week ending 6 July 2012
City Innovation
An urban climate change revolution is happening around us. City governments across the world are responding to the threat of climate change with bold, innovative actions designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protect the city and its residents from the risks that climate change presents.
Business Green 6th July 2012 more >>
RHI
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) was introduced in November 2011 to encourage investment in technology like biomass boilers, ground source heat pumps and solar thermal panels. RHI pays up to 8.9p/kWh, index-linked, for 20 years, but confidence in the fledgling scheme has suffered from the knock-on effect of cuts to previously agreed solar support rates earlier this year. By the end of June, just 93 RHI installations had been accredited, 85 of which were for biomass boilers.
Farmers Weekly 6th July 2012 more >>
Urban Wind
The UK needs to make better use of its urban space for renewables projects, according to the pioneers of a new wind turbine. McCamley has just installed its “revolutionary” flat-pack wind turbine at Keele University Science and Business Park in North Staffordshire. The “easily assembled” turbine can be retrofitted onto a roof without a supporting mast, which, claimed McCamley, makes it a viable source of renewable energy in cities and towns - areas previously seen as unsuitable for wind energy.
Edie 6th July 2012 more >>
Energy Efficiency News 5th July 2012 more >>
Westmill Co-op
Westmill Solar Cooperative has raised £1 million less than two weeks after launching a share offer in its solar farm just outside Swindon in southeast England. The 30-acre Westmill solar farm at Watchfield houses over 21,000 polycrystalline solar cells with a capacity of 4.8 GWh of electricity annually. The share offer, which has already attracted more than 270 individuals, allows investors to put from £250 to £20,000 into the solar farm, which will produce enough electricity to power 1400 homes and offset around 2000 tonnes of CO2 a year.
Energy Efficiency News 5th July 2012 more >>
Grid Parity
As the UK solar market progressed past the gigawatt mark the term “grid parity” begun to creep into industry players’ lexicon, with many suggesting that solar power could become a serious part of the wider energy mix in the next few years. But, is this concept actually realistic in the UK, or is the idea of installing solar panels without a subsidy completely out of reach? It seems that while grid parity is certainly achievable in the UK there are a number of factors determining when this will be. Government support is vital at this stage of the game as the solar industry battles for consumer confidence while bringing its own costs down. Yet it seems the most likely push will come from increased fuel bills, which are already nudging many UK consumers towards renewable energy sources. It will only be a matter of time before everyone begins to switch on to the idea.
Solar Power Portal 5th July 2012 more >>
Power Purchase Agreements
The government is seeking ways to help independent energy generators propser from its planned electricity market shake-up, after fears were raised the complex nature of the proposed new incentive regime could “send some small suppliers to the wall”. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) this week launched a call for evidence “to assess and address barriers” to market access for independent renewable energy generators.
Business Green 6th July 2012 more >>
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has called on independent renewable generation developers to supply the department with evidence to support claims that the Power Purchase Agreement market has deteriorated. The department has noted that some generators are “reporting a decline in the terms they are being offered for PPAs.” As investment in renewables typically involves a substantial initial investment, it is imperative that such long-term contracts which guarantee the purchase of the power offer the rewarding and fair terms. Therefore, Government is calling on generation developers to provide DECC with evidence to assess and address barriers to market access that independent renewable generators are experiencing.
Solar Power Portal 5th July 2012 more >>
Blackfriars Station
The new Blackfriars station, which is being built on a bridge spanning the River Thames, is on its way to becoming the world’s largest solar bridge after Solarcentury begun the installation of over 4,400 solar photovoltaic panels.
Guardian 5th July 2012 more >>
Solar Power Portal 5th July 2012 more >>
Construction Index 5th July 2012 more >>
Energy Efficiency News 5th July 2012 more >>
Council Turbines?
RULING Labour councillors in East Lothian are exploring renewable energy projects which they believe could raise up to £3 million per year for the public purse. Proposals by the Labour Group on East Lothian Council could see wind turbines erected and energy sold to the National Grid which members say would help prevent cuts to vital services.
East Lothian Courier 5th July 2012 more >>
Solar Resilience
“Feed-in tariff cuts ‘will kill solar industry stone dead’ ” shouted the headline in the Guardian way back in October when the Government announced its solar subsidies strategy. Fast forward nine months and the solar energy market, although battered and bruised, still offers one of the most viable investments around today.
Solar Power Portal 5th July 2012 more >>
It’s time to move on from the “chaos and panic” created by the Government around feed-in tariffs (FiTs) and show just how efficient solar power can be, says Panasonic Europe business development manager for photovoltaics (PV) Christian Comes.
Edie 5th July 2012 more >>
Sussex School
The Priory School in Lewes, Sussex is now home to a 37kWp solar array thanks to a joint project by OVESCO and Southern Solar. The community-owned array was born out of the excess funding raised by OVESCO’s first community scheme which saw panels installed on Harveys Brewery.
Solar Portal 4th July 2012 more >>
Sussex Express 1st July 2012 more >>
Solar Park for Sale
A 4.22MW solar park in Puriton, Somerset is the first solar park to be offered as a traditional property investment opportunity in the UK after property consultants Alder King have been instructed to listen to offers in the region of £886,000 on behalf of BAE Systems. The park was installed on former agricultural land adjacent to Huntspill Energy Park. The £14 million pound scheme boasts over 20,000 solar modules installed over 31 acres. The park was installed in 2011 and was able to secure feed-in tariff registration before large-scale feed-in tariff rates were dramatically cut. As a result, the solar park is expected to generate an estimated £1.5 million revenue per year.
Solar Portal 4th July 2012 more >>
Business Green 4th July 2012 more >>
FiT Numbers
UK installations of domestic solar photovoltaic and other renewable power systems soared to their highest level since the start of the government’s feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme. According to the latest figures from energy regulator Ofgem, more than 248,000 microgeneration installations have been registered under the scheme since it began in April 2010 with a total capacity of over 1 GW (1090 MW).
Energy Efficiency News 4th July 2012 more >>
Real Fight
A simmering row between the Renewable Energy Assurance Scheme (REAL) and one of its members has today ended up in the High Court, after a leading solar firm launched legal action against the assurance scheme and its parent company the Renewable Energy Association (REA).
Business Green 4th July 2012 more >>
Solar Portal 4th July 2012 more >>
Roof Integrated Solar
The importance of roof-integrated photovoltaics will significantly increase in all of Europe’s major photovoltaics markets over the medium term. Currently the development of roof-integrated systems is primarily dependent on subsidies. However, market research commissioned by the Monier Group, one of the world’s leading providers of building materials for pitched roofs, has shown that roof-integrated systems have strong potential to become independent of these subsidies.
IB Times 4th July 2012 more >>
RCI 3rd July 2012 more >>
Urban Small Wind
Keele University has installed a new “flat pack” wind turbine that it hopes will overcome many of the problems associated with harnessing wind power in urban areas. Scott Elliott, chief executive of McCamley, said he hoped the new wind turbine would be able to fill a gap in the market for businesses seeking to install wind turbines in towns and cities. Field trials have shown it can start generating at low wind speeds of 1.8 metres per second, while a self-regulating system enables the turbine to continue working in high gusting winds. Historically, wind turbines have proven less effective in urban areas because uneven and unpredictable wind patterns undermine the technology’s effectiveness – a problem McCamley claims its design will address.
Business Green 4th July 2012 more >>
Feed-in Tariffs
Small renewable energy systems have received just over £128m in payments under the feed-in tariff subsidy scheme since its launch in April 2010, according to new figures.
Business Green 4th July 2012 more >>
Solar Trends
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has undertaken analysis designed to determine the drivers that cause an individual to install solar photovoltaic technology at a domestic level. The paper, titled ‘Identifying trends in the deployment of domestic solar PV under the feed-in tariff scheme’, undertakes analysis on those who have installed a residential solar system. The analysis also reveals that the installation of solar arrays increases as the level of deprivation decreases, indicating a connection to various socio-economic factors. The figures show that the trend correlates with the level of education, employment and income deprivation across LSOAs.
Solar Power Portal 4th July 2012 more >>
Orkney Community Turbine
While concerns grow in some quarters over the number of wind farm applications for Scotland’s countryside, one remote community that embraced the wind of change is reaping real benefits. The Orkney Island of Shapinsay is seeing cash flood in from its locally owned turbine.
STV 4th July 2012 more >>
Green Deal
Businesses considering developing Green Deal services, households and offices considering taking out Green Deal offers, and environmentalists keen to see the UK meet its carbon targets, all need at least six questions answered if they are to have any confidence that the Green Deal will emerge as the game-changing environmental policy ministers predict. Some of these questions cannot be fully answered until the scheme is up and running and we start to see how people react to Green Deal offers, but others could be answered in the coming days and the onus is now on the government to provide further clarification.
Business Green 3rd July 2012 more >>
There is not a single building engineer working today who meets the Green Deal competence criteria - and there are no accredited courses to train them. So with just a few months to go until the launch of the government’s flagship environmental policy, there are big question marks over how it can be delivered.
H&V News 4th July 2012 more >>
Geothermal
The UK’s nascent geothermal energy industry has today received a major boost after it emerged that one of the UK’s largest energy companies is working on plans to develop five new deep geothermal heat and distribution systems. Ireland-based geothermal technology specialist GT Energy today revealed that it has inked a memorandum of understanding with energy giant E.ON that will see the two companies jointly develop a range of urban geothermal heat power plants. Precise details on planned projects are yet to be released, but the company said that work on the first project in North-West England is now scheduled to begin before the end of the year.
Business Green 3rd July 2012 more >>
Renewable Energy Focus 4th July 2012 more >>
Anaerobic Digestion
The government should ban all food leftovers from landfill by the end of the decade to boost technology which can turn it into energy, a study from thinktank CentreForum suggested on Tuesday. Councils should be given financial support to help them bring in separate food waste collections for households and businesses to ensure a steady supply of organic waste for anaerobic digestion, a renewable power source. The process could create enough biogas from green waste and purpose-grown crops to power more than 2.5m UK homes by 2020, the report said.
Guardian 3rd July 2012 more >>
Business Green 3rd July 2012 more >>
Solar Manchester
Leeds based company GMI Energy have continued their success with a renewable energy scheme on the roof of the Urban Exchanged retail development in Manchester. Following on from the construction of the largest city centre solar photovoltaic system of its time at Clarence Dock car park in Leeds, GMI have again teamed up with Town Centre Securities to provide 208 solar panels of the roof of the Urban Exchange retail development on Great Ancoast Street, Manchester.
Bdaily 3rd July 2012 more >>
Solar Agricultural Show
Organisers will be marking the completion of a large photovoltaic panel rooftop installation at their headquarters in Harrogate as it is set to become of the largest systems of its type in the United Kingdom. The 245kW project, comprising of 980 Suntech panels and covering over 1,600m2 of roof space at the Great Yorkshire Showground took less than 4 weeks to complete. With an expected electricity generation of more than 200,000 kWh per annum (enough power for 50 houses for one year) the Yorkshire Agricultural Society will benefit from free electricity and a saving of approximately £15,000 per annum.
Farming UK 3rd July 2012 more >>
Energy Management 3rd July 2012 more >>
MCS Consultation
The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) has announced a new consultation on the competence requirements for those working in the solar industry. The scheme is undertaking the consultation to better clarify the requirements at a company level for those companies already involved in the scheme as well as those looking at joining the scheme. MCS has identified the largest challenge facing installers within the renewable sector in joining the MCS has been “translating the company specific requirements in the MCS scheme documents into the existing competence criteria for individuals working within a company.
Solar Portal 3rd July 2012 more >>
Eco Environment
RENEWABLE energy company Eco Environments has been selected to install a range of green energy technologies at the UK’s first zero energy cost business park. Armstrong Point in Wigan has selected the £6m turnover Liverpool company firm to provide it with four different technologies – 90kWp Solar PV, a 6kW wind turbine, nine solar thermal hot water systems and nine heat pumps.
Business Desk 3rd July 2012 more >>
Energy Autonomous Building in Dundee
The University of Dundee has announced that it is to undertake to design and build the UK’s first ‘energy autonomous’ building within the city’s Botanic Garden. Designed by students and academics within the university’s architecture, renewable energy and engineering departments the studio will ultimately serve as a workspace and exemplar for the construction industry.
Urban Realm 3rd July 201 more >>
Co-ops buy into offshore wind
A call to allow two renewable energy co-operatives to buy a minority stake in E.ON’s Rampion offshore wind project is under discussion, Windpower Offshore has learned. Discussions have taken place between E.ON and two groups – Brighton Energy Co-operative and Ovesco, a renewable energy co-operative in the town of Lewes. “We’ve been having some meetings with them,” confirmed an E.ON spokesperson. “They have some interesting suggestions. However, we’ve not made any commitments yet.”
Windpower Monthly 2nd July 2012 more >>
Opus Gift
Independent energy supplier Opus Energy has launched a £10,000 video competition to help fund energy projects run by UK charities, community groups and not-for-profit organisations. The Opus Energy Gift competition, launched to celebrate Opus’s 10th anniversary year, Opus Energy, will be distributed as one gift of £3,000, two of £2,000, three of £600 and four of £300. All qualifying organisations located in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire will be invited to prepare and submit a short video identifying the aim and purpose of the group and what project they would use the Opus Energy Gift money for.
Solar Portal 2nd July 2012 more >>
Green Deal is Go
Well, it’s apparently ‘all systems go’ – final approval for Green Deal’ according to Greg Barker Twittering earlier today. Yes, it is, in that all the legislative hurdles have been cleared and all the regulations are in place. That’s not quite ‘all systems go’ though, I have to say (in the most kindly way I can put it). Because as I have set out here, on more than one occasion, it remains difficult to see quite how the first 100,000 adopters who will be so crucial to the success of Green Deal in the longer term are going to take to the idea that they will be paying perhaps 7.5% interest for twenty-five years for improvements that, if they pay up front instead will cost far less, or alternatively will purchase far more and hence in the long term save more on bills. Credit where credit is due, we’ve had some hard shifts put in to tackle this basic problem: the Green Deal Finance Corporation will, by aggregating loans cut the cost of capital somewhat. And if that finance itself is underwritten at least in part, by the Green Investment Bank than that cuts borrowing costs a little further. Local authority initiatives, like that of Birmingham, hopefully to be replicated by other local authority consortia, can cut overall costs by using the Public Works Loan Board to access borrowing at very marginal rates over Gilt prices, and hence potentially cut borrowing rates by up to 2%. I would declare a part of the future income arising from the Carbon Floor Price tax, EU ETS trading income and the Carbon Reduction Commitment ‘tax foregone’ in exactly the same way as a portion of the original ‘carbon-type’ tax, the Landfill Levy was when it was first introduced. That portion of the Landfill Levy was ‘donated’ by waste companies to an Environmental Trust and never reached the doors of Treasury or appeared on the books as ‘tax’.
Alan Whitehead 2nd July 2012 more >>
Green Deal at 7.5% interest?
As MPs prepare to vote on final Green Deal legislation, Opposition warns high interest rates could undermine attractiveness of the energy efficiency scheme. Labour has today called on the government to rethink how loans are issued for the soon-to-be-launched Green Deal energy efficiency scheme, warning high interest rates could undermine the effectiveness of the innovative financing scheme.
Business Green 2nd July 2012 more >>
Solar Portal 3rd July 2012 more >>
Which? 3rd July 2012 more >>
The government’s environment policy to kickstart a mass overhaul of the UK’s draughty homes to save energy passed the final hurdle to become law on Monday amid growing concern that the scheme has become too costly to succeed. As the Green Deal secondary legislation was finalised by a committee of MPs, it emerged that the energy secretary, Ed Davey, has indicated that the government is assuming that the loans to home owners to make the improvements will be charged at an interest rate of 7.5% – many times the Bank of England lending rate of half of one percent. Labour calculated that, at this rate of interest, a householder borrowing the maximum £10,000 over 25 years would have to pay back more than £22,000 – more than double what they borrowed – making the cost of any improvements such as renewable energy, loft and wall insulation or draft proofing windows prohibitive.
Guardian 2nd July 2012 more >>
Green Deal to cut Fuel Poverty Spending
New government energy proposals will halve the support given to those in fuel poverty, according to analysis published today. National Energy Action (NEA) has warned that under the new Green Deal due to be discussed by MPs today, support for the fuel poor and low income households will be slashed by 50 per cent next year. Buried in the Green Deal details are proposals to cut support from around £1.1billion this year to just £540million in 2013. The cut comes because the Coalition is replacing the existing Warm Front and Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) programmes with a new Energy Company Obligation (ECO). Under the current schemes the Government will provide £1.1billion in grants to help lower heating costs and provide free insulation. The ECO will only provide help totalling £540million next year.
Independent 2nd July 2012 more >>
Good Energy
Good Energy has today revealed that it is to seek a listing on London’s AIM stock exchange, in a move designed to improve the green energy specialist’s access to institutional investors.
Business Green 2nd July 2012 more >>
SMEs Green Deal
Parity Projects is now in the final stages of launching a project designed to open up Government’s upcoming Green Deal to organisations of all sizes. The Green Deal Conduit will build a network of small and medium sized organisations involved in the assessment and refurbishment buildings throughout the UK. To date SMEs have voiced concerns that the scheme will only benefit larger companies.
Solar Portal 2nd July 2012 more >>
Solar Academy
Trina Solar has launched its training academy in the UK, the company has announced. The academy’s target group are installers and distributers that work with Trina products and the aim is to help them with marketing and sales as well as product training and information. The company has scheduled online seminars beginning July 6, 2012, for example for theTrinamount or Trinasmart systems, as well as workshops. The academy is linked to Trina’s Partner Plus program, though non-partners can participate as well.
PV Tech 2nd July 2012 more >>
GSHP
Dancing on Ice star Jayne Torvill is a winner once again, though this time thanks to a different sort of ice than the one she’s most usually associated with. Jayne, who with skate partner Christopher Dean achieved Olympic glory at the 1984 Winter Games, is now enjoying clean, green, cost-effective heating thanks to Ground Source Heat Pumps, supplied and installed by the UK’s leading renewable energy heating company, Ice Energy Technologies.
Easier 30th June 2012 more >>
NI Wind Co-op
Larne man, Alan McKee, has just helped to launch a pioneering co-operative venture into Northern Ireland. Alan, a sheep farmer from Ballyboley Road, will soon be welcoming a new feature onto his farm – a 45m to blade tip, 250kW wind turbine that will make up part of the new Drumlin Wind Energy Co-operative. The project has been created by local company NRG Solutions in partnership with Cumbria based Energy4All, whose proven track record in co-operative wind projects is second to none
Larne Times 30th June 2012 more >>
Dundee Energy Summit
I was present for most of a momentous event yesterday – the Dundee Energy Summit. Kicked off by Labour MSP Jenny Marra it could have been roundly ignored by the new SNP-run Dundee Council – but it wasn’t. Thanks to an astonishing lack of ego, absence of grinding axes and no mention of 2014, Dundee may be on track to make a big dent in the energy bills of its citizens, tackle fuel poverty, pioneer a scheme for other Scottish councils and make a little bit of history into the bargain. The Summit gathered key players in the energy industry in Scotland together with Dundee City Council to discuss how the successful Belgian and Dutch collective purchasing model could work in Dundee. The scheme cuts fuel bills by up to 30% by pooling consumers together to bargain collectively for one cheaper energy deal. Companies compete in an auction to win the contract to supply 10 or 20 thousand consumers with energy for a year. Dundee City Council have agreed to do further work on the proposal and meet again to share progress and report back within three months. Hopefully the next meeting will include folk from Dundee Solar Cities to see if there’s a way to get 1000 home fitted with solar panels to realise the solar energy potential of this south-facing, hillside-located compact wee city. But one thing at a time.
Leslie Riddoch 29th June 2012 more >>
Solar Car Port
A company in Dorset has unveiled a solar-powered car port that can charge a car while the driver goes shopping. H2 Eco director Mike Stephenson said he envisaged them being used at supermarkets and in council car parks. Each car bay has nine solar panels which can provide a Nissan Leaf enough charge to drive 10 miles (16km) in one hour.
BBC 29th June 2012 more >>
Biomass Planning
Not enough thought is being given to fuel storage and delivery when installing wood chip biomass boilers, leaving too many projects compromised by a high labour requirement and leading to unnecessarily large heating bills.
Farmers Weekly 28th June 2012 more >>
Renewable Skills
Experts from the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) have warned the skills gap must be filled if the green economy is to flourish. Tutor on the MSc Renewable Energy and the Built Environment (REBE) course at CAT, Arthur Butler, said: “There is a growing demand for engineers with the skills to install and maintain the renewable capacity we need to build the green economy that the UK has already signed up to. At CAT most of the teachers on our popular masters degree programmes still practice as consultants and specialists within the industry meaning they are always up-to-date with developing technologies and practices.
Farmers Guardian 28th June 2012 more >>
GSHP
Following the installation of a ground source heat pump from Danfoss Heat Pumps UK, a wedding and conference venue in North Yorkshire is benefiting from a more sustainable form of energy. Green Energy Solutions UK Ltd, based in Doncaster, recommended a DHP-R heat pump for ‘Taitlands’ in Stainforth near Settle, a property which had been heated previously via a combination of oil and LPG. Taitlands is an impressive listed Gothic Revival building dating back to 1831, which was bought privately from the Youth Hostel Association in 2007.
Oil Fired Up 27th June 2012 more >>
Green Deal and Local Authorities
Local Authority Approaches to promote and deliver the Green Deal.
Scottish Futures Trust 15th June 2012 more >>