week ending 9 November 2012
Good Energy & National Trust Deal
Good Energy is to provide renewable electricity and develop renewable energy projects for the National Trust, in a three-year deal announced today. As the Trust’s principal energy partner, the energy supplier will help the organisation develop renewable energy projects such as wood-fired boilers, sustainable water projects and solar power at its sites across the UK. The Trust said this will help halve its use of fossil fuels by 2020. With four million National Trust members, supporters and volunteers, the deal also gives Good Energy the opportunity to increase its combined customer numbers of 80,000 to a target of 125,00 by 2015.
Utility Week 9th Nov 2012 more >>
Efficiency good for economy
Introducing carbon taxes linked to a major energy efficiency programme is one of the most successful ways to create jobs, boost the economy and tackle climate change according to a new report published by Consumer Focus. The new report, Jobs, growth and warmer homes, predicts that up to 71,000 jobs could be created by implementing increased energy efficiency infrastructure investment. The job boost would not only help alleviate unemployment, but also boost GDP by 0.2 percent by 2015, it said.
Solar Portal 9th Nov 2012 more >>
A large-scale rollout of energy saving measures paid for by carbon taxes could boost the UK’s gross domestic product by 0.2 per cent and create 71,000 jobs by 2015, according to a new report which warns the government’s current energy efficiency policies will fail to tackle fuel poverty.
Business Green 9th Nov 2012 more >>
Solar Leisure Centre
Barnsley-based Nationwide Solar has won a major new contract with Gedling Borough Council to supply solar PV panels, which will provide a renewable source of energy for one of its largest leisure centres.
Energy Management 9th Nov 2012 more >>
Solar Wiltshire
The proposals for a solar farm have been put forward by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Bath and West Community Energy for land next to Braydon Lane, near Chelworth Industrial Estate. The bank of two-metre high solar panels would have the potential to generate one megawatt of electricity, which could power 225 homes by converting sunlight directly into electricity.
Swindon Advertiser 9th Nov 2012 more >>
Solar Health Centre
Eco Building Products has supplied the photovoltaic (PV) panels for an installation on the roof of the Deeping Medical Practice in Market Deeping Lincolnshire. Photovoltaic panels produce electricity from daylight, generating useable power even on cloudy days.
IB Times 9th Nov 2012 more >>
East Lothian Solar Grants
HOUSEHOLDERS in the Dunbar area are being offered grants to install solar water heating systems with funding from the Aikengall Wind Farm owners’ Community Windpower Ltd. The company, which commissioned the Dunbar wind farm, wants to encourage home owners ‘be green’ and use the sun’s energy for hot water. Community Windpower’s new BeGreen grant covers 40 per cent – or up to £1,200 – of the installation cost of a domestic solar thermal hot water system. Combining the grant with other existing schemes means that Dunbar and East Linton residents could install some systems for less than £1,500.
Berwickshire News 9th Nov 2012 more >>
Malvern Solar Firm
A green energy firm based in the Midlands in the UK is bucking the economic trend as the number of property owners looking to generate green energy increases.
Renewable Energy Focus 8th Nov 2012 more >>
Newport Community Solar
The UK’s latest community energy initiative has revealed it has raised £50,000 in just one week, after publishing proposals for a £1m solar project in Newport, South Wales. Generation Community launched last month with plans for a range of community-backed solar PV, wind, and combined heat and power (CHP) projects across the country.
Business Green 8th Nov 2012 more >>
Solar Portal 5th Nov 2012 more >>
World’s Largest Community-owned Solar Farm
UK-based community group Westmill Solar Co-operative has purchased the £16.5m Westmill Solar Park located outside Shrivenham on the Oxfordshire/Wiltshire border. This project marks UK’s first and the world’s largest community owned solar farm comprising of over 20,000 solar PV panels spread across 30a. The 5MW solar farm produced 4,900MWh of energy in 2011, enough to power 1500 houses and displacing 2,000t of CO2 emissions.
Energy Business Review 8th Nov 2012 more >>
Carbon Offset
Businesses are being urged to invest in carbon offsets that will pay for energy efficiency improvements in London schools, under a pilot project backed by a coalition of green companies.
Business Green 8th Nov 2012 more >>
Green Deal Credit Check
Households with a poor credit rating may struggle to access Green Deal loans, despite reassurances from the organisation managing Green Deal financing that those who do not pass credit checks will still be eligible for energy efficiency grants.
Business Green 8th Nov 2012 more >>
FiT Cuts
Despite the latest cuts to the Feed in Tariff (FIT), a Cornwall-based energy efficiency specialist is insisting that solar power remains a wise investment. Enact Energy believes property owners interested in the advantages of Solar PV, both from an income generation and energy saving perspective, will continue to see the benefits that it offers, given the minimal reduction in the Government’s FIT rate.
Business Cornwall 8th Nov 2012 more >>
Rent-a-roof
A South Devon lawyer has written to the Government asking for intervention to stop the banks imposing “impossible” conditions on homeowners who want to generate free electricity from solar panels installed on their rooftops. Owen Hill from Wollen Michelmore, who is a specialist in the law surrounding renewable energy schemes, is calling on the Government to change existing banking industry practice, which he says is also stymying the solar industry
Western Morning News 8th Nov 2012 more >>
Solar Returns
The average annual returns households can expect to generate from domestic solar panels has increased by around £100 since May this year, according to new research from the Energy Saving Trust (EST). The Trust today revealed its latest assessment of the domestic solar market shows that the average combined savings on energy bills and income from feed-in tariff incentives generated by well-located domestic rooftop solar installations has risen from £540 a year in May to £635 a year at the start of this month.
Business Green 7th Nov 2012 more >>
Solar Portal 7th Nov 2012 more >>
Utility Week 6th Nov 2012 more >>
Scottish Heat
TENS of millions of pounds are to be spent on green energy projects to help heat homes across Scotland, the housing minister Margaret Burgess has announced today. The minister said that two pilot schemes in Glasgow and the Highlands will be the first to be benefit from the Warm Homes Fund, which will hand out £50 million. West Whitlawburn Housing Cooperative in Glasgow and West Highland Housing Association in Oban will both receive assistance for biomass heating schemes, helping more than 550 households to heat their homes more cost effectively.
Scotsman 7th Nov 2012 more >>
External Walls Insulation in Doncaster
Leading energy efficiency solutions company, Anesco, is celebrating after securing a second contract from Doncaster Council. The firm is to manage the installation of external wall insulation in 100 privately-owned ‘priority group’ homes within the region. The upgrades will be completed at no cost to homeowners or the local authority, with funding being provided through the national Priority Group Flex (PGF) scheme.
Anesco 7th Nov 2012 more >>
Community Energy Plus
Sustainable energy charity Community Energy Plus has re-launched its successful Solar Communities project, which offers homes and businesses free solar PV. Last year 22 buildings which took part in the initiative benefitted from 177kW of free solar PV. The charity, based in Camborne, Cornwall, has gathered investors and local installers to fund roof-mounted solar PV all sizes. As part of the re-launch the scheme has been extended to include commercial and domestic premises as well as community buildings.
Solar Portal 7th Nov 2012 more >>
Landlords Green Deal
The first Green Deal contract for private sector landlords is set to go live this week, with a view to upgrading 10,000 of the UK’s draughtiest properties over the next five years as part of an initiative worth up to £100m. The scheme agreed by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) and Cornish company Enact Energy seeks to target Britain’s 1.4 million private landlords, who are widely thought to oversee some of the least energy efficient buildings in the UK.
Business Green 6th Nov 2012 more >>
Eco-Island
An ambitious porject to turn the Isle of Wight into a flagship for renewable energy generation, energy storage and smart networks could change the image of the island from one of Victorian holiday resorts to cutting-edge technology
Engineer 6th Nov 2012 more >>
Gaia Turbine
Scottish based farm scale wind turbine manufacturer Gaia-Wind this week looked back to their Danish roots as Esther Bukholt and Ole Nielsen’s turbine recorded its 5th birthday. Esther and Ole installed the Gaia-Wind 133-11kW small wind turbine at their farm in Velling, Denmark in November 2007, since when it has produced 196500 kWh. That is, on average 108 kWh a day, or 39,300 kWh per year. Their decision for the wind turbine was based on a desire to use alternative energy sources to significantly reduce their carbon footprint and reduce both their electricity bill and oil consumption of approximately 2000 litres per year.
Farming UK 5th Nov 2012 more >>
Thames Water Solar Potential
Solar power installations could be allocated at about 10 per cent of Thames Water Utilities’ 3,500 operational sites. The utility currently buys power from solar plants installed at 41 sites. They hope to add 2.9 MW more by March.
H&V News 5th Nov 2012 more >>
Green Tomato
Concerns over up-front costs are deterring homeowners from investing in energy efficiency measures, according to a survey. Almost two-thirds of the 2,000 respondents to an ICM poll for Green Tomato Energy said they were put off making their homes more energy efficient because of concerns over the initial outlay required.
Solar Portal 5th Nov 2012 more >>
PV Guide
The Solar PV Guide was originally written for those working in the UK solar industry in 2002, with the second Edition released in 2006. Over the last 18 months, since the UK solar market has progressed to more than 1GW of installed capacity, the MCS PV working group has been working on a new version which will be released over the next few weeks. The following article summarises the main changes occurring.
Solar Portal 4th Nov 2012 more >>
Scottish Solar Farm
PLANS are under way to establish Scotland’s first solar farms at sites in the Central Belt and the Highlands, it has emerged. Scotland on Sunday has learned that a Glasgow-based solar panel developer, TGC Renewables, is in talks with Scottish farms to set up two test sites following successful trials in the south of England. Although Scotland enjoys fewer hours of sunshine than Devon and Cornwall, developers insist that longer daylight hours and microclimates linked to the jet stream make large-scale solar projects.
Scotland on Sunday 4th Nov 2012 more >>
Solar Beer
Specialist North Norfolk barley grower Teddy Maufe is making “sun-kissed” malt using solar panels to demonstrate a vital stage in making real ales.
Eastern Daily Press 2nd Nov 2012 more >>