Out of the frying pan into the Met’s tyres; in a slick operation the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) are recycling waste vegetable oil to power the vehicles which deliver their groceries. The move is part of a drive by the MPS with energy company Convert2Green and 3663 First for Foodservice - which provides the food and catering supplies - to cut emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. Click here for full story

The U.K. government removed an obstacle to financing biomass power plants, which burn living matter to generate electricity, saying it would support the industry through obligations on utilities to use clean energy for the next 20 years. The Department of Energy and Climate Change said it will “grandfather” its backing for anaerobic digestion and energy- to-waste plants. For biomass developers, the government also extended its support to all fuel costs. It initially planned to support only non-fuel costs, including construction. “Today’s announcement will come as a great relief and follows many months of intense discussions between the industry and government,” Gaynor Hartnell, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association, said in a statement. “This should unlock some 13 billion pounds ($20 billion) of much-needed private investment in the sector.” Click here for full story

Government response to the consultation on grandfathering biomass under the Renewables Obligation. This provides the certainty that investors have been looking for for electricity from dedicated solid and gaseous biomass, energy from waste, anaerobic digestion and advanced conversion technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis. Support will be fixed for 20 years, subject to the 2037 end date of the RO. Also published today are proposals for robust and credible standards to ensure that the biomass used for electricity generation in the UK is sustainable, delivering real carbon reductions and increased energy security. Click here for full story

When the Empire State Building was opened on 1 May 1931, having been designed in two weeks and built in an astonishing 15 months, it instantly became a symbol of human fortitude in the face of the Great Depression. Now its current owners are attempting to reinvent it for the modern era by turning it into a green building symbolising human ingenuity in the face of inertia. Click here for full story

Calor Gas, traditionally known as an LPG supplier to rural communities and caravanners, is making a push into the low carbon energy sector. The company has been involved in talks with the Department for Energy and Climate Change to explain the potential for Calor in the new energy landscape with the emphasis that liquid propane gas (LPG) is "the cleanest fossil fuel available to rural communities". Click here for full story

Sustainable power business ENER-G will double the size of its office accommodation and boost manufacturing space by 25% with a new 12,500 sq ft building at its global headquarters in Greater Manchester. The £2m building, scheduled to open in December 2010, is under construction on an adjacent site to ENER-G House in Daniel Adamson Road, Salford. Click here for full story

Norway has topped a global list of countries working towards zero carbon buildings for the second year in a row. Brazil came second and the UK took third place in the 2009 RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) Global Zero Carbon Capacity Index written by professor Yvonne Rydin, co-director of the University College London's Environment Institute. Released today (July 19) and based on International Energy Agency (IEA) data, the index covers 34 countries around the world and aims to measure the progress of countries towards creating zero carbon built environments (following a pilot last year). Click here for full story

Viridor chief executive Colin Drummond loves rubbish. There's a very good reason why: the waste arm of £2bn utility company Pennon is paid both to take it away and to sell it on after processing – either as electricity or recycled material…. From the noise surrounding wind farms and newer technologies like anaerobic digestion, many would assume that Britain gets most of its renewable energy from these sources. In fact, about the same amount of electricity sent to UK homes currently comes from incineration as wind farms – around 1.5pc. And waste bosses like Mr Drummond want to see 6pc come from incineration by 2015 and up to 20pc by 2020. Click here for full story

‘Permitted Development Rights for Microgeneration Equipment on Non-Domestic Properties’ - This Scottish Government consultation invites views on what the thresholds might be for microgeneration equipment on non-domestic properties and is the latest stage in fulfilling the requirements of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Introducing the proposals would remove the need for a planning application to be submitted for the equipment falling within the thresholds. [scroll down to find].
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Cornwall, the region in the far southwestern corner of England that is associated for many with images of cream teas, fishing boats and childhood seaside holidays, now appears set to lead the UK into new territory: solar farming. According to Ray Noble of the Renewable Energy Association, more than 40 planning applications are about to be submitted for ground-mounted PV systems up to 5 MW in size in this county alone. And the new feed-in tariff – introduced in April this year – will ensure that they generate not only power, but a steady stream of income. Click here for full story

He was once the world's most ruthless and notorious oil baron. But now JR Ewing has turned his back on black gold to spend his retirement selling eco-friendly solar panels. Almost two decades after hanging up his trademark 10-gallon hat when the long-running TV drama Dallas came to an end, the American actor Larry Hagman is reprising his most famous role in an advertisement for a German company. The oil industry, he says in the commercial, became "too dirty", prompting a search for another money making opportunity. Click here for full story

Phosphorous is an essential nutrient for plant growth, along with nitrogen and potassium. It is a key component in DNA and plays an essential role in plant energy metabolism. Without it, crops would fail, causing the human food chain to collapse. Phosphate production is predicted to peak around 2030 …… The solution could lie in recovering phosphate from organic waste that currently ends up being sent to landfill. …. The coalition government has already pledged to lead the UK towards a zero-waste economy, and a development programme of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants is a major step in that direction.…… Chambers is now urging the government to stimulate rapid investment in technologies such as AD plants that will enable phosphates to be reused in agriculture, rather than sending a finite resource into landfill. Click here for full story

Climate change minister Greg Barker was last night (July 12) forced to respond to allegations that the government has missed its deadline for introducing permitted development rights - which remove the need for a planning application - for micro-wind turbines and air source heat pumps. During the Micropower Council's summer reception in London, which was timed to coincide with the government's launch of the new Micropower Strategy for consultation yesterday, the chief executive of the Council, Dave Sowden, began his speech with a scathing attack on the government for "breaking the law". Click here for full story

The UK government has announced that it is drawing up an action plan to deliver a “huge increase” in anaerobic digestion (AD) projects, and is inviting input from stakeholders on how this can be done in a cost-effective way. Click here for full story

Two educational establishments have reached the top of the class for energy performance by using renewable ground source energy. St John’s College, Oxford, and the new Ynysowen Community Primary School in South Wales, will reap major financial and environmental benefits from ground source heat pump technology from ENER-G. Click here for full story

Communities could become more self sufficient in heat and power, and local councils will be allowed to benefit financially from generating green power under new proposals announced recently by Climate Change Minister Greg Barker. Empowering communities to generate their own energy on a large and a small scale can not only bring in an income but also help save money on fuel bills and increase domestic energy security. Click here for full story

Churches and mosques could raise up to £34 million a year by installing solar panels on their roofs, an electricity supplier has claimed. British Gas urged religious groups to make the most of the new feed-in tariff, a scheme that pays households and organisations for electricity from their small-scale generators. Click here for full story

British Gas and Adnams Bio Energy have completed the construction of an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Suffolk, which they claim will be the first in the UK to use brewery and local food waste to produce renewable gas for injection into the national gas grid. Click here for full story

A popular grant scheme that offers the public up to £4,000 towards the cost of installing solar panels and other renewable energy devices in the home has been scrapped by the government to save money. The home renewables grant will not be replaced when it is axed at the end of this month. Click here for full story

The Microgeneration industry welcomed the Government’s root and branch review of Microgeneration policy in the UK and publication of a new Microgeneration Strategy early next year. Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker MP, launched the consultation process for the new Strategy at the Micropower Council Summer Reception in Westminster this evening (12 July). Greg Barker said: “I want to see more homes, communities and businesses generating their own energy. We can literally bring power back to the people. Microgeneration is a key part of this vision.” Click here for full story

The prize-winning inventor says his low-cost solar cell has the potential to form a major part of an energy revolutionMichael Grätzel is a man with a mission. As the inventor of a low-cost solar cell, he wants to help the world avoid an energy crisis by harnessing the power of the Sun. His translucent Grätzel cells use a combination of titanium dioxide and organic dyes to convert sunlight into electricity, providing a cheaper and more environmentally friendly source of energy than silicon solar cells. Click here for full story

It might be sunny but solar panels around Britain are failing to generate any electricity because of a shortage of parts.
The introduction of 'Feed-in Tariffs', that pay homeowners for electricity fed into the grid, has led to a rise in demand for solar panels.
But householders who have installed the expensive technology are unable to start generating electricity because of a shortage of "inverters".
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The new UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Association (UK HCFA) launched this week as the result of the merger of Fuel Cells UK and the UK Hydrogen Association. The new industry body aims to provide a common voice for the sector, advocating a positive social, political and economic environment for the development of hydrogen energy and fuel cells in the UK. Click here for full story

Thirteen businesses have been successful in winning the funding via two competitions run by the Technology Strategy Board. They will help to cement the UK as a world leader in this emerging field.The investment will fund research and development into Plastic Electronics technology which will lead to the creation of new and next generation products, such as flexible displays, and low-carbon technologies, including ultra-efficient lighting, and low-cost long-life solar cells. Click here for full story

This article was written by Mark Osborne and Emma HughesRenewable energy generator ‘A Shade Greener’ (ASG) is the first of an expected many companies to offer free solar photovoltaic installations to residents in the UK. The company, which is based in South Yorkshire, started up in October 2009 with the aim of installing 2,000 PV systems on residential rooftops in select regions, however, since the introduction of the feed-in tariff and exposure on the BBC, interest has increased dramatically. Click here for full story

SWINDON, England, July 1 (UPI) -- Small-scale hydroelectric projects provide clean energy alternatives while preserving the regional landscape in Scotland, an energy company says.
German energy company RWE received approval from the Scottish government to build a 3-megawatt hydroelectric power station driven by the fresh water of Loch Arkaig.
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British Gas unveiled an unprecedented 15 million pounds Sterling investment in solar technology for the nation's schools.The company will donate and install solar panels - worth between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds per school - in up to 750 schools.  Each school will be able to generate its own free, green electricity, cutting as much as 20% off its annual electricity bill. Click here for full story

UK service provider of renewable energy systems, Ownergy, has launched an online ‘Simple Guide to Renewable Energy Tariffs.’The guide encompasses the UK renewable energy feed-in tariff (FiT) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). Click here for full story

The Scottish government has unveiled plans to set up a central loan fund to support sustainable cheap energy projects across the region.
Environment secretary Richard Lochhead has completed a consultation and launched a study into how energy-saving renewable projects north of the border can be funded and launched. funded and launched. Click here for full story

Intamac Systems, a provider of internet-accessed monitoring and control services, has announced that it has received a £4m investment from a syndicate of London-based investors, including Carbon Trust Investments, Chandos Fund and Seraphim Capital. Click here for full story

A huge name in the world of fast food has set up a new restaurant that is powered by wind and solar energy and will reduce power costs by 45 per cent and CO2 emissions by more than 1,201 metric tons each year. Burger King is starting the new venture in Waghausel, Germany, and has worked together with Wirsol Solar AG in order to create the eco-friendly restaurant, which could be recreated in the UK.
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A new centre for sustainable building design opens today in London, showcasing the latest technologies set to help tackle the capital’s carbon emissions. The Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Buildings (CEREB) is the first teaching, research and demonstration facility of its kind to open in London. Click here for full story

….. Stobart said its new joint venture Stobart Biomass Products, alongside Cumbria-based A.W. Jenkinson, which supplies the UK renewable energy market with waste wood and other raw materials had seen improved visibility of orders over the past two months “with further viable projects identified”.
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Kingdom Housing Association is pioneering a new solar-powered house that will test new technologies aimed at improving the standards for eco-friendly and fuel-efficient affordable housing. The Fife-based HA is employing cutting-edge technology to build the new three-bedroom, highly energy efficient, detached family home on a plot of land at Station Court, Pittenweem. Click here for full story

Four Scottish farms are looking at energy saving and the use of renewable power as part of an initiative to set new standards for the sector. Energy saving and renewables are one of the areas of focus for the four participants, along with their use of fertiliser, livestock management and opportunities to lock carbon into the soil rather than releasing it into the atmosphere. The four participating farms represent arable production - the growth of crops and vegetables - as well as dairy, upland livestock and diversified farming. Click here for full story

Controversial £1.7 billion proposals by Forth Ports and Scottish & Southern Energy to build four ¬woodchip-burning power plants may be in danger of being rejected after several Scottish Government ministers appeared to speak out against them. Click here for full story

A new power plant could be built at a docks that would help dispose of 160,000 tonnes of wood and waste every year. Initial plans for a biomass combined heat and power plant have been submitted to Kent County Council by Biomass Power Plant Ridham Ltd, a joint venture formed by German energy firm subsidiary Evonik New Energies and renewable energy specialist HES Biopower. Click here for full story

This major project aims to achieve zero energy based on heat pumps while keeping comfort and indoor air quality….. Partners in this exceptional cross-border project, coordinated by Environment Application Research at Daikin Europe, are major research institutions across Europe. The net zero project is scheduled for completion in July 2010 at Herten, Germany. Click here for full story

Generating heat and electricity from waste could help Scotland meet its renewable energy target, a report said yesterday. The Scottish Government has pledged to generate 11 per cent of all heat and half of all electricity from renewable sources within ten years. The report by the Sustainable Development Commission Scotland, which advises the Scottish Government, says 17 per cent of Scotland's heating and electricity requirements can be met by treating waste to create energy. Click here for full story

Solar panel installation experts at Solar Choice believe the Government is failing consumers by neglecting to publicise vital information about the Feed-In Tariff widely enough. The UK's Feed-In Tariff came into effect in April 2010 and offers generous financial incentives to consumers opting to install solar PV panels in their homes. Yet despite this, there has been relatively little by way of information and publicity about the tariff made available to consumers. Click here for full story