North Sea areas opened to more wind farms

A stretch of sea off the coast of Suffolk and Norfolk is being offered as a designated development zone for wind turbines.

Companies have been invited by the Crown Estate to bid for the right to set up wind turbines in nine areas around the UK as the government seeks to quadruple the amount of wind power generated.

This will be the third round of offshore wind farm leasing, and is for projects that will deliver up to 25GW of new offshore wind power by 2020.

A total of 96 UK and international companies have registered their interest in the bidding.

Business secretary John Hutton said: "The launch of The Crown Estate bidding competition is a huge opportunity for investors and developers to play a part in the renewables revolution sweeping the UK. Offshore wind could dramatically increase the amount of electricity generated in this country from clean, green sources."

Scroby Sands, a wind farm built as part of the first round of development, has been operating three years, generating electricity for 39,000 homes.

Sustainable construction courses offered

Sustainable construction techniques and how to administer buildings sustainably are set to be taught at Bedford College.

Argon Housing, a Bedfordshire social housing provider, has helped develop a pair of two-year qualifications that will teach skills needed for and by the construction industry.

The foundation degrees in Sustainable Construction and Building Services & Sustainability, will include vocational and academic teaching methods.

Director of Construction at Bedford College, Warren Edwards, said: "Bedford College and Aragon Housing have teamed up to provide some exciting new training and employment opportunities for local people.

"Through these developments we have realised the wider opportunities to support our local communities by working together."

When students complete their foundation courses, which are the equivalent of the first two years of a degree, they can complete an Honours degree at the University of Bedfordshire.

A recent Carbon Trust report concluded that companies in the building materials industry stood to gain the most from reducing their carbon emissions and making the transition to a low carbon economy.

Shop to sell recycled items

A recycling centre where rescued objects will be sold to visitors is set to open its doors next week.

About 60 per cent of the 5,500 tonnes of waste per year brought to the Willow Business Park in Saddlebrow will be recycled, with items that still have a use going to a on-site store.

The King’s Lynn facility will open on October 1 and will help meet landfill targets as well as eliminate the illicit sale of goods at rubbish dumps.

Ian Monson, Norfolk County Council’s minister for waste, told the Eastern Daily Press: "The trial we have offered is to sell reusable items which we hope people will bring in, and which are too good to simply be smashed up,” he said.

“It was very much a black market before and led to a lot of problems and fights on our sites.

“When we renewed the contract last April we banned it, and we promised at the time to start a proper and official system."

Earlier this year the European Committee of permanent representatives approved MEP’s recommendations to raise targets on recycling to 50 per cent of household waste and 70 per cent of construction and demolition waste.

Authorities face £2m landfill fines

Local authorities could face up to £2 million in fines if landfill targets are not met, according to the Audit Commission.

European Union targets, and their attendant fines, come into force in 2013 and delays to big projects, such as the Costessey mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plant could push the UK 13 per cent over targets, the commission claimed.

Michael O’Higgins, the commission chairman, said: "We must keep up the pressure to reduce, reuse and recycle but if we are to avoid being heavily fined for failing to meet the 2013 target, then we must also push ahead with the treatment plants that are in the pipeline."

Norfolk council claims it will exceed its targets, and Joel Hull, residual waste treatment contracts project manager at the city council, told the Norwich Evening News he was very confident Costessey’s MBT would be functioning in 2011.

He said: "We have planning permission and permits from the Environment Agency and we are expecting the MBT plant to be operational by 2011."

The Landfill directive allows for authorities to trade landfill allowances so authorities which exceed targets could sell their remaining capacity to councils which are behind schedule.

Natural ventilation system wins Green Oscar

A University of Cambridge spin-out was named the Most Enterprising New Market Entrant of the Year at the so-called Green Oscars.

E-Stack, which started life in the BP Institute at the university, took the prize at the Global Renewable Energy Awards for its low-energy ventilation for winter.

The company’s system, which is based on principles of natural ventilation, allows for fresh air to be circulated around a home while keeping it thermally comfortable.

Cold fresh air is brought in from outside and is mechanically heated on its way into the home, while warm air is let out and some of its heat is used to warm incoming air.

Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, E-Stack’s managing director said: "Our technology has the ability to reduce energy consumption in buildings by a factor of two, and given that 40 per cent of all energy in the developed world is used by buildings, the potential impact of the E-Stack system on the energy market is enormous."

E-Stack has also won the East of England Energy Group Energy Innovation Award and the Low Carbon Trophy.

Tests revealed the system had positive results at Queen Alexandra College in Birmingham and Unity College in Northampton.

Natural ventilation system wins Green Oscar

A University of Cambridge spin-out was named the Most Enterprising New Market Entrant of the Year at the so-called Green Oscars.

E-Stack, which started life in the BP Institute at the university, took the prize at the Global Renewable Energy Awards for its low-energy ventilation for winter.

The company’s system, which is based on principles of natural ventilation, allows for fresh air to be circulated around a home while keeping it thermally comfortable.

Cold fresh air is brought in from outside and is mechanically heated on its way into the home, while warm air is let out and some of its heat is used to warm incoming air.

Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, E-Stack’s managing director said: "Our technology has the ability to reduce energy consumption in buildings by a factor of two, and given that 40 per cent of all energy in the developed world is used by buildings, the potential impact of the E-Stack system on the energy market is enormous."

E-Stack has also won the East of England Energy Group Energy Innovation Award and the Low Carbon Trophy.

Tests revealed the system had positive results at Queen Alexandra College in Birmingham and Unity College in Northampton.

New coal plants must have CCS

All new coal burning plants must have carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology or the UK will find it very difficult to meet CO2 reduction targets, the Environment Agency (EA) has warned.

As the government considers a raft of new coal power plants, Lord Chris Smith, EA chairman, said that none should be given planning permission unless they are fitted with CCS from the outset.

He said: "Building a new generation of coal fired power stations without capturing the carbon emissions would lock the UK into using high carbon technology for decades to come - this is not an environmentally sustainable way of generating power given the challenges we face with climate change."

Last month, MPs in the Environmental Audit Commission, called for existing coal burning plants to be given a deadline for installing CCS technology.

According to the committee, fitting a plant with CCS equipment could reduce its carbon emissions by 90 per cent.

Nujira gets $18m

Cambridge-based Nujira has secured $18 million (£9.75 million) to improve the market penetration of its transmitter technology, which improves the efficiency of cellular network base stations and digital broadcast transmitters.

The company’s technology allows infrastructure and handset manufacturers to avoid the reduction in amplifier efficiency which WCDMA, CDMA200 and WiMax normally experience.

Nujira was recently named as one of the top ten clean technology companies in Europe by the Guardian.

Funding will go towards extending its involvement in the handset market.

Founder and chief executive officer Time Haynes told Business Weekly: "The company first entered the handset market 18 months ago, but it was around six months ago that silicon vendors and handset makers really grasped the proposition.

"Our technology can drive savings of several dollars per handset and efficiency is becoming increasingly important with datacentric handsets like the iPhone."

He also said that the company expects to make "tens of millions of dollars" in annual revenues by 2011.