week ending 23 August 2013
Community Turbine
A £380,000 wind turbine paid for by the local community is being installed in a Devon village. The people of South Brent raised the money by buying shares in the 45m turbine, which will generate about 400 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. Some of the income made from the electricity will be used to support other local low-carbon projects.
BBC 22nd Aug 2013 more >>
Free Solar
Rick Lopez said he felt like he’d won the lottery. Lopez, a 63-year-old Vietnam veteran and Denver, CO resident, had a 3-kilowatt solar system installed on his house by a group of volunteers on Wednesday, completely free of charge. The project was initiated by GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit organization whose story was highlighted in the Denver Post this week. Lopez’s new system should provide power for 60 to 100 percent of his home’s electricity, and will save him hundreds of dollars in electricity costs each year.
Climate Progress 22nd Aug 2013 more >>
Wind Farming
A North Lancashire dairy farmer has been given planning permission to site three wind turbines on his land. Chris Lund, of Pump House Farm, Nether Kellet, told Lancaster City Council’s planning committee that the three-bladed structures would help him reduce his overheads. The 17.77 metre 5KW turbines can now go up on a field which lies around 1.4km south west of the village
Lancaster Guardian 22nd Aug 2013 more >>
Solar Century
Solarcentury’s community consultation held last week has boosted public support for its proposed solar farm in Oxfordshire. According to the solar developer, residents were largely supportive of the propsed 13.4MW solar farm which is proposed to sit across 26 hectares of farmland between Witney and Eynsham. Residents were particularly supportive of Solarcentury’s new partnership with Habitat Aid and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust which aims to significantly boost the biodiversity of all the developer’s solar farms.
Solar Portal 22nd Aug 2013 more >>
Oxford Mail 21st Aug 2013 more >>
From Colliery to Solar Farm
Plans for a 5MW solar park on the former Gedling Colliery site in Nottingham have been approved by the local council. The proposal submitted by solar developer, Re-Fin solar, will see round 23,000 solar modules installed across the 14-hectare site. The developer estimates that the solar farm will generate enough electricity to power 1,000 local homes every year.
Solar Portal 22nd Aug 2013 more >>
The end of Merton?
The domestic renewable energy industry has reacted angrily to the government’s proposals to water down green commitments for new-build properties. The government is proposing to scrap the 2008 Planning and Energy Act which gave local authorities the freedom to set their own carbon, renewables and energy efficiency targets for new-build properties. The latest Housing Standards review issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) notes that “it is no longer appropriate for local plan policies to specify additional standards for how much of the energy use from homes should come from on-site renewables”.
Solar Portal 21st Aug 2013 more >>
The Renewable Energy Association (REA), Solar Trade Association, Micropower Council (MPC) and the Association for the Conservation of Energy, have all raised concerns at the way the consultation plans to repeal the 2008 Planning and Energy Act, effectively scrapping a rule that allows local councils to set specific renewable energy and energy efficiency targets from housing developers.
Business Green 21st Aug 2013 more >>
Scottish Interest-Free Loans
The Scottish government has put aside £3 million for people living in fuel poverty get their own green energy supply. The money is available as interest-free loans to help people install renewable heat and electricity systems. They can borrow up to £10,000 to help with the cost of installing devices such as solar panels, micro wind turbines or biomass boilers.
Renewable Energy Focus 21st Aug 2013 more >>
Green Deal
British Gas is among the major energy firms stepping up its efforts to get customers to sign up to the controversial Green Deal scheme. This enables households to borrow money from the Government to spend on improving the energy efficiency of their homes. The loan arrangements are administered by households’ energy suppliers. Households are signing up to the controversial Green Deal scheme, British Gas insists, but Government figures suggest take-up remains very low.
Telegraph 20th Aug 2013 more >>
British Gas has unveiled an online tool to help households find out what energy-saving measures they could be entitled to under the government’s energy efficiency schemes. By answering a few quick questions, householders including non-British Gas customers can see if they are eligible for subsidised insulation or boiler installations as part of the Green Deal or Energy Company Obligation (ECO). In some situations, British Gas also offers to carry out an eligibility check over the phone or a free survey at the property.
Business Green 20th Aug 2013 more >>
David Symons, director at consultancy WSP said: “If Green Deal Assessment rates continue at the same rate as the past three months it will take 160 years before every home in the UK is surveyed. We all want Green Deal to be a success so Government needs to think hard about how to up the assessment rate by a factor of ten.”
WSP 20th Aug 2013 more >>
New government figures show first Green Deal plan has been completed, with a further 418 in the pipeline.
Business Green 20th Aug 2013 more >>
Solar Farming
The Solar Trade Association has published 10 commitments for solar farm developers to help ensure best practice in the increasingly controversial sector. Opposition to solar farms has become more widespread across the UK. A groundswell of MP opposition recently forced Greg Barker to shape revised planning guidance for solar farms that places a greater emphasis on community engagement and opinions.
Solar Portal 20th Aug 2013 more >>
Utility Week 20th Aug 2013 more >>
Solar Thermal Drop
Solar thermal installations in July represented the lowest monthly deployment in all of 2013, according to statistics published by the Solar Trade Association (STA), the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) and the Industrial & Commercial Energy Association (ICOM). The installation figures show that 2,577m2 of solar thermal was installed in July, a 41% drop from the same month last year.
Solar Portal 20th Aug 2013 more >>
Energy Efficiency
The government has been urged to develop a more targeted approach to rolling out its energy efficiency policies such as the Green Deal after new figures showed huge regional variations of household energy consumption around the UK. The Office for National Statistics unveiled data late last week showing that homes in England and Wales are using nearly a quarter less energy since 2005. Richard Griffiths, of the UK Green Building Council, called on the government to deliver more incentives to boost uptake of the Green Deal, such as tying energy efficiency improvements to stamp duty or council tax breaks, or extending the existing £125m scheme that provides cash-back for early adopters of the Green Deal.
Business Green 19th Aug 2013 more >>