Manchester Social Housing Go Solar
Social housing contractor Forrest has won a contract worth £3 million to install solar PV on Southway Housing Trust homes across South Manchester. The solar installs will be carried out on tenants’ homes for free, with each solar array expected to help residents slash as much as 58% off their annual electricity bills. In addition to carrying out the installations, Forrest will provide a fully-funded and insurance-backed 20-year maintenance service. The solar programme is being fully funded by Macquarie.
Solar Portal 19th Dec 2014 read more »
Green Deal
More than two thirds of MCS installers would consider becoming Green Deal suppliers, according to new research by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The study was focused on companies that could potentially be part of the Green Deal supply chain but had so far opted against it. Of the MCS installer questioned, 79% offered solar PV. The results showed that 69% of the MCS firms said they would consider taking part in the Green Deal as an installer. A further 26% said they would not consider it. Of the MCS installers questioned, 98% said they were aware of the Green Deal but 95% had taken no action to supply products under the government’s flagship energy efficiency programme. Reasons against participation included perceived low demand, concerns about the policy’s structure and the complexity of the certification process. Some respondents questioned the long-term stability and longevity of the policy.
Solar Portal 18th Dec 2014 read more »
Community Wind
Please support this planning application! TOMFAT WIND TURBINES. Highland Council planning application. As you may know this wind turbine project has entered the crucial planning submission phase, it takes five minutes to complete a support post on the Highland Council WAM Planning Portal, this will help the project and also help inform the Highland Council that we support the renewables and wind turbines in the correct areas.
Highland Pro Wind 18th Dec 2014 read more »
Energy Demand
The UK’s low carbon transition is continuing to gather pace, according to a flurry of new government statistics, which show a sharp fall in energy demand, increased renewable energy generation, and reduced fossil fuel production. The UK’s Energy Trends update for the third quarter was published today, confirming low carbon electricity’s share of generation rose to 38.6 per cent during the period, up from 37.1 per cent during the same three months last year.
Business Green 18th Dec 2014 read more »
People in the UK are using less energy even though the economy is growing, new figures confirm. Increased wealth typically leads to increased energy use – but this link appears to have been broken by technology and government policy. New analysis of government statistics for BBC News shows that the average person in the UK is using 10% less electricity than five years ago. That is despite the boom in large TVs, computers, smartphones and tablets. EU standards on household appliances have allowed people to do the same tasks with less energy. A new A-rated model fridge-freezer saves 73% of energy, compared with its 20-year-old counterpart, according to the trade association AMDEA. That is about £100 a year off a household energy bill. The controversial ban on old-style lamps means an average bulb consumes 29% less electricity in 2013 than in 2008. And LED bulbs look likely to improve the quality of indoor light, as well as reducing electricity demand even further.
BBC 18th Dec 2014 read more »
Good Energy
Chippenham-based renewable electricity company Good Energy has secured a £45m finance facility which will allow it to press on with plans to develop its solar generation portfolio. Chief executive Juliet Davenport said the funding underpins its objective of generating more than half of its electricity from our own renewable assets by 2016. But the AIM-listed business warned its pre-tax profit would be lower than last year following the “warmest year since records began”.
Insider Media 18th Dec 2014 read more »
Money AM 18th Dec 2014 read more »
Solar Success
The Prime Minister David Cameron believes that solar has been a “huge success story for the renewables industry”. Cameron, who was supposed to deliver a statement in person to those gathered for the British Photovoltaic Association’s annual Christmas drinks but couldn’t due to last minute diary conflicts, acknowledged that UK solar will play an increasingly important role in UK energy. Speaking on behalf of Cameron, Greg Barker the former minister for energy and climate change and now acting as the Prime Minister’s Climate Envoy, reassured the audience that Cameron was a “champion of the UK solar industry” despite his absence. Barker read the following statement from Cameron: “Solar has been a huge success story for the renewables industry and has an important role to play in our diverse energy mix and, where appropriately sited, solar is rightly popular and on current trends becoming ever more affordable — with solar likely to become the first renewable to be genuinely cost competitive with gas.”
Solar Portal 17th Dec 2014 read more »
Health Board goes Solar
Altrincham-headquartered property company, Styles & Wood has installed solar across three new health centres in East Lancashire. The solar arrays have been installed as part of an ongoing sustainability push by the East Lancashire health sector. The solar installs vary in size from 5.1kWp to 50kWp and are predicted to negate the emission of over 25 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. The solar arrays were installed to help the new healthcare centres achieve a BREEAM standard of ‘excellent’. The solar arrays are estimated to save Great Harwood Health Centre, Clitheroe Community Hospital and Cole Health Centre almost £4,000 a year on energy bills.
Solar Portal 17th Dec 2014 read more »
Decentralised Energy
An energy revolution is underway across the globe, and the old order is running scared. Big energy firms, once the greatest beneficiaries of liberalised electricity markets, are suddenly seeing their profit margins slump, their very futures imperilled. The traditional privatised utility model that has reigned supreme for twenty-five years is being rapidly undermined. The effects are being felt most strongly in Germany and the US – but increasingly Britain’s Big Six energy firms are also under threat. In short, the Big Six are on the run. What’s causing them to take fright is the disruptive power of renewable energy – particularly small-scale renewables owned by lots of people. The reasons for this are actually quite simple, but seldom explained. The first reason is that the Big Six are facing a growing army of competitors. When the utilities were first privatised in the 1980s, they portrayed themselves as the face of a new popular capitalism. The famous ‘Tell Sid’ adverts of the Thatcher years caught the mood as thousands of people bought up shares in the new energy companies. But as the electricity market developed the number of shareholders and firms dwindled and ossified into the small oligopoly of suppliers that exist today. Dogged by numerous scandals, from doorstop mis-selling to accusations of price-fixing and competition inquiries, the Big Six today are hugely unpopular: purveyors of expensive electricity that’s dirty to boot.
Renew Economy 17th Dec 2014 read more »
Solar Funding
Solarcentury has teamed up with ethical investment platform Abundance Generation to enable businesses to benefit from cheap solar energy through crowdfunding.
Edie 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Solar Portal 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Business Green 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Solar Cloth
A firm is seeking funding to further develop a lightweight photovoltaic material that can be applied to any surface. The Solar Cloth Company says that its flexible thin film photovoltaic (FTFP) could provide an alternative to traditional photovoltaic (PV) panels and could unleash the potential of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
Modern Power Systems 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Windy Industrial Estates
A study to map the wind energy potential of Scottish commercial sites has identified 740 locations that could cut their power costs and reduce their carbon footprints by installing wind turbines. Research based on government figures carried out by Airborne Energy has found the Mayfield Industrial Estate in Dalkeith, Midlothian, to be the windiest commercial estate in Scotland.
Business Green 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Energy Storage
A £19m battery storage project thought to be Europe’s largest has gone live, as part of a two-year trial exploring the potential benefits of electricity storage for local networks and the UK grid. The fully automated 6MW/10MWh “big battery” installed at a sub-station in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, is housed in a building the size of three tennis courts and is able to power more than 27,000 homes for an hour, or 1,100 homes for a whole day during periods of low demand.
Business Green 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Renewable Energy Focus 15th Dec 2014 read more »
Norfolk Solar Farm
London-based developer, Solarcentury is extending an existing 14.8MWp solar farm site at Hardingham in Norfolk with an extra 5.3MW. The developer states that the extension will be connected to the grid during February 2015 – in time to be eligible for support under the renewable obligation before it is scrapped for solar farms over 5MW.
Solar Portal 15th Dec 2014 read more »
Solar Farming
Solar farms help “deliver secure income to farmers”, according to Guy Smith, vice president of the National Farmers’ Union. Smith said that solar farms help farmers insure against “volatile weather and commodity markets” whilst simultaneously providing “good environments for wildlife and pollinators.” Smith made the comments in support of the new study being launched by Lightsource Renewable Energy, Moulton College and the University of Northampton. Dr James Littlemore, senior lecturer in land and environmental management at Moulton College said that he hopes the new study will provide solid information for farmers considering investing in on-site renewables.
Solar Portal 15th Dec 2014 read more »
Coalfields Regeneration
The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has invested £135k in sustainable energy, setting up two wind turbines at Rotherham’s Dearne Valley College. The college will be able to power a full building once the turbines are up and running. They will reportedly generate 20kWp of energy from natural resources every year, the equivalent to five times that required for an average family home. The project will create a sustainable energy source that will save the college much needed funds that would otherwise have been spent on utility bills.
BDaily 15th Dec 2014 read more »
Solar Garden Centre
Thirsk Garden Centre has installed 200 solar panels, which will generate 50 kilowatts of power following the installation by Dresser-Solar, also based in Thirsk.
York Press 15th Dec 2014 read more »
AD Tax Breaks
The removal of tax breaks for investments in anaerobic digestion threatens £130m of potential investment and could undermine a government push to boost use of the green energy technology on farms, the industry has warned. As part of this month’s Autumn Statement, Chancellor George Osborne announced anaerobic digestion (AD) and hydropower projects would not be eligible for relief under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) from April 2015, with the exception of community energy projects.
Business Green 15th Dec 2014 read more »
Efficiency Behaviour
At the heart of the smart meter roll-out is the desire to help put customers back in control of their energy. The expectation is that as people begin to see how much energy their appliances are using, they’ll begin to change their behaviour accordingly. It’s certainly been our experience that as customers understand more about where their energy comes from, and ‘connect’ with it, they’ll value it more and use it less. This isn’t just anecdotal either – research we’ve carried out among some of our Feed-in Tariff customers shows that there’s a correlation for many of them between installing their own solar PV panels and changing the way they view their consumption. In our recent survey, 57 per cent of the 3,500+ respondents said they now value their energy more so tended to use it less. A whopping 84 per cent said they now tried to use their appliances while the sun was shining. Interestingly, since having solar installed, many people said they’d also taken additional energy saving steps, with more than a third buying new smart heating controls, 87 per cent improving their home insulation and 83 per cent investing in more efficient lighting.
Business Green 15th Dec 2014 read more »
Solar Futures
Solar power has a sunny future – even without any major breakthroughs, writes Ralph Gottschalg. There are huge gains to be made simply by getting smarter and using existing technologies more effectively. A new report shows that – given political support – solar PV could be competitive in the UK by 2020.
Ecologist 12th Dec 2014 read more »