News archive
Wicklow Sun
Solar Thermal panels (evacuated tubes) on a new housing estate in Bray, County Wicklow. At least three other houses were spotted with panels of different types, suggesting they were installed by the home owners rather than the builders. Perhaps Wicklow Solar had something to do with these panels.
week ending 16 October 2009
Micro-users group
A SHETLAND environmental campaigner has invited islanders with experience of green energy systems to help him set up a users’ group to share information.
Shetland News 16th Oct 2009 more >>
Tesco Biomass
Supermarket giant Tesco has entered into an agreement with MGT Power’s proposed Tees Renewable Energy Plant that would see the facility supply 100% of the power required by the retailer’s 1.2 million square foot Teesport warehouse.
New Energy Focus 16th Oct 2009 more >>
Eco Makeover
Only a tiny percentage of the 26 million households in the UK live in a new, fully-fitted “eco-home” but there are plenty of ways to make older houses more energy efficient.
Times 16th Oct 2009 more >>
East Midlands Coalition
South Kesteven District Council is one of ten East Midlands local authorities to join a new programme which could help them reduce their carbon emissions by 13,000 tonnes a year and cut their annual energy bills by £2million or more. The East Midlands Carbon Management Programme has been launched by the Carbon Trust and the East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnership (EMIEP) to help the ten authorities work together over the next three months and develop action plans to reduce their carbon footprints.
South Kesteven District Council 15th Oct 2009 more >>
Nottingham Solar Scheme
A COMMUNITY group which wants to convert an abandoned pub into an eco-restaurant and coffee shop has been awarded around £140,000. The Meadows Partnership Trust will use part of the cash from the British Gas Green Streets energy fund to install solar panels on the roof of the former Toll Bridge Pub.
Nottingham Evening Post 15th Oct 2009 more >>
Peterborough Project
A Peterborough project which aims to create a “green” haven has installed wind and solar energy on its site – thanks to a much-needed cash boost.
Peterborough Evening Telegraph 15th Oct 2009 more >>
Yorkshire Project
ONE of Britain’s leading authorities on fuel poverty is working with community groups in Yorkshire to develop schemes that could cut fuel bills and protect the environment. Mr Goulbourne has also offered advice to the team behind a hydro electric scheme in Settle, North Yorkshire, and a community renewable energy group based in Otley, West Yorkshire.
Yorkshire Post 15th Oct 2009 more >>
Environment Agency joins 10 10
The agency will look at building wind turbines on its land and review its use of water pumps – one of the organisation’s main energy costs.
Guardian 15th Oct 2009 more >>
Thames Gateway
New technologies and initiatives for homes and businesses in the Thames Gateway to tackle climate change will be tried out in the country’s first eco-quarter, Thames Gateway Minister Shahid Malik announced today. The Thames Gateway is designated an eco-region and the eco-quarter will provide the first real exemplar of the standards Government aspires to achieve throughout that region.
Department of Communities and Local Government 15th Oct 2009 more >>
Feed-in Tariff Consultation Ends
As the consultation on feed-in tariff subsidies for renewable energy generation draws to a close today (October 15), bodies representing the renewable energy sector have called for more equality in the proposed tariffs and higher subsidies for some technologies, such as small-scale wind.
New Energy Focus 15th Oct 2009 more >>
The government’s consultation on its ‘Clean Energy Cash Back’ scheme closed today amid widespread anxiety that the current proposals will not attract sufficient investment to achieve even the government’s un-ambitious target of 2% of electricity from local renewables by 2020.
eGov Monitor 15th Oct 2009 more >>
The (BWEA) is calling for changes to the feed-in tariff system proposed by the UK government as part of a consultation exercise on financial incentives to boost renewable energy generation in the country.
Business Green 15th Oct 2009 more >>
WAG Building
A new £20m assembly government base in Aberystwyth has been officially opened by First Minister Rhodri Morgan.The office has been designed with the environment in mind with power and heat being generated using wind turbines, solar panels and a biomass heater, which is shared with neighbours Ceredigion council.
BBC 15th Oct 2009 more >>
Decentralise London
The Mayor of London has today (October 14) detailed steps to boost locally generated energy to cut carbon emissions, create ‘green collar’ jobs’ and save money off fuel bills.
New Energy Focus 14th Oct 2009 more >>
Nottingham Funds
A COMMUNITY group has been awarded around £140,000 to convert an abandoned pub into an eco-restaurant and coffee shop. The Meadows Partnership Trust also plans to assess 100 homes for energy efficiency measures and to provide renewable energy installations, such as solar panels and insulation to 20 of the most vulnerable households. The group found out last night it had been successful in its bid from the British Gas Green Streets energy fund.
Nottingham Evening Post 14th Oct 2009 more >>
CRC
The Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) energy efficiency scheme will lead to a sea change in office occupier decision-making, according to a Birmingham property specialist. David Tonks, head of office agency at DTZ, believes that rental values will take a back seat to emission levels when the CRC gets underway from next April. The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme is a mandatory carbon emissions reduction scheme which companies in the UK have to sign up to.
Birmingham Post 14th Oct 2009 more >>
Leeds heat
A LEEDS not-for-profit group is hoping to win £7.5m from Europe to help low-income Yorkshire households heat their homes. Community Energy Solutions (CES), based in The Calls in central Leeds, works in deprived communities to upgrade the heating and insulation of homes and install cleaner, greener and cheaper systems.
Yorkshire Evening Post 14th Oct 2009
Will feed-in tariff work?
Next April will see the introduction of the UK’s Clean Energy Cash Back (CECB) scheme or Feed-in Tariff (FIT) to the rest of Europe. This tariff will set the precedent for how solar technology is to be embraced in the UK, and how we as a nation can meet the 2020 targets set by the EU. The UK photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing industry needs to benefit from the cash back introduction. Will a tariff, already widely condemned for being set too low, kick-start the UK’s flagging manufacturing industry and put the UK back on a level playing field with its European counterparts?
New Energy Focus 13th Oct 2009 more >>
Nottingham Business
BUSINESSES in Notts got advice about going green at an information event. West Notts college renewable energy expert Jim Harvey gave firms tips on how to reduce their carbon footprint and demonstrated renewable energy products, such as small scale wind generation kits.
Nottingham Evening Post 13th Oct 2009 more >>
Green Makeovers
Council officials should visit every home on a “street by street” basis to recommend energy efficiency measures such as loft insulation, energy-saving light bulbs, double glazing and solar panels. The ‘green makeovers’ are just part of a package of radical new measures recommended by the Climate Change committee, including the introduction of road pricing, eco-driving lessons and thousands more wind turbines.
Telegraph 13th Oct 2009 more >>
London – best big city
The Mayor will establish London as a low carbon capital, with highly developed, tradable expertise, for example in retrofitting buildings, generating energy from waste, developing decentralised energy and recycling more.
Greater London Authority 12th Oct 2009 more >>
Climate Change Committee at a glance
The Committee reckons that to hit targets for domestic carbon emissions, loft and cavity wall insulation will need to be installed in 10 and 7.5 million homes respectively, while 12 million old boilers will need to be replaced by 2022. Current measures such as the CERT funding for low-income households are far too small to meet those targets, and as a result the committee is recommending a “ government-led transformation” of domestic housing stock. It argues that responsibility for energy efficiency improvements should be taken from the energy companies, and a new framework should be introduced that delivers whole house green makeovers through a street-by-street approach reminiscent of the switch to natural gas in the 1970s.
Business Green 12th Oct 2009 more >>
Edie 12th Oct 2009 more >>
Sustainability Awards
On the 24 November the Sustainability Awards will celebrate the very best examples of sustainable construction, but before we pick our winners we would like to highlight the achievements of some of the nominees and show you images of the schemes.
Building 12th Oct 2009 more >>
Padstow Renewables
A PROJECT to heat and light a community building entirely from green energy has been completed with the installation of two wind turbines. Villagers using St Eval Parish Hall near Padstow, Cornwall, can now do so in the knowledge that only renewable energy is being used to heat and light the building.
Western Morning News 12th Oct 2009 more >>
Solar
Alistair Smit, of Greenwich-based company iGen Solar, said: “Public awareness is starting to increase. But few people are aware of some important benefits. “Everyone can get £2,500 in non-means tested grants to help them install solar technology until next April. “The feed-in tariff gives you 36p for every unit of electricity you produce, even if you use the electricity yourself.
The Wharf 12th Oct 2009 more >>
Tesco Turbines
A new Tesco could be approved for Wisbech with two roof mounted turbines.
Wisbech Standard 12th Oct 2009 more >>
Somerset Hydro
A GROUND-BREAKING green energy project in the heart of the Somerset countryside has brought a disused mill back to life by harnessing the power of the River Alham.
Western Gazette 12th Oct 2009 more >>
Lincolnshire Fire Station
The first of a new generation of environmentally-friendly fire stations in Lincolnshire is ready to open. The Bardney station boasts a wind turbine to generate power and a rain-water harvesting system.
BBC 11th Oct 2009 more >>
Tony Juniper on feed-in tariffs
The sun shines in Freiburg with a similar intensity as it does in much of England yet, amazingly, there is more solar-power capacity in this one German city of 220,000 people than in the UK. Germany as a whole generates 200 times more solar power than England. This is due in no small part to so-called feed-in tariffs, which guarantee long-term premium payments for electricity generated from clean sources that is fed into a grid. Seventeen European countries have successfully adopted such a system.
Sunday Times 11th Oct 2009 more >>
Cornish Geothermal
A start-up energy company has announced plans to build a geothermal power plant in Cornwall that could feed “green” power to the UK’s commercial electricity grid by 2013. The company, London-based Geothermal Engineering, would also use the plant to provide free heat to the local community near Redruth, as part of a regeneration scheme.
Independent on Sunday 11th Oct 2009 more >>
Western Morning News 13th Oct 2009 more >>
Daily Mail 14th Oct 2009 more >>
Power from the people
A Cornish couple plan to take advantage of new rules to encourage us to generate more of our own energy. By installing a micro-hydropower plant in their stream, they hope not only to supply all their own electricity needs, but to earn up to £15,000 a year by selling the surplus back to the grid.
Sunday Times 11th Oct 2009 more >>
Dorset Chapel Renewables
A RESTORED chapel will be officially reopened on Sunday, November 1. Repairs to the roof, damp proofing, repainting and the provision of electricity via a wind turbine and solar power have all been carried out.
Western Gazette 10th Oct 2009 more >>
Aberdeenshire Hydro
Aberdeenshire Council may be taking a lead in bringing disused local micro-hydro sites back to use.
Press & Journal 10th Oct 2009 more >>
Tory Plans
Greg Clark: We will give every household in Britain a Green Deal: the right to have efficiency works that will save money on bills, immediately, by a trusted supplier like Marks and Spencer, with the costs paid out of the very much greater savings that are unleashed; creating thousands of jobs and apprenticeships. This would cut domestic energy use - and bills - by a quarter.
Telegraph 10th Oct 2009 more >>
Cumbria Green Build
ORGANISERS of Cumbria’s fourth annual Green Build Festival are to hold events in the south of the county for the first time. The festival aims to raise awareness of the opportunities to create a more sustainable future in Cumbria through clever use of buildings, prudent energy use and low carbon energy generation using renewable energy.
NW Evening Mail 10th Oct 2009 more >>
Farming Co-op
GROUP of nine beef and sheep farmers has established a co-operative to harness and sell green electricity. From 2010, Cornish Renewable Energy Ltd will generate energy from 18 wind turbines situated across its members’ land. The North Cornwall-based co-operative intends to sell excess energy generated, to neighbouring businesses and households.
Devon Herald Express 9th Oct 2009 more >>
Stonehaven
Since January 2008, a not-for-profit company have been researching opportunities to generate energy from renewable sources in the town, in order to reduce Stonehaven’s carbon footprint and create income for the benefit of the local community. On display will be some of the technology that could be used in the area such as the Archimedes’ Screw, a device that members believe could be put to use on the River Cowie to generate clean electricity for the area. Residents will also be asked for their opinions on various proposals for the future of green energy in Stonehaven at Saturday’s event.
Mearns Leader 9th Oct 2009 more >>
Inverurie Exhibition
THAINSTONE Exchange near Inverurie is holding a Natural Energy Fair on October 10. Trade stands will encompass all forms of renewable energy that can be applied to houses and small business from micro-renewable technologies, biomass boilers, solar panels, heat pump, hydro-electric turbine, small wind turbines
Inverurie Herald 9th Oct 2009 more >>
Air Source Heat Pumps
Many are aware of the efficiencies available with ground source heat pumps, yet few properties can afford the space or capital costs needed. Now the cheaper and easier to install sister technology – air source heat pumps (ASHP) – is available, with a host of manufacturers proclaiming the performance, viability and sustainability of their products. These include many traditional boiler manufacturers who have realised the potential for this technology.
Plumbing Park 9th Oct 2009 more >>
Buckingham Solar
A FUTURISTIC new extension has opened at the Chalfonts Community College. The Solar Centre is an extension of the school’s existing science department, and has been designed to look as high-tech as possible. It is hoped that the centre will soon include a bio-lab, which would be used as a sustainable green house using renewable energy for heating, power, lighting, and for running irrigation pumps.
Buckinghamshire Advertiser 9th Oct 2009 more >>
Cumbrian Advice
A new Cumbrian company says it can help homes and businesses cut their energy bills by up to 65 per cent. Eco-Logic Living, owned by Judy and Islam Pearson, offers renewable energy solutions including building assessments, grant advice, system design and installation through to servicing and after-care.
Cumberland News 9th Oct 2009 more >>
Eigg
Eigg is the only Scottish finalist in the nationwide Big Green Challenge, a competition aimed at encouraging communities to cut down on their carbon footprint. To that end, solar panels and energy saving measures have been installed, there are green grants available and they’re producing bio-diesel from old chip oil. Islanders are looking at a car club for all of the Small Isles and Knoydart and already have a pool car scheme for islanders who go to the mainland and can pick up transport to go on their merry way from the ferry port. A wood fuel business which would end the need for heating oil is also being investigated.
BBC 9th Oct 2009 more >>
Eigg, in the Small Isles between Skye and the Ardnamurchan peninsula, has a £1.6m renewable power system which uses a mix of hydroelectric, wind and solar power, which came on stream in February last year.
BBC 9th Oct 2009 more >>
Sheep Heat
It is highly unusual for anyone to welcome being “fleeced” during the building of their new home. Yet that is one key part of a green farmhouse scheme which has recently been approved in southern Scotland. Among the elements which will make the Cairn Valley farmhouse near Moniaive “carbon neutral” is using the nearby sheep to help keep the humans warm.
BBC 9th Oct 2009 more >>
