The Renewables Obligation is now
in force, requiring electricity supply companies to work towards
obtaining 3% of their power from renewable sources by 2003 and
10% by Jan 2011.
Earlier this year, Energy Minister Brian
Wilson has predicted that 2002 would be "the year of renewables"
in which the potential contribution of power generated from
clean source - MORE
Wave and Tidal Stream power get strong
support
The Government’s response to the Science
and Technology Select Committee’s very positive report on Wave
and Tidal Energy (see Renew 133) was equally positive,
with a preface by Energy Minister Brian Wilson reporting on
progress that had been made since the Committee reported last
April, including the announcement of about £1.7m of DTI funding
for Wavegens new offshore demonstration - MORE...
Renewable Growth
Renewables aren’t exactly flush with funding,
but, equally, they are not doing too badly. In answer to Parliamentary
questions on the state of play with renewables on Nov.13 last
year, the Energy Minister, Brian Wilson, said that ‘the Government
have put in place a robust policy to increase investment in
the development of renewable energy’, - MORE...
Wind Opposition
The debate over on land wind rumbles on.
Opposition to the new wind farm proposed for Cefn Croes
in central Wales, and the DTI commitment to press ahead nevertheless,
has provided a particularly sharp focus. The opponents are incensed
by the DTI’s decision that the project does not need to be called
in for a Public Inquiry - it had after all obtained planning
permission from the local council. We will be looking at both
sides of the argument over this project in Renew 138.
Meanwhile, opposition has also begun to
emerge to offshore wind projects - MORE...
PIU Report Reactions
The Performance and Innovation Unit’s
Energy Review (see Renew 136) predictably attracted hostile
comments from the Times (‘An ill wind’ 15 Feb.) and the Telegraph
(‘Blair will Blow Billions on wind’ 17 Feb.), but also critical
comments from the Sustainable Development Commission and the
Environmental Audit Select Committee, complaining that the PIU
had ducked the issue - MORE...
Other UK Green Energy Sector news
NFFO/SRO cut
The Fossil Fuel Levy in England and
Wales, which is used to support renewable energy projects contracted
under under the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO) by
allowing supply companies to add a small charge on consumers
bills, has been reduce to zero from the previous level of 0.3%.
Ofgem, the Energy Regulator, explained
that it anticipates that over the coming months there will be
sufficient - MORE...
European Developments
EWEA Conference on Offshore wind
So far Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands
and Britain have installed around 100MW of offshore wind turbines.
But more is to come. Ruud de Bruijne, spokesman for COD, Collaboration
on Offshore Wind Energy Development, speaking at a three-day
EWEA offshore wind energy conference in Brussels, claimed
that "Towards 2005 we will see small-scale 100-150MW
offshore wind farms in a water depth of less than 20 metres
(60 ft). By 2010 we will see units of more than 500 megawatt
on water depths of more than 20 metres." However Andrew
Garrard, partner in British consulting group Garrad Hassan,
warned that "Offshore projects
today are not big enough. We have to look into gigawatt projects
not megawatt ones." - MORE...
N. American News
US Emissions rise
The US has announced the largest increase
in greenhouse gas emissions in the last five years, with, in
2000, carbon dioxide emissions increasing by 3.1% compared to
the previous year. The Energy Department's statistical arm,
the Energy Information Administration (EIA) attributes the increase
to strong economic growth in 2000, the replacement of some hydro
with fossil-fuel generation, and a return to "normal"
weather patterns. The annual rise is second only to the 3.4
% increase in 1996, and well below the decade’s average increase
of 1.%. - MORE...
World News
1km Oz Solar Tower
EnviroMission Ltd is planning to build a
giant 1km tall solar tower in Australia at a projected
cost of Aus $670m. The reinforced concrete tower would generate
200 MW of electricity from a series of internal turbines driven
by the 15metre/sec convection currents created inside the tower,
as a result of solar heating of air in a large collector area
at its base. -MORE...
Nuclear News
‘Nine new UK Nuclear Plants’
BNFL and
British Energy seem to have sunk their differences over
reprocessing and are collaborating on the development of the
Westinghouse AP 1000 upgrade of the Pressurised Water Reactor.
In parallel, BE is looking at a CANDU upgrade. The Guardian
(Feb.27) reported that this could be the start of a ‘£9bn’ programme
that would lead to 9 new nuclear plants being built in the UK,
but - MORE...
