farm waste into electricity.

NFU 5th Nov 2009 more >>

Defra Alnwick

From 2016, all new build homes, schools and colleges must be ‘zero carbon’, and other buildings in the public sector by 2018 and in the private sector by 2019. It is a challenge but already achieved at Defra’s new offices in Alnwick.

Premises and Facilities Management 5th Nov 2009 more >>

Scottish Renewable Heat Action Plan

One of Scotland’s biggest woodfuelled district heating schemes supplying low carbon energy to over 200 homes is among projects to benefit from government grants. The Hill of Banchory scheme in Aberdeenshire is one of 16 projects to share in more than one million pounds of awards under the Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme. The news comes as the Scottish Government today publishes a plan to drive further growth in renewable heating. The Renewable Heat Action Plan will help Scotland meet its target of 11 per cent of heat coming from renewable sources by 2020, against current production of just 1.4 per cent.

Scottish Government 5th Nov 2009 more >>

Cornish zero carbon

The Heartland regeneration development project will be zero carbon and permission is being sought build two wind turbines on the site that will meet most of the scheme’s energy needs and allow it to sell off some of the power that is created for a profit. It will also have biomass heating and solar capture heating.

Plymouth Herald 5th Nov 2009 more >>

Domestic Turbine Kerfuffle

AN application from a Brora crofter to site a single wind turbine on a field outside the village has sparked a mixed response from community councillors.

Northern Times 5th Nov 2009 more >>

School Turbine Stramash

A CONTROVERSIAL application to build a wind turbine at a primary school has attracted over 600 responses that have been sent to the district planning department. Stroud District Council said the application for a 15 metre high wind turbine at Blue Coat School, Wotton-under-Edge, has created more interest than applications for major housing developments in the area. In total the district council’s planning department has received over 420 signatures in favour of the wind turbine and over 200 against the proposals, ahead of the meeting to decide whether to grant planning permission being held on Tuesday.

Gloucestershire Gazette 5th Nov 2009 more >>

Vegetarians against AD?

A supermarket plan to use out-of-date meat to help power thousands of homes was described as ‘macabre’ by animal rights activists yesterday. Non-meat eaters would be horrified to know that their electricity was being produced by the method - known as anaerobic digestion - according to Vegetarians International Voice for Animals.

Metro 5th Nov 2009 more >>

Zero Carbon Family

The Jeppesens is a modern Danish consumer family who is saving almost 20 tons of C02 per year by having their own private windturbine.

Salford Online 5th Nov 2009 more >>

Doing the Business

Businesses could contribute up to ten percent towards the UK’s greenhouse emissions targets for 2020 by being more energy efficiency according to DEFRA.

Low Carbon Economy 4th Nov 2009 more >>

FiTs unfit for purpose

Addressing the Energy and Climate Change committee for its inquiry on low carbon technologies at Westminster, chief executive of the UK PV manufacturer’s association, Derry Newman, re-iterated that the proposed Feed-in Tariff (FiTs) rates need to be set higher across the board to allow for a higher rate of return.

New Energy Focus 4th Nov 2009 more >>

Cardiff School

New solar panels worth £20,000 have been officially unveiled at Lewis Girls’ School in Ystrad Mynach to help generate electricity, while also teaching students about renewable energy sources.

South Wales Echo 4th Nov 2009 more >>

Devon Community Centre

A full preliminary renewable energy feasibility study has been carried out and all options for renewable technology are being considered for the new Honiton Community Centre.

Devon 24 4th Nov 2009 more >>

Micro-CHP

Baxi film Urban Evolution.

IET Faraday Nov 2009 more >>

Wood Burning Training Centre

A NEW training centre for people who install solid fuel and wood burning appliances is set to open in Ripley. Sure Fire Technical Services will open its centre – the first independent training facility of its kind in the country.

Derby Evening Telegraph 3rd Nov 2009 more >>

Kirklees Engineer

Katy Deacon, an energy engineer for Kirklees Council, has been awarded the Karen Burt Award by the Women’s Engineering Society. It recognises high achievement in engineering and commitment to promoting the profession. Katy received the accolade for creating a toolkit which integrates renewable energy features into building design. The toolkit is now being used throughout the country. It has won Katy the Electrical Industry Awards Energy Efficiency Product of the Year prize and title of Young Woman Engineer of the Year in 2006.

Huddersfield Examiner 3rd Nov 2009 more >>

Renewable Devices

HUNDREDS of new Scottish jobs could go overseas unless the Scottish Government steps in to help a Midlothian company making state-of-the-art wind turbines, Labour MSP Rhona Brankin claimed today. Renewable Devices, a turbine firm based at the Bush Estate, wants to build a Scottish manufacturing facility. But neither government agency Scottish Enterprise nor private investor Insurance Australia Group (IAG) will commit to the project without a written guarantee from the other. And there are fears the firm may have to site its factory in Germany instead.

Scotsman 3rd Nov 2009 more >>

Smart Green Grid

Whirlpool Corporation and a number of other companies today announced the creation of a new collaborative effort aimed at demonstrating the role of smart grid technologies and practices in the achievement of climate change goals. Called the Smart Green Grid Initiative (SGGI), the effort will include educational events at the upcoming climate change meetings in Copenhagen. SGGI has been approved by the United Nations to be an official smart grid delegation to the Copenhagen meetings.

ADF Online 3rd Nov 2009 more >>

Low Carbon Building Programme

Energy Minister David Kidney MP will be at BRE’s headquarters in Watford on 10th November to promote the Government’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2. Funding for this renewable energy grants scheme, which is aimed at public sector and charitable organisations has recently been extended with a further £45 million now available.

ADF Online 3rd Nov 2009 more >>

Middlesbrough Turbines

NEW wind turbines at a Middlesbrough community centre are paving the way to a greener and more sustainable future. The arrival of the two new turbines at Beechwood Youth and Community Centre will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 3 with a visit by Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon. Mr Mallon, ably assisted by Year 8 pupils from St David’s RC Technology College, will unveil the turbines and find out more about the contribution they make to the town’s environmental credentials.

Middlesbrough Council 2nd Nov 2009 more >>

Microgeneration Insurance

Building on the current portfolio of products already provided by NAPIT Insurance Services, a new product is now available to contractors branching out into the microgeneration sector. The Renewable Energy Installers Policy is specially underwritten and covers the additional risks associated with the installation of renewable energy sources and professional indemnity cover for any wrongful advice you provide to customers on microgeneration technologies and their payback rewards.

Heating and Plumbing Monthly 2nd Nov 2009 more >>

Solar Kenya

Volunteers of environmental organisation Greenpeace, in collaboration with local community members, have installed solar energy installations in the village of Barack Obama’s grandmother in Kenya providing electricity to her house as well as to the community’s school.

Salford Online 1st Nov 2009 more >>

Micro-CHP

At last it seems there is more than one micro CHP technology on offer. It has certainly taken its time, but finally we are seeing a range of products suited to various applications. A pity the subsidies poured into other technologies have so far failed to materialise for micro CHP, but then I have always argued that micro CHP is economically viable on its own merits. Still, it would be nice to get some financial recognition as well as kind words!

Microchap 31st Oct 2009 more >>

Cashback Failure

The economic viability of plans to increase installations of renewable energy technologies at commercial properties are hanging in the balance, as the government prepares to rubberstamp a package of incentives that critics say is insufficient to kick start interest in technologies such as small-scale wind turbines or rooftop solar panels.

Business Green 30th Oct 2009 more >>

Decentralised Energy

The UK is in the grips of a power cartel, says an insider from the governing UK Labour Party. That cartel actively hinders the fight against global warming by lobbying for its own narrow commercial interests at the cost of local democracy and the future health of the planet. It’s an argument that off-gridders and anti-capitalist campaigners will be familiar with. It’s not really what you expect to hear from an advisor to Her Majesty’s Government. Yet it is precisely the belief of Alan Simpson, who occupies a place close to the heart of political power in Britain as energy advisor to the Secretary of Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband and Member of Parliament for Nottingham South.

Off Grid 30th Oct 2009 more >>

Guardian 30th Oct 2009 more >>

UTV 30th Oct 2009 more >>

Oh Lord – small beer

A peer has asked about the government’s plans to install microgeneration systems on the premises of schools and hospitals in a written question to the House of Lords. Lord Hunt responded to Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope s question by noting that the government is planning to help households as well as public, community and not-for-profit ventures install microgeneration technology. The £131 million Low Carbon Buildings Programme has already seen £21.13 million offered to school projects, £0.41 million to hospitals and £0.17 million to six UK healthcare centres, Lord Hunt said. He added: “The programme will run until March 2010 for electrical microgeneration and March 2011 for thermal microgeneration to coincide with the introduction of FITs [feed-in tariffs] and RHIs [renewable heat incentives].”

Rapid 30th Oct 2009 more >>

 

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