Business costs of CRC

The cost of participating in the CRC large UK companies could exceed £20mm. Based on the Government's plans to charge organisations £12/tCO2 under the scheme.

• Edinburgh City Council  £990,000 a year
• Tesco £21.4mn
• The Royal Bank of Scotland £5.39mn.

Carbon Reporting

Green think-tank the Aldersgate Group call on the Government to make carbon reporting mandatory by 2012.
Aldersgate Group


Defra has published a report which showed large businesses that measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions are experiencing net benefits, including cost savings and increased competitiveness.

Defra has also published a report showing the total carbon footprint of UK central Government from 1990 to 2008. This includes the emissions from sources such as buildings, vehicles and other equipment. For the first time, it also includes the ‘embedded emissions’ of the goods and services bought by Government.
Defra

Big Six tell MPs “energy bills will rise significantly"

Senior representatives from five of the Big Six suppliers told the Energy and Climate Change
Committee on 7 December that domestic energy prices could increase 25% over the coming decade.
The rise in prices was attributed to higher network and obligation costs, increasing wholesale energy rates, growing volatility in international energy markets and the pressing need for significant investment.

UK Businesses are seriously underestimating energy efficiency returns

Finance directors at large businesses in the UK are undervaluing the financial returns from investments in energy efficiency by more than half, research by Carbon Trust Advisory has revealed.
Carbon Trust

EU carbon price to rise 49 per cent next year

According to Point Carbon ,the price of a tonne of carbon in the EU's emissions trading scheme (ETS) will rise by around 50 per cent next year as energy companies attempt to hoard carbon credits ahead of the launch of the next phase of the scheme in 2013. It also predicts by 2020 the average carbon price will reach €36 a tonne.
Business Green

Renewables and Planning in Scotland

 Scottish Renewables release a paper suggesting ways to enhance the Scottish planning system in order to  support the delivery of renewables development.
Scottish Renewables

FiTs could replace RO

Climate change minister Greg Barker has signalled that feed-in tariffs (FITs) could replace the Renewables Obligation for offshore wind, a move that the renewables industry has warned could cause investment to stall and put the UK's build timetable and 2020 targets at risk.
Utility Week

Cancun Accords

A good summary of the recent outcomes from the Cancun meeting. Winners include:

• CCS which will be included in The Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism
• Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) moves a step closer by introducing forestry base lining and a framework for how rich countries will pay the poorer ones to keep their forests.

Business Green

Scotland's CCS Blueprint

Scotland is to design a blueprint to ensure carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) can be implemented effectively around the world.

The Global CCS Institute has asked Scotland to develop a toolkit to help nations test the strength of regulations and the permitting process, build knowledge and test public engagement, ensuring CCS can be safely rolled out.
The move is a vote of confidence in Scotland's forward thinking approach to carbon capture and storage, a way of safely storing emissions from fossil fuel power stations.

The work will be carried out by the Scottish CCS Centre in Edinburgh, supported by the Scottish Government and the Scottish European Green Energy Centre. The toolkit will be promoted by Global CCS Institute around the world and the work is being used in various European initiatives.

Scottish Government

Green electricity will boom 'when subsidies are removed'

 John Constable, director of policy and research at the Renewable Energy Foundation, highlighted the benefits of subsidies for renewable energy generation for allowing the UK to experiment with deploying and integrating new technologies.

However, he noted that the industry still relies on funding and that subsidies will not transform the UK's electricity system overnight as they are not "economically sustainable".

Energy Saving Trust

Scottish Government posts

This report sets out the Scottish Government’s latest position on the role of renewable electricity and
fossil fuel thermal generation (coal, gas, oil) in Scotland’s future energy mix. It gives a clear view on the
need for both rapid expansion of renewable electricity across Scotland and the underlying requirement
for new efficient thermal capacity in this low carbon generation portfolio. It is based on the latest research
studies on future energy supply, storage and demand, and takes account of the changing policy context
in Scotland, the UK and the EU since the 2
nd
 National Planning Framework was published in June 2009.
It sets out new developments and implications in the following four key areas:

• update the position on renewable generation 
• update the position on thermal electricity generation
• update the position on energy efficiency
• update the position on transmission infrastructure and interconnection

Scottish Government

Ofgem awards low-carbon network funding

Ofgem published details of the four winning tier 2 projects that had been awarded a total of £62mn from the
£500mn Low-carbon Networks (LCN) Fund. These were:

• CE Electric’s Customer-led network revolution with £26.8mn. The project explores how a combination of smart technologies and changes in customer behaviour can reduce the costs associated with low-carbon technologies and uses British Gas’ early rollout of smart meters and low-carbon products for its base data;  
• UK Power Networks’ Low-carbon London––A learning journey with £24.3mn. A ‘smart city’ initiative for London will explore how to best use new technologies and active network management. It will work on the back of several existing low-carbon projects, such as ‘Plugged in places’ that encourages the use of electric cars. The project will be carried out in partnership with a number of organisations, including EDF Energy, Imperial College, Logica and Transport for London;  
• Central Networks’ Low-carbon hub with £2.8mn. The east Lincolnshire project will investigate ways of increasing the amount of, mainly wind, electricity generation that can be directly connected to a local electricity network. It will monitor wind speed, generator output and network conditions and will benefit small, renewables generators wanting to connect directly to the distribution network. This project is intended to allow more generation to connect at lower cost, so reducing costs for consumers; and  
• Western Power Distribution’s Low-voltage network templates for a low-carbon future with £7.8mn. This will examine the effect that low-carbon technologies have on the network. The trial should help other companies become more efficient by allowing them to anticipate network behaviour and know which solutions have already been proven to work well.  

Ofgem

Electricity Market Reform is coming.

The Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) announced on 24 November 2010 its intention to examine the overall aims of the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) project. The aim of the EMR is to carry-out a fundamental overhaul of electricity market arrangements to help to promote investment in all energy infrastructures, but with a particular focus on facilitating low-carbon generation. This includes:

·         Proposals to implement a carbon floor price and this would promote greater energy generation from low-carbon sources such as solar and reduce the risks for investors.

·         Examining FiT’s to see if they should be focused on particular technologies or maintain a wider technology base. A focus will almost certainly be on wind and solar which may further benefit the solar market.

Green Alliance

Snowy Scotland, but 2010 One of the World's Hottest Years on Record

While Scotland continues to experience a cold snap, a statement issued by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on the status of the global climate showed that 2010 is almost certain to be one of the three warmest years since 1850, and possibly the warmest.

Sustainable Scotland

Mobile Energy Efficiency (MEE) Network Benchmarking

The GSMA today announced that it is launching the Mobile Energy Efficiency (MEE) Network Benchmarking Service, an initiative that will provide a benchmark measurement of network energy efficiency, and will help mobile network operators (MNOs) lower their energy costs and carbon footprint.
GreenTMCnet

ClimateWell's solar heating and cooling Innovation

You can now use solar energy to provide air conditioning whist at the same time heat your swimming pool. Superb innovation from ClimateWell using salt and water chambers and solar energy. The future???
ClimateWell

Scottish Enterprise's Carbon Impact Assessment Model

Scottish Enterprise has recently published research that will assist it and other organisations in understanding and minimising the impact of economic development projects on the environment, and particularly on climate change. It also includes an Excel based Carbon Impact Assessment tool.

Evaluations Online

Sustainable Scotland Network Conference

SSN Conference - link to audio recordings, slides and notes.

Efficient Capture in CCS?

Carbonate and chemical looping? Could this be the long needed efficient way to capture CO2 for CCS?
ClickGreen

Scotland Government outlines its low-carbon strategy.

The Scottish Government published its Low-carbon Economic Strategy for Scotland.  It aims to ensure Scotland becomes the international destination of choice for low carbon investment, states that Jobs in the low carbon sector in Scotland could grow by 4% a year to 2020 and offshore wind alone could bring an estimated £30 billion of inward investment, and up to 20,000 jobs.

Scottish Government
An excellent summary on the report has been published by ClickGreen

EU carbon market faces a 190million tonne shortage

Bloomberg said  that the EU carbon market will have a shortage of 190million tonnes of allowances in 2011 after the regulator said it probably will not auction permits for phase three next year. He said markets will be 80million tonne short in 2012, even after the sale of 300million tonnes from a reserve to spur clean- energy projects.
Bloomberg

Scientists Raise concern of CCS leaks contaminating drinking water

Leaks from carbon dioxide injected deep underground to help fight climate change could bubble up into drinking water aquifers near the surface, driving up levels of contaminants in the water tenfold or more in some places, according to a study by scientists.
Click Green

Feed-in tariff installations top 11,000 in six months

Ofgem has revealed that more than 11,000 generators registered for feed-in tariffs during the first six months of the incentive scheme, confirming that the policy has led to a surge in renewable energy installations.
Business Green

What’s next for Alternative Energy?

The Boston Consulting Group released a report on emerging technologies that states that the cost of advanced biofules and PV is falling and says that the cost of off-shore wind will not be economically viable until after 2020.  
Boston Consulting Group

There is also conflicting information on off-shore wind between Business Green that is forecasting a slump in orders for off-shore turbines where as Douglas Westwood predicts an increase in expenditure to €12bn a year by 2015.
Business Green     Douglas Westwood 

The need to manage energy risks

Recent research of businesses from npower and the London School of Economics revealed that energy now presents a higher level of risk to organisations than health and safety, so it clearly needs to be managed effectively to negate those risks. It noted an increase in the financial, reputational and legislative risks,
Npower

Ireland could generate 10 times its power demand from Renewables

The Irish Government published its Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan which examines the feasibility and impact of constructing up to 4,500MW of offshore wind and 1,500MW of wave and tidal capacity by 2030. It claimed that up to 10 times the total Irish power demand could be generated.
Irish Government

£70m for Scottish Wind

A £70 million investment fund to secure Scotland's place at the forefront of the global offshore wind industry was announced today by First Minister Alex Salmond.

The First Minister also reiterated his call for the UK Government to remove the restrictions on immediate access to the £191m of Scotland's Fossil Fuel Levy funds generated north of the border to invest in renewable industries.
Scottish Government

Offshore proving much more capable then onshore

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) estimates that current turbines are capable of achieving 24% capacity factor onshore, and 41% offshore. (The capacity factor is defined as
actual power generation capability divided by nameplate capacity, in percentage terms). EWEA estimates that a growing offshore base will enable an average capacity factor of 33% by 2030 which will make offshore one of the most efficient sources of renewable energy.

UK spends £100m to protect foreign forests

The UK government has announced it has committed to spending £100 million on international forestry projects despite confirming plans it is looking to sell off 2.5 million acres of its own woodland to private buyers.

The money comes from the new international climate finance included in the Comprehensive Spending Review, which will include new money for the UK’s contribution to REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), a programme which aims to prevent the loss of forests in developing countries.
Clickgreen

South of England wind farm faces default on its bank loans

One south of England wind farm faces default on its bank loans because wind speeds have been as low as ever recorded and electricity output has therefore been much less than expected. Statistical analysis suggests that electricity output this low should only be achieved once every several hundred years. Another wind farm in southern England reports similar results, with electricity delivery this year so limited that it would only be expected once a century. 2009’s figures were almost as bad.
Chris Goodall

Treasury Outlines Infrastructure Investment

HM Treasury's Plan for infrastructure investment including Energy infrastructure, Transport infrastructure and Digital communications is set-out by the Treasury and includes details on the Green Investment Bank to be launched in Spring 2011.
It plans that UK infrastructure investment will be some £200 billion over the next five years.
HM Treasury

The Latest CDP Results Reveal the Rise of Scope 3 Reporting

Two years ago, only about a quarter of the world's top 500 companies reported on "Scope 3" greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, last year this rose to 42 percent, and this year it grew to nearly half.

GreenBiz

Ecotricity launches EcoBonds in £10mn funding effort

Green energy supplier Ecotricity launched its new EcoBonds scheme for savers in a bid to raise £10mn to finance its renewable energy projects. It said the fixed rate EcoBonds, will pay a 7% interest (or 7.5% for Ecotricity customers), with proceeds funding 12 wind farms, solar projects and research and development into tidal energy.
Ecotricity

Chris Huhne provides low-carbon spending

Chris Huhne promises fully functioning green investment bank (GIB), £1b for the first CCS demonstration project and revival in onshore wind.

E.ON pulled out of the bidding for the first demo CCS project leaving Scottish Power's Longannet's plant as the sole runner. E.ON pulled out on the grounds that current market conditions were not conducive and that it could not meet the timescales imposed to respond to the competition. National Grid is now proposing to use it's Transmission System (NTS) assets for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in Scotland.

Friends of the Earth suggest that the GIB will need a lot more than £1b to be effective.
BusinessGreen
Guardian
Ofgem
FOE

Huhne warns CRC stealth tax is just the beginning.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne defended the decision to axe the revenue recycling component of the carbon pricing scheme, which is expected to raise £1bn a year for the Treasury.

Huhne said that the changes to the CRC will be followed by wider increases in green taxes. "We are obviously going to look at the whole agenda of green taxes because it was in the coalition agreement that we would be raising green taxes as a share of overall taxation..... This is not the end of the story, this is the start of the story."
BusinessGreen

Shell opposes 30% emissions reduction target

In June, Britain, France, and Sweden's environment ministers said they supported EU plans to move to a deeper, 30 percent emissions cut by 2020, compared with 1990 levels. But Italy, east European countries, and some business lobbies were opposed, saying it would impose higher costs on industry.

Shell has opposed these tougher EU carbon emissions targets. Shell's head of carbon dioxide Graeme Sweeney said a rise in targets to 30% would have “very real business risks” but that he said Shell would support a floor price for carbon across the continent as part of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
Reuters

Global wind could meet 22% of power demand by 2030

Wind could meet 12% of global power demand by 2020, and up to 22% by 2030, according to a study published today by the Global Wind Energy Council and Greenpeace International.
GWEC

Shell wants more gas, less wind

On Tuesday 12 October Royal Dutch Shell chief executive Peter Voser called on the energy industry to invest in gas-fired power plants. At the Oil & Money conference in London Voser said because gas is cheaper and faster to install than other technologies the UK should divert some investment from offshore wind projects into new gas facilities to improve short-term energy security.
Royal Dutch Shell

ETI outlines road-map for marine energy

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) in collaboration with the UK Energy Research Centre published a road-map for marine energy on Tuesday 5 October. It said a significant reduction in costs is needed in the next five years to ensure marine technologies remain a viable option and noted for the long-term, costs needed to reduce to 8p/KWh-10p/KWh by 2030 to make the sector competitive.
ETI

Shipping emissions could be 6 x greater than previously estimated

A report published by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research has argued that emissions from shipping could match those of aviation if all UK-related voyages are considered. UK shipping emissions to-date has been miscalculated, as only the fuel purchased at UK ports had been taken into consideration, accordingly, emissions could be up to six times higher than previously expected.
Tyndall Centre

Shell and CO2DeepStore to Redevelop North Sea Gas Fields for CCS

CO2DeepStore are to work with Shell UK to find a storage solution for Scottish Power’s CCS project at Longannet. They are to focus on the Goldeneye gas field in the North Sea.
BBC

Scottish wind developer e-Gen given £50m boost

Rockfield Energy Investments recently confirmed the finalisation of a £50mn investment package in Scottish wind developer e-Gen Partners to fund the development, construction and operation of wind farms in the UK. e-Gen was established in 2009 with the aim of concentrating on boosting the number of small-scale wind projects that benefit from feed-in tariffs. It mainly focuses on Scottish projects between 500kW and 1.5MW.
Rockfield Energy Investments http://www.e-gen.org.uk/

North Sea wind farm set to produce first power

RWE Innogy and joint venture partner Scottish and Southern Energy are set to produce the first electricity from their Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm. The foundations have been installed at the 504MW project, and first power will be exported to the electricity grid in October.
Bloomberg

First Minister outlines renewables potential

Speaking at the Scottish Low-carbon Investment conference in Edinburgh on Tuesday 28 September Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond said advances in clean, green energy presented a "pivotal turning point in human history", and that with private investment, the market for renewables could grow to £4.3tn by 2015. He also expected Scotland to be able to produce enough renewable energy to supply "at least 100%” of its electricity needs by 2025.

Mr Salmond also unveiled an industry-led Offshore Wind Route Map, setting out the key actions required in the coming years to fully realise the huge potential around the coast of Scotland - estimated to have a quarter of Europe's potential offshore wind and tidal capacity and a tenth of its wave resource.
Scottish Government

UK developers to build 300MW hydrogen plant

B9 Coal and AFC Energy has signed a binding letter of intent to build a power plant at Powerfuel’s Hatfield colliery near Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The 300MW power plant would run on hydrogen produced by cleaning syngas at the nearby 800MW Hatfield CCGT, before passing it through fuel cells to generate power.
B9 Coal

Sewage project sends first ever renewable gas to grid

British households are today cooking and heating their homes with renewable gas - produced from human waste - for the first time. Biomethane gas from Didcot sewage works in Oxfordshire will produce enough renewable gas to supply up to 200 homes. The company said the joint venture between Thames Water, British Gas and Scotia Gas Networks has been successful and will make an important contribution to decarbonising the gas grid.
Centrica

£32 billion is vital to build 21st century grid

RenewableUK raised concerns about the ability of the national grid to sustain UK plans for growth in renewables generation. It said there is a “once in a generation opportunity” to build a fit-for-purpose and efficient transmission network to support emerging low-carbon energy generation. But to do this, £32bn of investment was needed.
RenewableUK

Shell CCS offshore bid signed

An agreement has been signed in a bid to redevelop a North Sea gas field as a potential CO2 storage facility for a major government project.
BBC

Shared grid promises to slash offshore wind costs

The UK Energy Research Centre report, entitled Great Expectations, suggests that current costs of £150/MWh could fall to just over £115/MWh in the next 15 years but only if government and industry work together.
Business Green

Britain now has more Wind power than all other countries combined.

With the completion of Vattenfall's 300MW Thanet wind farm, according to the trade body RenewableUK, the UK now has more offshore wind capacity than the rest of the world put together. While the global total excluding the UK is estimated at 1,100MW, the UK now has 1,341MW.

The Thanet wind farm will power 200,000 homes
Business Green

UK set for solar rush as first plant approved

Cornwall Council in the southwest of Britain approved the country's first medium-scale solar power project Monday, scratching the surface of an industry which could attract up to 1 billion pounds ($1.58 billion) to the area, the local council said.
Reuters

Scotland to get 100 percent green energy by 2025

Scotland should produce enough renewable electricity to meet all its power demand by 2025, First Minister Alex Salmond said Tuesday.

"Scotland has unrivalled green energy resources and our new national target to generate 80 percent of electricity needs from renewables by 2020 will be exceeded by delivering current plans for wind, wave and tidal generation," Salmond said.
Reuters

Finance sector is willing to help fund CCS if....

• An indicator of performance across the whole capture and generation chain must be provided by a well-regarded equipment supplier or contractor.
• Major sponsors who have successfully managed sizeable and complicated construction projects must be involved.
• Economics of CCS must have a route to being competitive with other forms of generation, without public funding.

The reporting "indicates that excluding any government contribution, power prices would have to be around €160/MWh to make it worthwhile building a coal fired power station with post-combustion CCS today." Allowing for efficiencies... "the required power price might drop to €140/MWh – still well above the €80/MWh that might be required to justify the same coal fired power station without CCS but which has to pay €20/t for CO2 emitted to the atmosphere."
Climate Change Group

Wal-Mart to try thin-film solar technology

Wal-Mart is looking at installing thin film panels rather that traditional crystalline panels in up to 30 locations.

Thin-film panels absorb light more easily than crystalline silicon so require less semiconductor material and are cheaper. But they tend to be less efficient in energy conversion.
Reuters

Coalition Accused of reneging on promises

Coalition accused of going back on pre-election promises such as cracking down on illegal timber market and on feed-in-tariffs for previously installed solar panels.
Guardian

EU creates CCS Project Network

The European Commission completed the launch of the EU tool that supports early large-scale demonstration of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) technologies. The CCS Project Network is the world's first network of CCS demonstration projects to foster knowledge sharing and raise public understanding of the role of CCS in cutting CO2 emissions. This will accelerate learning and ensure that the Commission can assist CCS to safely fulfil its potential and become a commercially viable technology.
EU

Westminster Forum Discusses CCS

The Westminster Energy, Environment and Transport Forum hosted a seminar on 9 September on the latest developments in carbon capture and storage (CCS).

CO2 Deepstore director Ian Phillips argued that CCS technology worked, but was expensive in energy terms where losses due to the process of capturing carbon can be up to 30%. He suggested funds for decommissioning and monitoring of carbon stores should be accrued from revenue streams once projects were operational, rather than developers being liable for the costs up-front. Finally he stressed that current liabilities for possible leakage of carbon dioxide from stores were too high, and would prevent most from progressing with plans to develop projects.
Westminster Forum

Chris Goodall claims Electric cars: Boris backs the wrong technology.

The London EV charging scheme has opted for a single phase 3-pin charging points. Chris Goodall points out that the standards coming will be three phase 7-pin and that London must reconsider.
Chris Goodall

Carbon Trust launches new UK solar company

Cambridge Enterprise, part of the University of Cambridge, and the Carbon Trust announced the launch of a new company called Eight19. It will develop and manufacture high-performance, low-cost plastic solar cells for high-growth volume markets. The Carbon Trust said Eight19 would “revolutionise” solar power production by opening up new markets and reducing costs, driving forward mass production and making the technology more affordable.
Carbon Trust

Advisors warn UK needs “rapid” action to hit renewable targets

The UK is unlikely to meet its commitment to generate 15 percent from renewable sources, according to the Government’s influential group of climate change advisors.
ClickGreen

Heriot-Watt University handed golden £1.3m donation

A gold-mining tycoon is donating £1.3m to a Scottish university to boost research into sustainable energy. Canada-based philanthropist Robert M Buchan is giving the cash to Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh, where he studied more than 40 years ago.Mr Buchan hopes the new chair will keep Scotland at the forefront of sustainable energy engineering.
BBC

Iberdrola to invest in UK infrastructure

The Scottish Government and Scottish Power announced that Scottish Power's parent company Iberdrola planned to invest €4.8bn in the UK over the course of 2010-12. It said two-thirds of the planned investment would go towards wind power, smart grids, carbon capture and storage and distribution networks. A considerable portion will be use to capitalise in Scotland's potential in renewable energy generation.
Scottish Government Scottish Power

Scotland supports extending permitted development for micro-renewables

The Scottish Government published responses to its recent 'Extending Permitted Development Rights for Domestic Wind Turbines and Air Source Heat Pumps' consultation. The responses showed general support for plans to expand the scope of permitted development.
Scottish Government

DECC confirms enhanced capital allowance technologies

DECC published its updated energy technology product list for energy efficient technologies eligible for the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme. ECA enables businesses to claim 100% first-year capital allowances on their spending on qualifying plant and machinery such as certain energy saving and renewables including; AMR/aM&T, boilers, solar thermal systems, biomass, HVAC, heat pumps, lighting control, refridgeration and more.
DECC

Scottish Power invests £5m for CCS Alliance

ScottishPower has announced its sponsorship of the UK's first alliance between industry and academia to focus specifically on carbon capture and storage (CCS). The Scottish Power Academic Alliance will fund 12 full-time researchers at University of Edinburgh and Imperial College London.
ClickGreen

Scotland is Halfway to 2020 climate target

Greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland have fallen by 20 per cent since 1990, according to the latest official statistics published today.

Taking emissions trading into account, Scotland's emissions have fallen by 21.2 per cent from 1990 - meaning Scotland has reached the halfway point in achieving its 2020 Climate Change Act target of reducing emissions by 42 per cent.
Scottish Government

Solar PV market to grow in 2010

Growth predictions for the global photovoltaic (PV) market this year range between 9GW and 24GW of newly installed capacity, according to a report published by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). The Ninth Annual Photovoltaics Status report noted in 2009 PV cells world-wide produced 22GW of electricity, with 70% located in Europe. For 2010 it noted steady investment of $33.9bn (£22bn) and predicted the increasing number of market implementation programmes, combined with rising energy prices, would push demand up further.
JRC

HSBC said the global market for low-carbon energy and efficiency projects will triple to $2.2 trillion by 2020 but that a U.S. cap-and-trade program will not be reliased this decade.
Bloomberg

What some of the big names are doing in Renewables

Tesco Article
Tesco Home Efficiency Site
E.ON

Some interesting stats on FiT's at Carbon Limited

British Gas tells of “rooftop bonanza” for homes

Half of all homes could earn £600 a year from installing rooftop solar panels, according to British Gas. Over 12mn households could benefit from solar panel installations, which could produce enough electricity to meet half their household needs. British Gas said the market for solar installations and other micro-generation technology will grow rapidly and within a decade 25% of households will have small-scale micro-generation.
British Gas

More than 4.7 Million Electric Vehicle Charge Points to be Installed by 2015

The automotive industry will reach a turning point during 2010, as it begins the gradual transition away from the internal combustion engine and towards electrification, according to Pike Research. The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that a total of 4.7 million such charge points will be installed worldwide during the period from 2010 to 2015.
Pike Research

Think-tank rubbishes energy policy

Current UK energy and climate change policies are not only failing to deliver targets but also “wasting time and money”. The report recommended:
- The FiT scheme be abolished, with alternative public support for micro-generation focused on technologies that play a significant part in global carbon reduction rather than supporting “ineffective” mass deployment;
- Scaling-back the RHI from 12% to 8.5% by 2020, as a result of its “limited ability” to tackle climate change;
- Simplifying the CRC by cancelling the permitting and trade cap elements;
- Carrying out a full review of the RO and the EU renewable energy target; and
- Reforming the CCL to become a tax on carbon, and abolishing “ineffective” Climate Change Agreements.
Policy Exchange

UK's first geothermal plant given go-ahead

The UK’s first commercial deep geothermal power plant had been granted approval by the Cornwall Council. The 10MW plant was expected to be operational by 2013 providing heat for the local area and electricity to the national grid.
FT

End to green energy ban could herald £100m council windfall

Local Government Association predicts councils could generate millions in additional revenue from selling renewable energy to the grid.
Business Green

SolarCentury reports green jobs boom

The UK's leading solar energy firm, SolarCentury, has today reported that the number of people employed by the company and its partner network has almost doubled over the past six months as the government's feed-in tariff incentive scheme begins to take effect.
Business Green

BIS report on low-carbon goods and services

BIS report on the Business Action to Influence Consumer Demand for Low-carbon Goods and Services outlines business decisions to encourage the take up of low-carbon products in the market, including the potential barriers or market failures.
BIS

36 million smart gas meters by 2016

The global installed base of smart gas meters would grow rapidly over the next few years and the total installed meters in the gas sector would increase from 8.5mn in 2009 to 36.3mn by 2016 according to The Pike Research Group. It forecast that Europe will be the largest regional market for smart gas meters, with 13.5mn units installed by 2016.
Pike Research

Micro-generation Council call upon Cameron

The Microgeneration industry today called upon David Cameron to intervene personally to fulfil his pledge to make this “the Greenest Government Ever”.
“Almost 130 Members of Parliament have called on the Government to confirm the introduction of the Renewable Heat Incentive for Microgeneration."
Micro Generation Council

Huhne overturns ban on local authorities selling green power

Climate change secretary Chris Huhne confirmed that from 12 August local authorities will be able to sell renewable electricity back to the national grid. He said the change will enable councils to raise funds through feed-in tariffs, while boosting renewable generation. Separately, the Local Government Association published a report predicting that council-owned wind turbines and solar panels could bring annual revenues of £100mn.
DECC

Uncertainly halts CCS investment

Uncertainty on future legislation is causing several of the most active CCS players to hold off investment according to Bloomberg's New Energy Finance publication.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance

Government incentives make UK a solar hotspot

Installations of photovoltaic systems in the UK could rise 1,500% from 6MW to 96MW in 2010, according to market research company iSuppli on Friday 30 July. It said the combination of feed-in tariffs in the UK and a dip in incentives in other European countries had encouraged smaller, distributed, self-generation, which could result in a solar surge.
iSuppli

EU CCS and Renewables Funding

DECC publishes its Initial Guidance on EU Funding Mechanism “NER300” for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Renewable Demonstration Projects to help companies understand the European Commission funding. A total of €4.5bn-€9bn will be available for up to eight CCS and 34 renewables projects across Europe.
DECC

Walmart Releases Its Roadmap to GHG Accounting

Walmart's roadmap to its commitment to reduce the carbon footprint from the lifecycle of its products, including its supply chain, by 20 million metric tons of carbon dioxide between now and 2015. This is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 3.8 million passenger vehicles.
Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/08/05/walmart-releases-its-roadmap-ghg-accounting#ixzz0voioBDdk
GreenBiz

Major Blow to UK Electric Vehicles

A government grant scheme to give motorists up to £5,000 off the cost of a new electric car has been cut by 80%, opposition politicians and green campaigners claimed today. The fate of a network of charging points to power such low-emission cars also hangs in the balance.
Guardian

Global warming pushes 2010 temperatures to record highs

Global temperatures in the first half of the year were the hottest since records began more than a century ago, according to two of the world's leading climate research centres. Scientists have also released what they described as the "best evidence yet" of rising long-term temperatures.
Guardian

Solar thermal seeks U.S. breakthrough

Solar thermal power could be close to a breakthrough in the U.S. market, but only for large scale projects. It will still be dependent upon developers shaving costs to beat back competition from photovoltaic (PV) solar systems, and attract the huge sums needed to finance the renewable energy plants.
Reuters

SDC report links £70M of Government savings to sustainability measures

The Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) released its fifth annual watchdog report, finding that sustainability measures are saving the UK Government £60-70 million every year.
SDC Full Report

Renewables Need to Grow Seven fold from 2008

The Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) published a report on key features of policy and regulatory frameworks for electricity generation. It said to meet the legally binding 15% renewable energy target established under the EU Renewable Energy Directive 2009, a sevenfold increase in renewable energy generation compared to 2008 would be required.
ECCC

Race to Design a New Breed of Massive Offshore Wind Turbines

The race is on to develop new off-shore wind turbines that will dwarf existing models. This includes a British firm that is designing mammoth 10MW offshore wind turbines with 275m wingspan that will produce three times power of standard models. These designs could bring the economies of scale required that would revolutionise the wind industry.
Guardian

40% of companies face fines under CRC

Many companies are expected to miss the 30 September deadline to register for the carbon reduction commitment (CRC) energy efficiency scheme according to WSP Environment & Energy. It said 40% of companies included under the scheme were unaware of their obligations and could face fines of £5,000 each.
Reuters
Slightly odd report as it says that 7,500 companies could face fine when there are only 5,000 in the CRC?

Government to axe Sustainable Development Commission

Defra announced it would be withdrawing Defra funding from the Sustainable Development Commission as part of spending cuts enforced by the Treasury. Environment secretary Caroline Spelman said the department would continue to liaise closely with the Sustainable Development Commission’s partners and would work with business, civil society, local communities, universities and internationally, to help “deliver sustainable development”.
Defra

DECC to cut low-carbon spending

Various programmes are to see their funding cut or reduced, in addition to the already-announced closure of the Low-carbon Buildings Programme. The DECC said £34mn of savings in 2010 would come from a reduction in expenditure on programmes targetted on low-carbon technologies.
DECC

Marine Project Funding from the Scottish Government

The Scottish Government has awarded five marine energy projects grants from the Wave and Tidal Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Support fund. The grants, totalling £13mn, were awarded to companies to support the development of emerging marine energy technologies.
Scottish Government

DECC sets sights on phase 2 CCS demonstration projects

The DECC has launched a consultation encouraging the industry to provide information and comments on the second carbon capture and storage demonstration competition. It outlined two separate funding streams for potential projects, a CCS levy and a contract for differences. All demonstrations will be funded by the CCS levy.
DECC

Renewables Funding Gap

The UK's offshore wind industry will require cumulative peak funding of £10bn by 2015, putting 2020 emissions and renewables targets at risk. The current funding gap for offshore wind means UK will not achieve renewable target by 2020

The PWC report recommended a consumer levy to reduce construction and technology risks and additional Renewable Obligation Certificates for a limited period to increase short-term returns for investors.

PWC

£7mn boost for UK wave and tidal companies

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) announced that it had awarded a total of £7mn to wave and tidal energy projects. The funding, allocated through the Wave and Tidal Stream Energy Technologies - Reducing Costs and Improving Performance competition, would be split between nine UK projects, each receiving £100,000-£2.5mn.
TSB

SSE £1bn carbon capture initiative

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) revealed that it is considering entering the £1 billion competition to develop clean power stations in the UK.

CCS is more than just a political platform on which the Scottish National Party has climbed to bolster its no-nukes policy. It is a technology that represents the best hope for salvation from the climate-changing consequences of burning fossil fuel.
Herald

Eurostat Renewables Figures

EU statistical office Eurostat noted that in 2008 renewables contributed 10.3% of final energy consumption in the EU-27, compared with 9.7% in 2007 and 8.8% in 2006. The highest share of renewable energy in total consumption in 2008 was found in Sweden at 44.4% compared to UK levels of 2.2%.
Eurostat

12 PowerPoint Slides That Shook the Earth

Some interesting slides especially showing the variability of wind and solar generation and on visual images on the magnitude of human oil consumption.
GreenTech Media

Recession creates a favourable climate for sustainability, says Accenture

Management consultancy Accenture recently published a report on how the recent economic down turn had affected sustainability. It noted despite the recession 93% of companies said sustainability would be critical to their success. It found that new technologies will play a vital role in embedding and enabling sustainability, leading to 91% of businesses saying they felt using new technologies will form part of their sustainability strategies for the next five years.
Accenture

Citigroup outlines options and risks for green investment bank

Analysts Citigroup issued a briefing on how a green investment bank could help fund climate change investments. It said a green investment bank could be good news for small companies by creating greater market opportunities and it could have a significant positive impact on infrastructure build. But it said “cheap debt without clear policy support will not be sufficient.”
Citigroup

New road projects not an answer to Scotland’s transport problems

Transport in Scotland is to be largely decarbonised by 2050. "The Scottish Government has failed to meet its own indicators on transport. Emissions are increasing, road traffic levels are up, and the numbers of people either walking, cycling or using public transport remains critically low."
SD Commission
Link to publication

David Mitchell's Soap Box: Climate change

A refreshing and honest view point on climate change from comedian David Mitchell, funny but also very true. Well worth a watch.
Guardian

SSE Carbon Capture at Peterhead

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) announced it was to prepare a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at its 400MW Peterhead gas-fired power station in Aberdeenshire. It said the project would demonstrate post-combustion CCS on an existing gas turbine, existing steam turbine and electricity network connection.
BBC

Solar Flight - during the night!

The eight of July 2010 has entered the history books,an experimental solar-powered aircraft launched on the previous day landed safely after successfully flying through the night. The incredible feat is a step toward the even more incredible aim of circling the globe using only the power of the Sun to fuel the plane.

The aircraft used super-efficient solar cells and batteries to stay in the air after the Sun's rays had faded. The plane touched down at Payerne airfield at 0900 (0700 GMT) after a total flight time of 26 hours.

During the flight it reached a unbelievable height of 8,700 m (28,543 ft). It is the longest and highest flight recorded by a solar-powered plane. The plane has 12,000 solar cells arranged on top of its wing which stored enough energy to power the plane for the flight through four engines.

The team will now build a new, more advanced, model of the plane and they plan to aim to circumnavigate the globe by 2013.
http://www.solarimpulse.com/

Ministers discuss potential of anaerobic digestion

DECC announced that climate change minister Gregory Barker and environment minister Lord Henley had jointly chaired an anaerobic digestion round-table meeting. Discussions with members of the industry focused on what actions the Government should take to increase use of the technology in a cost-effective way.
DECC
Renewable Energy Association (REA) said the Government should: award biogas plants two ROC's for the full 20 years of their eligibility; introduce the renewable heat incentive by April 2011 so “green gas” can be rewarded through a feed-in tariff.

The UK's greenest car awards

The Guardian's Adam Vaughan joined a panel of transport and environmental experts at the 2010 WhatGreenCar awards to help find UK greenest cars.
Guardian

Sustainable Transport Vision for Scotland

Sustainable Development Commission Scotland - the Scottish Governments sustainable development advisors - published its 'Sustainable Transport Vision for Scotland' Key messages from the SDC report include:
- A dramatic increase in road traffic and no-growth in active travel sees the Government failing own policy targets.
- There is no need to initiate massive infrastructure projects to solve Scotland’s transport and economic problems
- Clever use of technology, a real boost for active travel and accessible towns and workplaces will deliver a healthier and better connected Scotland and cost far less for a Government looking for savings.
Sustainable Scotland Network

The Audit Commission are not happy

Quote from their website. "In May 2010 the new government announced that they would abolish CAA [Comprehensive Area Assessment]. To avoid confusion on when they should end, we - and the other inspectorates - ceased all work on the joint assessments immediately."
Audit Commission

Empire State Building Goes Green

The Empire State Building is having a major green makeover and by 2013 when the project is complete it will be 38 percent more energy efficient. The building owners calculate their energy savings to be $4.4 million a year with payback on their incremental investment in just 3 years.
Making Your Buildings Work

Hydro-power drops by half on drier weather

The start of 2010 has been the driest for 81 years the Met Office said on Thursday 1 July. It noted average rainfall of 356.8mm between January and June, compared to the long-term average of 511.7mm. The day after, Platts reported that the lack of rainfall had impacted on generation from hydro-power, which fell 46% to 0.87TWh in the first four months of the year. It said the decrease was equivalent to a medium-sized 250MW generator being offline for the period. The Scotsman reported on Sunday 4 July that rural Scotland could be affected by power cuts as a result.
Met Office Scotsman

Scotland offers homeowners grants for renewables

The Scottish Government urged households to “snap-up” grants for small-scale renewables. Scottish energy minister Jim Mather said the up-take of small-scale renewables was unprecedented and the Energy Saving Scotland home renewables grant scheme was under pressure. But he said the scheme would stay open until the remaining finance had been allocated, which he estimated would be around three weeks. Mather added that the Scottish Government would look to see what further support it could give to small-scale renewables projects.
Scottish Government

DECC awards £10mn for offshore wind

DECC announced on Monday 5 July that it had approved £10mn of grants for offshore wind projects. It said £5mn would be divided between seven companies to increase the supply chain for offshore wind in the UK, with a further £5mn being awarded to Siemens Windpower to develop a “next-generation” 6MW offshore turbine. Energy secretary Chris Huhne said the UK was already a world leader in offshore wind but must do “much, much more”.
DECC

Scottish Borders objects to wind farm plans

A public inquiry will take place after councillors opposed a wind farm in Scotland, the BBC reported on Monday 5 July. The Scottish Borders Council was advised not to oppose the proposed Rowantree 69MW 23 turbine wind farm near Oxton, but to attach conditions to the development instead. Due to its size, the Scottish Government will have final say on whether or not to approve the development.
BBC

Household energy use jumps 150% in 40 years

A report published by the Office for National Statistics noted that energy use in UK homes has risen sharply since the 1970s. Social Trends 40 said increased use of “domestic technologies”, such as computers, had lead to households using 155% more energy than 40 years ago. Homes in 1970 used the equivalent of 2.7mn t of oil to power lights and other electrical appliances, compared to 6.8mn t in 2007.
Office for National Statistics

Carbon and Energy Saving Trusts could face chop

The Government is expected to unveil a report today 29 June on how the green investment bank will operate and be funded, the FT reported on Monday 28 June. The newspaper said both the Carbon Trust and Energy Saving Trust could be scrapped to make “green” funding streams more efficient and raise funds for the bank.
FT

EU Supergrid

Sun, wind and wave-powered: Europe unites to build renewable energy "supergrid"
Business Green

Massive oil field discovery in North Sea

A collaboration of UK firms has made one of the largest North Sea oil field discoveries in nearly a decade, the Scotsman reported on Monday 28 June. It said the group––consisting of Encore Oil, Premier Oil, Wintershall, Nautical Petroleum and Agora Oil & Gas––estimated the Catcher prospect, off the east coast of Scotland, holds 300mn barrels of oil. Further drilling will confirm if the discovery is part of a single larger petroleum system, comprising 800mn barrels.
Scotsman

Europe moves closer to electric car infrastructure

Europe's carmakers moved a step closer creating an infrastructure for electric cars after agreeing on plug and socket standards for slow or overnight charging of the battery-driven vehicles due to hit roads from next year.
Reuters

Giant turbines could be the future of green energy

Large wind turbines with blades which “dwarf the London Eye” could be the future of green power, the BBC reported on Sunday 20 June. It said first generation of 10MW offshore wind turbines––named Britannia and designed by Clipper Windpower––was expected to be complete by 2012. Britannia design team project leader Bill Grainger said he saw no reason why offshore turbines should not get larger, as larger turbines make “economic sense”.
BBC

Firms paid to shut down wind farms

Energy companies could receive thousands of pounds to turn off wind turbines when there is periods of over supply. The first successful test shutdown of two wind farms took place on 30 May for a little over an hour during the night when demand was low compared to supply. Scottish Power received £13,000 for shutting down the two farms under the balancing mechanism.
Telegraph

Scotland could get 8% of power from waste

8% of Scotland’s electricity generation needs could be met through increased use of energy-from-waste. Quantifying the Contribution Energy-from-waste could Make to Scotland's Energy Needs said 25% of all waste produced could be burned to produce electricity and 12% could be used to produce electricity through anaerobic digestion.
Scottish Government

CAT outlines zero-carbon vision

The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) published its Zero-carbon Britain 2030 report, which examined how Britain could eliminate all emissions by 2030. It recommended: implementing a code for sustainable high-performance building refurbishments; setting a clear definition of zero-carbon; increasing public education; and setting a list of “European sustainability” measures to ensure a consistent approach across green industry.
CAT

CCS crucial for mitigating climate change, says IEA

The International Energy Agency (IEA)said that the G8 recommendation to launch 20 large-scale CCS demonstration projects by 2010 remains a challenge and will require that governments and industry accelerate the pace toward achieving this critical goal.

Renewable energy technologies, nuclear energy and CCS would “contribute significantly” to the least-cost route of reducing and stabilising atmospheric carbon levels.
IEA

Sustainability Survey Findings

Some key findings from the survey include:
• Almost nine in ten (88%) experts believe that improving sustainability performance leads to a stronger brand; only two percent of experts disagree.

• Just over half (55%) of experts say that integrating sustainability into a company’s brand image results in improved sustainability performance, while two in ten (19%) disagree. Corporate experts are more convinced that integrating sustainability into a company’s brand image improves its sustainability performance.

• Four in ten experts (43%) find that sustainable brand claims by companies are mostly “green washing”. Experts from the corporate sectors are much less likely to agree that sustainable brand claims are “green washing” than are experts from NGOs or institutions.
Sustainability.com

Iberdrola Renovables to invest €9bn in UK renewables

Iberdrola Renovables announced on Tuesday 8 June that it was to invest €9.1bn in new renewable energy projects, aimed at boosting growth in 2010-12. It said 21% of the investment had been ear-marked for UK investment, 55% had been allocated for US development, 11% for Spain and 13% for the rest of the world. The company said its goal was to attain an installed capacity of 16,000MW globally by 2012.
Iberdrola Renovables

Biogas company wins Centrica contract

Chesterfield BioGas (CBG), a division of Pressure Technologies, announced on Monday 7 June that it had secured a £0.6mn order from Centrica to upgrade the existing waste water treatment plant at Didcot to capture biomethane. It said processed biomethane from the new plant would be injected directly into the grid.
CBG

BSI launches carbon-neutral standard

The British Standards Institution (BSI) released a new specification designed to help businesses reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve “carbon-neutral” status. PAS 2060 aimed to allow businesses to meet their environmental and sustainability objectives while reassuring consumers that a company’s carbon-neutral claims are correct. It said the standard would improve transparency and promote competition between companies.
BSI

EU solar industry pledges research funding

The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) announced on Tuesday 1 June that it would provide €1,235mn funding to increase research and development in the solar industry. It said the money would ensure the solar industry “achieved competitiveness in all market segments” and enable solar to provide 12% of EU electricity demand by 2020. The Solar Europe Industry Initiative will be launched later today, Thursday 3 June.
EPIA

EU halfway to meeting emissions targets

EU member states are more than halfway towards meeting 2020 greenhouse gas targets according to the European Environment Agency (EEA). The Annual EU Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990–2008 and Inventory Report 2010, both published on Wednesday 2 June, said EU-27 emissions dropped 11.3% on 1990 while the EU-15 achieved a reduction of 6.9% on 1990. It added greenhouse gas emissions fell for a fifth consecutive year in 2008, dropping 1.9%.
EEA

Scotland studies CCS under Moray Firth

The Scottish Government has part-funded a £290,000 study with the energy industry to examine carbon capture and storage (CCS) capabilities in the Moray Firth, the Scotsman reported on Thursday 3 June. It said the study would examine the potential for CCS in the sandstone off the east coast of Scotland and would be conducted by the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage, a partnership of the British Geological Survey and two Scottish universities.
Scotsman

Ecotricity delivers “green gas” to consumers

Green energy supplier Ecotricity announced on Tuesday 1 June that it had delivered the UK’s first “green gas” to consumers. It said the gas, made from composted organic waste using anaerobic digestion, had been added to its fuel mix after signing a deal with a plant in the Netherlands. The “green gas” is mixed with conventional “brown gas” in the grid and delivered to consumers.
Ecotricity

EU smart grid road-map

The European associations for transmission operators (ENTSO-E) and distribution operators (EDSO-SG) published on Thursday 27 May a road-map for developing the electricity grid to 2018. The European Electricity Grid Initiative Road-map 2010-18 focussed on system innovation rather than on technology innovation and addressed the challenge of integrating new technologies under real-life working conditions.
ENTSO-E

Electric Vehicles Report

Electric vehicles are only as 'green' as the electricity that charges their batteries, a report published today by the UK's leading engineers points out. In Electric Vehicles: charged with potential, The Royal Academy of Engineering identifies the serious challenge of ensuring that the electricity supply system can cope with charging tens of millions of vehicles whilst still reducing carbon emissions from power generation.
Royal Academy of Engineering

Shetland Turning Wind into Hydrogen Fuel

Very interesting article providing good reasons to move away from EV's and go towards hydrogen whilst getting over the hurdles of smart grids and storing electricity from wind.
Company website http://www.pure.shetland.co.uk
See Guardian article

Electric car grant could be axed in spending cuts

The planned discount on new electric cars could become a casualty of the government's cost-cutting drive.

The £5,000 discount on all new electric cars, which had been due to be introduced next year, could be scrapped as part of the government's cost-cutting drive, the Guardian has learned.
Guardian

10% of cars must be electric by 2020, report says

AT LEAST one in ten vehicles on Scotland's roads must be electric by 2020 to achieve climate change targets, according to a new environmental charity report.
The WWF Scotland study said that electric vehicles (EVs) have an important role to play in helping to achieve the Scottish Government's 2020 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 42 per cent.
Scotsman

Our Addiction to Flying

The number of general aviation hours will grow an average 2.5 percent a year through 2030. International air travel, measured in paid passenger miles, was 10.3 percent higher than a year earlier, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Guardian

Abengoa 50 MW solar plant goes online in Spain

Spanish renewable energy firm Abengoa said on Monday a 50-megawatt solar plant it had built which is capable of supplying 27,500 homes had begun feeding power to the grid.
Reuters

Firms to increase climate change spending

Seventy percent of firms with revenue of $1 billion or more say they plan to increase spending on climate change initiatives in the next two years, a global survey reported
Reuters

Scotland publishes progress towards environmental targets

The Scottish Government published its Annual Environmental Report 2008-09 on Friday 21 May. It summarised the Scottish Government’s performance against pre-set environmental targets and found an increase of 2.5% in CO2 emissions as a result of increased energy demand across the government estate.
Scottish Government

CCS could be 19% of GHG reduction, but technology not capable

The International Energy Agency estimates that carbon capture and storage (CCS) could contribute 19 percent of the total greenhouse gas emission reductions necessary between now and 2050.
Reuters

U.S. Senate climate bill sees big cut in oil imports

A climate change bill being unveiled in the U.S. Senate envisions a reduction in U.S. imports of foreign oil of 40 percent by 2030 as vehicles are forced to become more energy-efficient and oil refiners would face new federal requirements, Senate aides said on Wednesday.
Reuters

Solar can provide 22 percent world's power by 2050: IEA

Solar power can provide up to a quarter of the world's electricity by 2050, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday, but it needs government lifelines in the next decade until it can compete with conventional power
Reuters

Dutch government plans subsidy for CO2 storage at sea

The Dutch government will provide subsidies of up to 150 million euros ($190.5 million) in the next 10 years for a carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage project (CCS) at sea, it said on Wednesday.
Reuters

Converting Surplus Wind and Solar Energy into Gas for Storage?

It is now possible to convert renewable electricity into synthetic natural gas with the aid of a new process. This would solve the issue of storage of excess wind/solar energy. The process "separates water from surplus renewable energy using electrolysis. The result is hydrogen and oxygen," explains Dr. Michael Specht of ZSW. "A chemical reaction of hydrogen with carbon dioxide generates methane - and that is nothing other than natural gas, produced synthetically."
Energy Daily

Could CO2 be the green fuel powering tomorrow's cars?

Imagine a green fuel that could power our cars, keep the wheels of industry turning, and wean us off our addiction to oil - a fuel called CO2.
Guardian

Lufthansa to use biofuel on flights by 2012

Lufthansa is set to become one of the world's first airlines to mix biofuel with traditional kerosene on commercial flights as carriers seek ways to cut soaring fuel costs, its chief executive said.
Reuters

UK businesses wasting £300m powering idle PCs

A new report published today claims that British businesses are wasting £300m a year powering idle computers. The report calculated that, if the 17 million workers in the UK who regularly use a computer turned it off at night, carbon emissions would be reduced by 1.3 million metric tonnes, or the equivalent of removing 243,440 cars from the road.
Business Green

Nation Grid proposal for Assets to be used for CCS consultation

National Grid has updated its proposal for the possible alternative use of some of its NTS assets for Carbon Capture and Storage. This 2nd consultation describes the revised proposal and invites comments to inform the decision on whether to grant consent.
Ofgem

The 21st Century Office - Youtube

6 minute video on YouTube on The 21st Century Office: A low carbon economy and transformative change.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwRPPj7A0MQ

EU unveils green car action plan

EU Commission proposes a new action plan designed to promote adoption of clean vehicles and tackle manufacturers' misleading green claims. The strategy includes an eight-point action plan which pledges to maintain the existing regulatory framework to reduce vehicle emissions, support research and innovation in green technologies and to increase European market share in the global electric vehicle market.
EU

Giant gravel batteries could make renewable energy more reliable

Newly designed giant gravel batteries could be the solution to the on-off nature of wind turbines and solar panels. By storing energy when the wind stops blowing or the sun stops shining, it is hoped the new technology will boost to renewable energy and blunt a persistent criticism of the technology - that the power from it is intermittent.
Guardian

Australia puts carbon trading scheme on hold

Australia's prime minister Kevin Rudd says the carbon trading scheme will be put on hold until 2013 due to parliamentary opposition. The proposed carbon trading scheme that was the cornerstone of a pledge to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by up to a quarter by 2020.
Guardian

Can the Sahara light up Europe with solar power?

Across the world's sunbelts, concentrated solar power is emerging as a blindingly obvious answer both to global power – and local water – needs. But can it reach the scale required.
Guardian

US EPA Moving on Compromise Climate Change Bill

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will begin analyzing a compromise climate change bill Senator John Kerry hopes to move through the Senate this year, despite a significant setback his effort has suffered.
Reuters

Geologists refute damning CCS report

Geologists refuted a report which in January had cast doubt on CCS, and on which some policymakers have pinned hopes to fight climate change.
Reuters

GE and Nissan to research EV stations

General Electric Co and Nissan Motor Co on Monday announced a three-year agreement to collectively research development of charging stations for electric vehicles.
Reuters

IBM's Energy Efficiency Jam

What practical actions can be taken today and in the near future to
create a more eco-efficient and sustainable economy? Key findings from IBM's Energy Efficiency Jam with 1600 experts.
"The next 20 years will be the age of the eco-efficient economy."
Executive Summary - IBM
Full Report - IBM

How to Cool the Planet by Jeff Goodell

Jeff Goodell's new book, 'How to Cool the Planet' examines the radical and controversial world of geoengineering, whose techniques for mitigating global warming — considered fringe as recently as five years ago — are beginning to look sane, even inspired.
Amazon.co.uk

Global water shortage will transform business

Global water shortage will transform business operations,Industrial practices over next decade, says new SustainAbility GlobeScan survey. “These findings should sound the alarm for companies that haven’t yet established robust water strategies. This is about literally retaining license to operate in many parts of the world.”
Circle of Blue
GlobeScan

Voluntary CO2 offset market lift depends on firms

The voluntary carbon credit market could experience another quiet quarter if corporate spending on social responsibility does not pick up. The voluntary market has suffered in the past year from the economic downturn as corporates cut spending on social responsibility.
Thomson Reuters

Marks & Spencer plots to be world's most sustainable retailer by 2015

Marks & Spencer has unveiled 80 new commitments under the programme, including the conversion of 50% of its food, home and clothing items across 36,000 lines to its ethical 'Plan A' status over the next five years.
Marketing Week

SSE receives £400mn loan for renewables development

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) announced that it had secured a £400mn loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support renewables development in the UK and Ireland. SSE finance director Gregor Alexander said: “The EIB funding will support our well-financed investment programme and help deliver assets which are needed to help meet EU, UK and Irish renewable energy targets.”
SSE

Guidance on CRC inadequate, says RWE survey

Half of all businesses expected to participate in the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency scheme said that government instructions were inadequate according to a RWE AG survey, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday 31 March. The study showed that 44% of participants believed the government’s guidance on the carbon program was inadequate, while 49% said they did not understand what was required of them.
Bloomberg

Green technology boost for Wales

The Welsh Assembly announced on Tuesday 30 March an £8.3mn investment programme to aid development of low-carbon technologies in Wales. Technologies to be supported include underground coal gasification and carbon capture and storage. The Welsh Assembly said the programme could create up to 150 jobs in the low-carbon sector.
Welsh Assembly

Moving to GMT+1 will save 500k tonnes CO2

10:10 has launched the campaign for brighter evenings, which has been backed by both the Labour and Conservative party. It would produce the equivalent to taking 185,000 cars off the road permanently.
Guardian

Siemens to invest in UK wind industry

Siemens is set to announce plans to build a wind turbine factory in the UK, according to a report in the Times on Monday 29 March. The newspaper said the investment is likely to be £50mn-£100mn and would seek to capitalise on the UK’s rapidly expanding offshore wind industry.
Times

Funds announced for smart grid development

DECC announced it had awarded eight companies a share of £7.6mn to support smart grid development at a proposed site in Glasgow. The technologies being supported included storage, demand response controls and distribution load management. Amongst the awarded companies were Energy Optimizers, Smart Grid Solutions and National Grid.
DECC

Scottish Government low-carbon economy consultation

The Scottish Government consultation on Scotland's progression to a low-carbon economy seeks views to help the development of a Low-carbon Strategy.
Scottish Government

DECC publishes energy statistics…

DECC published its Energy Trends and Quarterly Energy Prices reports and UK greenhouse gas emissions statistics. The reports concluded that total energy consumption dropped 5.5% from 2008 to 2009; total energy production had fallen 6% in the same period; and provisional 2009 carbon emissions were 8.6% lower year-on-year.
Energy trends Quarterly energy prices Emissions statistics Friends of Earth Comments

Budget

As part of the 2010 Budget on Wednesday 24 March Chancellor Alistair Darling announced: £2bn to set up a new Green Investment Bank; a commitment to reform the electricity market; financial support for SMEs to commercialise low-carbon technologies; £60mn for the development of port sites to support the offshore wind industry; and a commitment to reduce government estate carbon emissions by 30% by 2020.
Environmental Audit Committee CBI's reaction DECC

What the 2010 Budget means for Green

Treasury calculations suggested that the series of small but significant transport, tax and investment measures announced could cumulatively lead to the reduction of nearly 80m tonnes of CO2 - nearly 15% of all UK climate change emissions - by 2020.
Guardian

GE announces plan to build wind turbine factory in UK

Just a day after the government announces £60m investment to develop a new port facility in the North East to serve the burgeoning offshore North Sea wind-power industry, GE confirms it will locate a major new turbine manufacturing plant in the UK
BusinessGreen

A new £12 million Scottish Government fund for Wave and Tidal

A new £12 million Scottish Government fund to support the deployment of wave and tidal energy devices has been unveiled. The Wave and Tidal Energy: Research, Development and Demonstration Support fund - to be known as WATERS - will support the testing of new wave and tidal prototypes in the seas around Scotland.
Scottish Government

MSPs oppose new coal-fired station with CCS

MSPs have backed calls for the Scottish Parliament to reject plans for a coal-fired power station at Hunterston in North Ayrshire as CCS is unproven at this time.
BBC

New CCS plant applies for planning permission

On Monday 15 March Ayrshire Power (AP) confirmed that it had submitted a planning application to the Scottish Government for development of a new multi-fuel power station with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology at Hunterston, North Ayrshire.
Ayrshire Power

SSE awarded £6.3mn for CCS

After the launch of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) industrial strategy, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) announced that it had been awarded £6.3mn to trial CCS technology at its Ferrybridge power station in West Yorkshire. SSE chief executive Ian Marchant said: “CCS could contribute significantly to meeting UK and EU climate change targets”.
SSE

DECC launches CCS industrial strategy

DECC published its carbon capture and storage (CCS) industrial strategy, which intended to promote debate on delivering CCS through the demonstration phase onto wider deployment. Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband said: “CCS presents a massive industrial growth opportunity for the UK. We have a strong, established and skilled workforce in precisely the sectors needed to get CCS deployed at scale. And we have some of the best potential sites in all of Europe for CO2 storage under the North Sea.”
DECC

CCS a “key element” of future policy, says Environment Agency

Responding to the Government’s announcement on carbon capture and storage (CCS), Environment Agency chairman Chris Smith said CCS was a key element of a clean energy policy. He added: “CCS has the potential to change the face of power generation and enable the UK to sell this technology to the rest of the world.”
EA

Salmond hails wave of energy deals

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond hailed the marine energy leasing announcement and said it underlined the “rich natural resources of the waters of Scotland”, the FT reported on Tuesday 16 March. But Salmond acknowledged there would be a need to improve grid connections, ports and construction facilities if its potential was to be achieved.
FT

Scotland unveils plan for giant 1.2GW marine energy hub

Scotland's dream of establishing itself as the "Saudi Arabia of marine energy" took a major step towards fruition today with the award of leasing rights to 10 projects, which combined are expected to deliver 1.2GW capacity by 2020, significantly more than the 700MW that had been anticipated.
Business Green

DECC Announces CCS Projects

On Friday 12 March DECC announced that funding for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects had been awarded to E.ON and Scottish Power for design and development studies as part of the CCS competition. Work on the studies would be completed within 12 months after which the final winner would be selected.
DECC

EU set to meet renewables targets

According to a summary of national forecasts published on Thursday 11 March by the European Commission (EC), the EU is on course to exceed its target to generate 20% of its energy from renewables by 2020 by 0.3%. It noted that, if demand was reduced, the UK could also meet its target. Energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger said that the forecasts represented an “important milestone” towards EU goals.
EU

ERP report on Energy Innovation Milestones to 2050

Energy Research Partnership Report sets out how and when selected new energy technologies are expected to develop and what the implications of their deployment could be on the UK energy system.
ERP

CCS Explained

Understand the three main techniques for Carbon Capture and Storage.
Guardian

BIS publishes energy efficiency case studies

On Monday 8 March BIS published case studies of companies which undertook resource efficiency measures resulting in financial savings. The document––Practical resource efficiency savings: Case studies––showed a variety of measures, which other companies could draw upon, to implement their own efficiency measures.
BERR

FiTs favour solar over wind

According to RenewableUK inconsistencies in feed-in tariffs (FiTs) favour solar panels, the Guardian reported on Wednesday 10 March. RenewableUK argued that UK small-scale wind turbine manufacturers would lose out to foreign solar panel manufacturers. Currently a wind turbine would qualify for 26p/KWh -34p/KWh compared to solar panels, which would qualify for up to 41p/KWh.
Guardian

Scotland aiming to be world leader in CCS

On Wednesday 10 March 2010 the Scottish Government announced that it is to publish a plan to position Scotland as a world leader in carbon capture and storage (CCS). The plan "The carbon capture and storage roadmap" recommended actions including: development of CCS demonstration projects; and development of an offshore licensing regime. Scottish energy minister Jim Mather said: “Scotland already has elements of the required onshore and offshore infrastructure and our skills in the oil, gas and engineering industries can be utilised to help the industry grow and develop.”
Scottish Government

White House meeting aims to kick-start US climate bill

Obama says he wants comprehensive climate and energy legislation, and he wants it this year.
Business Green

Drax joins talks over CCS

The Yorkshire Post reported on Tuesday 9 March that Drax was in talks with regional development agency Yorkshire Forward over the development of a £2bn carbon capture and storage (CCS) cluster project at the site. Drax production director Peter Emery said: “The Humber cluster is credible and Drax needs to be in a position to capitalise on that.”
Yorkshire Post

Wind turbine Extension approved despite expert recommendation

Councillors approved a nine turbine extension to a wind farm in Stirlingshire despite the recommendation of planning experts to drop the project, the BBC reported on Tuesday 9 March. Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford said he welcomed the decision to go ahead with the wind farm. Construction is expected to begin in 2011.
BBC

Offshore wind costs higher than nuclear, says consultancy

Output costs from offshore wind generation were three times higher than those from nuclear power, according to engineering consultancy Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), Platts reported on Wednesday 10 March. PB said all-in costs for offshore wind were 15p-20p/KWh compared to nuclear at 6p-8p/KWh.
Parsons Brinkerhoff

Progress in international climate policy

China and India have formally endorsed the Copenhagen Accord the Guardian reported on Tuesday 9 March. The Accord looked to limit global warming to 2°C and provide $100mn of funding to developing countries for mitigation projects.
Guardian

Triple boost for councils tackling climate change

Housing and planning minister John Healey announced on Tuesday 9 March that three planning policies had been overhauled giving councils the latest guidance and targets on addressing climate change. He added that £10mn had been granted to improve green skills and welcomed the second wave of eco-towns. Healey said the changes would ensure councils put combating climate change at the heart of future development.
DCLG

Britain’s CO2 emissions for imported goods at 253mn tonnes per year

UK demand for imported goods resulted in the production of 253mn tonnes of CO2 every year, the Guardian reported on Tuesday 9 March. The newspaper quoted a study by the Carnegie Institute of Washington, which highlighted the issue of responsibility for CO2 released from the production of goods for foreign markets.
Guardian

Global warming is “man-made”, says Met Office

On Friday 5 March the Met Office published its review of climate change to update the International Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) 2007 assessment. The review concluded that the case of man-made global warming was stronger than the IPCC had previously maintained.
Met Office

Miliband set to invest further in CCS

Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband is set to give E.ON UK and Scottish Power tens of millions of pounds to finish their designs for carbon capture and storage (CCS) equipment that could be fitted to coal-fired power stations, the Sunday Times reported on 7 March. The newspaper said both companies were expected to finish their projects within one year.
Sunday Times

DECC launches home energy management strategy…

On Tuesday 2 March energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband, communities secretary John Denham and housing and planning minister John Healey launched the Government’s Warm homes, greener homes: A strategy for household energy management 2010 strategy. It set out plans for meeting a 29% reduction in carbon emissions from the household sector with targets for “eco-upgrades” to homes, which would include cavity wall and loft installation, smart metering and increased efficiency. DECC