week ending 1 February 2013
South Wales goes Solar
One thousand homes across Rhondda Cynon Taf Council in South Wales will benefit from the installation of solar PV in a bid to reduce the region’s fuel poverty numbers. RCT Homes, which manages local authority homes on behalf of the Welsh council, has recently penned an agreement with Nationwide Solar to fit free solar arrays on 1,000 of its rented properties.
Solar Portal 1st Feb 2013 more >>
Green Deal
Industry welcomed the launch of the Green Deal scheme, the UK Government’s flagship energy policy, this January. However, the announcement by the Green Deal Finance Company of their proposed interest rates for the scheme has served to increase industry apprehension about the scheme. It is now feared that the financial frameworks underpinning the Green Deal will not guarantee value for money to consumers.
Micro Power Council 1st Feb 2013 more >>
2GW of solar by end 2013
Trina Solar, the world’s fourth largest solar manufacturer, has been named a sponsor for the upcoming Solar Power UK Roadshows: Restarting the Market. The company is reportedly eyeing the UK for major investment in solar this year, as a result of policy decisions taken by the government before the end of last year. Speaking this week to Bloomberg, Ben Hill the President of Trina Solar Europe, explained that the Chinese manufacturer believes that the current boom in installs will carry its momentum across the whole year. In the first quarter of 2013, Hill predicts that the large-scale solar renaissance will lead to “800MW to 1GW” of capacity installed. Trina is even more confident for the rest of the year, with Hill positive that the market will hit 2GW by the end of year.
Solar Portal 31st Jan 2013 more >>
Solar Hub
Rexel has been announced as the sponsor of the ‘Commercial Solar Hub’ at this year’s Ecobuild exhibition. The electrical distributor is looking to showcase Britain’s best commercial solar installs by displaying pictures of landmark installs across the hub.
Solar Portal 31st Jan 2013 more >>
Eco Landlords
Tenants in private rented housing want to go green – but are LEAST likely to be benefitting from energy efficient, money saving upgrades, new research from the Energy Saving Trust has found. When it comes to insulation research shows that homes in private rented accommodation with cavity walls are least likely to have cavity wall insulation fitted (34 per cent) compared to homes owned outright or mortgaged. But the biggest opportunity for the private rented sector is solid wall insulation, with nearly half of homes being suitable for this measure, which is approved to receive funding under the ECO as part of the Green Deal.
Your Renewable News 31st Jan 2013 more >>
Wind Farming
While recent reductions to feed-in-tariff rates have disappointed many, changes to the structure of the scheme now offer new benefits to landowners, farmers, businesses and communities able to install multiple small wind turbines on their land. Here, Patrick Dormon, managing director of SIAC Wind Energy, explains how the feed-in-tariff works for small wind turbine installations and how these recent changes have benefitted his customers.
South West Farmer 31st Jan 2013 more >>
Rexel & British Gas
Rexel has been chosen as British Gas’s solar supplier for its domestic and commercial solar PV business for UK and Ireland. The three year contract will see British Gas make use of Rexel’s 440 branches across the UK and Ireland as a national logistics platform. The move will allow the energy giant to collect all materials required for a domestic PV install from a branch local to the proposed site – reducing associated transport cost and emissions. British Gas’s commercial projects will also benefit from the deal, with equipment being sent directly from Rexel’s national distribution network.
Solar Portal 31st Jan 2013 more >>
Windy Fife
FIFTEEN Council-owned sites across Fife are being assessed for possible small scale wind turbine developments. The idea would be to erect one or two turbines on a number of land holdings, which could lead to the Council generating some of its own energy, reducing expenditure and possibly generating new income.
Fife Today 31st Jan 2013 more >>
York Farm goes Solar
A SPECIALIST renewable energy firm has completed one of the biggest solar power projects in the North of England. Think Renewable Energy, based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, has fitted 790 solar panels in a 190kW scheme for Fridlington Farms in Sutton-on-the-Forest, near York.
Northern Echo 31st Jan 2013 more >>
Green Deal
The Government’s flagship Green Deal has suffered a fresh setback as Npower, one of the energy-efficiency programme’s providers, admitted interest rates charged on the scheme were too high.
Telegraph 31st Jan 2013 more >>
Travis Perkins move into solar
Building merchant Travis Perkins has announced the £8 million acquisition of solar distribution company Solfex Energy Systems. The company supplies a range of renewable energy components, including solar PV, solar thermal, heat pumps and under floor heating.
Solar Portal 30th Jan 2013 more >>
Share Cast 30th Jan 2013 more >>
Malawi
Malawi schoolchildren are now able to work by electric light thanks to UK solar firm Renewable Resources. The Scottish company, headquartered in New Lanark, decided that it was the company’s duty as an environmentally-friendly organisation to give back and so partnered with Spirit Aid, a humanitarian relief organisation founded by Scots actor David Hayman. Eleven solar modules were installed at a local school in Mphata-Mildone, Malawi.
Solar Portal 30th Jan 2013 more >>
Green Deal
Much of the criticism of the Green Deal contains a fair degree of validity. The interest rates are almost certainly too high for the scheme to have the kind of transformative impact the government hopes for and the advertising campaign is undoubtedly lacking in sophistication. The scheme could of, and should have been better. However, households, businesses and the press would be completely wrong to write the whole thing off at this stage. The basic principle of shifting away from grant-based energy efficiency schemes to a financing model remains sound. The simple fact is that without an unexpected national windfall of unprecedented proportions the UK will never be able to deliver the much needed overhaul of our building stock through ever greater use of grants or impotent pleas for people to take efficiency seriously. An attractive financing model is the only way to make national scale building improvements a reality.
Business Green 29th Jan 2013 more >>
Sun Dog
Martin Cotterell has been announced as the Chairman of the British Standards committee - BSI Committee GEL/82 Photovoltaic Energy Systems.
Solar Portal 29th Jan 2013 more >>
Workington
The Port of Workington has had solar power panels installed as part of a multi-million pound regeneration programme. Cumbrian renewable energy firm Sundog Energy has carried out the work at the flagship port. The new roof-top solar system forms part of the Cumbria County Council-owned port’s ongoing £5.7 million regeneration, jointly funded by Britain’s Energy Coast, Nuclear Management Partners and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Martin Cotterell, founder and technical director of Sundog Energy, said: “With payback for a system like this expected in little over seven years and a projected IRR of around 15%, solar PV is a really compelling proposition for any business at this time.”
News & Star 29th Jan 2013 more >>
Evance
A wind turbine manufacturer which quadrupled sales and increased its workforce last year is set to grow further as it prepares to expand into America and Japan. Evance Wind Turbines, in Loughborough, saw increasing demand for its small R900 turbines, used by rural homes, farms and small businesses as non-renewable energy bills continued to rocket.
Leicester Mercury 29th Jan 2013 more >>
Green Deal
The government’s flagship Green Deal programme to transform the energy efficiency of the UK’s building stock officially launches today, promising to allow households and businesses to undertake wide-ranging property improvements at no upfront cost.
Business Green 28th Jan 2013 more >>
In a shower of PR hitting the headlines today, the Government launches its game-changing scheme, The Green Deal, to turn the large proportion of draughty and inefficient UK homes into well-insulated, air-tight constructions fit for the 21st Century. I’m still not quite sure who the Green Deal is aimed at - I just can’t see cash-strapped households in highly inefficient houses being persuaded to invest into energy reduction, especially given the paybacks are extremely long, often 10-20+ years. In some cases we can’t even make the numbers work at all - and neither can The Guardian.
Green Energy.net 28th Jan 2012 more >>
The Green Deal provides home owners with money up front to install energy-efficiency measures, such as insulation or a new boiler. The home owner then pays back the money over a period of time plus interest, with the money collected via electricity bills.
Which 28th Jan 2013 more >>
Experts say promises to save money for poorer households and rescue many from fuel poverty cannot be guaranteed
Guardian 28th Jan 2013 more >>
The climate change minister, Greg Barker makes some startling claims about the government’s Green Deal, launching on Monday. It is the “most ambitious home improvement programme since the second world war”, he says. As many as 14m homes could benefit.
Guardian 28th Jan 2013 more >>
RenewableUK has welcomed the Government’s launch of the Green Deal energy efficiency scheme, which offers financial incentives for householders to insulate their homes and install microgeneration systems, such as small wind turbines, so that they can reduce fuel bills.
Renewable UK 28th Jan 2013 more >>
Green Deal
This energy-saving scheme was dreamed up by the Tories to profit City financiers and their chums in the giant energy firms.
Guardian 27th Jan 2013 more >>
There’s good news for people who lack the money to install renewable energy systems
Independent 27th Jan 2013 more >>
Green Deal
What is the Green Deal (Video).
BBC 26th Jan 2013 more >>
Perth Eco House
COUNCILLORS today gave the go-ahead for plans to build a self-sufficient eco-house In Perthshire which will make electricity bills a thing of the past. Innovative eco-house in Perthshire to offer a “glimpse of future” House will be completely off-grid, and will be constructed entirely of environmentally-friendly materials.
Scotsman 25th Jan 2013 more >>
Farming Renewables
The new FiTs for solar PV are now paid over 20 years instead of 25. Lower installation costs still mean returns of between 8.5 and 10.5 per cent for the medium-sized arrays which suit farm buildings well. This is better than when the payments were first launched in April 2010.
Farmers Guardian 24th Jan 2013 more >>