week ending 17 September 2010
Scrap RHI and start again
The government should scrap the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme and start again, as it would be bad for the sector by encouraging technologies that “are not quite ready”, an environmental consultancy has warned. Launching its ‘The Renewable Heat Initiative: Risks and Remedies’ report - produced on behalf of Calor Gas Ltd - the Renewable Energy Forum stressed that if the coalition decides to go ahead with the RHI, significant changes will need to be made. According to REF, the heat policy is “an expensive leap into the dark”, relying on a major deployment of renewable heat technologies that are new to the UK and untested in the UK context.
New Energy Focus 17th Sept 2010 more >>
West Sussex
West Sussex Sustainable Business Partnership can fund grants of up to £10,000 for energy saving projects that will achieve a quantifiable reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Green Grants Machine 17th Sept 2010 more >>
Julia Davenport on FiTs
With the media awash with stories of rising numbers of new microgeneration installations and entrepreneurial companies springing up who will install them at zero cost, momentum behind the government’s feed-in-tariff (FiT) scheme is really beginning to gather pace. Since FiTs were launched in April this year, Ofgem figures now show that nearly 9000 new solar, hydro, wind and microCHP projects have been installed around the country As the UK’s leading 100 per cent renewable electricity supplier, with over 1300 independent generators on our books, Good Energy has been paying our own version of a FiT since 2004. And we’ve campaigned hard for the introduction of a support scheme to provide businesses and households with the financial certainty they need to invest in microgeneration. We welcomed the introduction of FiT in February as a great step in the right direction. But the news that large numbers of early adopters have yet to register for the scheme, demonstrates that the FiT incentive doesn’t go far enough.
Business Green 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Solar Saltash
Sir Robert Geffery’s School in Landrake, Saltash, has started generating green electricity from the sun. Forty-eight solar panels were fitted on the School Road roof over the summer holidays. The idea was sparked by pupils to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage the community to go green.The £55,148 cost of the renewable energy technology was met by £24,074 from EDF Energy Green Fund, £27,574 from the Government’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme and £3,500 from school funds.
EDF Energy 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Elstead Biomass
St James Primary School in Elstead is celebrating the launch of its green boiler, powered by local wood pellets. Pupils in Thursley Road will be keeping warm this winter thanks to a 45kW ‘biomass boiler’ fuelled by wood pellets from a local manufacturer and supplier, using raw material sourced locally. Funding for the £46,464 boiler, which has just been switched on, was provided by £23,232 from EDF Energy’s Green Fund, with a matching contribution from the Government’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme.
EDF Energy 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Woking Low Carbon Houses
A pioneering new housing development of 12 eco-friendly family homes in Knaphill was officially opened by the Leader of Woking Borough Council. The development of 10 semi-detached and two detached houses at Brookwood Farm in Knaphill, is one of the first in the country to achieve and surpass, at least, a Level 5 rating from the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), which measures the sustainability of a home against specific design categories, and provides a mark of quality and assurance for homebuyers.
Woking Borough Council 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Sustainable Housing
It is ‘inevitable’ that the demand for sustainable homes in the UK will increase in the future, one expert has suggested. Gordon Miller, sustainability and communications director of Sustain Worldwide, said that buyers will look for properties with better eco credentials as awareness continues to grow in the benefits of sustainability.
Low Carbon Economy 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Organic Solar
The Carbon Trust and Cambridge Enterprise have launched a new venture to develop and manufacture solar cells. Eight19, so called because its takes light from the sun eight minutes and 19 seconds to travel to the Earth from the sun, will use £4.5 million of investment from the trust and chemicals company Rhodia to develop product prototypes. The focus will be on developing low-cost organic solar cells using semi-conducting plastics, which will build on the Cavendish Laboratory’s current capabilities. Organic solar cells hold the advantage of being able to be manufactured at a low cost, as well as the ease at which they can be installed by construction companies.
Low Carbon Economy 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Centrica Deal
Centrica would be spending £30m to enable an early rollout of the government’s “green deal”, Mr Laidlaw also said. That proposal is designed to make the country’s homes more energy efficient through such moves as boiler replacement and cavity wall installation. Mr Laidlaw’s comments came in a speech made to the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
BBC 16th Sept 2010 more >>
FiT Bideford
THE inaugural meeting of the Bideford Renewable Energy Working Group was held recently when Councillor Emma Farrington was elected chair and announced she had arranged various visits for group members to see some working energy systems. We are looking to invest in schemes in Bideford where “Feed-in tariffs” operate, ie, where the energy produced is sold to the National Grid and achieves an income for the town council.
This is Devon 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Solar Lambeth
A Streatham school has become solar powered. Streatham Wells Primary School is one of three schools in Lambeth to have had its roof fitted with solar panels over the summer. The green scheme is set to save each school £2,000 a year in energy bills, while also teaching pupils about energy efficiency.
Epsom Guardian 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Greener Build
On 11 September 2010, Greenerbuild was officially launched during the Eco Renovation Open Homes weekend hosted by Transition Stroud. The Greenshop Group of companies has been pioneering environmental products since 1987, well over 20 years of business. To further promote sustainability in the built environment, the Group launched Greenerbuild, offering a range of consultancy services and sustainable building products for both new eco-build projects and eco-renovations.
ADF Online 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Small Turbine Attack
Two real-world tests performed in the Netherlands and in the UK confirm our earlier analysis that small wind turbines are a fundamentally flawed technology. Their financial payback time is much longer than their life expectancy, and in urban areas, some poorly placed wind turbines will not even deliver as much energy as needed to operate them (let alone energy needed to produce them). Given their long payback period relative to their life expectancy, most small wind turbines are net energy consumers rather than net energy producers.
Energy Bulletin 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Hospice of the Valleys
THE NEXT stage of the £2m Hospice of the Valleys facility on the Steelworks site should be “done and dusted by Christmas”, according to its chief executive. It will have renewable energy systems, rainwater harvesting and more for a low-energy and a low carbon project.
Gwent Gazette 16th Sept 2010 more >>
CBI RHI Reservations
The CBI is calling on the Government to review the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and to develop a clearer strategy to reduce carbon emissions from heat. Launching a new report, ‘The Heat Is On: Delivering An Integrated Heat Policy’, today, the CBI said cutting emissions from heat was crucial to meeting CO2 reduction targets and mitigating rising energy costs, but it said existing Government policy on heat was “fragmented and complex” and the RHI should be reviewed. “Heating for domestic homes and industry accounts for almost half of all energy used in the UK, and cutting emissions here could take us a long way towards reaching our carbon targets,” said Dr Neil Bentley, CBI director for Business Environment. The report says heat is an underdeveloped area of energy and climate change policy and, in particular, it raises reservations about the RHI, which is due to launch in April 2011.
Greenwise Business 15th Sept 2010 more >>
STV 15th Sept 2010 more >>
The government must review the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive to ensure cheaper and more “imaginative” options of renewable heat generation are encouraged, according to a report published by the CBI.
New Energy Focus 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Business Green 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Doncaster AD
PDM, the UK’s largest food waste recycler, has celebrated the start of construction of its industry-leading anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Doncaster. This technology will add another method of recycling to PDM’s portfolio of safe, secure and sustainable solutions and will use food waste as a resource to generate renewable energy.
Materials Handling World 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Kent School goes Solar
SOLAR panels are helping to heat water and power computers at an eco-friendly secondary school. Pupils at Sittingbourne Community College returned from their summer break to discover eight solar-thermal panels and 84 photovoltaic panels had been added to the buildings.
This is Kent 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Cornwall goes Solar
A large number of farmers in the South West are being approached by companies that are offering to lease land in return for their putting up solar panels for a stated amount of time and money – or selling panels directly to the farmer. But, given the implications of any agreement, it is crucial that if you are approached, you do not sign any contracts until you are sure they are good value and are robust.
This is Cornwall 15th Sept 2010 more >>
FiTs
Investors in micro-generation low carbon technologies are assured income over the life of the technology, for the total electricity generated. And now, the restrictions on local authorities selling electricity generated through renewables have been lifted, meaning they can also profit from FiTs.
New Energy Focus 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Stiebel Eltron
Stiebel Eltron, a microgeneration product specialist, is embarking on solar PV with a range targeting homes and businesses with an eye on their country’s new Feed-in Tariff (FiT). German-owned Stiebel Eltron, known for its heat pumps, claims its foray into solar energy will appeal through a 10-year guarantee and a high performance of 90 per cent of original specification for 12 years and 80 per cent for 25 years.
Renewable Energy World 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Business Green 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Harlow Award
An energy partnership involving Harlow Council has won a top environmental award. The Herts Essex Energy Partnership (HEEP) which offers grants, loans and discounts to homeowners and private tenants in the Harlow area to help generate and save energy, has just been notified that it is among the major winners in the Green Apple Awards which will be presented in November 2010.
Harlow Council 15th Sept 2010 more >>
RHI Safer
Coalition energy secretary Chris Huhne indicated to a House of Commons Committee that the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), or a programme like it, is safer than the energy industry might have thought – or at least as safe as any government expenditure can be in the shadow of the Treasury’s up-coming comprehensive spending review (CSR).
Business Green 15th Sept 2010 more >>
New Energy Focus 16th Sept 2010 more >>
Organic PV
Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory and the Carbon Trust have formed a joint venture company to develop organic solar PV technology with £4.5 million initial investment from the Trust and speciality chemicals firm Rhodia. Solar cells made with organic semiconductors work very differently to those made with silicon, and are closer in operating principle to photosynthesis in green plants.
Business Green 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Rottherham CHP
Waste treatment and renewable power company, Sterecycle, has announced plans to develop a combined heating and power (CHP) plant, and potentially an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant, on the site of its existing waste treatment facility in Rotherham.
Connecting Industry 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Business Green 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Lake District Hydro
A green energy scheme, valued a £1.5 million, is set to turn a Cumbrian stream into a mini power station and the biggest hydro-electric project in the Lake District. The scheme hopes to provide electricity for hundreds of homes using a small weir on found in a mountain stream. The power is generated via a 60cm buried pipe that runs 1km downhill into a small stone and slate barn containing the water turbine and other generating equipment.
Institution of Engineering & Technology 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Durham Pioneers
Durham County Council is organising a volunteer training programme which will help participants learn about various aspects of energy efficiency, renewable energy and paying bills.
Peterlee Mail 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Haywards Heat Sustainability
Demolition teams have moved in to transform a tired 1960s housing estate in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, into a beacon of sustainability. All 186 of the modern new homes will maximise the use of renewable energy – with special south facing pitched roofs designed to capture sunlight and get the most out of solar panels. All will reach Level 3 under the Code for Sustainable Homes and have been designed by award-winning architects PRP. The development will replace the current homes with a mixture of sizes and types of housing, including larger family homes and wheelchair accessible properties. Many residents will be returning to the new homes and have been involved in the design and location of their new home.
eGov Monitor 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Community Energy
The renewable energy sector needs to use a wider range of business models in order to ensure a fairer distribution of power plants across the UK, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Renewable energy policies should encourage more community-owned projects to avoid a concentration of commercial power plants in poorer areas, argues Dr Dan van der Horst at the University of Birmingham who led the research project.
eGov Monitor 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Retrofitting for a King?
Prince Charles has been learning how housing associations in the North West are making their homes greener at the launch of a new environmental initiative. HRH the Prince of Wales attended a civic dinner in Manchester where the Start Living Retrofitting Alliance was launched in the North West. The alliance has been formed by one of HRH’s charities Business in the Community, which works with companies to develop partnerships aimed at creating, promoting and supporting sustainable communities.
24 Dash 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Eco-homes development
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne has officially opened one of the UK’s largest development of zero-carbon homes. SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy) has developed 10 eco-homes in Chalvey, Slough, in a unique project designed to understand the changing role of the energy supplier in a low carbon society.
24 Dash 14th Sept 2010 more >>
New Energy Focus 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Low Carbon Economy 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Anaerobic Gwynedd
An anaerobic digestion plant to treat 15,000 tonnes of food waste annually and generate electricity as a result is being proposed for Gwynedd.
BBC 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Power to Totnes
A £4MILLION wind power scheme is aiming to electrify Totnes with the launch of a community project designed to literally put the power in the hands of the people. The Totnes Renewable Energy Society, set up four years ago to look at sustainable ways of generating power in the Totnes area, is planning to build a mini-wind farm on the outskirts of the town. The society has already teamed up with Dorset wind farm specialists Infinergy to drive forward the project to build two wind turbines on a site at Luscombe Cross, two miles outside the town.
Herald Express 14th Sept 2010 more >>
RHI needs adequate funding
The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA) said adequate funding of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) must be confirmed urgently if the Government is to realise its commitment to “huge increase in energy from waste through anaerobic digestion” and the country is to benefit from the creation of of 35,000 new jobs. It has published a report that concludes the RHI must be funded at a higher level than the Feed-in Tariff if it is to stimulate the industry to deliver the “huge increase” committed to by the Government and enable the UK to meet its renewable energy and climate change targets.
Greenwise Business 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Bewdley Eco-advice
ECO-FRIENDLY energy advice will be available at Bewdley Harvest Fair. Wyre Forest District Council has teamed up with local businesses to showcase renewable energy technology and energy efficiency measures, at the Bewdley Museum, on Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26.
Halesowen News 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Scottish Effort
Around 200,000 households in Scotland will be offered free or discounted insulation to help lower their fuel bills. Those on low incomes will be offered free loft and cavity wall insulation and higher-income households will receive a discounted deal. Alex Neil, Housing Minister, announced the plans today while visiting the Superglass factory, Stirling. He said: “Offering householders a means to keep the heat in is a great way to help families, the elderly and others to save money. If we have a winter like last winter, this will be more important than ever.”
STV 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Bow Renewables
Luminus Group, advised by Indigo Planning, has been granted planning consent for a residential-led mixed use development of 129 apartments and office space in Bow, East London.The development aims to achieve 20% renewable energy generation through solar thermal hot water, solar heating, ground source heat pumps and biomass heating.
Property Mall 14th Sept 2010 more >>
AD RHI Warning
The government will only succeed in its pledge to drive a “huge increase” in anaerobic digestion technology if it sets the right Renewable Heat Incentive levels, according to the trade association for the sector.
New Energy Focus 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Ethical PV
With the government offering to pay you – and some companies even offering to fit them for free – you may be considering installing solar photovoltaic panels on your roof. But if you are, would you really want to buy one from a company that’s been responsible for one of the biggest recent environmental cock-ups on the planet or one that’s up to its neck in the arms trade? No of course you wouldn’t. To help shoppers navigate this particular ethical-minefield in its latest buyers’ guide, Ethical Consumer magazine has identified those solar-power panels that you can stick on your roof with a clean conscience and those that you may just want to leave on the shelf.
Guardian 13th Sept 2010 more >>
PV & Royalty
Cutting-edge photovoltaic technology being tested at the University of Sheffield - including the first semi-transparent photovoltaic solar panels available in the UK - was showcased on Friday (10 September 2010) at a Royal Garden Party in London hosted by the Prince of Wales.
Sheffield University 13th Sept 2010 more >>
London Green Jobs
Employment in ‘Green’ jobs is tipped to grow by 18,000 over the next two years despite the current jobs climate, according to a report launched by the London Development Agency (LDA) today.
eGov 13th Sept 2010 more >>
ASHP
The new coalition government has wasted no time in addressing the UK’s budget deficit and a wide range of spending cuts has been announced, many affecting the ‘green’ construction industry. But renewable energy technologies can still be an option, with Renewable Energy Finance from Dimplex. The scheme has been designed to overcome budget restrictions and spread the costs of the full installation of renewable energy systems, covering ground and air source heat pumps and solar thermal hot water systems.
Heating and Plumbing Monthly 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Leading figures from government and industry are urging UK installers to take advantage of the growing heat pump market. Representatives from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Heat Pump Association and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, together with industrialists from Mitsubishi Electric and Jaga Heating Products are united in forecasting a rapid growth in the use of air to water and ground to water heat pumps for heating sanitary hot water, central heating and swimming pools.
Heating and Plumbing Monthly 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Islington
Over recent years, Islington Council has led a very successful sustainability drive and was one of the first local authorities in the country to set a target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
eGov Monitor 13th Sept 2010 more >>
FiT Success
A report from the UK’s Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) shows over 9,000 renewable energy systems installed in the country are now participating in the UK’s feed in tariff scheme.
Energy Matters 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Centro Solar
Centrosolar Group has established a subsidiary in the UK. Following the introduction of attractive feed-in tariffs in the country in April, Centrosolar UK, headquartered near London, is now in a position to respond to increased demand for photovoltaic systems, particularly in England, the group said. Solar specialist Simon Gerrard has been recruited to run the subsidiary. Centrosolar UK is the ninth affiliate to be established outside Germany as part of the manufacturer’s internationalisation strategy.
Plast Europe 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Hydro Development
Green Highland Renewables Limited (GHR Ltd) is a hydro development company specialising in “run of river” hydro schemes from 50 kW to 2 MW. Run of river schemes are where there is no dam, rather a small weir that abstracts part of the water in a burn which passes through a buried pipeline to a turbine and generator. The services we provide cover everything required to develop and build a hydro scheme, and commission and operate it. We offer various business models, with risk-sharing with owners being popular through options and lease/joint ventures where we provide shared or full financial support. Or we can simply provide our consultancy and project management expertise if that is all that is required.
Herald 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Scottish Hydro
The largest hydroelectric project in Scotland for five years, at 7.5MW, has been granted planning consent. Scottish ministers approved the Kildermorie scheme near Ardross in Ross-shire, while the largest hydro development in the Lake District was also officially launched the day before.
New Energy Focus 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Green Cornwall
When Steve Cirell left Cornwall Council at the end of his year-long secondment as director of the Green Cornwall project, all sorts of initiatives were on the launch pad - revision of planning rules to encourage more wind turbines, solar energy farms; we were even told to believe battery-powered cars could soon be whizzing up and down the A30.
BBC 12th Sept 2010 more >>
Scottish Microgeneration
The hottest ticket in Scotland, you may be surprised to hear, is solar energy. Vans full of solar panels and electric current inverters have been burning up and down suburban streets the length of the UK, offering Mr and Mrs Average the chance to finally join the green revolution. Never mind that this is a cold, rainy country where a barbecue summer conssist of enough sunshine to cook a couple of sausages. Solar has been going like hot cakes in recent months, creating a sizeable installation industry overnight. The reason for this strange state of affairs is the system of subsidies introduced in April. The so-called feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme pays consumers and businesses to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels plus other renewable devices such as small wind turbines and hydroelectric schemes. For an outlay of around £20,000, the owner of a four-bedroom house can install enough solar panels to satisfy the majority of their energy needs while being paid 41p per kilowatt hour at the same time.
Sunday Herald 12th Sept 2010 more >>
Anaerobic Digestion
Motherwell Bridge yesterday said it has struck a strategic partnership deal with Austria’s Entec Biogas in a move by the Lanarkshire-based engineering contractor to establish itself in the UK’s anaerobic digestion sector. Entec is recognised as one of the world’s leading experts in anaerobic digestion technology and has been involved in the construction of biogas plants in Europe, India, Korea, Japan, Malawi and North America. Anaerobic digestion is a process by which plant and animal waste is digested in tanks by micro-organisms which then release methane that can be used to provide heat and power – in other words, pure green energy.
Herald 11th Sept 2010 more >>
Berwick Turbine
A FIRST community wind turbine in the North East is expected to generate £4m in revenue over its 20-year lifespan. The winning of planning permission for the turbine this week was hailed yesterday as a new way forward for wind power. The scheme is a joint venture by Berwick Community Trust and Community Renewable Energy (CoRE), which is based in the town. CoRE’s mission is to help communities install their own green energy projects
Newcastle Journal 11th Sept 2010 more >>
Efficiency Opening
A 200-year-old eco-home which has cut carbon emissions by 60% is opening its doors to encourage more houses to become energy efficient. Andy Warren’s property in Llanidloes, Powys, is part of a UK-wide network of homes which have been refurbished. A visit has been organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) which is calling on the next Government in Wales to reduce house emissions by 40% by 2020.
BBC 11th Sept 2010 more >>
Cornwall Insulation
Householders in Cornwall can receive a helping hand to keep warm and save money on their heating bills this winter with the launch of an insulation scheme funded by Cornwall Council.
Cornwall County Council 10th Sept 2010 more >>
Community Microgeneration
Research carried out by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) for the British Gas Green Streets Challenge calculates that these community buildings could raise millions of pounds by installing microgeneration technologies like solar panels. With many of these buildings at the heart of communities struggling to raise funds and threatened with closure, this energy windfall has the potential to boost their stretched finances and aid their survival.
Oil Fired Up 10th Sept 2010 more >>
24 Dash 10th Sept 2010 more >>
Furness Hydro
A NEW £1.5 million green energy scheme has turned a Furness stream into a mini power station and is the biggest hydro-electric project in the Lake District. The renewable energy scheme at Logan Gill, a tributary of the River Duddon, near Broughton-in-Furness, will provide electricity for hundreds of homes from a small weir on a mountain stream. It involves a 60cm buried pipe running 1km downhill, and a small stone and slate barn housing the water turbine and other generating equipment.
Westmorland Gazette 10th Sept 2010 more >>
Connecting Industry 10th Sept 2010 more >>
FiTs
A project that will help reduce your carbon emissions, boost your green credential and increase the value of your business or personal property. Yes, it is time to think about Feed In Tariff (FIT).
Norwich Evening News 10th Sept 2010 more >>
Northumberland Turbines
WORK has started on the building of two giant wind turbines that will dramatically cut energy costs and help safeguard jobs at a leading Northumberland pharmaceutical company. The 125 metre-high machines will tower over the 400-job Merck Sharp and Dohme manufacturing plant in Cramlington, and will eventually provide 80% of the site’s electricity needs.
Newcastle Journal 10th Sept 2010 more >>
Hospital Footprint
Health bosses in Norfolk have put innovative measures in place to in order to reduce their carbon footprint. New research suggests many NHS trusts are not yet compliant with the new Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) legislation which comes into force next month. All organisations which consume more than 6,000 megawatt hours of energy a year will be required by law to register their energy use by September 30.
Eastern Daily Press 10th Sept 2010 more >>
Knowsley Action
Business, finance and planning experts have come together to help firms in Knowsley use and make more green energy. The Renewable Energy Action group, set up by Knowsley Council and Knowsley Chamber of Commerce, will help businesses find realistic ways to produce more renewable and low carbon energy. At the group’s first meeting, Co Operative banking advisor Chris Matthews talked about a range of finance and investment opportunities. While David Hunt from Merseyside-based Eco Environments, described the benefits of a number of renewable technologies and the potential for cost savings and financial payback.
Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council 10th Sept 2010 more >>
National Energy Foundation
The Communities Fund of the National Energy Foundation (NEF) has made its first investment to support the development of a community-owned renewable energy programme. On 10 September, the Totnes Renewable Energy Society (TRESOC) launched its first community share issue, a campaign financed by the NEF’s Communities Fund. The proceeds of the share issue will be used to invest in local renewable energy projects. TRESOC is an Industrial and Provident Society set up to enable the community to own and profit from the development of local renewable energy projects. All residents of Totnes and its environs can become members of the Society by buying shares with a minimum value of £20 up to £20,000.
National Energy Foundation 10th Sept 2010 more >>
Derby Revolution
The latest ‘green energy’ project at the University of Derby means it could now generate enough free power to boil up to 31,000 kettles. Earlier this year (2010) the University installed 200 square metres of photovoltaic (solar) panels and nine 8.5 foot tall wind turbines on the top of the South Tower at its Kedleston Road site, in Derby, to generate electricity. Together these two are capable of generating 28,787 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electrical power. A kilowatt hour is the amount of work that can be done by 1,000 watts of electrical power in one hour. Now a third energy source - a 65 foot tall ‘Quiet Revolution’ model wind turbine, just installed next to the Kedleston Road site’s main driveway - will mean the University could generate in total up to 31,827 kWh of its own power. This is enough to run 28 televisions or 78 laptops all day, every day, for a year.
University of Derby 10th Sept 2010 more >>
RHI
The Committee on Climate Change has called on the Government to adequately fund the Renewable Heat Incentive, saying financial support will be necessary to meet renewable heat targets.
Green Wise Business 10th Sept 2010 more >>
Business Green 10th Sept 2010 more >>
Herefordshire Study
Herefordshire County Council has appointed engineering and environmental consultancy, Wardell Armstrong, to carry out a renewable energy study to provide an evidence base to support its Local Development Framework (LDF) up to 2026. The study will involve a review of all the renewable energy opportunities open to the county from solar PV and thermal to ground and air source heat pumps, wind, biomass, hydro, tri-generation and hydrogen.
Connecting Industry 10th Sept 2010 more >>
FiT Registrations
Ofgem has attempted to clear up the confusion surrounding the number of households and businesses taking advantage of the government’s feed-in tariff renewable energy incentive scheme, yesterday releasing detailed figures revealing 6,850 new installations have registered for the scheme since its launch in April.
The update confirms that in total 9,350 installations have registered to receive payments through the feed-in tariff scheme, but of these about 2,500 were pre-existing installations that have simply transferred from the Renewable Obligation subsidy scheme into the feed-in tariff.
Business Green 10th Sept 2010 more >>