Renew On Line (UK) 34

Extracts from the November-December 2001 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

1. PIU on Renewables

The Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit has been looking at the future of renewables fifty years on, with this study feeding into a wider study of all energy options, including nuclear. The results should emerge soon - including proposals for the allocation of the £100m promised for new renewables...MORE

2. DTI Security Probe

Following the energy mess in California, security of supply has become a new concern for the UK government, and the Energy Minister, Brian Wilson has set up a new group to look at the risks to Britain’s future gas and electricity supplies. The Energy Security of Supply Working Group will monitor security of supply issues and assess any risks to supplies in the future. The group will be chaired jointly by DTI and Ofgem. Wilson said: “The Government wants to do more to plan for the future....MORE

3. CLA push for Rural Renewables - and sinks

The Country Land and Business Association, previously known as the Country Landowners Association (or CLA), has proposed radical measures to improve the rural economy’s contribution to combating global warming. The CLA says the countryside is the “front line” of the battle against climate change, and calls for the expansion of renewable energy sources. Its 102 proposals include growing elephant grass and willow to replace fossil fuels (see later for a project proposed in Cumbria)...MORE

4. UK Renewables: Funding & Statistics

In 2000, 2.8 % of the electricity generated in the UK was from renewables. The DTI estimates that in England about 1.5 % of the electricity generated came from renewable resources in 2000, while in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the proportions were about 8.75%, 3.25% and 1.5%, respectively. The percentages are higher in Scotland and Wales because large scale hydro generation...MORE

5. Renewables Obligation

Although the idea of having ‘technology bands’ for providing extra support specific options like energy crops or wavepower was once again turned down, the new proposals for the Renewables Obligation for England and Wales (see Renew 133) were generally welcomed, even if they did seem to involve a reduced interim target- 3% by 2003 instead of 5%. Presumably that was in recognition of the problems with obtaining planning permission for wind farms, and maybe, tragically, also reflects the impact of NETA...MORE

6. Orkney wave power

A pioneering wave energy test site is planned in Scotland. The Scottish Executive has given its support for a test centre for marine energy production on the island of Orkney. The executive hopes the centre will result in Scotland taking the lead in exploiting energy from the seas around its coast and, along with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, will provide the £400,000 needed to fund a detailed feasibility study. ...MORE

7.Wind power: Scotland to get Vestas plant

In order to secure and expand its market leadership in the UK, the Danish wind company Vestas has decided to establish a fully owned subsidiary, Vestas - Celtic Wind Technology Ltd., with production facilities in Scotland. The factory will be located near Campbeltown on Kintyre, on the west cost of Scotland...MORE

8. UK Planning Battles

‘Ministers are urgently drawing up plans to prevent opposition through public inquiries to the building of nuclear dumps and power stations, motorways, airports and other controversial developments. The plans, which could allow ministers to give the green light to hotly contested projects virtually by decree, pose the greatest threat to democracy in planning since the system was set up by a Labour government half a century ago’. So said Geoffrey Lean...MORE

9. Renewables around the UK

Offshore Wind & gas

The DTI has awarded a gas production license to the Eclipse Energy Co and Rolls Royce Power Ventures, for a proposed offshore power plant fuelled by gas and wind, to be located in the Irish Sea, some 10 km from Barrow-in-Furness. Instead of sending gas ashore along a pipeline, it would export electricity through a cable...MORE

10. New UK green programmes

Green tech tax relief

UK companies that adopt government-approved environmental technologies will become eligible for investment tax relief. The Treasury has launched a consultation paper, asking for views on which environmental objectives and specific technologies should be included in the scheme. The initiative will operate in a similar manner to an existing programme of incentives encouraging uptake of energy efficient technology...MORE

11. NETA: from bad to worse

According to the consultancy Cambridge Econometrics, the UK will not meet its target of obtaining 10% of electricity from renewables until 2015 - by 2010 it might only make 8%. This, it argued, was principally because of NETA, the New Electricity Trading Arrangements. ..MORE

12. European Developments

EU Renewables Directive

After much haggling, the European Parliament has approved the Renewables Directive, which aims to double the share of renewable power in European Union’s energy mix, to 12.5% by 2010, forming a cornerstone of the EU's climate change policy. The directive includes indicative targets for each country, but these are now to be non-mandatory. ...MORE

13. US Developments

US to review renewables

In a move reminiscent of the cull of renewables that occurred in the UK in response to the ACORD review in 1982, following the Conservatives election victory in 1979, U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has ordered a review of the US Dept. of Energy’s renewable energy R&D programme - to find out which research programmes are most effective and compatible with public-private financial arrangements, so as to guide funding plans. The review, called for under the Bush’s new national energy plan, will be conducted concurrently with a review of the department's energy efficiency programmes. ...MORE

14. World Developments

Windforce Increases

Windforce, the new UK based transnational wind power company, which is backed by, amongst others, Enron and Royal Dutch Shell, is currently pursuing developments worth $800m (£563m) in Greece, Latvia and Sweden and is to move into the UK market - it has already secured $6m funding for that...MORE

15. Nuclear News

Nuclear Phase Outs and diversification

The UK’s plan to phase out its nuclear plants as they reach their retirement date and not replace them, may be under threat, as rumours abound of plans for new plants. Certainly its ‘diminishing reliance policy’ means that, unless new renewable capacity was put in place, or other carbon dioxide emission reduction actions taken, net emissions would increase. Earlier this year, Larry Whitty, then Under Secretary of State at the DETR, commented (Guardian Feb 9) that this had already been taken into account: ‘our projections include a 15% reduction in output from nuclear energy by 2010. Even if the Wylfa and Oldbury nuclear power stations closed before 2010, that would only add 0.6% to our total C02 emissions - compared to estimated cuts of 19%. I can confirm that the UK's climate change programme will reduce the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by up to 23% below 1990 levels in 2010. This is considerably beyond our legally binding Kyoto target of a 12.5% cut’. Sounds convincing. And, as noted in Renew 133, two days before the election, Tony Blair did say that ...MORE

16. In the Rest of Renew 134

In addition to all our usual news from Groups ( including coverage of the Green Party Energy manifesto), the Feature looks at the alternative transport fuels, with a version of SERA’s submission to the Green Fuels Challenge. Our Technology section looks at the future of hydrogen as a new fuel and at the technological issues raised during the recent Parliamentary debate on Renewables. It also covers some of the analysis in the new UN/WEC World Energy Assessment. The policy issues raised are covered in our Reviews section, which also looks at the debate over forestation as a solution to climate change. Finally there’s a lively Forum section- with letters from members.