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12. UK Roundup
Supergrid OK?
In response to a description by Alan Whitehead MP, during a parliamentary
debate in June, of Airtricity’s Supergrid proposal for a 10GW
network of wind farms linked across the north sea (see our Technology
section), ‘equivalent of the generating capacity of 80% of our
nuclear power plants’, Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks commented:
‘The European supergrid proposal is an idea for the longer term,
possibly connecting up future rounds of offshore wind projects to interconnectors
between different member states. As such, the ideas behind the proposal
very much support two of the Government’s key energy policy objectives:
first, to cut CO2 emissions, which the proposal supports through the
ambitious suggestion for significantly more renewable development offshore;
and secondly, to promote competitive markets in Great Britain and beyond
by putting in place more physical connections between member states,
thereby providing the opportunity for cross-border trade.’
Wicks added ‘liberalisation of the internal EU electricity and
gas market is essential to EU economic reform. To progress greater liberalisation,
Europe needs to remove barriers to cross-border trade to create more
integrated markets, and in some cases to put in place the infrastructure
to connect those markets physically. The supergrid proposal to link
member states offshore is therefore very much in line with our goal
of integrating national EU energy markets by removing barriers to the
freer flow of energy around Europe.’
He was however cautious on timescales, noting that ‘there are
currently no further plans to develop offshore wind beyond the current
round 1 and 2 projects’, although he went on ‘that is not
to say that the Government do not believe that further rounds may be
needed if we are to meet our longer-term aspirations for offshore wind’.
But, he added, ‘any such moves to further offshore rounds will
require careful consideration, as we need to work with stakeholders
to understand how offshore renewables can successfully coexist with
other marine industries and be developed with the environmental impacts
minimised’.
NDA backs Renewables
With the UKAEA’s Dounreay nuclear site being decommissioned,
ambitious plans to regenerate a community in Thurso, Caithness, using
renewable energy are to receive financial support from the Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority (NDA). £60,000 will be invested over the next three
years to help Ormlie Community Association Ltd develop its green energy
scheme. It will support the appointment of Thurso engineer, Louise Smith,
who also chairs the Caithness Renewable Energy Forum, as project manager.
The charitable body set up by residents of a Thurso council estate in
1997 has attracted over £3m to date to fund improvements to the
neighbourhood. The scheme will test six different types of solar energy
heating systems in rented houses. There are also plans to harness the
wind and convert some of the energy to hydrogen. The hope is that the
income from small-scale renewable generation can sustain the programme
in the long-term and provide a source of grant-aid for householders
in other neighbourhoods in Caithness to develop their own green energy
schemes.
www.ukaea.org.uk/news/2006/23_05_06.html
Green Curry's
Currys, the high street electrical retailer, is offering solar photovoltaic
(PV) panels for sale in a pilot scheme at branches in West Thurrock,
Essex, and in Fulham & Croydon. Currys said rising electricity prices
and environmental awareness had created consumer demand. Customers get
an in-store consultation followed by a free assessment to check if their
properties are suitable. So far under 2,000 UK homes have PV panels,
compared to ~200,000 in Germany. But with arrays costing ~ £9,000,
it will take a while to catch up, even with a 50% grant from the government
and the prospect of being able to sell back any excess power to your
supplier.
See: www.currys.co.uk/solarpower/index.html
B&Q are now selling solar heat collectors and the Windsave micro
turbine at selected branches: see Renew 164 Technology section
Gadgets galore
UK householders will double the amount of energy they use for running
consumer electronics by the year 2010, a new report ‘The Rise
of the Machines’ commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust warns.
Despite a move to make electronic appliances more energy-efficient,
the number owned by an average household has increased greatly over
recent decades. However the report found that 52% of householders surveyed
were willing to pay more for energy-saving products and 72% said they
would choose more energy efficient electrical products if they knew
which ones were the best to choose, e.g. Plasma screens can use up to
four times as much energy as a normal TV. The EST called for more labelling
and a tax on inefficient products. At present, only large items such
as dishwashers and washing machines are energy labelled.
BWEA-REA to merge?
The UK’s two leading renewable energy trade associations are
exploring the prospects for a merger. The British Wind Energy Association
and the Renewable Energy Association say that a combined body would
provide a stronger, more coherent voice for the sector offering even
better value for members.
The associations are consulting their memberships and, subject to their
support, aim for a merger by the end of the year. ‘The industry
has been growing strongly in recent years,’ said REA CEO Philip
Wolfe ‘and this needs to accelerate to meet our national goals
for 2010 and 2020. This means a broader approach to include heat and
transport fuels as well as renewable power.’ BWEA’s Maria
McCaffery said the Energy Review ‘reconfirms the major contribution
that renewables will make to our future energy needs. We in the industry
now need to pull together and work with Government to enhance the uptake
of new renewables without compromising those that are already contributing
and growing- landfill gas, onshore wind and hydro.’
www.bwea.com www.r-e-a.net
More Changes
The formal relationship between Greenpeace and npower in relation to
the latters Juice green power tariff scheme has ended, although Greenpeace
says that Juice is still the UK’s best non-premium scheme.
Ford - £1bn on green cars
Ford is to spend £1bn in the UK over the next six years to develop
environmentally friendly engine technologies and vehicle designs, aiming
to reduce carbon emissions across more than 100 car models. While Toyota
and Honda have invested heavily in hybrid electric cars, Ford has decided
to invest in improving carbon emissions across its product range, which
covers Land Rover, Ford, Volvo and Jaguar models. ‘We are not
going to introduce just one or two high-profile green cars that sell
in relatively low numbers and leave it at that.... We are not going
to tackle climate change just with hybrids.’ As an example, they
said future models of its Ford Focus, of which about 145,000 are sold
a year in the UK, will emit less than 100 kilogrammes of carbon per
kilometre, an improvement of about 20% on the current model.
BP offsets- passing the buck?
BP has launched an initiative which will allow UK drivers to offset
their carbon emissions by buying green credits- for typically £20
a year. BP says all money collected will be invested via their target
neutral scheme in green power projects, initially a biomass plant &
windfarm in India, and a methane capture programme in Mexico. Assuming
these projects wouldn’t go ahead without this support, it’s
probably not a bad way to get UK drivers to recognise that they have
a responsibility for climate change- but critics, like the New Internationalist,
say some offset schemes dump the problem on others. More at www.targetneutral.com
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