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Local councils to sell green energy

Monday, 30 August 2010 15:33

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Councils in Britain will from next week be allowed to sell renewable electricity to the grid as part of plans to spur a local power revolution and create income for local areas. From 18 August, the Department for Energy and Climate Change, or DECC, will overturn a ban on local authorities selling renewable electricity. It's hoped this will open up new sources of income for local councils, including the full benefit of the feed in tariff - a payment to anyone who owns a renewable electricity system, for every kilowatt hour they generate. DECC estimates that local authorities across England and Wales could boost their incomes by up to £100 million a year through the scheme. At the moment, local councils can put any renewable electricity they generate to local use, and benefit from the associated feed in tariff for projects smaller than 5MW. But they are restricted from selling any excess renewable electricity into the grid, except power generated from combined heat and power sources, and they can't benefit from the additional export component of the feed in tariff - a bonus payment from any surplus electricity they generate.

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One North Sea - Joint ministerial statement on climate change and energy security

Monday, 30 August 2010 15:28

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On the occasion of the 2010 ONS Conference and Exhibition, an important industry event attracting several hundred Norwegian and British energy companies and investors; Recognising the historical significance and important on-going role of offshore North Sea oil and gas in our bilateral trade relationship; Identifying the growing potential for North Sea marine renewable energy projects to bring new investment and green job opportunities and to strengthen energy security in the region; Acknowledging as a priority the need to apply new technology for the further development of North Sea petroleum resources in the most efficient, safe and environmentally responsible manner; The Norwegian Minister for Petroleum and Energy and the British Minister of State for Energy agree the following priorities for UK and Norway cooperation:

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Renewable energy at work in war zones

Sunday, 29 August 2010 19:54

by Bill Scanlon

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Ever since Don Quixote tilted at wind mills, warfare and renewable energy have had a rough relationship. It's tough to erect wind turbines or solar panels when the enemy keeps blowing things up. Still, Lt. Col. Brian Stevens of the Texas Army National Guard is determined to try. Stevens leads a group of 66 soldiers who want to help bring sustainable agriculture and renewable energy to rural Afghanistan. A self described military brat who "grew up all over the world," Stevens is in the Energy Executives Leadership Program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Energy Execs are leaders who want to learn about renewable energy to help guide the future energy decisions of their companies, organizations or communities. This year, 20 Energy Execs gather at NREL once a month for energy education sessions.

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Last Updated on Sunday, 29 August 2010 20:01 Read more...

IKEA geothermal system could inform others

Sunday, 29 August 2010 19:43

by Bill Scanlon

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It will take less energy and money to make the IKEA store opening next year in suburban Denver feel pleasant when the sun bakes or when the snow drifts, thanks to 130 holes dug into the Earth, where the temperature remains about 55 degrees all year round. IKEA, the Swedish home furnishings retailer, has teamed with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory to showcase and study the advantages of a geothermal heating system currently under construction in Centennial, Colo. It will be the first IKEA store in the United States to be built with geothermal heating and cooling, said Douglas Wolfe, IKEA project construction manager for the store expected to open south of Denver in the fall of 2011. The holes, each 500 feet deep, will be directly below the parking garage that will be just below the store.

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Last Updated on Sunday, 29 August 2010 19:54 Read more...

Earth's overdraft notice: on August 21st, we exceed nature's budget

Saturday, 21 August 2010 20:45

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From now until the end of the year, we will meet our ecological demand by depleting resource stocks and accumulating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Global Footprint Network calculates nature's supply in the form of biocapacity, the amount of resources the planet regenerates each year, and compares that to human demand: the amount it takes to produce all the living resources we consume and absorb our carbon dioxide emissions. Its data reveal that, as of August 21, humanity will have demanded all the ecological services - from filtering CO2 to producing the raw materials for food - that nature can provide this year.

From now until the end of the year, we will meet our ecological demand by depleting resource stocks and accumulating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

"If you spent your entire annual income in nine months, you would probably be extremely concerned," said Global Footprint Network President Mathis Wackernagel. "The situation is no less dire when it comes to our ecological budget. Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, water and food shortages -- these are all clear signs that we can no longer finance our consumption on credit. Nature is foreclosing."