Carbon-offset: the latest casualty of the recession

Once the ‘darling’ of British companies eager to address their environmental impact, carbon-offset projects are now becoming the latest casualty of the recession.

According to the environmental research firm New Energy Finance, sales of credits for voluntary offsetting projects plummeted 70% during the first two months of this year compared with the last two months of 2008. The price of these credits also suffered, falling 30%.

“Any project reliant on voluntary offsets is going to find it very difficult to move forward in the present economic climate”, said Jon Williams of Price Waterhouse Coopers.

The biggest threat is to small projects designed to improve the living standards of the world’s poorest communities - replacing cooking stoves or providing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, for example.

During the boom times, companies were keen to invest in “social good” projects because they fitted in with their broader pledges on social responsibility. But carbon-credit retailers now say feel-good projects could be the most affected by the economic downturn, as firms focus on projects that have the largest environmental impact.

Neil Braun, chief executive of the Carbon Neutral Company, a carbon-credit retailer said “there is likely to be more demand now to buy credits for large renewable projects such as wind and hydro, where the cost per tonne of emission reduction is less.”

Concern about the financial implications of the UK’s Carbon Reduction Commitment, which will come into effect in April 2010, is also reducing interest in carbon offsetting. Under the scheme about 20,000 British firms will be required to buy energy allowances. The government’s target is to save 4m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2020, but companies are questioning whether they should buy carbon offsets as well.

The benefits of offsetting are not straightforward, said Neil Sachdev, commercial director of J Sainsbury. “It just passes the problem to a third party. It makes more sense to focus on energy efficiency, where there are clear economic and environmental savings.” Sainsbury offset the emissions linked to the construction of a new building about two years ago. “It only reinforced our belief that energy reduction is a more efficient way to spend our money” explained Sachdev.

Those companies that are still buying offsets are demanding projects show direct emission reductions. Several firms register projects whose credits are sold on the voluntary market, but the most widely accepted offset standards are the Gold Standard and VCS.

A perennial problem with voluntary carbon market is that it is unregulated. This has caused a lot of speculation about whether the pay-to-pollute method has any real impact on carbon reductions.

Ed Matthew, Friends of the Earth’s head of UK climate, said there is an upside to the downturn in the offset market. “It’s great that more companies are reaping the rewards of making their buildings energy efficient rather than falling for false solution of offsetting.”

GREEN IDEAS

Cooler Fridges

Commercial fridges and freezers are electricity guzzlers. Adande, a British company has come up with an easy way to cut their energy usage: smaller insulated compartments with their own doors. Rather than exposing the entire fridge cabinet to the warm air every time you open the door, Adande fridges keep most of the cold air in.

According to Adande, trials have shown electricity use can fall by 50% or more compared with conventional units. Food is also kept fresher in the fridges because the temperature is regulated.

From: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

Green light for carbon-capture power stations

The Government has given the green-light for a new generation of coal-fired power stations but insisted that they would be made to reduce their carbon emissions.

Ed Miliband, Energy Secretary, said that up to four new coal plants could be built before 2020, which he said was “important for our energy mix”.

However he said that at least a portion of each new power station must be fitted with the technology to trap and store their carbon dioxide underground.

His announcement to MPs followed a statement by Chancellor Alistair Darling that in his budget there would be funding for up to four projects which demonstrate the new carbon-capture technology.

Mr Miliband added later that a levy to raise money for fitting the carbon capture and storage technology (CCS), which has not yet been tested on a commercial scale, would add an estimated 2% on energy bills by 2020.

The new plants must show CCS on at least 300 MW output. If the technology works, the power stations would then have to have CCS fitted to cover 100% of their energy output by 2025.

The new “clean” plant scheme is “the most environmentally ambitious of any country in the world, and puts us in a world leadership position on CCS and coal” said the Environmental Secretary. He continued “there is no alternative to CCS if we are serious about fighting climate change and retaining a diverse mix of energy sources for our economy.”

The way that the CCS technology works is that it traps the carbon dioxide - the most common greenhouse gas - which is created when fossil fuels are burnt and stores it permanently underground.

CO2 output could be cut to 90% with this technology however it does reduce the efficiency of the plant due to the energy demands of trapping the carbon emissions.

Mr Miliband revealed that some of the coal that would power these plants would come from the UK, the rest imported from Russia. In 2008 coal power stations provided 31% of the UK’s electricity, with around a third of the coal coming from Russia.

Despite being the ‘grubbiest’ of fossil fuels, coal is expected to remain a widely-used source of energy because it is readily available, cheap and easy to extract, transport and store.

In a bid to tackle the climate emissions of coal, the Government is already running a competition to fund the building of one commercial scale, demonstration for a CCS plant, in which BP, E.ON, Peel Power and Scottish Power are the shortlisted candidates.

Now, the competition has been scaled up to as many as four power stations, while the new regulations revealed prevent any new coal plants being built without the CCS technology.

The hope is that the financial incentives and regulations together will ensure that the technology can be independently judged as economically and technically proven by 2020, with full installation then required within 5 years.

This announcement has been received favourably by unions who said that it had the potential to create thousands or jobs and avoid a shortfall in energy supply in the coming years.

Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary said: “This announcement finally puts serious money and political will behind clean coal.”

“These proposals will place the UK at the forefront of the development of a technology and industry that can delivery deep cuts in carbon across the globe.”

From: http://www.independent.co.uk

Norfolk in fast lane of electric dream

Norfolk has been urged to seize the moment and put Norwich in the fast lane of the government’s £250m vision of getting more drivers into electric cars.

Ministers unveiled radical plans to make electric cars a reality with drivers accessing grants of up to £5000 to buy one from 2011.

Electric cars can range from £10,000 for a two-seater My Car to up to £70,000 for a top-range Tesla Roadster but ministers want to do more to bring them into the price range of the average motorist because of the impact on carbon emissions.

The government is also seeking bids from places interested in becoming “electric cities” to showcase and promote the technology and pay for the installation of charging points - with a strong belief locally that Norwich could be the perfect location.

Around 200 electric cars would also be available in city centres for the public to test drive.

Norfolk engineering firm Lotus, which has helped developed the Tesla Roadster technology, urged transport chiefs to get behind a city bid, claiming one in five motorists in and around Norwich could be driving electric within a decade.

Simon Wood, its technical director, said both city and region were perfectly placed to take advantage of the scheme and government grants to get motorists to buy electric were “exactly the right answer”.

He said it would bring business benefits to the wider region and boost the use of “ultra low carbon” cars which could also include those powered by biofuels.

“I think it would be fantastic for the city,” he said. “It just seems so obvious. As a regional centre it has got well defined boundaries and a good park-and-ride network.

“There are lots of people who live in or just outside of Norwich who commute daily. That’s really where the electric car wins, and £5,000 off one of the lower price cars is probably enough to make people have a look at it.

“If the city and county councils were really positive they could say no-one could come into the city centre unless they had an electric car - otherwise they could leave their car at the park and ride.”

Currently electric car owners can get free parking permits in Norwich, while Chapelfield Shopping Centre car park is the only one locally where drivers can charge up.

The plans would also allow areas access to £20m to improve infrastructure such as charging stations and other types of infrastructure.

Brian Morrey, Norwich city council’s executive member for sustainable development, said: “It sounds like a good idea if they are willing to put the money in.”

But he said with council funding tight it would be down to the government to find most of the cash, adding: “I would like to know more of the details because I don’t want it to become another one of these things that’s going to cost us an arm and a leg.”

Marcus Armes, of the Carbon Reduction Initiative (Cred), said he was planning to talk to bosses at UEA, which is developing a renewable power plant capable of supplying electricity to the cars, to see if they would support the idea.

“I don’t think it’s a panacea, but electric cars have really got a part to play - 60pc of journeys are under 25 miles, and there is a lot of commuting going on in Norwich, so it would be a sensible idea for the city,” he said.

Adrian Gunson, cabinet portfolio-holder for planning and transportation at County Hall, said he would be happy for Norwich to look at the electric city idea but feared vehicles would not be viable in rural areas. And he was against banning traditional cars from the city centre.

“Anything that reduces pollution in the city is a good idea and well worth looking at, but for rural areas there are questions about whether the technology has reached the point to encourage people to go to the extra trouble of having one,” he said.

But Rupert Read, Green Party transport spokesman at City Hall said the investment would only work if supported by a “massive shift” towards renewable energy.

The AA welcomed the initiative and said while cities like London and Manchester could be in pole position for the electric city roles, Norwich could also be well placed because it had a car club, where electric cars could be used.

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon, who took a spin in an electric car with Lord Mandelson, said cutting road transport CO2 emissions was a “key element” to tackling climate change.

“The scale of incentives we’re announcing will mean an electric car is a real option for motorists as well as helping to make the UK a world leader in low carbon transport,” he said.

 From: http://www.edp24.co.uk

New British standard for assesing the life cycle of greenhouse gas emmisions of goods and services

Businesses can assess the carbon footprint of their goods and services and play a greater part in fighting climate change with BSI publicly available specification (PAS) 2050:2008 - Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services, a new standard launched by BSI British Standards, the Carbon Trust and Defra.

The standard offers a way of counting the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in goods and services throughout their entire lifecycle - from sourcing raw materials, through to manufacture, distribution, use and disposal.

According to BSI, the new standard seeks to help businesses move beyond managing the emissions their own processes create and to look at the opportunities for reducing emissions in the design, making and supplying of products.

This, BSI said, should lead businesses to make goods or services that are less carbon intensive and develop new products with lower carbon footprints.

“For the first time, businesses have a robust, consistent standard for measuring the carbon footprint of their goods and services,” said Tom Delay, Carbon Trust chief executive.

“This exciting development will help businesses to really understand the carbon impact of their products and to follow this up with tangible ways to cut carbon emissions across the supply chain,” he said.

“[BSI] PAS 2050 has been developed using BSI’s rigorous consultation process, involving almost a thousand industry experts from within the U.K. and internationally,” said Mike Low, director of BSI British Standards.

“The result is a robust framework within which businesses and public sector bodies will be able to assess the greenhouse gas emissions of their goods and services in a consistent manner. Our hope is that it will be used widely by organizations of all sizes and sectors,” Low said.

Download your free copy of PAS 2050:2008 - Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services.

Photo courtesy of www.freefoto.com

What’s the carbon footprint of your product?

Businesses can from today assess the carbon footprint of their goods and services and play a greater part in fighting climate change, thanks to a new standard launched by BSI British Standards, the Carbon Trust and Defra.

The standard - called PAS 2050 - is a consistent way of counting the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in goods and services throughout their entire life cycle - from sourcing raw materials, through to manufacture, distribution, use and disposal.

The aim of the new standard is to help businesses move beyond managing the emissions their own processes create and to look at the opportunities for reducing emissions in the design, making and supplying of products.  This will then help businesses make goods or services which are less carbon intensive and ultimately develop new products with lower carbon footprints.

Brown Says Downturn Won’t Hit Green Plans

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Tuesday the global economic downturn would not affect a government drive to reduce the country’s carbon emissions. However, an industry executive cast doubt on the ability of the UK’s existing power transmission network to cope with planned increases in wind power output. Brown told a wind energy conference in London ministers were committed to meeting a target to produce 15 percent of the UK’s energy supply from renewable sources, such as wind and wave power, by 2020. “You may have heard some people say that these difficult economic times should or will reduce the government’s commitment to building a low carbon economy. They should not and will not,” Brown said in a recorded statement shown by video to delegates at the British Wind Energy Association’s (BWEA) conference. Doubts have been expressed about the UK’s ability to meet its renewable energy targets, with investors warning that companies need more financial incentives to develop wind farms. A report in Britain’s Observer newspaper at the weekend said delays in gaining planning approval for farms, long delivery times, escalating costs, and technical problems were all threatening to derail government plans. But BWEA Chief Executive Maria McCaffery said in a news conference on Tuesday the industry was confident it would be able to meet the targets. “It’s an area where there is tremendous positivism and confidence,” she said. However, the UK’s power transmission grid system is not capable of dealing with the output from planned new wind farms, said Keith Anderson, director of the renewables division of Scottish Power, part of Iberdrola SA. The grid is between 30 to 40 years old and needs immediate modernisation and investment, Anderson said at the news conference. A proposed upgrade of the main Beauly-Denny transmission line in Scotland, which would allow a significant increase in renewable energy capacity in the far north of the United Kingdom if it gets the go-ahead, was likely to take 10 to 12 years to carry out, he added. “We need more upgrades of that size and scale,” he said. “We cannot afford for that process to keep taking 12 years. If you start the process now for the offshore and marine sector, you’ll already be in 2020. It needs to happen now. “Scotland contributes a huge proportion of the onshore target to the overall target and if you don’t start building the transmission lines, you block some of that development and reduce its potential.” BRITAIN OVERTAKES DENMARK The United Kingdom would achieve three gigawatts of installed wind energy production capacity this week, up from one gigawatt in 2005, with the completed construction of Centrica Plc’s Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farms near Skegness in eastern England, the UK’s Department of Energy & Climate Change said in a statement. Earlier Tuesday, Centrica said it had gained approval for another 250 megawatt project off the Lincolnshire coast and was exploring the possibility of constructing two further wind farms totalling 1,000 MW. Britain had now overtaken Denmark as the world’s largest producer of energy from offshore wind, with 597 megawatts of capacity fully built, the government said. Offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom now have the potential to power the equivalent of about 300,000 UK homes, it said. “What this means is the creation of an unprecedented 100-billion-pounds market for renewable energy sources in just over a decade,” Brown told the conference. “That will create huge new business opportunities - and around 160,000 jobs.” Reporting by Phil Waller; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien, David Cowell and Simon Jessop, Reuters.

Norwich ’should get bike hire’

Bicycles for the public to rent could be dotted around Norwich if Liberal Democrat councillors get their way.

Lib Dems on the city council have suggested a citywide bicycle rental scheme modelled on the projects in Barcelona and Paris.

OYBikes, which already has rental schemes in London, Cheltenham and Reading is to visit Norwich City Hall tomorrow (October 14th).

Judith Lubbock, councillor for Eaton Ward, told the Norwich Evening News that the city should capitalise on rising cycling rates.

"We should be building on these figures and finding new ways to encourage more cycling," she said. "It is a good way to get about in the city, it keeps you fit both physically and mentally and it is cheap."

Boosting the number of journeys made by bicycle instead of car could reduce air pollution in the area.

She added that she would like to see hire points at the Railway Station, the Bus Station, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, University of East Anglia, Norwich College and Park and Ride sites.

The OYBike system sees bikes chained to a special bike stand with a lock operated by a LCD screen and keyboard. Registered users call the OYBike call centre citing the number on the lock display and are sent a pin code to release the bicycle.

Upon returning the bike to an OYBike hire stand, the user is given a pin to send the company indicating their rental period has come to an end.

The city council leader Steven Morphew has said that the problem could be finding funding for the scheme.

Fuel saving sat-nav developed

A satellite navigation system that can help drivers cut down their fuel expenditure and carbon emissions has been developed by Bedfordshire’s Cranfield School of Management.

The VREAM is a vehicle routing device designed by Dr Andrew Palmer of the Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain management at the campus.

Using a digitised model of road networks and data on predicted traffic volumes and speed glows, the model takes congestion and carbon reduction into account.

It considers the amount of acceleration and deceleration a driver might engage in on different roads as both those driving actions increase fuel consumption.

According to Dr Palmer, using the most fuel efficient routes can cut fuel consumption by more than five per cent.

He added: "The aim has not been to produce new mathematical theories, but to produce a pioneering basis for routing which will provide new information and knowledge about how CO2 emissions vary for different minimisation and congestion criteria."

The device has been developed as drivers are increasingly being urged to practice fuel efficient eco-friendly driving. New drivers are now assessed on their fuel-efficient driving as part of the driving test, though it can not affect the outcome of their overall test.

According to the Department for Transport, the road transport sector is one that could reduce its emissions the most.