Dawning of a renewable era?
CURRIE Community High was the first school in Edinburgh to install a wind turbine. The eco-friendly secondary also has a thermal system as part of a ten-year campaign to reduce energy consumption. The school uses the renewable energy to heat its swimming pool and cut its carbon emissions. Around 2,000 lights at the school have been replaced with energy saving bulbs.
Scotsman 30th Dec 2009 more >>
week ending 1 January 2010
Forward Thinking
Policy measures will also continue to accelerate the adoption of these technologies, most notably in the UK in the form of the Carbon Reduction Commitment and the Clean Energy Cashback feed-in tariff scheme, both of which come into effect in the spring and both of which should serve to further normalise board-level interest in energy efficiency and the installation of small-scale renewable energy systems.
Business Green 31st Dec 2009 more >>
Scottish Schools
ALL new schools built under the controversial Scottish Futures Trust should be environmentally friendly and include features such as solar panels or wind turbines, according to a senior teaching leader. Ronnie Smith, general secretary of Scotland’s biggest teaching union, the EIS, said “It is essential that, whenever a school is rebuilt or refurbished, proper steps are taken to ensure that the facilities are as ecologically sound as possible”.
Scotsman 30th Dec 2009 more >>
Glowing Wallpaper
Glowing wallpaper could replace lamps for lighting homes and offices, according to the government-backed Carbon Trust. The trust has given a 454,000 grant to Lomox, a Welsh start-up company, to accelerate the development of its “light emitting wallpaper”. The material, which uses organic light emitting diode or OLED technology, runs on very low voltages and is twice as efficient as today’s energy-saving bulbs. It could reach the market as soon as 2012, said Ken Lacey, chief executive of Lomox.
FT 30th Dec 2009 more >>
Times 30th Dec 2009 more >>
Guardian 30th Dec 2009 more >>
Moray Mill
The Knockando Wool Mill Trust has received £96,000 from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (Cares). The project, due to be completed by 2012, will conserve the property as a sustainable working mill. The final grant from Cares will be used for three wood-pellet boilers to provide a modern heating system run on locally produced fuel. Ms Hutt said it was important to ensure the mill used natural energy supplies – including the original waterwheel.
Press and Journal 29th Dec 2009 more >>
Retro-fitting is the way
We all have a part to play, not only in reducing our emissions, but also in “keeping the lights on”. The move towards zero carbon homes has been a leading topic of policy in the UK for the last few years. New builds are adding just a tiny percentage towards the target less than 1 per cent a year. That means we need to look at retro-fitting existing properties and convincing people to pay for expensive energy-saving solutions.
Scotsman 29th Dec 2009 more >>
AD Advance
BLACKPOOL-based renewable energy company Farmgen has earmarked a farm for a new environmentally-friendly power generation scheme. Dryholme Farm, in Silloth, Cumbria, has been purchased with a view to creating an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant.
Blackpool Gazette 29th Dec 2009 more >>
Scottish Grants
CONCERNS about costs are putting nearly two-thirds of residents off the idea of renewable energy at home, according to a new study. The Energy Saving Trust found that 60 per cent of residents surveyed in Edinburgh and the Lothians said they would consider technology like solar panels but are put off by what they think it would cost. But the trust also found that 70 per cent of those surveyed did not know that there are grants available to help cover the costs.
Edinburgh Evening News 28th Dec 2009 more >>
Big Yellow Storage
These buildings do not require heating and cooling in 97 percent of their areas. More than 20 percent of our portfolio has energy-efficient design, lighting and lifts. Onsite renewable-energy generation through solar photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and ground-source heat pumps reduces energy grid supply and carbon emissions by a further 10 percent to 20 percent. Several green walls, roofs, landscape gardens and rainwater harvesting systems in new stores contribute locally to mitigate the effects of the urban heat-island effect and climate change.
Inside Self Storage 26th Dec 2009 more >>
Urban Progress
They may only cover 5 per cent of the world’s land surface, but towns and cities emit three quarters of its greenhouse gases. And as the World Wildlife Fund points out, they will invest $250 trillion in infrastructure over the next 30 years: it is important that this is green. Mayors from 80 big cities held their own summit. One by one, they unveiled their achievements and plans; no fewer than 1,016 towns and cities across the US, for example, have agreed to meet the targets of the Kyoto protocol, which the government still rejects. Even New York plans to cut emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.
Telegraph 26th Dec 2009 more >>
Sustainable Education
THE eco-friendly Sustainability Education Centre at Queen Elizabeth’s School, Wimborne, has won a prestigious award. The £2.7m building, a redevelopment and extension of Farthing Hall on the school campus, opened in June and is used for teaching children and adults about sustainability. Renewable energy technologies have been installed to reduce energy consumption, including automatic lighting systems and photovoltaic panels which will produce electricity. Natural ventilation has been incorporated into the building’s cooling system.
Stour and Avon Magazine 25th Dec 2009 more >>
Wood Supplies
The Forestry Commission has been tasked with raising the supply of woodfuel for renewable generation by bringing an additional 2 million tonnes (Mt) of wood to market annually by 2020 - representing a 60% increase in wood production in England.
New Energy Focus 24th Dec 2009 more >>
London Savings
New developments coming to the Mayor’s office for approval are cutting their carbon emissions by around a third, whilst tougher targets proposed in the Mayor’s draft London plan can raise this even further, a London South Bank University report has found.
London Mayor Press Release 23rd Dec 2009 more >>
Solartwin
An innovative solar water heating system which delivers three improvements on traditional solar heating technology (the improvements are financial, environmental and safety) has this week been accepted as valid for solar panel grants in UK, but at a cost. The company behind the innovation, Solar Twin Ltd, is delighted but critical of “opaque” regulatory processes operating within the solar thermal and construction industries.
Solartwin Press Release 10th Dec 2009 more >>
Pre Budget Report
The pre-budget report was published on 9th December. The PBR is historically a precursor of the Government’s plans for the full budget next Spring, however this year’s PBR is a key set-piece for the Labour Government, with a number of new measures for the low carbon sector announced.
JDS Associates 9th Dec 2009 more >>