Scottish renewables capacity passes 3GW mark

Renewable energy capacity in Scotland has now surpassed 3GW, enough to power 1.5mn homes, Scottish energy minister Jim Mather said on Tuesday 28 October. He said renewables capacity in Scotland had grown by a fifth in the last year alone and could now power 60% of Scotland's homes.
Scottish Government article on passing 3GW mark

Further to this, the Scottish Government, announced it was planning a shake-up of Scotland's planning system leaner and fitter to improve efficiency and ensure planning is geared towards supporting increased sustainable economic growth. Read Article

Smart Meters domestic mandate

"I am pleased to announce that the Government have taken the decision to mandate smart meters for all households. This is a major step forward; no other country in the world has moved to an electricity and gas smart meter roll-out on this scale. The existing powers in the Energy Bill will enable the Government to proceed with a domestic roll-out....

We anticipate a period of around two years to resolve the issues and to design the full detail of a domestic roll-out. Our aim is then to ensure that the subsequent roll-out happens over a period of 10 years. This would see delivery of smart meters by the end of 2020 to align with our renewables targets."
Lord Campbell-Savours Houses of Parliament
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/15.htm

Infinis plan’s £1.2bn wind-energy company

Infinis, the waste-to-energy company owned by buyout firm Terra Firma, has set in motion a £1.2bn plan to build it into one of the largest wind-energy producers in the country, the Times reported on Sunday 26 October. Its aim is to buy or build up to 800MW of onshore wind-generating capacity over 10 years. Times Online http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article5014556.ece

National Grid delays ‘will mean that climate targets are missed’

"Renewable energy and climate change targets for 2020 will be missed unless the National Grid speeds up the rate at which new generators are connected, leading industry figures have said. The grid is undergoing its biggest upgrade since the 1960s as part of a £14 billion investment project by 2012 and up to £13.5 billion more by 2020. Unless it is made easier, however, for renewable energy generators, particularly wind farms, to connect to the grid, the investment will fail to enable Britain to meet its 2020 targets. Under an EU agreement earlier this year, Britain committed itself to increasing its reliance on renewable energy from about 2 per cent to 15 per cent." Times online
www.timesonline.co.uk+article5019749.ece

Micro-CHP poised to lead Microgeneration Revolution

23 October 2008:
Micro-CHP is set to make a significant contribution to the UK's battle to tackle Climate Change, following the Government's commitment to bring forward an amendment that would introduce a Feed-in-Tariff for small-scale, low-carbon electricity production. In a debate on the Energy Bill the Energy Minister, Lord Hunt, indicated that the 3rd Reading of the Energy Bill in the House of Lords would see a Government amendment for a feed-in tariff that 'should ... cover small non-renewable combined heat and power systems'. http://www.chpa.co.uk/

Joint lobby on Renewables

COSLA CoR member and COSLA Vice-President Cllr Corrie McChord
and Scottish MEPs Catherine Stihler and Elspeth Attwooll secured
unanimous approval on a crucial amendment to the draft
Renewables Directive in their respective votes at the CoR and the
European Parliament Committees. This COSLA inspired proposal, if
finally approved by the full Plenaries and the Member States, will
ensure local authorities are fully involved in developing national
and European plans to develop renewable energies and thus
combating climate change. Other MEPs such as David Martin and
John Purvis also tabled and lobbied for our views in debates. Struan
Stevenson MEP actively liaised with COSLA on the complex issue
of windfarms on peatlands.
http://www.cosla.gov.uk/index.asp?leftId=100019924-11001461&rightId=100019924-11000146

Miliband plans “big shift” in way homes are heated and powered

Ed Miliband, the new secretary of state for energy and climate change, is drawing up plans for a "big shift" in the way Britons heat and power their homes, the Independent said on Sunday 19 October. The plans––due to be published at the end of next month––are expected to include targets for cutting energy use in the country's 26mn homes and incentives to make it easy for householders to meet them.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/milibands-blueprint-for-greener-homes-966239.html

Tesco hits out at high energy cost and Ofgem

Consumers are being hit by excessively high gas and electricity prices, Tesco has said, as it criticised Ofgem, the regulator, for not going far enough with the inquiry into energy markets it published this week. Tesco feels that companies are paying too much for their energy, and is trying to drive its costs down as it and other retailers compete to cut prices. Britain’s biggest retailer says the gas and electricity prices paid by businesses in the wholesale market are higher than would be justified by the price of oil.
www.ft.com