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