week ending 30 August 2013
Community Energy
Green Alliance: Our latest policy insight, Constituency voices: realising the potential of community energy, brings together findings from workshops held with MPs and local stakeholders in Edinburgh, Sheffield and Wells under our Climate Leadership Programme. Our research has shown that there is great enthusiasm and huge potential for community energy around the UK, but the current lack of government support is making it hard for community groups to get their projects off the ground.
Green Alliance 29th Aug 2013 more >>
UK PV Demand hits 1GW
The UK solar market’s annual demand has hit the GW-level for the first time, according to research data published by NPD Solarbuzz. The news confirms the UK’s position as one of the up and coming markets in the global solar industry, marking out the UK solar sector as a GW-status end-market territory. NPD Solarbuzz vice president Finlay Colville told PV Tech it was important to note that despite recent negative publicity around solar and other forms of renewable energy as a result of mainstream newspapers’ coverage of ‘not-in-my-back-yard’ (nimby) pressure groups, the findings demonstrate that end-market growth remains strong. Figures published by NPD Solarbuzz show that demand for solar PV during the first quarter of 2013 stood at 520MW, dropping to 282MW for the second quarter. When added to figures of installed capacity in July and August, the total exceeds the 1GW mark.
PV-tech 29th Aug 2013 more >>
Solar Portal 28th Aug 2013 more >>
Community Energy Fortnight
A coalition of UK organisations, with over 16 million members, is backing the first ever Community Energy Fortnight designed to highlight the benefits of community owned renewable energy and energy saving schemes. The Community Energy Coalition, including organisations such as Forum for the Future, The Co-operative, The National Trust, Co-operatives UK, the Women’s Institute and the Church of England, wants to see a dramatic increase in the number of communities controlling and benefiting from their own energy projects.
Energy & Environment 28th Aug 2013 more >>
CBI & Efficiency
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is calling on the government to make a concerted push to boost energy efficiency policy in the UK. CBI’s new report, Shining a Light: Uncovering the business energy efficiency opportunity, identifies a number of overlapping energy efficiency policies and calls on the government to streamline current legislation.
Solar Portal 28th Aug 2013 more >>
One of the first things Ed Davey did when he replaced Chris Huhne as Energy and Climate Change Secretary last year was to launch, with considerable a fanfare, the EEDO, or to give it its full name, the Energy Efficiency Deployment Office. The 50-person strong “SWAT team” was set to become the government’s centre of expertise on energy efficiency, spearheading policies across a range of sectors and knocking down barriers that have consistently hampered energy saving efforts, ranging from the underdeveloped nature of the efficiency market, to misaligned financial incentives and the hassle of installing efficiency improvements. A new report by the CBI warns energy efficiency continues to be neglected in the wider energy debate, which instead tends to focus on new generation capacity.
Business Green 29th Aug 2013 more >>
Solar Dumping
The European Commission has confirmed that it has concluded its investigation into unfair subsidies for the Chinese solar energy manufacturing industry. Press reports have claimed that the findings confirmed China’s government has been giving an unfair advantage to Chinese firms through subsidised loans, land and other benefits. A spokesperson for the commission could not confirm the reports but did offer some reassurance that the findings would not affect the now concluded anti-dumping investigation.
Solar Portal 28th Aug 2013 more >>
Berlin Co-operative
A movement aimed at putting the Berlin city grid under citizens’ control when the system goes on sale next year has been set up. The grid is owned by the Swedish firm Vattenfall. The co-operative founded by the two students, Citizen Energy Berlin, has recruited around 1,000 members, each paying a minimum of 500 (£430) a share. It has raised 5.4m (£4.6m).
Guardian 28th Aug 2013 more >>
Chamomile Lawn
A brownfield site has undergone a dramatic makeover since the installation of a solar farm five months ago. The 5MW solar farm at Tavells Farm in Hampshire used to host a quarry-cum-landfill site before planning permission was granted to transform the site into an energy station. However, something unexpected happened after the solar farm was completed. A covering of wild chamomile now encompasses the 30-acre site on the former coalpit. The wild flowers have completely taken over the grounds in a phenomenon known as ‘natural colonisation’. The developer of the site, Lightsource Renewable Energy, believes that because chamomiles prefer soil disturbance, the churning of the ground during the installation phase, followed by five months of inactivity has created the perfect haven for the flowers without any planting or seeding.
Solar Portal 28th Aug 2013 more >>
Solar Farming
Developing solar farms across the UK in line with the government’s renewable ambitions will not have a significant impact on food production, according to research undertaken by Lightsource Renewable Energy. One of the most common criticisms levelled at the development of solar farms in the UK is that they are often sited on agricultural land, jeopardising the UK’s already limited food production capabilities. However, the study commissioned by the UK’s largest solar developer shows that in order to meet the energy minister Greg Barker’s 22GW by 2020 ambition, 53,977 hectares of land would be required.
Solar Portal 27th Aug 2013 more >>
Click Green 27th Aug 2013 more >>
Sunny Scotland
Scottish households could earn as much as £580 every year by installing solar panels in their homes, new research claims. The figure includes £410 from the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme, £64 from exporting renewable energy to the grid and £105 from savings on energy bills – bringing the total to £197 million a year and up to £2.7 billion over the lifetime of the PV system. People in Scotland “vastly underestimate” how sunny the country is as 21% thought the country had 500 hours or less sunshine a year when the figure is more than twice that, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) revealed. Its survey also found almost half (47%) think they would be £350 a year or less better off with an average solar PV system, underplaying the technology’s benefits.
Energy Live News 27th Aug 2013 more >>
Eco2solar
KIDDERMINSTER-based renewable energy company Eco2Solar has secured a hat-trick of contracts with Mansell Construction to install solar energy systems at 101 new homes throughout the West Midlands. The deals will see the firm install a series of systems on new homes at the Edgbaston Square development, Marlfields in Redditch and Eastern Gateway in West Bromwich.
Business Desk 27th Aug 2013 more >>
IKEA
IKEA has revealed that it has now installed 500,000 solar panels as part of a drive to make the Swedish retailer wholly energy independent by the end of the decade. The solar systems have been fitted on stores and distribution centres in nine different countries including China and the UK. But there has been a particular focus in the US, where 85 per cent of IKEA buildings are now “solarised”.
Business Green 27th Aug 2013 more >>
Self-Sufficient Farm
A Shropshire business is making sustainability a top priority on its mixed farming unit and adding wind energy to a growing list of renewable energy sources. Farmers Weekly finds out more. Increasing energy prices have inspired one farming family to adopt a variety of renewable energy sources to help meet their ambition of becoming energy self-sufficient.
Farmers Weekly 25th Aug 2013 more >>
Community Energy
At present, 99 per cent of the country’s electricity is supplied by just six companies. The Community Energy Coalition – which includes the likes of the Co-operative Group, National Trust, National Federation of Women’s Institutes and Church of England – wants that to change.
Independent 23rd Aug 2013 more >>
Scotland
The Scottish government is setting an economical and environmental standard for the world. I believe every government should model programs to meet this country’s standard. Its new program encompasses compassion, retains economic empowerment, and offers kindness to Scottish citizens. This program reaches out to those in poverty with environmental arms.
Clean Technica 23rd Aug 2013 more >>
Solar Farming
FARMERS are being offered the chance to generate solar electricity with no up front costs. Solar PV has often been beyond the reach of many farming businesses due to expense. However, inexpensive solar electricity is now available to farms due to a new scheme by Renewable Energy Investments (REI). The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) allows farmers to benefit from low-cost zero-carbon solar PV electricity without any capital investment or repayments whatsoever. All installation, operation, monitoring, maintenance and financing of the system is handled by REI. Farmers pay no up front costs, and only pay monthly for the cost of the solar energy used, charged at a tariff significantly below the market rate.
Farmers Guardian 22nd Aug 2013 more >>
Wind Farming
A SCOTTISH developer has teamed up with energy firm Xzeres Wind Europe to provide turbines to farmers, crofters and landowners at no cost, with free electricity and a share of revenue income. Under the scheme clients capable of hosting one or two 10kW turbines will have them provided free of charge with planning and connection costs also met by Xzeres and Dumfriesshire-based PassiM Developments Ltd.
Farmers Guardian 22nd Aug 2013 more >>