week ending 21 June 2013
Wind Co-op
A MAJOR ‘charm offensive’ is underway to persuade Clydesdale folk to love – not hate – their windfarms. The aim of the new Spirit of Lanarkshire Wind Energy Co-operative, officially formed tomorrow (Thursday), is to make people think that they are, indeed, `their’ own clean energy source. With a board made up of mainly local residents, the Co-operative is being touted as “a great opportunity for local people and businesses to invest in renewable energy and share the financial benefits”, initially from two new windfarms , at Coalburn and near Strathaven.
Carluke Gazette 21st June 2013 more >>
Street Lighting
Smart street lights that can get brighter or dimmer in response to traffic levels are now being used on all the main roads in the Bath area. It’s been a case of lights, action, as Bath and North East Somerset Council becomes the first in the country to convert main road street lamps to energy-saving LED technology.
Bath Chronicle 20th June 2013 more >>
Business Green 19th June 2013 more >>
Solar Storage
A coalition of UK companies have joined together to develop a new solar energy storage solution for military use. Lincad, Oxis Energy, Pure Wafer and Solutronic have worked together to produce a system that is well suited to deal with the extreme challenges faced by military use.
Solar Portal 20th June 2013 more >>
Energy Efficiency Catering
Caterers are missing out on £250m of potential energy savings each year by using inefficient equipment and failing to tailor their menus to curb unnecessary energy use, according to new research by the Carbon Trust. The study estimates three pence is wasted for every meal served in the UK and calculates energy costs for the sector could rise by a further £154m a year by 2020 if companies continue to take a short-term approach to investment that ignores the benefits associated with energy-efficient capital equipment.
Business Green 20th June 2013 more >>
Exciting Solar
Greg Barker has hailed the potential of the British solar industry, stating that the market is now the most exciting growth market in the whole of Europe. Speaking at the Solar Media-organised event, Doing Solar Business in the UK in Munich, the minister of state for energy and climate change explained why he believes UK solar is so attractive.
Solar Portal 19th June 2013 more >>
Eon support scheme
As part of its commitment to helping communities better manage their energy consumption E.ON is launching a new support fund. Applications for the E.ON Energy Action Fund can be submitted for a range of energy related improvements and activities, from appliances and insulation to educational events. Priority will be given to projects focused on reducing energy use and renewable energy.
Thorne & District Gazette 19th June 2013 more >>
Hydro Threat
HYDRO-ELECTRIC power developments worth £23 million are at risk if the UK government presses ahead with changes to its subsidy system, according to trade body Scottish Renewables. A backlog of applications for small-scale hydro schemes built up following the previous round of changes to the feed-in tariff – the amount of cash developers are paid for each unit of electricity they sell to the national grid.
Scotsman 19th June 2013 more >>
Business Green 20th June 2013 more >>
Cambridgeshire Community Wind
A crowd of about 50 people cheered at the official opening of an £800,000 wind turbine paid for by a Cambridgeshire village. The Gamlingay Community Wind Turbine is now up and running and stands 177ft tall at its highest point and is 33m in diameter. It was paid for almost entirely by residents and businesses and about 30 or 40 people and firms will receive a share of the profits made by Cambridgeshire’s first community turbine, which are expected to be in the region of £100,000 a year.
News & Crier 19th June 2013 more >>
RHI should be widened
The UK government has been urged to make the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive “a tool for tackling fuel poverty” in Scotland by opening up its financial support to registered social landlords. An alliance of 10 organisations – which includes Scottish Renewables, Energy Action Scotland, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Friends of the Earth Scotland – wants to see draft proposals changed to broaden access from spring 2014 beyond individual homeowners and private lettings. The move would allow the country’s 196 registered social landlords to install renewable technologies including biomass boilers, solar panels and ground source pumps to heat their properties.
Renews 17th June 2013 more >>
Efficiency Barriers
More than nine in ten people believe that fuel poverty levels in the UK will continue to increase if nothing is done to improve the adoption of energy efficiency, according to a survey published by the Rexel Foundation and Opinion Way. Over three quarters of those surveyed admitted to being concerned their energy bills, however, only 68% said that they had installed energy efficiency measures in the past five years. Of those that did, four in five wanted to reduce their energy bills, while 27% were motivated by environmental concerns.
Solar Portal 17th June 2013 more >>
Poo Power in Bexhill
A water company is using an unusual source to generate power – poo. Southern Water is now harnessing poo power to generate electricity for 1,500 homes at the Bexhill and Hastings wastewater treatment works. The project is part of the company’s multimillion pound investment in carbon mitigation and energy efficiency schemes between 2010 and 2015
Brighton Argus 17th June 2013 more >>
Green Deal Property Boost
Improving the energy efficiency of your home could increase its value by up to 38 per cent, according to new government figures to be released today. A study of over 300,000 property sales by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has concluded that installing measures such as loft insulation or efficient boilers to raise a home’s energy rating from band G to E could mean adding more than £16,000 to the sale price.
Business Green 17th June 2013 more >>
Wood Co-operative
MORE than 200 people attended an eco-friendly launch. This week saw the start of the John Cleveland College Woodheat Project. The project, which is collaboration between three not-for-profit organisations Green Fox Community Energy Co-operative, Transition Leicester and Sharenergy, aims to use sustainably harvested wood from local woodlands to fuel wood-chip boilers that will heat John Cleveland College.
Nuneaton News 14th June 2013 more >>
Community Windfarm
Point and Sandwick Development Trust have been awarded nearly £1million to take forward a nine megawatt community windfarm. The project has now secured the £3million worth of equity required to allow due diligence with the Coop bank to continue. This is a mix of funding from the Big Lottery Fund, Social Investment Scotland and the Scottish Government CARES Renewable Energy Investment Fund. The group are aiming to reach financial close by the end of July and install the turbines in the spring of 2014. The turbines will be built just west of Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis.
Stornoway Gazette 14th June 2013 more >>
Insulating Wrekin
In financially difficult times, The Wrekin Housing Trust is helping tenants preserve energy and save money; undertaking energy improvement work on around 90 homes in Dawley, Wellington and Church Aston to help reduce tenants’ utility bills. In addition to the normal planned programme of improvements, work started earlier this year to add external wall insulation to selected homes.
24 Dash 14th June 2013 more >>
Solar Returns
The amount that is paid for energy generated from solar panels is set to fall at the end of the month, as the potential returns of harnessing the sunshine that beats down on your roof are trimmed once again. But experts claim that the continued fall in the cost of panels means that the average size of installations are growing and that means that so are the returns. So is it still worth investing, even as the Feed-in Tariff is slashed?
This is Money 14th June 2013 more >>
Grants
The Government is ploughing money into renewable energy and efficiency incentives in a bid to reach its emission reduction targets, meaning there are now a range of grants available to entice homeowners into making improvements. Luckily, there has never been a better time to act: energy bills are set to continue rising, while many green grants offer decent introductory rates to get schemes off the ground. There’s money on offer to help pay for insulation, solar panels, wind turbines and many other measures. So instead of trawling through hundreds of websites to find out what’s available, This is Money has put together a guide to Government grants covering everything from insulation and efficiency improvements to creating your own power and heat from the air, ground and sun.
Daily Mail 13th June 2013 more >>