News week ending 3 August 2007
Telford
The Madeley Academy Trust has submitted an application to Telford & Wrekin Council to build an academy for youngsters aged 11-16. The plans also include three freestanding and six roof-mounted wind turbines.
Shropshire Star 3rd August
2007
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Businesses prefer solar power
Despite the lack of sunshine so far this summer, solar power is the favoured
option for companies seeking to generate some of their own energy. A survey
commissioned by the energy consultancy Energy Team has found 54 per cent of
small to medium companies would choose solar panels, while 44 per cent would
prefer wind turbines to cut their reliance on power from the
grid. About 13 per cent said their renewable energy preference would be to
generate heat and power from biomass.
FT 3rd August 2007
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Feed-in tariffs
Jim Dobbin MP is backing proposals which could cut fuel bills for many residents on low incomes, reward households which save energy and help promote renewable technologies in Heywood, Middleton, Castleton, Norden and Bamford. Mr Dobbin is supporting the Energy Markets Bill which would enable owners of solar panels and other renewable technologies to sell their surplus green energy to the national grid and receive a preferential price for it.
Rochdale Online 2nd August 2007
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Eastbourne
Energy efficient equipment in 10 schools will make estimated savings of £35,000 a year and eliminate more than 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide. As part of its award-winning carbon management plan, the council has improved the insulation and boiler controls in a number of schools across East Sussex — including Ratton, Willingdon Community School, Eastbourne Technology College and Highfield Junior Schools. Using money won from the European Union's INTERREG III programme, the council has been able to boost how much it has invested in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects by more than £100,000 in the last few years.
Eastbourne Herald 2nd August 2007
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Cornish Heat Pumps
The Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership (CSEP), a partnership of 72 public and private organisations, has donated £54,000 towards the cost of installing ground source heat pumps (GSHP) at the homes.As well as benefiting residents and protecting the environment, the heat pump installation at Trewellard will help CSEP to meet another government target in Cornwall's 2006-2009 Local Area Agreement.
This is Cornwall 2nd August 2007
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Western Morning News 1st August 2007
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Zero-carbon
Zero carbon has become a buzz phrase for the whole housebuilding industry ever since the Government announced that it planned to ensure that all new housing in England would be zero carbon after 2016. Other countries seem to be following suit: Wales has announced an intention to be zero carbon by 2011. The self-build community has prided itself on building homes which are more energy efficient than the industry minimum standards, but now the threshold is being raised to another level altogether. Everybody wants to know just what a zero-carbon home is, and precisely how they can build one.
Applegate 1st August 2007
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Biomass
Environment Minister Michael Russell has challenged the newly formed woodfuel task force to find ways to boost the biomass sector, which will increase rural employment and help tackle climate change. The woodfuel task force was launched in June with the aim of increasing the supply of wood for renewable energy production. Led by Forestry Commission Scotland, the task force is comprised of representatives from the renewable energy, wood processing and land management sectors.
Forestry Commission Scotland 1st August 2007
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Stoke Offices
A Proposal for offices and apartments at a key gateway into Stoke city centre is under threat because it includes too many parking spaces. The architects are looking at using solar or photovoltaic panels for the roof of the building. They are also considering using power generated from a 164 ft wind turbine they plan to build on nearby Blackhorse Lane.
Stoke Sentinel 2nd August 2007
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Oldham
THE greenest supermarket built by a major retail chain will open in Oldham. The £20m Asda store, in Greenfield Lane, Shaw, has been built using eco-friendly construction techniques to keep greenhouse gas emissions to a minimum. When it opens on Monday, the store will produce 25 per cent less CO2 emissions than an average supermarket and save up to £30,000 a year in running costs. It is the first constructed by Asda using a sustainable timber frame rather than one made from steel.
Manchester Evening News 1st August 2007
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ESCO
The regulator has axed the rule that allows customers to switch supplier within a month of signing up to another, to allow companies to tie customers into longer-term contracts in return for cheaper energy or clean power technologies. Allowing long-term contracts could encourage greater energy efficiency and allow companies to fit expensive wind turbines and solar panels to homes as part of Britain's wider effort to cut its carbon emissions in the fight against climate change.
Scotsman 1st August 2007
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Speedy microgeneration
Comment by Keith Barnham: The most significant feature of the newer wind turbine and PV systems is that they come in small units and can be installed very quickly. Not only do these micro-generation technologies have much shorter lead-in times than the 10-year wait for nuclear stations (or the 20-35 years for Al-Khalili's technology to transmute nuclear waste), but installations can grow exponentially, as happens for consumer electrical products. The most optimistic assumption for new nuclear build is a linear rise of one new reactor a year, starting in 10 years' time. Rather than developing transmutation or fast-breeder schemes which may not work, and which involve the transportation of large amounts of plutonium, the highest priority of the nuclear industry should be to solve the long-term waste storage problem. The urgency of finding a solution was re-emphasised by the recent revelation that the failed London tube bombers had the plans of the Sizewell B nuclear station.
Guardian 1st August 2007
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Midlothian
HOUSE builders in Midlothian will be forced to incorporate renewable energy technologies such as solar panels in their new developments. New planning rules that come into force today will require developers to design buildings so that CO2 emissions are reduced beyond national requirements.
Edinburgh Evening News 1st August 2007
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Windy Burgers
BURGERS at McDonald's in Whitley's Reading Gate business park will now be made with the help of green energy - because the drive-thru restaurant is the first in the country to be powered by a micro wind turbine.
ICBerkshire 31st July 2007
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Green Norwich Tour
Free tours of green buildings in Norfolk will run alongside Norwich's acclaimed Heritage Open Days event in a bid to highlight eco issues and give people an insight into what energy savings they can make. The exclusive opportunity to spy into environmentally-friendly houses and offices was organised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England in Norfolk (CPRE Norfolk) as part of the national Open Days initiative.
East Anglian Daily Press 31st July 2007
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Croydon
Croydon Council’s new house-building programme has had a further boost after the green light was given to build thirteen new eco-friendly homes. Built to meet robust eco standards, the semi-detached and terraced properties will be equipped with solar panels to heat water and wind turbines to cut carbon emissions.
24 Dash 31st July 2007
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Southern Housing 2nd August 2007
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Nelson
The regenerated Whitefield area is also set to be environmentally friendly, with a combined heat and power plant powered with wind turbines to serve the whole development.
This is Lancashire 30th July 2007
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Alternative Southend
A PAIR of wind turbines with viewing platforms could boost eco-tourism in Southend, as part of an alternative regeneration package drawn up by environmental campaigners. Friends of the Earth has presented its own vision for the revamp of the town, in response to urban regeneration company Renaissance Southend's recent masterplan. The official plan would involve bulldozing homes near the town centre.
Essex Echo 30th July 2007
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Biomass car park?
Carbon emissions at the UEA will be slashed by 60pc after planners backed a combined biomass car park scheme. Bosses at the university have bolted on the biomass plant to a previous bid to increase parking numbers from 970 to 1740 spaces to cope with the increase in student numbers.
East Anglian Daily Press 30th July 2007
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Devon eco-factory
Residents of a Devon town have a vision of turning a remnant of the Industrial Revolution into a vital tool in the fight against climate change. The environmental action group wants to see the factory used to generate renewable power. Sara Drew , who set up the group, envisages energy from the water dropping through the factory's weir being harnessed, and solar panels placed on the massive roof of the building.
Western Morning News 30th July 2007
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Eco-house to be demolished
Their eco-home was made with local materials, its electricity supplied by solar and wind power and its heat kept in by a turf roof and straw insulation. They compost their sewage using a reed bed and make do without a fridge or washing machine. But the couple have been told to demolish their beloved home - because it isn’t green enough.
Times 30th July 2007
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Plymouth
We're all partial to a bit of sunshine, but for Trevor Anderson, a hot spell means more than just a chance to top up the tan - it means cheaper bills.His home in Plymouth is adorned with solar panels, which turn daylight into free energy to heat up his water and power his house. And that's not all. Trevor has energy efficient lightbulbs in every room, and runs his car on chip fat. There's a wormery to help create his compost, a water butt catching rain in the garden, and it's probably only a matter of time before he gets a wind turbine.
Plymouth Herald 30th July 2007
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German Solar
55 percent of the world's photovoltaic (PV) power is generated on solar panels set up between the Baltic Sea and the Black Forest. So far just 3 percent of Germany's electricity comes from the sun, but the government wants to raise the share of renewables to 27 percent of all energy by 2020 from 13 percent. It is a thriving industry with booming exports that has created tens of thousands of jobs in recent years, posting growth rates that surpassed the optimistic forecasts made by the fathers of a pioneering 2000 renewable energy law.
MSN 30th July 2007
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Small wind
GAIA Wind, the Danish renewable energy firm that recently set up shop in Scotland, is forecasting a sales boost as new legislation kicks in to abolish stamp duty on zero-carbon properties. The company, whose 18-metre-tall turbines are targeted at farms, remote businesses and rural homes, already has 150 installations under its belt - mainly in its home country. Glasgow-based managing director and leading investor in Gaia Johnnie Andringa said there had been a positive reaction to the turbines at recent trade shows, including the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.
Scotsman 30th July 2007
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Exeter
The new community to be built at Cranbrook, a few miles to the east of Exeter, will serve as a prototype for the new eco-towns that Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants to see built in future.
Western Morning News 30th July 2007
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Exeter Express and Echo 28th July 2007
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24Dash 27th July 2007
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Nottingham
The buildings at Rushcliffe Country Park use wind power generated on site by two wind turbines, solar power for water heating and a wood chip boiler. Excess energy is sold to the national grid. Buildings, such as the Experian educational centre were built using sustainable and eco-friendly building materials and have high levels of insulation.
Nottingham Evening Post 28th July 2007
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Yorkshire Solutions
Lee Cattermole is the new operations director for Community Energy Solutions
(CES) charged with bringing together public housing and private and social
landlords to upgrade inadequate heating. It is a joint initiative funded by
the Department of Trade and Industry, Yorkshire Forward, and the National Grid
Affordable Warmth Programme. Appointed on a two-year contract he is examining
specific projects across Yorkshire where grants could be made available or
measures implemented to upgrade outdated systems. One of the things he is looking
at is the use of renewable energy through heat pumps as manufactured by
Brighouse company Thermal Energy Ventures.
Halifax Courier 27th July 2007
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Cornwall
Presentations were made by Tim German, Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership, and Anthony Weight, Cornwall County Council, about the role of local authorities in tackling climate change. Tim German stressed the need for inspirational leadership from the Council on climate change issues, he said: "In Cornwall we must not choose to ignore the issues of climate change, or follow behind the approach of others. Instead, we must aspire to lead"
This is the West Country 27th July 2007
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Northampton
Renewable energy equals new technology and the opportunities for existing or incoming businesses and employers in north Northamptonshire could be worth £30 billion over the next 10 years.
Northampton Chronicle 27th July 2007
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Eco-energy
British Eco Energy offers a range of quality renewable energy solutions such as heat pumps and solar energy systems. A first port of call for those concerned about the environment – as an incentive to go green, British Eco Energy is offering one lucky reader a £1000 voucher to put towards any system (worth over £1000)
Telegraph 27th July 2007
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Caithness Heat and Power
ENVIRONMENT minister Mike Russell yesterday said he was "enormously impressed" by a pioneering heating scheme in Wick, and claimed big lessons could be learned from the innovative project. Mr Russell, whose visit to the Caithness Heat and Power (CHaP) development at Pulteney Distillery was part of a fact-finding trip to the Far North, felt the system has huge potential and could be used in many other places in Scotland.
John O' Groat Journal 27th July 2007
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Eco-towns
The Government has confirmed a major drive to increase the provision of new housing, some of which will be built in 'eco towns' and in local authority chosen 'growth points'. The latter initiative will be extended and for the first time will include proposals from northern authorities. Ministers have launched a raft of proposals and decisions - some in a Housing Green Paper – which will mean changes in the way housing provision is allocated and decided both at a local and regional level.
e-Gov Monitor 27th July 2007
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Energy Networks
As part of its active engagement in all aspects of deployment of distributed generation, ENA have contributed to the development of a best practice guide: Connecting a microgeneration system to a domestic or similar electrical installation (in parallel with the mains supply). The guide is produced by the Electrical Safety Council in association with leading industry bodies for the benefit of electrical contractors and installers, and their customers. The guide provides information on the legal and contractual issues relating to the installation of a single microgenerator with electrical rating up to 16A per phase and gives guidance on various electrical issues, including electrical safety issues that arise when installing or connecting a microgenerator that is intended to work in parallel with an existing mains supply. The guide can be downloaded from the ENA website at
Energy Networks Association 27th July 2007
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