week ending 26 February 2010
Local Councils to become generators?
Local councils will be allowed to start generating and selling electricity back to the grid, in legislation being planned to bring about a “local energy revolution”. Ed Miliband, the climate change secretary, intends to help councils to become energy providers, individually or jointly, by setting up renewable energy companies. The plan is the latest attempt to shake up the energy provision and encourage sustainable sources. Councils are responsible for some 10% of UK carbon emissions and Miliband thinks they need incentives to move to lower carbon energy.
Guardian 26th Feb 2010 more >>
DIY Energy
Philip Wolfe, former head of the Renewable Energy Association (REA), has launched Ownergy plc, a company that aims to help any householders, businesses, landowners or communities tap into payments awarded by Feed-in Tariffs and, subsequently, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). Specialising in solar, wind, hydro, bioenergy and heat pumps, the company is among the first in the country to select, design, supply, manage and finance renewable energy systems for its customers.
New Energy Focus 26th Feb 2010 more >>
FiT Clarification
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has slightly amended its government response and decisions document on the Feed-in Tariffs to clarify the eligibility of early investors for the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme. After confusion around who qualifies for the tariffs, DECC has announced that microgenerators (under 50kW) which were not accredited under the Renewables Obligation (RO) will be able to obtain FiTs at the RO transfer rate if they apply for the RO before March 31 2010. Previosuly, these projects were not eligible for any FiT payments.
New Energy Focus 26th Feb 2010 more >>
Community Turbine Windfall
Four separate wind turbines to generate community profit in the Orkney Islands, a mainland wind turbine development in Aberdeenshire and an improved electricity supply for a remote community in the Shetland Islands are to share £2,230,513.
New Energy Focus 25th Feb 2010 more >>
Retrofits
Social housing developments across the UK will become test-beds for the latest retrofitting technologies. The government announced the £17 million venture yesterday (February 25th), which will see housing developments retrofitted with features such as intelligent heating, heat recovery and insulation upgrades. “Retrofit for the Future” initially involved over 190 organisations, which received up to £20,000 each to develop proposals for energy-saving measures. Out of these, 87 applications were accepted for what will be the largest scale initiative of this kind.
Low Carbon Economy 26th Feb 2010 more >>
Welsh Biomass
A multi-million pound grant scheme designed to help businesses convert wood into renewable heat and power was unveiled yesterday (February 26). The Wood Energy Business Scheme 2 (WEBS 2), which is managed by Forestry Commission Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), is set to provide £7.8 million of European funding to install 40MW of heat capacity and 5MW of electricity at small and medium enterprises.
New Energy Focus 26th Feb 2010 more >>
Slow Smart Grid
The government is not pushing hard enough for the nationwide roll out of smart-grid, according to a new report. According to the Energy and Climate Change committee, smart grids are key to securing energy supplies for the future and fully capitalising on recent developments in the wind power industry. Its recommendations included prioritising renewables in the electricity sector so they can ‘decarbonise’ the energy system and further sharing of network access between renewable and conventional generators.
Low Carbon Economy 25th Feb 2010 more >>
New Energy Focus 25th Feb 2010 more >>
Haddington Biomass
Independent chartered surveyors and architects firm, Chalmers & Co, has installed a Windhager wood pellet boiler at its new high street office in Haddington, near Edinburgh, marking the first installation of its kind in the UK. Suppliers of renewable energy solutions, Glendevon Energy Company Ltd, installed the Windhager BioWIN - which has a performance range of 2.9kW to 78kW - into the Georgian building.
New Energy Focus 25th Feb 2010 more >>
CRC Scheme questioned
The international project development manager for the energy and environmental services division of McKinnon & Clarke has raised doubts about whether the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, to be implemented in April, will make any real impact on the 2020 carbon reduction targets.
New Energy Focus 25th Feb 2010 more >>
Microgeneration eases crunch
Microgeneration technology can help Britain navigate the energy crunch after the country experienced a glimpse of the problems associated with limited energy supplies following the big freeze of early 2010, it has been claimed. Emma McCarthy, chief operating officer, NICEIC Group Limited, said: “Not only will microgeneration be one of the viable solutions for the anticipated energy crunch but will also contribute significantly to the UK government s legally-binding targets for carbon reduction.
Raid 25th Feb 2010 more >>
Centrica
Centrica today felt the impact of lower wholesale gas prices as operating profit for 2009 fell 7% to £1.86 billion. The energy giant pledged to limit the impact of fluctuating prices in future, setting out a new growth plan that involves expanding services such as installing smart metres, household wind turbines and solar panels. It believes microgeneration small-scale power-generating technologies in homes or offices will be worth £12 billion a year by 2020 and announced 1,100 new “green collar” jobs for specialist engineers.
Evening Standard 25th Feb 2010 more >>
Small wind problems
The UK Government’s energy conservation watchdog has admitted that consumers were duped by inappropriate grants into buying wind turbines that never stood a chance of working properly. In an attempt to ensure that there is no repeat of the wind turbine debacle, the Energy Savings Trust, funded by Government and big energy companies, has embarked on the first large-scale trials aimed at providing definitive information on the performance of different green technologies in the UK.
Off grid 25th Feb 2010 more >>
Ice Cream at wind obstacles
FARMERS and rural landowners are being discouraged from developing small-scale wind projects because of the “tortuous” and expensive planning system, according to a leading businessman. Maitland Mackie, chairman of Mackies of Scotland, says developing renewables could generate more than £1 billion annually for the rural sector within ten to 12 years.
Scotsman 25th Feb 2010 more >>
AD Engineers
ENGINEERING contractor Motherwell Bridge is launching a division to capitalise on soaring demand for “anaerobic digestion” containers. In anaerobic digestion (AD) bacteria break down biodegradable waste to produce biogas, a mixture of methane and . The biogas can then be burned to produce heat or electricity, or used as a fuel for vehicles.
Scotsman 25th Feb 2010 more >>
Low Carbon Construction Skills
A series of low carbon technologies courses will be held by The Green Register (TGR), the construction industry’s environmental body. The one-day courses held in the first week of March will focus on the “operation, application and limitations” of the full range of low carbon technologies for buildings, as well as giving a taster of technologies that will likely dominate mainstream construction.
Low Carbon Economy 24th Feb 2010 more >>
Tory Policy
The Conservative Party is set to confirm their stance on proposed changes to payment rates on the government s feed-in-tariff scheme in a green paper on energy to be released shortly. It was suggested in a letter last week that the opposition would back reforms to reward pioneers of microgeneration technology with the same rates and conditions as those taking up renewables after April 2010.
Rapid 24th Feb 2010 more >>
Fuel Cell Breakthrough?
A mini power station containing fuel cells that can run on anything from natural gas to the more renewable stuff, Bloom’s device has received the level of hype in Silicon Valley normally reserved for a new product from Apple. Fuel cells are a promising source of energy but most modern designs use expensive materials, such as platinum, or corrosive chemicals that shorten their lifespan. This new device is a thin fuel cell made from a plentiful resource, sand. The size of a floppy disk, it is painted with proprietary inks that allow the fuels to react with oxygen from the air, a chemical process that produces electricity. A single cell can produce about 25W, and a stack of cells the size of a brick will power an average home. A single Bloom box, a unit the size of a chest freezer and which contains several stacks of fuel cells, will produce 100KW, enough for 100 homes.
Guardian 24th Feb 2010 more >>
Skills for FiT
A heat pump manufacturer has urged the heating and plumbing sector to prepare for a huge surge in interest following the commencement of Feed-in Tariffs. Stiebel Eltron said installers needed to be fully trained and prepared when the incentives, which guarantee a fixed payment for small-scale renewables generators, come into force in April.
New Energy Focus 23rd Feb 2010 more >>
Devon Hydro
A NEW water power scheme to electrify part of Totnes and tie a centuries-old mill into the national grid is being investigated. Last week a Yorkshire company announced it was looking at a £1million scheme to install a power-generating turbine at the Totnes Weir. Now hydro power enthusiast Christopher Biggs is aiming to begin talks with the Town Mill Trust over a much smaller scheme to look at the possibility of using the old mill wheel to generate electricity.
South Devon Herald Express 23rd Feb 2010 more >>
Ploughcraft
PLOUGHCROFT Ltd has officially become the best qualified roofing firm in the country to fit photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. The firm will help energy-conscious homeowners and businesses make the most of the Government’s new Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) reward scheme.
Halifax Courier 23rd Feb 2010 more >>
Plymouth College
A modern biomass boiler will provide heating and hot water for the school, and deliver carbon savings of 75 to 80 per cent over a traditional system. The boiler will be fuelled by wood chips from local forests. “This is the hub for what is almost the equivalent of a small town,” Mr Browne said. “When it’s up and running there will be about 1,800 people using these buildings. “We wanted to put in solar panels and wind turbines but the money wasn’t there.”
Plymouth Herald 23rd Feb 2010 more >>
Tory Policy
The Conservative Party has claimed it will outline its full position on Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) in the coming months, in light of shadow energy minister Charles Hendry’s promise that early investors would be supported under a Tory government. According to the Party, details of any amendments it would make to the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme for microrenewables, due to be implemented in April this year, will be set out in its forthcoming Energy Green Paper.
New Energy Focus 23rd Feb 2010 more >>
Micgrogeneration Certification
With further training on the individual specific technologies, for example Solar PV, Solar Thermal Hot Water and Heat Pumps, installers can achieve the extra knowledge and skills required to then apply for Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) registration and take advantage of the opportunities available.
Voltimum 23rd Feb 2010 more >>
Northumberland National Park
In 2009 the Northumberland National Park Authority launched its Strategic Action Plan for a low-carbon national park in the North East of England, a programme to rapidly accelerate micro-renewable energy production and energy efficiency measures in and around the national park.
Newcastle Journal 23rd Feb 2010 more >>
Derby University Turbine
A WIND turbine is proposed for the University of Derby to reduce its carbon footprint but residents say it should look at solving parking problems to help the environment.
Derby Telegraph 22nd Feb 2010 more >>
Manchester Co-operative
Social housing in Greater Manchester is to become part of a renewable energy grid that could generate £20 million a year from surplus power. In one of the largest renewable energy projects in the UK, The Horizon Energy Co-operative is drawing up plans for a grid servicing around 125,000 houses. Homes will be fitted with microgeneration technology such as wind turbines and photovoltaic panels, which will then feed heat and power into the grid. All homes will be fitted with internet connections and smart meters. Surplus energy will be sold onto the National Grid, and the revenue generated will be used to offset the effects of fuel poverty, by selling energy at a subsidised, low price to residents most at risk.
Inside Housing 22nd Feb 2010 more >>
Raid 23rd Feb 2010 more >>
Feed-in Tariff
The announcement that householders and businesses will be paid to generate their own electricity and will be able to sell back any excess electricity to the National Grid will help revolutionise the market for microgeneration and particular Solar PV panels according to industry experts SOL2O. The Government has just announced the Feed in Tariff (FIT) which has been eagerly awaited and will become operational in April 2010.
ADF Online 22nd Feb 2010 more >>
Newcastle Journal 23rd Feb 2010 more >>
Cheaper PV
Researchers in the US have established a method of making solar cells with a much smaller proportion of the materials usually needed to make conventional solar cells. The upshot of this breakthrough is that it could potentially lead to cheaper and easier-to-install solar panels being developed, thus extending microgeneration to more homes and businesses.
Rapid 22nd Feb 2010 more >>
Role of Councils
A new report from the UK-Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has called on local authorities to work with small-scale green initiatives. According to the UK-GBC, councils are not doing enough to support projects that could help reduce nationwide targets for carbon emissions. One of the key proposals in its study was for public sector buildings to be connected to microgeneration projects, in order to create an “anchor-load” of demand. In addition, the organisation called for local infrastructure such as heating and waste disposal to be included in the government’s target for zero carbon homes. Councils needed to drive such projects through ring-fencing funding, according to the report.
Low Carbon Economy 22nd Feb 2010 more >>
Solar Disney
Energy company EDF plans to build France’s biggest solar-power plant at the Euro Disney theme park resort on the outskirts of Paris. A sweeping structure would see solar cells cover huge canopies built above Euro Disney’s 11,000-space car park, which is one of the biggest in Europe.
Independent 21st Feb 2010 more >>
Scotland FiT
From April 1, anyone generating their own electricity from solar panels, wind turbines, biomass boilers, anaerobic digesters or small hydroelectric schemes will earn a fee from the Clean Energy Cash Back scheme set by the UK Government. According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, householders could earn up to £1000 per year. Although grants have been available for homeowners to generate green power, feeding it back into the grid through an export meter, the new scheme fixes the tariff that energy companies have to pay to each producer. Prices vary between technologies, with solar panels and wind turbines, by the far the most popular to date, paying 41p and 34p per kilowatt (KW) respectively.
Sunday Herald 21st Feb 2010 more >>
Neighbours object
BUSINESSMAN Robert Knox is hoping to do his bit for climate change by erecting a wind turbine on the patio of his Babbacombe house. But his plan for the 9.5metre-high turbine in the garden of his home in Redgate Close, Babbacombe, has caused a stir with neighbours. Planners will decide on Monday whether to allow Mr Know to install the turbine and generate his own electricity.
Devon Herald Express 20th Feb 2010 more >>
Bling or Resource?
Anyone thinking of installing a turbine should first fit a windspeed meter, an anemometer, to a stick as tall as the planned turbine and measure the wind in the proposed spot for at least a year, he says. Asked whether he agreed with the Bristol University engineering professor who recently called small scale wind turbines “middle class eco-bling”, Mr Snook says: “That’s not completely wrong.”
Plymouth Herald 20th Feb 2010 more >>
Renewable Heat Incentive
Government incentives are about to make solar water heating panels a financial no-brainer for millions of households across Britain, as long as they have a south-facing roof. Two weeks ago Guardian Money outlined the attractiveness of electricity generating panels as a result of the introduction of “feed-in” tariffs, which will pay households for the extra energy they produce. However, the installation cost – at around £12,500 – will put many people off. Less off-putting are solar water heating systems, which cost some £4,000-£5,500 for a typical 2kW system and are likely to pay an annual return of around £500 for the next 20 years. But do make sure you’re not burnt by the significant number of cowboy installers working in this sector.
Guardian 20th Feb 2010 more >>
Perth and Kinross Plan
A Scottish local authority is putting £100,000 towards creating a renewable energy business cluster. Perth and Kinross council’s budget for 2010/11 includes money that will go towards attracting and supporting biomass and hydro-electric schemes. There are no targets or mandates for councils on renewable energy generation but Perth and Kinross council has signed up to Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration, which is a voluntary scheme seeking to reduce emissions.
New Energy Focus 19th Feb 2010 more >>
Community Energy
Utilising waste and biomass to generate energy for distribution at a community level could help the UK to achieve its target of all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016, as well as contributing towards the 2020 renewables targets, according to a report published yesterday (February 18). The ‘Sustainable Community Infrastructure - campaign for a sustainable built environment’ report was produced by the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) and Zero Carbon Hub’s Sustainable Infrastructure Task Group.
New Energy Focus 19th Feb 2010 more >>
Early Adopters
The Conservative Party has confirmed that, if elected, it will reverse the current Government’s decision to treat early adopters of on-site microgeneration schemes less favourably than those installing renewable energy technologies for the first time.
Green Wise 19th Feb 2010 more >>
Rapid 19th Feb 2010 more >>
FiT
The Government has announced the final details of its Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme, which is designed to support the uptake of small-scale, low-carbon electricity generation and help to deliver the UK’s 2020 renewable targets. Set for introduction in April 2010 as part of the Energy Act, FITs will financially reward homeowners who install microgeneration technologies in their homes.
Green Build News 19th Feb 2010 more >>
Horizon 19th Feb 2010 more >>
V2G Technology
Electricity grids could operate much more efficiently if they tapped the vast amounts of power stored in the batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles, to balance out fluctuations in supply and demand. Vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, technology, which would enable electric car owners to make money while storing power for the grid, was unveiled at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Diego on Friday.
FT 19th Feb 2010 more >>
Integrated Eigg
Renewable energy now provides the island with 92% of its electricity. Eigg has its own hydro-electric scheme, photo-voltaic cells which harness the power of the sun and, of course, those wind turbines too. The target of generating 100% of Eigg’s electricity without diesel generators will be almost impossible to achieve. But that’s the goal.
BBC 19th Feb 2010 more >>
Micro-CHP
During 2010, increasing numbers of homes across the UK, and in parts of mainland Europe, will be switching to an entirely new type of gas boiler. Like the old model it will heat the water and keep the house warm, but alongside this traditional role the boiler will also be functioning as a mini thermal power plant, pumping out around 1kW of electricity. Home owners, potentially in their millions, could be going into the combined heat and power (CHP) business.
IET 17th Feb 2010 more >>