Renew On Line (UK) number73

Extracts from NATTA's journal
Renew, Issue 173 May-June 2008
   Welcome   Archives   Bulletin         
 
Contents 

1. UK Needs to try harder 

2. Wave and Tidal-  ‘slow progress’

3. RO bands- no to REFIT  

4. Biofuel doubts grow 

5 Micro power- ups and down  

6. Reactions to Nuclear White paper 

7. Wind power developments  

8. Planning Changes 

9. Global developments  

10. EU News 

11. Nuclear News

 

1. UK Needs to try harder

The new EU energy policy calls on the UK the get 15% of its energy from renewables by 2020- near the bottom of the EU league table, but still requiring massive effort. The British Wind Energy Association said that meant ‘we need to increase renewable electricity to at least 35% in the next 12 years’. But Friends of the Earth said that current plans ‘fall well short ...MORE


 

2. Wave and Tidal-  ‘slow progress’

Lots of wave and tidal projects are currently under test at various scales, many of them queuing up at EMEC in Orkney. But also down south. Trials of Essex-based Trident Energy’s wave generator off the Suffolk coast are following tests on a small model. The company said the trial would be conducted about 5 miles off Southwold and would run for a year. It added ...MORE


 

3. RO bands- no to REFIT  

In January, the Government announced its response to the consultation on reform of the Renewables Obligation (RO)- backing the idea of a banded RO. The consultation was just of reform to the RO, but of course many people see it as hopeless and would prefer to switch over to the very successful Feed In Tariff approach used in Germany and most other EU ...MORE


4. Biofuel doubts grow 

The Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has warned that biofuels for vehicles may be too expensive and have too many environmental impacts while not reducing net greenhouse gas emissions. So the EU should rethink its target ...MORE


 

5. £25m for micro power 

So far grants worth £25m have been claimed under the Low Carbon Building Programme. Since it launched in April 2006, grants to install solar panels, biomass boilers and ground-source heat pumps have included £7.5 m to help 4,600 households ...MORE


 

6. Nuclear Reactions 

The Nuclear White Paper brought forth some strong reactions from those opposed to nuclear power. ‘What is disturbing is that government is failing to understand that the more urgent that dealing with climate change becomes, the less relevant that nuclear power is. Solutions have to be found on waste, cost, and decommissioning. They have not been ...MORE


 

7. Wind power developments  

£40m for Offshore wind  

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and the Carbon Trust have joined forces to announce plans for an ambitious £40m initiative to cut the costs of offshore wind power and accelerate its deployment around the UK. The initiative will ...MORE


 

8. Planning Changes 

The new Planning Policy Statement on Climate change produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) say that all councils will be expected to provide for on-site renewable energy and local community ...MORE


 

9. Global developments  

Climate Change 

The summary by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of current knowledge at the end of last year, was sobering (a 4o rise was likely with massive impacts especially on poorer countries), but didn’t stop climate deniers from ...MORE


 

10. EU News 

EU energy use grows  

A study by the Institute for Environment & Sustainability, for the European Union, ‘Electricity Consumption and Efficiency Trends in the Enlarged EU: Status Report 2006’, shows that electricity use in the EU-27 Member States and Candidate...MORE


11. Nuclear News 

Euro Parliament ‘backs Nuclear’  

According to the Nuclear Industries Association, Members of the European Parliament have ‘overwhelmingly voted in favour of a report that states that nuclear energy will be indispensable if the EU is to meet its basic energy needs in the medium term’. The report, ‘Conventional Energy Sources and Energy Technology’ was adopted with 509 votes in favour...MORE


12. In the rest of Renew 173

Our Feature looks at Coal- can we rely on Carbon Capture and Storage to make it clean?   Or is that yet another diversion from getting on with renewables- like wave and tidal current power, which as our other Feature suggests are moving ahead well?  

Our Reviews include coverage of the   Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s ‘Energy markets outlook’  which is very positive on renewables longer term, and of the Sustainable Development Commission’s report on tidal power.

Another big chunk in this issue is on Scotland- which is moving ahead rapidly in the renewable league: see our Technology section for an overview of the options, and Groups, with this years key WREC conference in Glasgow in mind.

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