Heat pumps
Glasgow’s Star Renewable Energy has been dubbed as the “most eye-catching of exhibits” at an energy conference being held next month in the city. Star Renewable Energy will feature as key home-grown innovator at the event, following the release of its groundbreaking Neatpump technology. Designed in conjunction with Glasgow Housing Association (GHA), WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff and Scottish Gas, the industrial scale 700kW low carbon district heating solution is 8 metres long and hits temperatures over 60 degrees Celsius. This pushes the boundaries of current heating solutions, and allows the air source heat pump to provide three units of heat for each unit of energy consumed.
Scottish Energy News 22nd April 2016 read more »
Rolls Royce goes Solar
Engineering group Rolls-Royce is planning a full-scale roll-out of energy efficiency initiatives and low-carbon technologies across its international estate, including the installation of a giant rooftop solar system at one of its largest UK factories.
Edie 22nd April 2016 read more »
Hydrogen Storage
A new project is set to examine the potential for storing hydrogen and hydrogen gas mixtures in salt caverns, in a bid to keep them as an energy reserve for use at times of peak electricity demand. The project, which was launched yesterday by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), aims to understand the challenges and opportunities of using the stores, which could provide a source of fuel for gas turbines during periods of peak demand. The ETI said it was currently seeking partners to work on the project.
Business Green 22nd April 2016 read more »
Ecotricity
Ecotricity, Britain’s leading green energy company, has swooped to acquire the home rooftop solar business of Sun Edison, which has gone bankrupt in the US. Before exiting the UK, Sun Edison had built a portfolio of nearly a thousand rooftop solar installations, a product known as the Energy Saver Plan. Dale Vince, Ecotricity founder, said: “This is an exciting and important step for Ecotricity. As a company, we want to help more people generate their own power at home.
Scottish Energy News 22nd April 2016 read more »
Solar Portal 21st April 2016 read more »
Solar Costs
Solar module prices are becoming “ever more competitive” in the UK as manufacturers continue to vie for market share despite decreasing deployment, Trina Solar senior sales manager Richard Rushin has said. Speaking to Solar Power Portal ahead of next week’s Clean Energy Summit, sponsored by Trina Solar, Rushin said that the battle for market share in the UK had intensified with less solar capacity being deployed under the new subsidy regimes, and this had resulted in price pressures increasing.
Solar Portal 21st April 2016 read more »
Solarcentury
Recent studies by the in-house research team at Solar Media’s Market Intelligence team can now exclusively reveal that Solarcentury has become the first company to install more than 500MW of solar PV capacity within the UK. While much of this growth has come in the past couple of years during the solar farm boom in the UK, Solarcentury is also the only major solar PV installer today that was around during the pre-FiT days before 2010. Others entered the market during 2010 and 2011, and have seen strong growth in the past few years, but the number of installers active in both pre and post FiT/ROC subsidy phases is likely to be very few, in particular those having installed capacity levels above 100MW.
Solar Portal 21st April 2016 read more »
Bristol Energy Co-op
We’re excited to share that this week we signed agreements that add £3.95 million of funding for our community energy projects. This takes the total raised since its November launch to £9 million. This sum is being used to add 9.3 MWp of community-owned solar generation capacity to the UK’s grid. Upon construction of its final array in June 2016 we’ll become the UK’s largest generator of community energy. Our portfolio, including projects under development, includes a 4.6 MWp operational ground array at Puriton. Somerset, around 20 roof-top arrays on community buildings across Bristol, and a 4.2 MWp site at Lawrence Weston, which is starting construction and due for completion in June. This new wave of finance comes from Triodos Bank, Bristol City Council and Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC) and will be used specifically to fund the construction of the Lawrence Weston solar farm. This adds to £2.34 million already raised through crowdfunded bond and share offers, and £2.68 million from Close Brothers Bank. We have two crowdfunded offers currently open for public investment.
Bristol Energy Co-op 21st April 2016 read more »
Solar Theft
At least 180 solar panels have been stolen from a farm in Cambridgeshire, according to local police. Cambridgeshire Constabulary is calling for witnesses following the theft from a field near High Road in Newton, which is thought to have taken place overnight on 13 April.
Solar Portal 21st April 2016 read more »
Green Gas
A new report by the Renewable Energy Association has outlined the potential for Britain to produce the equivalent of more than 45 LNG tankers’ worth of renewable natural gas (in the form of biomethane) per year by 2035. Last year, the UK’s biomethane industry was the fastest growing in the world, and by the end of this year, will produce the equivalent of four LNG tankers worth of gas yearly, which it injects directly into the UK’s natural gas grid. Current levels of biomethane production support the heating and cooking needs of up to 100,000 homes. Biomethane is a renewable gas identical in chemical composition to natural gas, the fossil fuel. There already exists an extensive natural gas transportation and distribution grid in the UK. A total of 50 biomethane projects were completed by the end of 2015, with an additional 15 expected to be completed in 2016.
Scottish Energy News 21st April 2016 read more »
As the REA’s latest report shows, the UK has the potential to rapidly expand its green gas sector – but only if ministers seize the opportunity. Few things infuriate the renewable energy sector more than the differing levels of ministerial enthusiasm reserved for clean energy and the UK’s still largely hypothetical fracking industry. And nowhere are such comparisons more apposite than in discussions of the nascent green gas industry. As Dr Kiara Zennaro, head of UK Biogas, a sector group of the Renewable Energy Association, notes today, “while the government for years has touted the ‘fracking revolution’, biomethane is actually getting on with the job of increasing our domestic gas production while decarbonising supply”. The REA’s new report on the UK’s nascent biogas sector details an industry of enormous potential, which could yet play a major role in delivering on the country’s climate change and energy security strategies.
Business Green 20th April 2016 read more »
A new report by the Renewable Energy Association has outlined the potential for Britain to produce the equivalent of more than 45 LNG tankers’ worth of renewable natural gas (in the form of biomethane) per year by 2035. Last year, the UK’s biomethane industry was the fastest growing in the world, and by the end of this year, will produce the equivalent of four LNG tankers worth of gas yearly, which it injects directly into the UK’s natural gas grid. Current levels of biomethane production support the heating and cooking needs of up to 100,000 homes. Biomethane is a renewable gas identical in chemical composition to natural gas, the fossil fuel. There already exists an extensive natural gas transportation and distribution grid in the UK. A total of 50 biomethane projects were completed by the end of 2015, with an additional 15 expected to be completed in 2016. If the industry’s growth to 2035 reaches expectations, the UK’s production of biomethane will be 2.4 times greater than the volume of LNG that was imported by both the Dragon (Milford Haven) and Isle of Grain terminals in 2014. Such production could result in the UK being able to reduce its LNG imports by over a quarter (from 2014 levels).
Scottish Energy News 20th April 2016 read more »
Byker Solar
As part of the £26m refurbishment scheme of the Grade II listed Byker Wall Estate, which features a continuous block of over 600 properties, work was performed to not only repair the existing roof, but to bring Byker Wall to the forefront of modern-day roofing technology with the installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system.
RCI 20th April 2016 read more »
Energy Efficiency
Shadow energy minister Alan Whitehead has warned that early signs suggest the replacement scheme for the Energy Company Obligation (Eco) and Green Deal “won’t be good enough”. Whitehead, who is a member of the Energy and Climate Change Committee, told Utility Week: “The good news, I suppose, is that there is a programme at all, because for a while it looked like there wasn’t going to be a replacement Eco.” However, he added, the bad news is “it doesn’t look like it’s going to be anything like even the level of Eco”. He said: “All we’ve got at the moment is the Autumn statement announcement on what Eco might look like post 2017 – [a value of] £640 million per year and a general target of 200,000 homes treated per year up until 2021. “That represents roughly a 40 per cent fall on what was Eco expenditure previously, and a much larger fall on what will be the number of houses treated.”
Utility Week 20th April 2016 read more »
Scottish Strategy
SNP’s new Scottish energy strategy includes more solar power and possible state-owned community renewables company. The SNP manifesto vows to introduce a range of new political ‘goodies’ in Scotland’s renewable energy industry if re-elected to government in next month’s Scottish parliament elections. The party / government aims to develop an ambitious new Scottish Energy Strategy for the new parliamentary session and the one beyond that to make electricity ‘cleaner, more affordable and more secure’ for all consumers. The strategy will take a “whole system view” and will encompass: – Demand reduction; Energy efficiency; A balanced energy generation mix; A role for storage, and Requirements for a low carbon transition in transport and heat use. The strategy will carefully consider the suggestion from a renewable industry trade association to set a target of 50% of all Scottish energy to come from renewables by 2030. We will continue to support new wave energy technology through Wave Energy Scotland and the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. We will work closely with the Solar Trade Association to advance proposals for expanding solar energy in Scotland. And we will also continue to promote biomass as a good use of our forestry products for energy.
Scottish Energy News 20th April 2016 read more »
Scottish community energy projects would experience a huge surge under another Scottish National Party (SNP) led government after the party set out wide ranging plans to boost community schemes in its manifesto, published yesterday. The 76 page document promises a number of new SNP policies designed to promote community ownership schemes, including the pledge to argue for Scottish control of its share of feed-in tariffs to help promote community ownership schemes. By 2020, an SNP government would also ensure at least half of newly consented renewable energy projects will have an element of shared ownership, with plans for 1GW of schemes like these by the end of the Parliament and 2GW by 2030.
Solar Portal 21st April 2016 read more »
Aviva
Aviva Insurance has moved one step closer to its goal of using 100% renewable energy to meet its electricity demand after installing solar panels on three of its UK buildings. The new installations at the Perth (114kWp), Norwich (184kWp) and Bristol (244kWp) offices will enable Aviva to reduce its reliance on the national grid as well as contribute towards the organisation’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions. All three installations have been successfully installed and commissioned by Solarcentury and are already providing clean energy directly into the buildings to power lighting, office equipment and call centre operations in the Perth and Norwich locations.
Solar Portal 21st April 2016 read more »
Aviva has invested in rooftop solar PV systems across three of its UK sites as part of the investment providor’s commitment to use 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025. The PV panels, totalling 2,000 modules, will produce 445,000kWh of on-site energy a year for the next 25 years at Aviva’s offices in Norwich and Bristol in England, and Perth in Scotland. Designed and installed by Solarcentury, the solar systems will be directly used to power lighting and office equipment within the buildings. All of the installations qualify for feed-in tariff subsidies, having been registered before the 15 January reduction in tariff rates.
Edie 19th April 2016 read more »
The Solar Trade Association has taken action to correct an inaccurate statement made by a UK Government energy minister about the economics of the industry. Lord Bourne, the Energy Minister in the House of Lords, told the Commons select committee on energy that solar no longer requires economic support or subsidies. But a Solar Trade Association spokesman said: “Lightsource have explained that subsidy-free installations can only be viable in niche applications where a ground-mounted solar power plant can be practically linked via private wire to a commercial building to replace high cost retail electricity, where low-cost finance is available and where the company is able to commit to a long-term power purchase agreement.
Scottish Energy News 20th April 2016 read more »
Nottingham Monitoring
EkkoSense has been selected by Nottingham City Council to supply a monitoring system for over 3,000 solar installations. Nottingham City Council has an extensive solar panel programme across its council houses – managed by Nottingham City Homes – and EkkoSense’s web-based monitoring system will check each of the council’s solar installations daily, providing all of the information needed to claim income generated by the solar panels along with detailed performance data analytics.
Energy Business Review 19th April 2016 read more »
Mongoose Energy
Community energy group Mongoose Energy intends to launch its energy supply business before the end of the year after plans accelerated in recent months. Solar Power Portal reported in December that Mongoose was preparing a supply business for late 2016, however the company this morning revealed fresh details of their plans. A senior management team is currently being assembled and will be revealed later this quarter, while launch tariffs will be announced in Q3 2016 prior to a full launch later this year. When open for business, Mongoose is expected to become the first energy supplier majority owned by community energy groups and Jan-Willem Bode, chief executive at Mongoose Energy, said the project had “the potential to transform the nature of energy ownership”.
Solar Portal 19th April 2016 read more »
Renewable Heat
The biomass industry has called on the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to re-examine its proposed reforms to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) set out last month. At a conference on the future of renewable heat, biomass supplier Billington Bioenergy’s strategy director Ed Billington said the reforms had given the industry “major causes for concern”. “The first is that the reforms are built on some assumptions that we simply don’t recognise,” he said. “The second is that biomass is somehow a transition and not a strategic technology. This does not reflect the experience throughout the rest of the world. “The third assumption that was made is that biomass is not cost effective.” Billington said that the current RHI will affect millions of rural customers by “defectively locking them into only fossil fuels for the foreseeable future”.
Edie 18th April 2016 read more »
Commercial Rooftop Solar
Large-scale commercial rooftops have continued to deploy impressively under the new feed-in tariff regime despite a 10% degression occuring after the previous cap was breached. Statistics released by Ofgem on Friday afternoon revealed that deployment under the 50kW+ band reached 6.8MW, just under half (48%) the total 14.5MW cap for the period 1 April to 30 June. A total of 5.43MW was carried over from the previous cap meaning that 1.37MW has been deployed in the first two weeks of the current cap. With more than two months of the period remaining just 7.7MW of capacity is allowed under the capping mechanism.
Solar Portal 18th April 2016 read more »
Renewables – solar
Scottish Solar Power is to build a new solar farm for ABP plc in north-west England – which will generate up to 220,000 kWh. The solar panels will be linked to the network which powers the port estate, providing sustainable energy and cutting the port’s carbon footprint. Surplus electricity will be exported to the national grid. A total of 960 solar panels are due to be installed on the northern side of Marshall Dock, adjacent to Carr’s Flour Mill at Port of Silloth, near Carlisle. Work will be completed in the coming months.
Scottish Energy News 19th April 2016 read more »
Fuel Cells
Researchers have developed a miniature fuel cell costing as little as £1 that can generate electricity from urine. The device, a microbial fuel cell, could be used to create a renewable and carbon-neutral way of generating power to remote areas at very little cost. Each of the fuel cells, developed by researchers at the University of Bath, Queen Mary University of London and the Bristol Bioenergy Centre, costs £1 to £2. Microbial fuel cells use natural biological processes of “electric” bacteria to turn organic matter, such as urine, into electricity. Urine passes through the microbial fuel cell for this reaction to happen, with the bacteria then generating electricity.
Scotsman 18th April 2016 read more »
Island Energy
A Hebridean community has been granted planning permission for a small wind farm that would provide power for their island. Canna is the most westerly of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides with a population of less than 30 people. The island, which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, has no mains electricity and residents and holidaymakers have to rely on power provided by three diesel generators, which do not run all the time.
Press & Journal 16th April 2016 read more »
Fuel Poverty
George Osborne has overruled energy minister Amber Rudd by vetoing changes to the government’s £320m scheme tackling fuel poverty that would have targeted it better at the neediest families, leaked emails show. Rudd is often regarded as a close ally of the chancellor, but the two clashed during March over changes to the warm home discount (WHD), which is administered by energy providers and provides a £140 rebate to help poorer households pay their bills. Emails from the energy secretary’s advisers said: “Amber feels very strongly about getting this right and it is central to our message on getting help to the most vulnerable rather than the middle class”. Rudd wanted to use data held by the Department of Work and Pensions to ensure that the limited pot of cash went to households in genuine fuel poverty – and she had hoped to make an announcement on the idea last month. But when her advisers raised the proposals with the Treasury, they were firmly told the chancellor was “unconvinced of the need to change a system that works”, despite the fact that, as energy department insiders pointed out, just 15% of people who receiving the discount are fuel poor.
Guardian 16th April 2016 read more »
MORAY has 23,800 cold homes with people living in conditions that could cause ill health. Figures released by the Existing Homes Alliance – a coalition of housing, environmental and industry organisations – showed 43 per cent of households in the area were living in fuel poverty. The group is calling on all political parties to commit to ridding the country of cold homes by 2025.
Northern Scot 16th April 2016 read more »
Reading Community Solar
A renewable energy company is planning on fitting schools, churches and charity buildings across Reading with solar panels but needs to sell its shares first. Reading Community Energy has already fitted photovoltaic solar panels on six public buildings in Reading but it has plans to install them on many more. It is working closely to Reading Borough Council, Energy4All and Berkshire Energy Pioneers to try and deliver this project but it requires captial. Director Ton Cowling said: “We plan to put solar panels on community buildings in Reading and to generate funds for the local community. “This will be achieved with a community share offer, giving priority to residents and workers in Reading.
Get Reading 16th April 2016 read more »
Public Opinion
A poll of 2,876 British homeowners suggests the way we power our properties could spark the biggest change in our lifestyles. More than 84% of those who took part thought energy would come from ‘more sustainable sources’, with a further 61% believing that UK homes will become more ‘self-sufficient/independent’.
Independent 15th April 2016 read more »
Solar Feet
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has responded to the recent spate of job losses in the solar industry by insisting the sector must “stand on its own two feet”. Earlier this week Lightsource, the UK’s largest solar developer, announced that as many as 80 jobs – a quarter of its full-time workforce – were to be “reconsidered” following a strategic review of the business launched after a string of subsidy cuts.
Solar Portal 14th April 2016 read more »
Transparent Solar
Commuters in London’s Canary Wharf will now be able to wait for their bus at one of the world’s most technologically cutting-edge bus stops, with the unveiling of a new bus shelter featuring transparent solar PV glazing. The bus shelter, which was officially opened this week by Green Party Mayoral candidate Sian Berry, was designed and developed by Polysolar Ltd in partnership with street furniture supplier Marshalls.
Business Green 12th April 2016 read more »