News archive
Edinburgh Heat Plan
Scottish Power has been running a consultation about the idea of replacing
Cockenzie
coal-fired power station with a CCGT gas-fired station. This would be an ideal time for the City of
Edinburgh Council to dust off the CHP feasibility study produced by a consortium,
formed in 1984, of various organisation, including Edinburgh District Council.
So we thought we'd dust off the SCRAM Safe Energy Journal article Edinburgh
Heat Plans written by Councillor Richard Kerley in 1987.
No2nuclearpower.org.uk 21st Aug 2009 more >>
Picture shows members of the Edinburgh
Community Energy Co-operative
on a visit to one of Edinburgh
University's CHP scheme.
week ending 21 August 2009
Edinburgh Heat Plan
Scottish Power has been running a consultation about the idea of replacing Cockenzie coal-fired power station with a CCGT gas-fired station. This would be an ideal time for the City of Edinburgh Council to dust off the CHP feasibility study produced by a consortium, formed in 1984, of various organisation, including Edinburgh District Council. So we thought we’d dust off the SCRAM Safe Energy Journal article Edinburgh Heat Plans written by Councillor Richard Kerley in 1987.
No2nuclearpower.org.uk 21st Aug 2009 more >>
Heat Pump Strategy
The Government has acknowledged that heat pumps will play an important role in achieving its ambitious renewable energy targets for 2020. In its latest Renewable Energy Strategy document the Government says by 2020 12% of all heating in the UK should be delivered from renewable sources, principally heat pumps and biomass boilers. That amounts to a total of 72tWhs of heating or the equivalent of heating over 4 million households. The Government projects that between 40 and 50% of all renewable heating could be coming from heat pump systems by 2020 with the balance mostly coming from biomass systems and biogas. Both ground and air source systems are seen to have a role with a roughly 50-50 split between the two technologies being anticipated by 2020.
Plumbing Park 21st Aug 2009 more >>
Community Wind
WHEN 150 delegates attend Scotland’s First Community Energy Conference at Stirling University next week, they will hear of plans by three Lewis communities - South Shawbost, Dalbeg and Dalmore - to develop their community-owned wind turbine
Stornoway Gazette 20th Aug 2009 more >>
Arty Renewables
Coed Hills Rural Artspace in the Vale of Glamorgan has a wind turbine and solar panels tp provide electricity and heat. A biomass boiler burns wood that fuels the under floor heating inside one of the barns. Solar panels heat water for the outdoor showers and there’s even compost toilets.
BBC 20th Aug 2009 more >>
Traffic Lights go Green
Traffic lights at 300 junctions across London are to be made permanently “ green” after the mayor yesterday announced plans to install energy-saving LEDs at 3,500 traffic lights. Boris Johnson said Transport for London (TfL) will install more than 10,000 LEDs, each of which is expected to cut energy use and carbon emissions by 60 per cent compared to existing bulbs.
Guardian 20th Aug 2009 more >>
Low Carbon Economy 21st Aug 2009 more >>
Eco-town Consultation
A new consultation is set to take place regarding the building of new eco-towns in the UK. The Communities and Local Government (CLG) department has requested responses to its proposals, which have been outlined in a new review. Between now and 2011, £60 million of government funding will be used to build the eco-towns and individuals and businesses have the chance to suggest how these funds will be allocated.
Low Carbon Economy 20th Aug 2009 more >>
Whisky CHP
Biomass to power company Helius Energy plc has announced a £50 million proposal to use whisky distillery by-products to fuel a biomass combined heat and power plant.
New Energy Focus 19th Aug 2009 more >>
Oxford Turbine
A city council has become the first in England and Wales to commit to having a commercial-scale wind turbine on its land. Oxford unveiled a potential site and aims to submit a planning application by 2011. Environmental campaigners hope the move will prompt other local authorities across England and Wales to follow Oxford’s lead.
AOL News 19th Aug 2009 more >>
Local Government Chronicle 20th Aug 2009 more >>
24 Dash 20th Aug 2009 more >>
New Energy Focus 20th Aug 2009 more >>
Solar Profit
From August until April of 2010, homeowners can take advantage of two overlapping Government incentives encouraging people to generate their own electricity. Households that install a solar PV system in this window period will be able to access a grant of up to £2,500 and also benefit from £1,000 a year when the “clean energy cash back” scheme, announced in the recent consultation paper, is launched.
Solar Century 20th Aug 2009 more >>
Solar Supply
Half of all photovoltaic (PV) solar panels made across the world this year will not be sold in 2009 due to massive oversupply, a new report has claimed.
New Energy Focus 20th Aug 2009 more >>
Solar US
Most manufacturers around the world see the US as the next big thing for solar. A recent report by Pike Research, the clean technology research group, says the US could well lead the solar industry by 2014. It is currently the fourth largest, behind Germany, Spain and Japan. In anticipation of a boom there, a string of companies have in the past year moved into the US.
FT 19th Aug 2009 more >>
Scottish Green Energy Centre
The Scottish European Green Energy Centre (SEGEC) at the University of Aberdeen was officially opened yesterday by Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, alongside the announcement that the centre has secured £1.6m in EU funding to add to the £1m investment promised by the Scottish government over the next three years. The centre will work on the development of a range of low carbon energy technologies, including marine energy, offshore wind, long-distance super grid development, carbon capture and storage, renewable heat and energy efficiency, and will particularly focus on building links with the business community.
Business Green 18th Aug 2009 more >>
Certification
The BBA (British Board of Agrement) has achieved UKAS accreditation for microgeneration products and services. It is a requirement of the UK’s Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) that certification bodies offering approvals of products and installers hold accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation service (UKAS).
The Glazine 18th Aug 2009 more >>
Micro-CHP etc
There are three exciting new technologies that can help you heat your home this winter with less, or perhaps even no oil or gas. Each of these systems will pay for itself in just a small period of time, and after that you keep all the savings you reap on lower oil and gas bills. Each of these three products, condensing boilers, micro chp systems, and ground source heat pumps are already in widespread use around the globe.
Air cooled heat exchangers 18th Aug 2009 more >>
Rooftop Wind US
Does rooftop wind power have a future? Preston Koerner reports today that four new wind turbines are going up atop a 22-story building in downtown Portland. At first glance, it doesn’t sound like a great deal: The turbines cost $40,000 in all and will satisfy just 1 percent of the building’s electricity needs. But the developers at the helm of the project say they’re mostly just interested in testing out the concept at this stage.
New Republic 18th Aug 2009 more >>
Rural Heat Tax?
Calor, which supplies liquefied petroleum gas to 500,000 households in country areas not on mains gas, said it was alarmed by Ministers’ backing for what amounted to a “country heating tax”. The Government’s Renewable Energy Strategy will penalise families living in the countryside and force many more rural households into fuel poverty. A new energy tax, to fund the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), along with other measures will add up to a massive 35% to the cost of rural heating bills.
Plumbing Park 18th Aug 2009 more >>
VAT call
VAT should be removed entirely from energy-efficient household appliances and a car industry-style scrappage scheme introduced to encourage upgrades to greener products, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said today. The retail lobby group called on the chancellor to revisit prime minister Gordon Brown’s high-profile proposals for a cut in VAT on green goods, which were set out in 2007 only to be subsequently sidelined by the government.
Business Green 17th Aug 2009 more >>
British Gas Funding
Local groups in need of cash and expertise for ambitious community energy projects still have time to apply for a share of a £2 million energy fund as part of the nationwide British Gas Green Streets campaign. The campaign, backed by conservationist and explorer Ben Fogle, aims to encourage innovative and green energy projects in the heart of British communities. The deadline for applications is 31 August and interested applicants can apply online.
Centrica 17th Aug 2009 more >>
Schools Help
When the Carbon Reduction Commitment kicks in next year an estimated 5,000 organisations will have to report on their emissions and take steps to reduce them or face a hefty bill. Larger schools, together with most college and university campuses, will be amongst them. This week, the Carbon Trust told edie about the free advice it can offer schools and other public sector organisations.
Edie 17th Aug 2009 more >>
Solar Slump
Fears that the solar industry will prove less resilient to the global recession than other renewable energy sectors appear increasingly well founded this week after three leading solar firms posted sizable losses. However, experts maintain that there are already signs of recovery on the horizon, while some solar outfits continue to record impressive growth despite a slump in the price of solar panels. The bad news was led by German manufacturer Q-Cells, the world’s second-largest producer of solar panels, which announced yesterday that it is to lay off 500 jobs after recording an operating loss of 47.6m (£41m) during the first half of the year.
Guardian 17th Aug 2009 more >>
Fuel Cell CHP
Earlier this year the Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG), comprised of the National Grid, electricity suppliers, OFGEM and the Government, prepared proposals for meeting the Government’s climate change and renewable energy targets for 2020. The National Grid issued a consultation document entitled Operating the Electricity Transmission Networks in 2020. It is good that electricity suppliers will be utilizing gas powered micro CHP fuel cells, starting from 2011, but hydrogen and fuel cells are not mentioned in Operating 2020 as future electrical generation and storage options. Fuel Cell Power believes that there is huge potential for efficient hydrogen fuel cell CHP systems powered by wind energy collectors, solar power or waste.
Fuel Cell Power 18th Aug 2009 more >>
Zero Carbon
Brand new homes built with ultra-modern materials and which already meet the government’s strict zero-carbon rating that all new houses will have to meet from 2016. And, crucially, they have been built to a comparable cost to conventional houses, blowing away in an instant the claims of the big housebuilders that meeting the 2016 target will entail huge cost and put up property prices.
Observer 16th Aug 2009 more >>
Micro-CHP
Micro Combined heat and power generation system if operated on natural gas provides very high energy efficiencies. The generated low voltage electrical power can be used to supplement the home electrical energy supply which is generally about 27% to 35% of the total home energy usage. But by far the reason people are over enthusiastic about CHP s is its ability to generate large amounts of thermal energy usable for space heating.
Ways to reduce energy footprint 16th Aug 2009 more >>
Micro CHP and feed-in tariffs
In July 2009 the UK Government released a range of policy documents setting out its plans to move to a low carbon economy. Most importantly for Ceramic Fuel Cells, the Government has announced that from April 2010 a feed-in tariff will be paid for small low emission generators, including natural gas micro combined heat and power (mCHP) products. The consultation paper noted that: “A new system of Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) will provide support aimed at small low-carbon generators. This will open up low-carbon electricity generation beyond the traditional energy companies, making it more cost effective for communities and householders to take part.”
Ceramic Fuel Cells 15th Aug 2009 more >>
Hydro Plan
ARETIRED civil servant’s bid to use a stream to generate power for his home has won the go-ahead from planners. Bob Hull wants to install a hydro turbine in an existing stone-built weir across the Cockshaw Burn, which runs past the garden of his home in Hexham.
Newcastle Journal 15th Aug 2009 more >>
Solar School Bid
NICK Baker, presenter of the BBC’s Really Wild Show, is backing a school in its bid to secure £39,000 to install solar panels. Nick, who lives in Chagford, is getting behind Chagford Primary School which wants to put 64 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on two roofs. This will reduce fuel bills and carbon emissions and create a sustainable source of energy.
Exeter Express and Echo 14th Aug 2009 more >>
Community Renewables
MORE than 150 delegates are expected to attend a community energy conference at Stirling University this month. The audience will include representatives from community groups across Scotland who are interested in benefiting from their own renewable energy installations. The first day of the conference is funded by the Communities And Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), which replaced the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative in April. Marion O’Hara of Community Energy Scotland, which runs CARES, said: “This event is about inviting folk to come and hear what other communities are currently doing.
Stirling Observer 14th Aug 2009 more >>
Blairgowrie Hydro
BLAIRGOWRIE could benefit from ‘green’ power if plans to harness the power of the River Ericht gain planning approval. The Blairgowrie And Rattray Regeneration Company (BARRC) want to create a small hydro electric scheme from Oakbank Mill Lade at Keithbank Weir.for a small hydro electric turbine generator within the Oakbank Mill Lade Keithbank Weir.
Perthshire Advertiser 14th Aug 2009 more >>
Heat Pump Grant
A Northamptonshire business has received funding from the Sustainable Construction innovation Network (iNet) to help develop a new and clean way to heat buildings. Cool Planet, based in Higham Ferrers, provides renewable energy solutions and systems to domestic and commercial clients across the UK. Steve Gray who runs Cool Planet, believes that ground sourced energy is the best way to heat buildings.
East Midlands Development Agency 14th Aug 2009 more >>
Shine Zero Carbon Network
A Derbyshire business has received funding through the Sustainable Construction innovation Network (iNet) to help develop its unique range of heating and energy systems. East Midlands Renewable Energy Ltd (EMRE Ltd), based in Derby, is an engineering consultancy specialising in integrated control of renewable and sustainable energy systems for domestic and commercial properties. The £3,000 Innovation Support Grant will help to finance EMRE Ltd’s involvement in the Sustainable Housing Innovation Network of Excellence (SHINE) and, specifically, the SHINE-Zero Carbon (SHINE-ZC) demonstration project.
East Midland Development Agency 14th Aug 2009 more >>
The Engineer 18th Aug 2009 more >>
Business East Midlands 18th Aug 2009 more >>
