week ending 6 September 2013
Anesco
Solar installs completed and monitored by renewable installer Anesco have generated over 50GWh of clean electricity in the UK, the company says. According to the company’s AnescoMeter service, the installer’s 11,000 systems have reached the 50GWh milestone. The systems, which have a combined capacity of 81MW, range in size from small residential systems to utility-scale sites and have avoided the emission of around 27,000 tonnes of carbon.
Solar Portal 6thSept 2013 more >>
Scotrail Wind
Scottish railway company ScotRail has completed a second small wind turbine installation, this time at its Bathgate depot in West Lothian. Two Evance R9000 small wind turbines operating at the depot join another R9000 located at Montrose railway station and completed last year.
Renewable Energy World 6th Sept 2013 more >>
Railway Technology 6th Sept 2013 more >>
Solar Support
Solar has once again proved to be the most popular renewable technology amongst Brits according to results of surveys by both the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the BBC. The latest results of DECC’s public attitudes tracker show that solar continues to be the most popular generation technology in the UK, with 81% of those surveyed expressing support for the deployment of solar across the UK. In each of the six waves of research carried out by DECC, solar has come out as the most supported renewable technology.
Solar Portal 6thSept 2013 more >>
Solar Fund
Investment firm Foresight Group has announced plans to launch an IPO for its subsidiary Foresight Solar Fund Limited, in a move designed to raise £200m for investment in UK solar farms. The company confirmed yesterday that it was seeking to float on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, offering for subscription of up to 200 million ordinary shares at a price of 100p per share.
Business Green 6thSept 2013 more >>
UK investors see bright future for solar power – if the nimbys can be won over. New investments worth almost £220m reflect renewed interest by asset managers and funds in low-carbon power – but some fear popular backlash suffered by windfarms.
Guardian 5thSept 2013 more >>
Community Wind
A GROUP of villagers aims to create a source of sustainable, renewable energy which will also provide funding for the local community. Residents from Weaverthorpe, Helperthorpe and Butterwick have set up Three Weavers Green, a not-for-profit organisation working in partnership with the Humberside Co-operative Development Agency. Jill Wilson, from the group, said the aim was to enable the community to increase its use of renewable energy resources in order to offset their carbon footprint. She said: “A study has been carried out to assess the potential of various renewable energy options and we believe that the one which would most benefit the community at this time is a wind turbine.
Gazette & Herald 4th Sept 2013 more >>
TWO wind turbines a community group hoped would generate thousands of pounds for the local area have been refused planning permission. Cwm Arian Renewable Energy (CARE) submitted a planning application for two wind turbines, measuring 77metres to blade tip, at Trefawr near Llanfyrnach.
Tivyside Advertiser 6th Sept 2013 more >>
Solar Protest
“Solar farms: greed not green energy.” “Stop the great green energy swindle.” “Solar is industrialising our countryside.” “FiT makes pockets fat.” The picket line that greeted attendees at the large-scale solar conference in Cornwall in the spring was unquestionably thin, but it was obviously well-organised and members were vocal in their opposition to solar farms in the UK. The majority of those attending the event were shocked by the presence of the protesters. One developer even joked that solar must have finally made it if it could draw the ire of middle England. But did the protesters represent the beginnings of something much bigger?
Solar Portal 5thSept 2013 more >>
External Wall Insulation
A NORTH-EAST insulation firm has sealed a £38m contract to work on more than 4,500 homes, which it says will create up to 80 new jobs. The Cosyseal Group, based in Stockton, has signed a deal with a housing provider to fit external wall insulation and brick cladding to properties in Watford, Hertfordshire.
Northern Echo 4thSept 2013 more >>
Green Deal
SSE is planning to conduct an internal trial of the Green Deal on 50 members of staff before launching it to the public. The energy company will provide the energy efficiency to its employees this autumn to test its newly developed computer system. After this initial trial, SSE hopes that 100 Green Deal plans will be agreed by the end of the year, which will be fully delivered in early 2014. A spokesman at SSE said: “We are particularly interested in the types of measures that Green Deal reports will recommend and how this relates to what the customer is actually looking for.
Utility Week 3rdSept 2013 more >>
Sharp Solar
Sharp Energy Solutions Europe said its solar photovoltaic (PV) factory in Wales had reached almost full capacity at a time that many solar companies are shutting or cutting back their European operations. The plant in Wrexham, with a production capacity of PV modules totalling 400 megawatts, appears to have survived a severe cost-cutting programme by its parent company, even while the European solar industry has suffered from overcapacity, falling prices and a trade dispute.
Business Times 3rdSept 2013 more >>
Solar Portal 3rd Sept 2013 more >>
Castle Biomass
A biomass boiler installed at the historic Scotney Castle in Kent has cut energy bills for the National Trust by more than £20,000 a year, while also slashing carbon emissions, according to new figures. Rural Energy, the company that fitted the system to provide hot water and heating to the Victorian mansion in 2010, this week released data showing the project has helped cut carbon emissions by 404 tons since it was installed, generating 1,258,600kWh of renewable energy in the process.
Business Green 3rdSept 2013 more >>
Energy Performance Certificates
Almost three quarters of privately rented homes are let without an Energy Performance Certificate, according to freedom of information data.
Business Green 2ndSept 2013 more >>
Community Energy
Green Alliance argues lack of clear policy and restricted finance means UK is falling well short of community schemes’ 3.5GW of potential. The huge potential of community green energy schemes is being hampered by a lack of clear policy and restricted access to finance, a leading think tank has warned. There are currently around 50 community renewable energy co-operatives and 2,000 community installations registered for support under the feed-in tariff subsidy scheme, according to a new report by Green Alliance.
Business Green 2ndSept 2013 more >>
Green Alliance Report 2nd Sept 2013 more >>
On Brixton’s Loughborough Estate in south London, two community-owned solar energy projects Brixton Energy Solar 1 and 2 – are providing power to social housing while also funding a scheme for energy-saving improvements, education and training to help alleviate fuel poverty. Now a third project, Brixton Energy Solar 3, has been launched by the same group on the nearby Roupell Park Estate. All three schemes rely on investments from ordinary people.
Blue & Green 30thAug 2013 more >>