www.smartenergy.co.uk News

The Met Police Service goes green

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:44:42 GMT

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.

Industry reaction to DECC announcements

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:43:12 GMT

The renewable energy industry in the UK is positive overall, to the announcements from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Includes comments from RenewableUK’s CEO Maria McCaffery, David Symons, Director at global environmental consultancy WSP Environment & Energy, Roman Webber, Head of Deloitte’s UK Renewable Energy Team, Tim Levy, Chief Executive at Future Capital Partners, Alan John, Head of Renewable Energy at law firm Osborne Clarke, Peter Dickson, Technical Director at BNP Paribas Clean Energy Partners, Energy Networks Association (ENA) CEO David Smith, and Adrian Palmer, Senior Manager at Redpoint Energy.

Energy-saving technology must be promoted

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:41:52 GMT

The government must be more proactive over schemes to encourage take-up of energy-saving renewable technology on a national level. This is the view of therenewableenergycentre.co.uk, which has voiced concerns that a lack of progress in the UK on implementing microgeneration and other green technology will cause the country to miss its 2020 carbon reduction targets. A spokesperson for the energy-saving website pointed to the fact that the UK is currently ranked among the bottom few European countries in terms of renewable energy generation, which could ultimately lead to a "hefty fine" from the EU.

Investment in refuelling/recharging stations

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:36:26 GMT

Six successful bidders will share £660,000 match funding from the Department of Business for gas refuelling or electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects. A private business in Essex, three councils across Yorkshire and the West Midlands, a public body co-ordinating transport in Merseyside and a community group on the Isle of Lewis are all winners in the latest round of support from the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Grant Programme.

Reducing UK's reliance on fossil fuels

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:41:12 GMT

Moves to boost investment in renewable energy and nuclear power stations were set out by the coalition Government yesterday (27 July) as it promised to reduce Britain's dependency on fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions. Chris Huhne, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, pledged the "lights are not going to go out on my watch" as he announced 32 measures to make the country less reliant on imported oil and gas. He said the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico showed the importance of moving "further and faster" towards greater energy independence and a "low-carbon economy".

DECC's carbon calculator

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:40:35 GMT

Electricity generation in the UK will double. Cars, hot water and the heating of buildings will be electrified. A new nuclear renaissance on a par with France's rush to nuclear in the 1970s will have taken place and fossil fuel power stations will capture 90% of their carbon emissions. This is just one picture of how Britain could hit its target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050, as painted by a new calculator launched by the government today (27 July).

UK likely to miss 2020 RE target

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:40:02 GMT

Energy secretary Chris Huhne focuses on 2050 targets in first major policy statement but admits the UK faces 'short-term challenges' to meet targets for renewable energy. The current rate of growth of renewable energy in the UK is too slow to meet EU targets for 15 per cent of energy to come from renewable sources like by 2020, the energy secretary Chris Huhne has admitted.

Good news for biomass projects

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:39:01 GMT

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.”

£13 extra on household bills

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:38:29 GMT

Domestic energy bills should rise by only £13 by 2020 because of measures to cut carbon emissions, but businesses face much steeper increases, the government said today (27 July). In its first annual energy statement to parliament, the coalition government published 32 measures - mostly previous commitments by the Labour government or the Conservative-Liberal Democrat policy agreement. They included a Green New Deal to make homes more efficient to reform of the main energy regulator, Ofgem.

Business faces steep rise in energy bills

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:37:45 GMT

Businesses can expect to face a steep rise in energy bills after the government today published a comprehensive plan to cut greenhouse gases and end Britain's dependence on risky oil and gas imports. Although the individual policies had previously been announced in the coalition policy agreement or by ministers – and many were formerly Labour government initiatives – Chris Huhne, the energy and climate secretary, said the first annual energy statement provided more detail and a timetable for each move from consultation to legislation.

UK’s first ever Annual Energy Statement

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:52:20 GMT

The UK’s energy and climate change policy was today recalibrated for the long term, supported for the first time by comprehensive analysis of plausible pathways to a secure, low carbon energy system in 2050. In the first ever Annual Energy Statement to Parliament, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne set out 32 actions being taken to accelerate the transformation of the energy system and wider economy. Groundbreaking ‘2050’ analysis is published alongside, including six illustrative ‘pathways’ showing that meeting the target of an 80% cut in emissions by 2050 is ambitious but achievable, and compatible with maintaining security of energy supplies. A do-nothing ‘reference’ scenario highlights the risks of a high carbon future. An online ‘2050 Calculator’ also goes live today, enabling the public to explore the trade-offs inherent in designing the future secure, low carbon energy system and wider economy.

Electricity market reform consultation plan

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:51:36 GMT

A wide-ranging consultation on electricity market reform in the autumn, with a White Paper in Spring 2011. With significant challenges ahead for the energy sector and a need for substantial new investment, this will review all aspects of the electricity market. It will assess the role that a carbon price, emissions performance standard, revised renewables obligation, Feed-in Tariffs, capacity mechanisms and other interventions could play in delivering a system that supports the delivery of a secure, low carbon energy.

Review of Ofgem’s role

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:50:57 GMT

Complementing the consultation on electricity market reform, a call for evidence is published today launching a review of Ofgem’s role as the independent regulator of the energy markets. It will explore whether changes are needed to the regulatory framework so that the Government can achieve its ambitious energy and climate change goals. The review is expected to report in Spring 2011 on the same timetable as the electricity market reform work.

Govt Smart Meter prospectus

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:50:22 GMT

Publication today of a joint DECC/Ofgem Smart Meter Prospectus, setting out detailed plans for rolling out smart meters to every home and small business in Great Britain. The Prospectus makes clear that we want to see a significant acceleration of smart meter roll-out compared to previously published targets and will work with industry to establish ambitious but achievable targets for roll out.

Response to grid access consultation

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:49:04 GMT

Government response to the technical consultation on the model for improving grid access. This establishes new enduring ‘connect and manage’ access rules so that new generation can get connected to the grid more quickly.

Grandfathering biomass under the RO

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:47:34 GMT

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.

Impacts of energy/climate change on prices/bills

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:46:53 GMT

Estimated Impacts of Energy and Climate Change Policies on Energy Prices and Bills are published today and will be published annually.

Annual Energy Statement documentation

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:37:15 GMT

The Coalition Government’s Annual Energy Statement is online in full. There are links to it, and a host of other relevant documents from the DECC press release. These include: the Annual Energy Statement: Departmental Memorandum; the 2050 Pathways Analysis Call for Evidence; 2050 Pathways Calculator; DECC Structural Reform Plan; UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Performance against emissions reductions targets – 2009 Provisional figures; Consultation on the Implementation of the EU Third Internal Energy Package; Ofgem review: Call for Evidence; DECC/Ofgem Smart Meter Prospectus; Government response to the technical consultation on the model of improving grid access; DECC/Ofgem Open Letter on an enduring transmission regime for future offshore wind farms; and Estimated Impacts of Energy and Climate Change Policies on Energy Prices and Bills.

Greening of Empire State Building

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:31:54 GMT

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.

Stream engines: small scale hydropower

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:49:44 GMT

…..hydroelectricity is carving itself a different reputation and this time it’s the communities that are driving the change. Hydro on a small scale is the latest trend to sweep Britain’s villages and it’s providing households throughout the country with a lucrative source of much-needed energy and cash.

Hydro schemes on NT Snowdon farm

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:47:35 GMT

Plans by the National Trust to install hydroelectric systems at Hafod y Llan, near Beddgelert, will be examined during a farm energy open day ….. Hafod y Llan, a large upland farm on the flanks of Snowdon, is looking to harness the hydro power of local streams. Farm manager Arwyn Owen said: “These will provide more energy than we use here, so the excess will be sold into the national grid.”

Plug-ins to cut back on energy waste

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:38:33 GMT

Two percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are attributed to the information communication and technologies (ICT) sector. This figure represents 1 billion kilowatts of electricity required to keep 3 billion PCs and mobile devices and over 500 million host computers running! The EU-funded team under FIT4Green ('Federated IT for a sustainable environmental impact') has set itself the ambitious goal of tackling this overconsumption. The project is funded with EUR 3.18 million under the ICT Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

RBS: Royal Bank of Sustainability?

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:53:46 GMT

New research suggests ministers could give a welcome boost to its environmental goals by reinventing RBS as a green investment bank. The coalition has promised to reform the banks, and it also wants to be the greenest government ever. Laudable goals – and research published by former PricewaterhouseCoopers consultant James Leaton and economist Howard Reed suggests ministers could kill two birds with one stone by re-inventing RBS as the Green Investment Bank, or the Royal Bank of Sustainability (to keep the initials and save on a rebrand).

£60m turbine boost for Isles

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:53:10 GMT

Six community-owned energy companies based in a remote part of Scotland have been given permission to connect 11 wind turbines to the National Grid. It is hoped the turbines will generate profits of £2.5 million a year for the economy in the Western Isles.

Poor insulation = higher stamp duty?

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:41:46 GMT

Rumoured government plans to hike stamp duty charges on older, poorly insulated residential property would be unlikely to encourage investment in retrofitting but could provide a boost to the new build market, according to one expert. Vernon Pethard, founder of newhomesforsale.co.uk, said the reported proposals are "more stick than carrot" and could deter people from going for older houses as it is not always possible to bring them up to the "exacting modern standards" set by builders of modern dwellings.

Driving over potholes 'can save fuel'

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 07:39:07 GMT

Driving over potholes could in the future cut fuel consumption thanks to a revolutionary new shock absorber. Known as GenShocks, the contraptions will mean that motorists will no longer just worry about their suspension, but regard every jolt as potentially cutting the cost of a visit to the filling station. This is because the devices not only absorb the impact from driving over rough surfaces but convert it into electricity as well.

Over 90% of landowners considering RE

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 07:38:23 GMT

Over 90% of landowners are considering renewable energy schemes, according to a Knight Frank survey at the CLA Game Fair….. Christopher Smith, head of Knight Frank’s Renewables and Energy department, commented: “The results of our survey confirm the appetite of rural landowners for renewable electricity generation. They also show how successful the introduction of renewable energy feed-in tariffs has been in encouraging people to invest in renewable schemes. Of the people we questioned only 8% currently generate renewable electricity on their estates, now we have FITs almost 100% are planning to get involved in some sort of way.”

Huhne warns of UK energy crisis

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:43:37 GMT

The UK is "very likely" to face an energy crisis within the next decade, Energy Minister Chris Huhne was quoted as saying on today, leaving the economy open to "very severe blows"….. Investing heavily in energy efficiency and renewable sources of power is the only way to avoid such shocks, the paper cited Huhne as saying.

Porritt on axing the SDC

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:43:05 GMT

Axing the Sustainable Development Commission makes no sense – economically or environmentally. It's dogma-driven and brazenly cynical. “As the former chair of the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), I'm clearly going to be a bit biased about the government's decision to get rid of the commission. So I've been working really hard to put myself in ministers' shoes to try to understand the rationale they've advanced for this reprehensible decision.” Jonathon Porritt.

Monbiot on axing the SDC

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:42:28 GMT

Saving money can cost a fortune. The government's decision to scrap the Sustainable Development Commission will save £3m a year. It is likely to cost the taxpayer many times more. The environment department's announcement that it would stop funding the SDC coincided this morning with the publication of the commission's latest (and last) report on the government's green progress. This report shows that even the modest measures the previous government introduced to save energy and water and reduce waste have cut the state's annual bills by £60m to £70m.

LCE: LPG has a role to play

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:39:57 GMT

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".

Big money investors want to go green

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:38:35 GMT

Over 90% of institutional investors want green investments in their portfolio, according to a new study. Research commissioned by the New Energy World Network (NEWN) found more than nine in ten private equity, pension, insurance and venture capital funds would like to have some exposure to renewable energy, clean technology, and sustainability-related investments.

UK energy market is at risk

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:37:52 GMT

Reports that France will see a power shortfall by as soon as 2013 will put greater pressure on the UK’s dwindling supply and force up prices, according to UK energy consultancy the M&C Energy Group. France is facing a growing dependency on electricity imports as demand outpaces supply, particularly at peak times. David Hunter, an energy analyst from the M&C Energy Group, believes that energy will become a scarce commodity, resulting in increased prices and real risks of blackouts.

ENER-G powers major expansion

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:36:33 GMT

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.

Sustainable Development Commission cuts

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:12:56 GMT

UK Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman yesterday (22 July) confirmed that funding to the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) will be cut and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) is to be axed completely. As part of the Coalition Government’s public spending cuts, the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) plans to reform 30 of its 90 ‘arm’s length’ bodies. The reforms will make Defra a “leaner, stronger department” with a “renewed and clearer focus on its key priorities and a simplified structure”, said a statement.

SDC responds to Defra funding decision

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:12:18 GMT

Will Day, Chair of the Sustainable Development Commission, today (Thursday 22 July) expressed his disappointment at Defra’s announcement that it intends to withdraw its funding for the SDC from the next financial year, and paid tribute to the Commission’s ten years of putting sustainability on the political map……. The announcement comes as the SDC publishes its fifth annual watchdog report on Government’s progress towards more sustainable operations. The report concludes that moves towards greater sustainability made to date are saving government £60-70 million every year, and further progress has the potential to save hundreds of millions more.

SDC’s fifth annual watchdog report

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:09:18 GMT

SDC’s fifth annual watchdog report on Government’s progress towards more sustainable operations is online. The report concludes that moves towards greater sustainability made to date are saving government £60-70 million every year, and further progress has the potential to save hundreds of millions more.

Renewables about to surpass fossil fuels

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:10:04 GMT

Wind power got another strong vote of confidence last week when the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Renewable Energy Policy Network (REN21) jointly issued reports saying supplies of new green electricity capacity should overtake fossil fuels later this year or in 2011.

CO2 scheme: 7,500 UK firms face fines

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:44:17 GMT

Some 7,500 British firms are expected to miss a September 30 deadline to register for the UK's new energy efficiency scheme, meaning they face fines of at least 5,000 pounds each ($7,644), an environmental consultancy said.

Clean energy to avert 500 power plants

info@all-energy.co.uk (www.smartenergy.co.uk) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:02:12 GMT

Global cooperation to promote clean energy and efficiency by governments and industry will prevent the construction of 500 new fossil-fuel power plants over the next 20 years, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said. Energy ministers from 24 countries gathered Monday and Tuesday (19 and 20 July) for the world’s first Clean Energy Ministerial meeting to find ways to increase energy efficiency, smart grids and deployment of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, Chu said at a press conference Tuesday in Washington. “These steps will promote economic growth, create jobs and cut greenhouse gasses,” Chu said. “What we’ve seen here is that working together, we can accomplish more, faster, than working alone.”