UK may fall short of renewables target

Previously unpublished reports from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have revealed that Britain is failing to green its economy.

By 2020 the UK will be sourcing a mere 5% of its energy from renewables, far short of the 15% target we signed up to with the European Commission.

The news will come as a huge embarrassment to the Prime Minister who signed up to the legally-binding target; if Britain fails to meet it, the government will face substantial fines from Brussels.

The Shadow Energy Minister, Greg Clarke said the figures revealed the “fundamental failure” of Labour’s climate-change policies. “This amounts to an admission that the government is going to fail not just marginally but abjectly. For the past 10 years we have lacked a credible and comprehensive energy policy. Labour’s piecemeal approach is clearly not working.”

Britain is one of the worst performers in Europe in terms of renewable energy sourcing only 2% of its needs from non-fossil-fuel sources such as wind and landfill gas.

The Prime Minister has called for a “green revolution” and in the budget Alistair Darling put the sector at the centre of his plans to revamp the economy.

He introduced subsidies for biomass and wind generation but fears persist in industry that many projects are uneconomic. Supporting this view, is DECC’s own forecast, based on present policies and subsidies.

The department is said to announce proposals to bridge the gap. A spokeswoman from DECC argued “We are not relying on existing policies. We consulted last summer on measures to take us to our binding 15% renewable-energy target and will be publishing our strategy this summer. This will set out how we intend to meet our share of the 2020 target.” 

Taken from: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6395500.ece

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

Atmospheric ‘Sunshade’ Could Reduce Solar Power Generation

The concept of delaying global warming by adding particles into the upper atmosphere to cool the climate could unintentionally reduce peak electricity generated by large solar power plants by as much as one-fifth, according to a new NOAA study. The findings appear in this week’s issue of Environmental Science and Technology.

“Injecting particles into the stratosphere could have unintended consequences for one alternative energy source expected to play a role in the transition away from fossil fuels,” said author Daniel Murphy, a scientist at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo.

The Earth is heating up as fossil-fuel burning produces carbon dioxide, the primary heat-trapping gas responsible for man-made climate change. To counteract the effect, some geoengineering proposals are designed to slow global warming by shading the Earth from sunlight.

Among the ideas being explored is injecting small particles into the upper atmosphere to produce a climate cooling similar to that of large volcanic eruptions, such as Mt. Pinatubo’s in 1991. Airborne sulfur hovering in the stratosphere cooled the Earth for about two years following that eruption.

Murphy found that particles in the stratosphere reduce the amount and change the nature of the sunlight that strikes the Earth. Though a fraction of the incoming sunlight bounces back to space (the cooling effect), a much larger amount becomes “diffuse” or scattered light.

On average, for every watt of sunlight the particles reflect away from the Earth, another three watts of direct sunlight are converted to diffuse sunlight. Large power-generating solar plants that concentrate sunlight for maximum efficiency depend solely on direct sunlight and cannot use diffuse light.

Murphy verified his calculations using long-term NOAA observations of direct and diffuse sunlight before and after the 1991 eruption.

After the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, peak power output of Solar Electric Generating Stations in California, the largest collective of solar power plants in the world, fell by up to 20 percent, even though the stratospheric particles from the eruption reduced total sunlight that year by less than 3 percent.

“The sensitivity of concentrating solar systems to stratospheric particles may seem surprising,” said Murphy. “But because these systems use only direct sunlight, increasing stratospheric particles has a disproportionately large effect on them.”

Nine Solar Electric Generating Stations operate in California and more are running or are under construction elsewhere in the world. In sunny locations such systems, which use curved mirrors or other concentrating devices, generate electricity at a lower cost than conventional photovoltaic, or solar, cells.

Flat photovoltaic and hot water panels, commonly seen on household roofs, use both diffuse and direct sunlight. Their energy output would decline much less than that from concentrating systems.

Even low-tech measures to balance a home’s energy, such as south-facing windows for winter heat and overhangs for summer shade, would be less effective if direct sunlight is reduced.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

Relevant Web Sites

• Murphy D. M. (2009), Effect of Stratospheric Aerosols on Direct Sunlight and Implications for Concentrating Solar Power, Environmental Science and Technology, doi:10.1021/es802206b. 
• Article Source, http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/news/2009/aerosol_implications_for_solar_power.html

Cambridgeshire Renewable Energy Online Survey Launched

Renewables East and Cambridgeshire Horizons has launched an online consultation inviting people who live and work in Cambridgeshire to comment on the use of renewable energy in the new communities planned for the area.

73,300 new homes are due to be built in Cambridgeshire between 2001 and 2021, and renewable energy technologies - small and large scale - are due to play an important part in making the county more sustainable and low carbon.

The online consultation, developed by Consense, enables visitors to read about the sustainability targets for the region, learn about a variety of renewable and low carbon technologies and complete a consultation questionnaire giving their opinion on the future role of renewables.

It also features an Interactive Energy Plan, demonstrating how various renewable technologies - including wind power, biomass CCHP and solar PV - could be deployed in a hypothetical community. An Interactive House shows how various low carbon design features, such as passive solar and air tightness; plus a range of renewable technologies can be used for individual households.

www.cambridgeshireenergysurvey.co.uk

Waterways provide a flow of renewable energy

 

British Waterways has announced an agreement with The Small Hydro Company Ltd to generate 210,000 mega watt hours of renewable energy per annum using the public corporation’s 2,200 mile waterway network. The initiative will:

- invest around c.£120 million of private capital over the next three years;
- develop approximately 25 small-scale hydro electricity schemes generating enough power for c.40,000 homes;
- create 150 construction jobs;
- save an annual 110,000 tonnes of CO2.

Backed by Climate Change Capital’s Ventus Fund, the process of gaining consents for the first five hydro schemes alongside river weirs will begin later this month. The proposals will enhance waterway biodiversity as well as providing improved flood mitigation for local communities.

The partnership with The Small Hydro Company follows British Waterways’ announcement in October 2008, of an agreement with Partnerships for Renewables to bring forward wind turbines on canal-side land over the next five years – with annual capacity to generate 219,000 mega watt hours of renewable energy. Income that British Waterways generates from both initiatives will be reinvested towards maintaining the nation’s historic waterways.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband MP said: “By committing to build small hydro power stations and wind turbines, British Waterways is playing an important role in generating renewable energy from the UK’s natural resources. This will help cut carbon emissions and further secure energy supplies. We want even more homes, communities, businesses and public sector organisations to take action and play their part in tackling climate change. The Renewables Obligation already supports renewable electricity generation and from 2010 we’ll be introducing a feed-in tariff which will reward projects like this with guaranteed cash payments.”

Hilary Benn, Environment Secretary said: “Britain’s waterways were the arteries of our economy, providing transport and power. This scheme shows how with ingenuity and innovation they can once again deliver real economic, social, and environmental benefits, especially in tackling and adapting to climate change.”

The Small Hydro Company will now start a programme of community engagement alongside the process of seeking the necessary environmental and planning consents, with the aim of having the first schemes up and running in 2010 to help meet the government’s 2010 hydro renewable targets.

Indicating the way to a low carbon future

March 25, 2009

to

March 26, 2009

Renewables East is please to announce a new partnership conference for 2009 HEON-E (the Home Energy Officer’s Network - Eastern) has staged its annual one-day conference during March for the last 11 years.  After filling venue capacity for the last two years, 2009 sees a new approach with a two day conference run jointly with Renewables East - the renewable energy agency for the East of England

Who should attend?

This two-day conference seeks to highlight the opportunities for public/private sector partnerships, centred on the challenging and vital low carbon agenda, increasingly. Delegates from both public and private sectors

Location

Chilford hall Conference Centre, Linton Cambs CB21 4LE

Further Information

Contact:

Bruce Pittingale, HEON Secretariat, 3 The Bungalos, Caston Road, Thetford, Norfolk, IP25 6TF - tel 05602 391784 - email:  bruce.pittingale@btinternet.com

WANTED: The Next Generation of ‘Green’ Entrepreneurs

Climate change has been identified as one of the biggest global threats of our time. Scientists agree that global warming and extreme climate phenomena can be increasingly attributed to human activity - in particular, heavy emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, resulting from industrial processes.

Solutions to those pressing problems could lie in the rapidly growing ‘green economy’: environmentally sustainable enterprises, technological innovations (new sources of clean, renewable energy), energy efficiency measures, economic incentives for low-carbon choices, etc. How can youth contribute?

The Essay Competition 2009 invites youth to share ideas on:

How does climate change affect you?
How can you tackle climate change through youth-led solutions?

Please answer both questions:

1. How does climate change affect you, your country, town or local community? How do you think it will affect you in the future? Think about the consequences for employment, health, security and other areas of your life.

2. What can you do, working together with your peers, to address the problem of climate change in your country, town or local community? Think specifically about the role of youth-led initiatives in the ‘green economy’.The International Essay Competition is open to all young people, students and non-students alike, between the ages of 18 and 25, from all countries of the world.

If you are at least 18 and not older than 25 on June 15, 2009, you are eligible to participate.

For more information go to: www.essaycompetition.org

Advanced Virtual Biofuels Hub for the East of England

Renewables East (RE) is the renewable energy agency for the East of England, core‐funded by the East of England Development Agency, EEDA. Established as a not‐for‐profit company in 2003 by EEDA, RE has a unique role, with a remit to assist the region achieve the renewable energy targets set by the East of England Regional Assembly and, as important, to promote economic returns from renewable energy, in this case biofuels (both gaseous and liquid).

RE have promoted sustainable biofuels for some time and first organised a biofuels conference in early 2006 attracting over 300 delegates. Since then RE became involved with the UK launch of E85 by Morrisons and Saab’s BioPower car. This subsequently led to involvement with Lotus who themselves have developed a tri‐fuel Elise.

RE also brought together the British BioAlcohols Group, BBAG, based around the Norwich Research Park. The aim of this Group is contribute to the development of advanced generation biofuels using whole and different crops, organic residues and algae. Economic return would be in the IP associated with such work.

As well as the development of biofuels, naturally there are issues for the automotive sector given new fuels, new blends, combustion performance in engines, possible wear/corrosion effects and any repercussions for emissions.

RE have received funding from EEDA to develop a ‘Virtual Advanced Biofuels Hub’ for the region. This would help ‘link’ researchers in academia and industry, particularly the automotive sector. The Hub would initially be a database with web‐portal, accessible by interested parties with a support team to form a personal link and promote partnerships. As well as providing an opportunity for people to indicate general areas of research there would also be access to latest research from around the world via feedback from conferences and other databases. The Hub could stimulate combined research bids for funding etc.

The recent Gallagher Report on Biofuels for government suggested a specific Fuel Obligation for ‘advanced biofuels’ from 2015 with the intention that this would promote more UK research in this area. RE agrees with this and would like to have the East of England in the forefront of this work. RE feels that there appears to be little contact between academics (and industry) at various locations that could potentially be working in similar fields. The Hub could identify potential synergies and hence take forward research at an advanced rate. There also appears to be little linkage through to and within industry and the automotive sector. We feel certain that there could also be areas of common interests - subject of course to business confidentiality.

Participation in the Advanced Biofuels Hub involves no financial cost. RE are also reviewing the potential for a regional biofuels seminar and support towards attendance
at some biofuels conferences.

I would welcome feedback and contact with anyone interested in the Hub.

Please follow this link for information on the Bio Fuels East Launch Event.

Richard Parker, Development Director - Bioenergy
richardparker@renewableseast.org.uk

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