Caplor's Blog

More from the IEA

2012-03-08T08:46:00.000Z

Energy markets in 2012, like the broader economic picture, are marked by significant uncertainty. From a policy perspective, global macroeconomic concerns in 2011 diverted attention away from energy policy and could do the same this year. That could have worrying impacts on policy progress, especially as recent months have ushered in record carbon dioxide emissions, worsening energy efficiency and sustained high oil prices.

With most economic and energy demand growth taking place in emerging markets where energy poverty remains a key concern, improving energy access has become a major priority for some of the biggest and increasingly important energy players.

The 2011 World Energy Outlook (WEO) released there highlights the challenge. Investments of US$40 billion per year, about five times that of 2009, will be required to extend modern energy access to all by 2030.

In the oil market, demand—driven by non-OECD economies— continues to grow, leading to declining oil stocks that could underpin stubbornly high prices in 2012. Demand estimates for 2012 are shrouded in economic uncertainty, and some outstanding supply risks remain, such as the timing of the restoration of full Libyan oil production. Tight oil markets do not respond well to even small shocks, so 2012 may turn out to be bumpy.

But the biggest worry is that such uncertainties, together with altered government spending priorities, will discourage or delay near-term investments which are so crucial to meeting rising energy demand over the medium and longer term. The 2011 WEO includes a deferred investment case in the Middle East and North Africa which looks at the implications of one third less investment in 2012 with a gradual return to normal over several years. The projected result is an oil price spike to $150 per barrel or higher five years down the line.

Looking at gas, transit issues on Europe’s periphery continue to loom large. And in the wider global market, liquefied natural gas supply growth is likely to fall off in 2012, leading to a significant tightening in that market. In the US, however, the ongoing shale-gas revolution is likely to continue as a game-changer in the short term. There is no doubt that gas will play an important role in the energy mix in the coming decades, and there is good reason to believe that we are entering a “Golden Age of Gas”. Still, environmental or other concerns could derail the shale gas revolution in the US and other countries.

Uncertainties around “game-changers” in the power market go beyond gas; the share of coal-fired power in China, and also the growth of renewable energy, will depend on both strong policy commitment and technological developments over the coming years. Power markets in Europe on the other hand will have to handle the impacts of the German nuclear moratorium imposed after Fukushima. In normal circumstances the electricity capacity balance should be able to cope, but a cold windless winter could push the limits. And consumers will most likely pay higher prices for their power. We also expect that fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will increase.

These short-term uncertainties do not bode well for climate change mitigation, underscoring the need for bold policy action. The year 2012 is the last year of the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period. Countries and industry in Kyoto countries will have to finalise their plans to comply with their emission goals, and carbon markets are one option to ensure compliance. Budding exchanges, for example in Australia and by mid-decade possibly in China, are a good sign that Europe will be joined by significant economies—and emitters. But carbon markets are also subject to the wider economic turmoil, and the carbon price must be sufficient to affect major investment decisions.

Nevertheless, carbon pricing, in various forms, will be key to promoting energy efficiency as well as new technologies. These and other incentives, such as flexible feed-in tariffs, will require significant political will in an environment of such uncertainty.

The door is closing to achieving climate change goals which limit temperature increases to 2°C, and on our current path by 2017 we will have “locked in” the energy sector’s carbon allowance. To stay on the 2°C path, all subsequent energy investment would have to be carbon neutral.

The 2011 WEO also shows that delaying action is a false economy: for every $1 of investment in cleaner technology that is avoided in the power sector before 2020, an additional $4.30 would need to be spent after 2020 to compensate for the increased emissions.

The sooner we get going, the easier and cheaper our task will be.

http://www.iea.org/

Future consumers would not thank us for looking for an energy policy in the bargain basement

2012-03-06T08:52:00.001Z

This appears to be a positive and sensible view coming from DECC, thank you Ravi. Take a look and comment, maybe I misunderstood........

How a PV solar cell and panel is made

2012-03-05T08:49:00.000Z

Bosch Solar describes the process of generating power with sand and sun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id2ukX_J-EE&feature=player_embedded

US Green Deal-style financing could help yield $1tr in energy savings

2012-03-05T08:25:00.000Z

Deutsche Bank and Rockefeller Foundation urge Obama administration to support new financing models to boost energy efficiency

The US government has been urged to support new types of financing models that encourage households and businesses to invest in energy efficiency measures, after a new report suggested building retrofits could yield $1tr in energy savings and create millions of jobs.

Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors and The Rockefeller Foundation launched the report late last week, examining the potential investment opportunity of upgrading US real estate, as well as new financing models that could help drive investment.

It concluded $279bn could be invested in retrofitting domestic and commercial buildings, which could yield more than $1tr of energy savings over the next decade. It added that if all these retrofits were undertaken more than 3.3 million job years could be created.

A national retrofit programme could also cut US emissions by nearly 10 per cent, the report said, citing evidence that buildings are currently responsible for 40 per cent of global carbon emissions.
Judith Rodin, president of The Rockefeller Foundation, said she hoped the findings would help businesses realise the benefits associated with energy efficiency measures.

"Proven technologies to retrofit buildings can both conserve energy and – even more importantly in these difficult economic times – have the potential to create a large number of jobs," she said.

"With the release of this new report, outlining both the investment and job opportunities, I am increasingly hopeful that this market can achieve its full potential."

Ed Davey promises steady hand and aggressive growth for green sector

2012-03-02T18:30:00.000Z

"We shouldn't spend our time beating ourselves up about whether we are ever going to have a green economy – we should just go and get one," Ed Davey

In his first major speech since being appointed as energy and climate change secretary last month, Davey told a conference hosted by the Green Alliance think tank that the tough economic environment would not derail the government's plans to build a vibrant low-carbon economy.

Ed Davey has stressed there will be no major shifts in the government's green policy plans, reiterating that the coalition is fully committed to meeting its renewable energy targets and driving rapid growth across the low-carbon economy.

"Central to our vision of responsible capitalism is a new approach, where we move to a sustainable green economy," he said. "It is an idea that's time has come... Although the global economy has been slow, the low-carbon sector is healthy – growth is strong."

Citing government figures that show the global green goods and services market will grow by four per cent a year through to 2015 to be worth £44 trillion by 2015, he said the UK's green economy was expected to grow at an average of five per cent a year through to 2015-16.

"The potential for UK growth is absolutely massive... It is a key component for this government's growth policy and green growth policy," he said. "We need to make this transition as quickly as possible, and with as much determination as possible."

Davey insisted this commitment to green growth was shared across the government and had been fully endorsed by the prime minister, deputy prime minister and chancellor.

"They understand the growth potential in renewables and energy infrastructure; they know the role this can play in the growth agenda," he said. "The prospect of green jobs and contracts for our businesses is welcomed right across the government."

He also dismissed any possibility of a U-turn on renewable energy policy following a series of critical reports from right-wing think tanks and calls from Conservative backbench MPs for a deeper cut to onshore wind energy subsidies.

"We are totally commitment to renewables, including wind and solar, and totally committed to our renewables targets," he said. "We have to get the best bang for our buck, but as we tackle those issues that does not impact our targets or our commitment to renewables."

Independent polls had shown that contrary to many media reports a clear majority of people support wind farms, solar technologies, and the subsidies that are necessary to encourage their deployment.

In addition, he insisted he would continue Huhne's work in Europe, where the UK has been pushing for the European Union to adopt a more ambitious 30 per cent emissions reduction target for 2020.
Davey said he would again make the case for a more demanding emissions target at a meeting of EU ministers next week, while also stepping up calls for an acceleration of plans to create an EU-wide energy grid.

"Energy efficiency is unambiguously good for growth," he said. "It reduces bills, gives people more money in their pocket and makes businesses more competitive."

The speech came as cabinet office minister Oliver Letwin became the latest senior government figure to reiterate support for the government's clean energy policies.

Speaking at a debate hosted by the Telegraph newspaper, which has recently run a series of letters and stories detailing opposition to wind farms and renewable energy subsidies, Letwin said politicians would be "barmy" to scale back green energy schemes that were driving billions of pounds in private sector investment.

"[Green policy] has absolutely not fallen down the government's priority list," he said. "If it had, at a time when we are facing the largest fiscal squeeze in our history, we would not be spending a billion quid on CCS [carbon capture and storage] or wind farms, particularly offshore wind farms. That is an industrial policy in the making, not just an energy policy."

He insisted the UK had the potential to become a global leader in clean technologies such as offshore wind, marine energy and CCS.

The Future of Energy

2012-03-02T08:20:00.000Z

IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven made a wide-ranging presentation on "The Future of Energy" at an international seminar in Mexico City, invited by Energy Secretary Jordy Herrera.

Her remarks covered uncertainty in oil markets and continued growth in demand driven by the transport sector. She also looked at prospects for natural gas, especially the role of unconventional resources. Highlighting the importance of energy efficiency, Ms Van der Hoeven called it essential for achieving both energy security and climate change goals.
To see the presentation and some very interesting graphs click here - Speech…

Britain’s lights to stay on thanks to 1.6GW of solar a year

2012-03-01T18:21:00.000Z

A new white paper published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance has predicted that Government’s renewable energy policies for Britain will ensure that the country will not suffer an electricity crisis.

Over the coming years, 19GW of nuclear and fossil-fuel capacity will come offline in the UK. Sceptics have maintained that the decommissioning of such a large proportion of the island’s capacity would leave a huge shortfall in the national grid that could lead to rolling blackouts sweeping the nation, plunging millions of homes in the dark.

However, the research company has predicted that by the end of 2016, the UK will build more than 30GW of power-generation capacity; 10GW of which will be fired by natural gas with the remaining 20GW provided by solar, wind and biomass.

“The U.K. is embarking on an historic shift in its electricity supply, and commentators and critics have continually raised the spectre of the lights going out once again,” said Michael Liebreich, Chief Executive Officer of New Energy Finance. “Our analysis shows that, barring unforeseen circumstances, it is not going to happen.”

It is estimated that the cost of replacing Britain’s ageing power plants and upgrading the nation’s electricity grid could cost UK utilities as much as £200 billion. According to Ofgem, a third of Britain’s fossil-fuel plants will close in the next three years to meet ambitious EU targets for carbon emissions by 2015.

The report estimates that solar PV will play an important role in the short and long-term future of new British generation capacity.

Bloomberg predict that an average of 1.6GW of solar PV will be added each year up to 2016, in spite of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s newly-announced FiT cuts and cost-control mechanism.
The report forecasts that a continued decline in module prices, improvements in installation efficiency and more sophisticated financing packages will help drive wider adoption of solar PV.

Despite acknowledging Greg Barker’s claim that the UK will achieve 22GW of solar capacity by 2020, the report predicts that the UK will fall short of the Minister for Energy and Climate Change’s ambition by 5GW. The UK will reach Germany’s current level of solar capacity in 2030 after installing 25GW.

The paper concludes that the national power grid will continue to meet the nation’s needs past 2020, thanks in large part to renewable capacity.

Unilever calls on companies to tackle food waste mountain

2012-03-01T08:22:00.000Z

Unilever is asking other companies, trade bodies and public sector organisations to join its campaign to tackle the 400,000 tonnes of avoidable food waste that is discarded every year.

WRAP estimates avoidable food waste costs the hospitality industry around £722m a year through wasted ingredients and labour, out-of-date foods, consumer leftovers or rising disposal costs.

Unilever said it has already formed a "visionary panel" along with other waste bodies to identify measures that could help reduce food waste, such as landfill bans, changes to the planning system, or altering portion sizes in restaurants.

However, the company maintains that the most effective means of curbing waste levels is through the education of those organisations, such as hotels, caterers and schools, that can save money by minimising and managing waste.

Unilever's United Against Waste campaign was launched last September along with a free Wise up on Waste toolkit to help businesses deal with the problem. It has since been downloaded by around 360 organisations in the UK and Ireland.

Last month it unveiled an interactive video wall for operators to share achievements delivered using the toolkit and exchange best practices.

In one video, a pub owner describes how a waste audit cut the vegetable bill by £20 a week and significantly reduced the amount of food waste coming back on customers' plates.

"We're trying to say it doesn't have to be big, drastic changes," a Unilever spokeswoman said. "It's the small things that will really make a difference."

Food giants cook up sustainable beef masterplan

2012-02-29T08:11:00.000Z

Creating a global beef industry that is environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable is the driver behind a new organisation formed by some of the world's largest companies and best-known NGOs.

McDonald's, WalMart, Cargill and WWF are among the founding members of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, which registered as an independent, non-profit organisation last week.

"[This] announcement reaffirms our collective support of activities that deliver measureable, science-based outcomes that are focused on high priority environmental and industry-related issues," said Ruaraidh Petre, president of the roundtable, in a statement.

"More efficient, environmentally sustainable approaches to bringing beef from farm to fork will help conserve our planet's finite resources while also supporting our communities and our members' bottom lines."

The Roundtable will now use its status as an international entity to support local, regional and national initiatives, and share best practices for beef production systems and supply chain policies.

In the UK alone, around 2.2 million cattle are slaughtered for beef each year and the sector has one of the largest environmental footprints of any food products as a result of methane emissions from cattle and the clearing of forested areas in some countries to make way for grazing.

The group is also looking to industry, non-profit organisations, associations, academia and think tanks to expand its global membership and contribute to work to develop more sustainable cattle farming techniques.
It has already formed a strategic alliance with Brazilian organisation The Working Group on Sustainable Beef and will also take part in a series of meetings in Australia with its affiliates at the Australian Beef Conference.

Yert another Generation Game Winner

2012-02-28T11:39:00.000Z

The random number generator has been at work again and this month's winners are Li and Mag Biggs - congratulations to them! Remember, all you need to do to be in the draw is a) be a Caplor Energy customer and b) send in your monthly generation figures. It couldn't be easier and you've got a much better chance of winning than you have with the National Lottery. Mind you, they do give much better prizes!

Incentives Spur Solar Power Growth in Ukraine

2012-02-27T22:04:00.000Z

Renewable energy advocates always say that official incentive is key to promote the adoption of clean energy. Ukraine, in Eastern Europe, is the latest case in point.

According to a Bloomberg report, the country’s solar power capacity will double this year, thanks to the completion of Europe’s largest PV solar plant and incentives that are a third higher than in other parts of Europe.

2012 may see the installation of panels with 300 MW, following 200 MW in 2011. Back in 2010, there were only 2.5 MW of installed solar power in Ukraine.

While some countries are cutting back on solar subsidies, Ukraine has become become the latest country to bet on alternative energy to promote sustainability and economic growth.

Caplor's community solar scheme kicks off in West Midlands

2012-02-26T11:08:00.000Z

Ramping up its solar activity in the West Midlands, Caplor Energy has this month launched a new solar scheme. By providing a community fund of £100,000 to build solar projects within Herefordshire and Worcestershire. We plan to support local groups interested in installing solar energy systems on community buildings.

By offering a funding pot, Caplor Energy gives interested community groups the chance to install a solar system without having to raise the upfront capital. Caplor will recoup its costs through the feed-in tariff payments while the community building benefits from the free solar energy. Once the system has been paid off, the feed-in tariff payments will go to the community group.

A typical 4kW system under the Community Solar Initiative is expected to deliver savings and an income totalling £20,000 for each community group over the lifetime of the scheme.

Caplor’s Business Development Manager, Jamie Baldwin, explains: “Our vision at Caplor Energy is to lead the way in creating a vibrant and sustainable community. Our business principles are based on targeting economic, environmental and social goals equally. The Community Solar Initiative encompasses perfectly this ‘triple bottom line’ approach.”

“We’ve been really encouraged by the response we’ve had to the first phase of the scheme, and we are now looking to install up to 10 community projects in the coming months.”

Kate Gathercole, Herefordshire New Leaf Co-ordinator, said: “We’re delighted to see that Caplor Energy is taking a lead in supporting communities with renewable energy projects in this way. It’s an innovative scheme that really addresses the main barrier preventing community buildings installing solar systems, which is of course the upfront cost.”

Phase 1 of the Community Solar Initiative has attracted more than 20 interested local charities and community groups.

UK solar market breaks 1GW barrier

2012-02-26T10:59:00.000Z

The latest solar installation figures published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that the UK is slowly recovering from the shock of the fast-track December 12 deadline and the subsequent lowering of the feed-in tariff.

Since the beginning of the year, the UK solar industry has installed 20,146 systems totalling 63.24MW of capacity.

Installation numbers for the week ending February 19 show 5,223 systems were completed in that week compared to 4,640 for the week ending February 12. The rate of install falls back in line with October 2011 levels.

The new figures edge the UK’s total installed capacity over the 1GW landmark. The UK solar market has surprised even the most optimistic of predictions by reaching the milestone in only 22 months, after an extremely successful uptake of Government’s feed-in tariff scheme. Gaynor Hartnell, Chief Executive of the Renewable Energy Association, commented on the industry’s achievement, stating: "Solar really deserves recognition in the Government's renewable energy strategy now. With the price coming down like it is, there is no reason for it not to fill a prominent part in UK energy for 2020 and beyond. It needs re-examining in light of this milestone."

The installation of 1GW capacity in the UK follows the Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker’s commitment to see 22GW of solar capacity installed in the UK by 2020. The minister hopes that cumulative installs over the next three years will amount to 4.3GW. Barker expects a further 3.5GW of solar to be installed before the end of the Coalition’s term.

Caplor Plants 150 New Trees

2012-02-17T16:16:00.002Z

Now that the ground is starting to warm Caplor have been busy planting saplings to fill gaps in hedgerows and enhance the wildlife corridors on the farm. One hundred and fifty saplings have been planted in total and species have included Hawthorne, Hazel, Field Maple and a mixture of other native types.

Caplor is committed to continue offsetting unavoidable CO₂ emissions and improving the sustainability of the business through projects like this.

Tom Toogood, who lives at Caplor and studies blacksmithing at Holme Lacy College, has been helping with the work between lectures. Tom is pictured here planting trees on the bank behind the farm.

Caplor Farm is entered into a joint Entry Level (ELS) and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement which actively encourages the maintenance of the farmed landscape and improvement of biodiversity. Throughout this year the Caplor team will be busy establishing wild flower mixes in field margins and restoring boundary hedgerows as part of their ongoing committment.

Gareth meets a Generation Game Winner!

2012-02-08T14:40:00.000Z

Caplor's Gareth Williams met up with December Generation Game winner Chris Rogers at a Fownhope Crag meeting last night - a lucky coincidence for both of them because Gareth was then able to present him with his prize - a particularly nice bottle of wine. Remember, if you're a Caplor customer you can be part of our monthly draw - just send your generation figures to Mike.

Ed Davey reveals a passion for energy efficiency

2012-02-08T14:01:00.001Z

During his first announcement as the new Energy and Climate Change Secretary; Ed Davey this morning launched a new offensive on cutting energy waste. Following in his predecessor’s green footsteps, Davey has today revealed a passion for energy efficiency with the opening of a new Energy Efficiency Deployment Office (EEDO).

Working alongside the newly-formed EEDO team, Davey intends to transform the way UK homeowners manage their energy use in the hope that efficiency can become a part of our everyday lives.

“I’m hugely enthusiastic about energy efficiency. It’s the cheapest way of cutting carbon – and cutting bills for consumers. It has to be right at the heart of what we do.

“EEDO will be a centre of expertise, challenging our work and making energy efficiency real and relevant to people’s everyday lives. Two out of three consumers think their home is wasting energy, but only one in three is going to do anything about it. That has to change. We need to get out there and show people what energy
efficiency can really do for them,” Davey explained.

Evidently, the EEDO team will pull together members of DECC currently working on the Green Deal, renewable heat and other forms of green energy in order to create a knowledgeable group.

“The Green Deal will play a huge part in this work and will also support jobs in the insulation and construction industries– as many as 65,000 right across the country by 2015. It can help us deliver a fairer, greener economy. And help us get young people back into work – or into work for the first time.

“The UK has some of the most inefficient housing stock in the EU. But getting this right means as a nation we make energy savings over the next decade equivalent to two nuclear power stations while making everyone’s homes warmer and cheaper to run,” continued Davey.

Energy efficiency will also become of great importance to those working in the UK’s solar industry come April this year, as new EPC requirements are expected to take hold.

UK greenhouse gas rise exceeds expectations on 2010 recovery

2012-02-07T18:53:00.001Z

Final figures published today show overall greenhouse gas emissions increased 3.1 per cent between 2009 and 2010

The UK has been pumping out more greenhouses gases (GHG) than previously thought, according to new government figures confirming emissions rose 3.1 per cent between 2009 and 2010.

The finalised figures unveiled this morning by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) reveal that UK homeowners and businesses emitted 590 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2010, compared to 573 million tonnes in 2009.

The statistics show DECC has been slightly underestimating the UK's emissions in recent years. Previous estimates forecast that GHG emissions would rise 2.8 per cent, from a lower level of 566 million tonnes of MtCO2e in 2009, to 582 million tonnes in 2010.

Carbon dioxide emissions, which account for the vast majority of the UK GHGs, were found to be four million tonnes higher in both 2010 and 2009.

The government blamed the increase on the winter of 2010, which was the coldest since 1997, forcing homes and businesses to crank up the heating.

As a result, residential emissions leapt up 13 per cent, reaching their highest level in a decade.

Emissions from the power sector also rose three per cent because more fossil fuel power was required to make up for a reduced nuclear energy capacity in 2010.

Transport emissions showed a slight drop, down by just 0.1 per cent from 2009 to 2010, primarily as a result of rising fuel costs.

However, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey maintained the UK is still on track to meet its long-term carbon reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol

"Emissions were up in 2010 because of the exceptionally cold weather and greater use of fossil fuels," he said.

"One year won't knock the UK off meeting its long term emission reduction targets, but it serves to underline the importance of the Coalition's policies for insulating homes to cut bills and emissions and moving to greener alternative forms of energy."

New Record for High Concentration Phovoltaic Solar Modules

2012-02-07T08:41:00.002Z

A new record has been set by the high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar module industry. A module made by Semprius, a company in which Siemens invested as a strategic partner in June 2011, reached 33.9 percent, breaking the previous record of 32 per cent.

The module was tested by the Instituto de Energía Solar at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (IES-UPM). This efficiency result was certified by the IES-UPM and corroborated by outdoor measurements made at the Institute of Concentration Photovoltaic Systems (ISFOC) in Puertollano, Spain.

“This is a significant milestone for Semprius and the entire PV industry,” said Scott Burroughs, vice president of Technology at Semprius. “For the first time, we have been able to convert more than one-third of the sun’s energy into usable electricity. This demonstrates how concentrated PV can leverage rapidly increasing efficiencies to continue driving down the cost of solar generated electricity.”

Davey prioritises green jobs and growth - ''Whats the plan?''

2012-02-06T18:17:00.000Z

Edward Davey, who replaced Chris Huhne as Energy and Climate Change Secretary, has pledged to “build a resilient, green, competitive economy”.

The newly-appointed Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Edward Davey, joined the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, in reiterating the Coalition’s ambition to support green business in the UK, despite the change in leadership at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, following the resignation of Chris Huhne last week.

During a visit to the Building Research Establishment’s Innovation Park near Watford, where the pair met graduates considering careers in green construction, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “The race is on to lead the world in clean, green energy. Last year we saw record-breaking global investment in renewables - outstripping the cash piled into fossil fuels. The new economic powerhouses - China, India, Korea, Brazil - are now serious contenders for that capital.

“So the choice for the UK is simple: wake up, or end up playing catch up. In today’s world the savviest states understand that going for growth means going green. Low-carbon markets are the next frontier in the battle for global pre-eminence.

“We have every reason to be confident. The combination of enviable wind, wave and tidal power, a world-beating research base and a proud history of engineering give the UK a clear competitive edge. So we’re already in pole position. But the reality is: we need to sharpen our elbows if we want to stay ahead."

The Deputy Prime Minister declared his intention to make the UK the global leader for renewable investment, stating: “I want the UK to be the number one destination for green investment. We’re in this race to win it.”

Edward Davey, a trained economist and an active environmental campaigner, who replaced Chris Huhne in the Cabinet on Friday, outlined his ambitions for his new position: “I have long believed in the need to marry our economic and environmental agendas. Greening the economy isn't just good for the planet - it's good for the wallets, purses and pockets of every British citizen too.
“By focusing on the low carbon industries of the future we can rebalance our economy, reducing our dependence on the City of London on the one hand, and on oil and gas imports from unstable parts of the world on the other.

“My priorities are very simple: green jobs, green growth and getting the best deal for energy bill payers. My department is already implementing bold and ambitious reforms - like electricity market reform and the Green Deal - to unlock private investment, drive innovation and build a resilient, green, competitive economy. It's now my job to see those through.”

Davey concluded: “There may have been a change at the helm, but there'll be no change in direction or ambition.”

Should new energy minister Ed Davey talk to the public about climate change?

2012-02-05T17:44:00.000Z

a new Ipsos Mori poll for Climate Week shows what the public think about climate change, and gives some idea about the communications options open to the new minister.
In short, the British public are worried about climate change, are prepared to take action, and believe that their collective action can make a difference. But they think that more time is spent talking about climate change than addressing it and are particularly suspicious of politicians who they hear on the subject.

The results of the poll may come as a surprise to some, after the British Social Attitudes survey in December seemed to suggest that Britain was becoming less concerned about climate change. But that survey may have been picking up reactions against left-wing green activists in general, rather than any disagreement that climate change needs to be addressed.

The new survey supports that interpretation. It shows clearly that people are concerned about climate change, feel motivated to take action themselves, and think that domestic actions will make a difference:

But if the public think that action is needed to address climate change, they don’t believe that enough is being done. Nearly two thirds (64%) agree that “there’s a lot of talk about climate change but not much action”.

This present a challenge for the new climate change minister. A response to the fact that the public want action and don’t think enough is being done could be for him to get in the TV cameras and cut the ribbon on a wind turbine factory.

But the new poll also suggests that politicians are among the least trusted group to talk about the issue. Just 3% say they would most trust politicians’ views on climate change, putting them at the same level as religious leaders and the royal family. All trail far behind scientists, who are on 66%.

The level of distrust of politicians in general is such that even when they are trying to do what the public wants – tackle climate change – they still struggle to cut through the cynicism that surrounds their motives. As we have seen before, the immediate reaction of many is that politicians use climate change as an excuse to raise taxes and draw attention from other issues:

An understandable reaction to this would be for Ed Davey to think that trying to engage with the public on climate change is more trouble than it’s worth.

But the question is one of authenticity. The polls show the great distrust of politicians talking about climate change when their motives aren’t clear. The public, used to doubting politicians on all subjects, may often think that the politician talking about climate change is using the issue to reposition themselves as socially responsible for electoral gain, or is using it as cover to bash business.

Nevertheless, there remains an opportunity for the politician who provides honest leadership about the risks, costs and returns of taking action, to respond to the public’s desire for the issue to be taken seriously.

Business minister Ed Davey replaces Huhne as energy secretary

2012-02-05T10:03:00.000Z

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says Davey is 'the right man for the job'

Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey has been confirmed as the new secretary of state for energy and climate change, after Chris Huhne stepped down from the post to fight criminal charges.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today announced that Davey would take up the cabinet role, moving from his current position as minister for employment relations, consumer and postal affairs in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Clegg said the MP for Kingston and Surbiton would be the "right man for the job", maintaining Davey had a "lifelong commitment to environmental and green issues" and that he had shown a formidable grasp of government policy".

He paid tribute to Huhne's "groundbreaking policies" and left the door open for him to return to "a key government position" if he avoids prosecution.

Davey has in the past voted strongly for laws designed to tackle climate change, including backing plans to bring aviation and shipping into the Climate Change Act. He also backed a law that would cap emissions from power stations.

He is seen to have done a good job in his current role, one that has been described by some onlookers as a "poisoned chalice" for requiring close dealings with the Royal Mail and Post Office.

Green businesses are now hoping Davey will show willingness to engage with industry to help drive the low carbon agenda. He will also be expected to show the same determination and passion as Huhne demonstrated to tackling climate change both at a national and European level.

He will be responsible for confirming the package of Electricity Market Reforms, overseeing the start of the Green Investment Bank and the launch of the Green Deal. He will also be expected to lead climate change negotiations at the United Nations conference of the parties in Qatar at the end of this year.

Speaking at one of his last public appointments as energy secretary on Tuesday, Huhne said he was optimistic that EU member states would this year agree to more ambitious emission reduction targets – something that Davey will be expected to champion.

David Symons, director at environmental consultancy WSP Environment and Energy, said he was optimistic the new minister would support green industries.

"Ed Davey has previously stated the importance of immediate action on climate change. These beliefs, coupled with his experience in BIS on consumer choice, bode well for DECC's key policies, such as the Green Deal," he said.

James Cameron, founder and vice chairman of Climate Change Capital, said the UK needed a strong advocate of green policies to help boost the economy and cut global emissions.

"We hope Chris Huhne's successor continues his good work in pushing for credible, long-term and cost-effective policies able to make the UK cleaner, safer and more competitive.

"Chris was a staunch advocate in Cabinet of the changes Britain needs to make to be competitive, and a world leader in new green technologies."

Simon Birkett, founder and director of Clean Air in London, said he expected Davey to be a strong advocate of green policies.

"Ed Davey's appointment is excellent news for Londoners worried about air pollution as he really 'gets it'. Let's hope he starts by reforming the Renewable Heat Incentive and insisting Defra reforms the Clean Air Act for modern technologies and fuels," he said.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change confirmed the appointment and said he expected the new energy secretary to make a statement in due course.

Earth's Energy Budget Remained Out of Balance Despite Unusually Low Solar Activity

2012-02-02T08:32:00.000Z

A new NASA study underscores the fact that greenhouse gases generated by human activity - not changes in solar activity - are the primary force driving global warming.

The study offers an updated calculation of the Earth's energy imbalance, the difference between the amount of solar energy absorbed by Earth's surface and the amount returned to space as heat. The researchers' calculations show that, despite unusually low solar activity between 2005 and 2010, the planet continued to absorb more energy than it returned to space.

James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City, led the research. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics published the study last December.

A chart shows the global reach of the network

of Argo floats. (Credit: Argo Project Office)

Total solar irradiance, the amount of energy produced by the sun that reaches the top of each square meter of the Earth's atmosphere, typically declines by about a tenth of a percent during cyclical lulls in solar activity caused by shifts in the sun's magnetic field. Usually solar minimums occur about every eleven years and last a year or so, but the most recent minimum persisted more than two years longer than normal, making it the longest minimum recorded during the satellite era.

Hansen's team concluded that Earth has absorbed more than half a watt more solar energy per square meter than it let off throughout the six year study period. The calculated value of the imbalance (0.58 watts of excess energy per square meter) is more than twice as much as the reduction in the amount of solar energy supplied to the planet between maximum and minimum solar activity (0.25 watts per square meter).

"The fact that we still see a positive imbalance despite the prolonged solar minimum isn't a surprise given what we've learned about the climate system, but it's worth noting because this provides unequivocal evidence that the sun is not the dominant driver of global warming," Hansen said.

According to calculations conducted by Hansen and his colleagues, the 0.58 watts per square meter imbalance implies that carbon dioxide levels need to be reduced to about 350 parts per million to restore the energy budget to equilibrium. The most recent measurements show that carbon dioxide levels are currently 392 parts per million and scientists expect that concentration to continue to rise in the future.

The improved measurements came from free-floating instruments that directly monitor the temperature, pressure and salinity of the upper ocean to a depth of 2,000 meters (6,560 feet). The network of instruments, known collectively as Argo, has grown dramatically in recent years since researchers first began deploying the floats a decade ago. Today, more than 3,400 Argo floats actively take measurements and provide data to the public, mostly within 24 hours.

Another Winner for the Generation Game!

2012-02-01T15:20:00.002Z

The random number generator has been hard at work again and this time it's congratulations this month to Chris Rogers, whose name came up as the winner for generation figures submitted for December! Chris will be getting his prize - which may well be in the shape of a bottle - in the next few days.

Just a reminder that you can see all the Generation Game figures here and that we really want to see everybody's figures - please send them in for a chance of a prize

Obama: Sticking to "Promise of Clean Energy"

2012-02-01T08:09:00.000Z

In his Jan. 24 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama reinstated his commitment to renewable energy. Obama said that he “will not walk away from the promise of clean energy.”

Obama called for a commitment by the Defense Department to purchase 1,000 MW of renewable energy. He also referenced the long-standing Interior Department commitment to permit 10,000 MW of renewable energy projects on public land this year.

The President called again on Congress to pass a “clean energy standard” that would require electric utilities to glean 80 percent of their power from natural gas, nuclear and renewable sources by 2035, and a permanent extension of a federal production tax credit for wind power.

Obama said that despite challenges encountered in the renewable energy industry, solar, wind and hydro deserve the same federal subsidies that oil and gas companies have received for decades.

“It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry (oil based) that rarely has been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits. Create these jobs.”

PV demand in Europe set to rise in first quarter, says NPD Solarbuzz

2012-01-31T08:08:00.000Z

A fourth-quarter boom in European PV installations is set to continue into the first quarter of 2012, according to the latest ‘European PV Markets Quarterly’ report from NPD Solarbuzz (solar market and research analyst) .

The European market increased 23% quarter-on-quarter driven by the boom in installations in Germany but also in Belgium and the UK. Though incentive cuts dampen established markets, continued module price declines are generating emerging markets out of East and Southeast Europe. Overall, the European market in 2011 grew 18% year-on-year, according to the market research firm.

NPD Solarbuzz is forecasting that demand in Europe is expected to increase 10% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2012, fuelled by Belgium, France, Spain, and Greece, while the UK could see an acceleration in installs after the debacle over changes to the FiT, which the courts had ruled as being illegal.

“Tier 1 Chinese module manufacturers are predicting module shortages by the end of Q1’12, but the evidence for this is not totally compelling. The path for module prices in 1H’12 will largely depend on the extent to which wholesalers are confident enough to build inventories in the face of continued policy uncertainty.

Germany’s role will be critical, especially because its demand profile will be significantly smoothed by its proposed change to monthly rather than biennial tariff adjustments,” noted Dr. Alan Turner, Vice President of NPD Solarbuzz Europe.

NPD Solarbuzz said that ground mounted installations, while down 13% in 2011, had a 35% share of the European market in the second half of 2011. Non-residential building mounted systems had a 55% share in 2011, while residential share rose slightly to 16%.

However, both German and Italian markets are expected to decline by 37% in 2012 as changes to the FiTs take hold. In a partial replacement for these largest markets, NPD expects strong growth to come from Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Romania. Lower module prices rather than attractive FiTs were said to be behind the growth.

Examples of this trend - two 100MW PV plants built in Ukraine in 2011, while Serbia was planning the construction of two 150MW plants, as well as a 1GW project to be carried out between 2013 and 2015.

Peak oil 2005 ?

2012-01-30T22:52:00.000Z

A new analysis concludes that easily extracted oil peaked in 2005, suggesting that dirtier fossil fuels will be burned and energy prices will rise

Despite major oil finds off Brazil's coast, new fields in North Dakota and ongoing increases in the conversion of tar sands to oil in Canada, fresh supplies of petroleum are only just enough to offset the production decline from older fields. At best, the world is now living off an oil plateau—roughly 75 million barrels of oil produced each and every day—since at least 2005, according to a new comment published in Nature on January 26. That is a year earlier than estimated by the International Energy Agency—an energy cartel for oil consuming nations.

To support our modern lifestyles—from cars to plastics—the world has used more than one trillion barrels of oil to date. Another trillion lie underground, waiting to be tapped. But given the locations of the remaining oil, getting the next trillion is likely to cost a lot more than the previous trillion. The "supply of cheap oil has plateaued," argues chemist David King, director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford and former chief scientific adviser to the U.K. government. "The global economy is severely knocked by oil prices of $100 per barrel or more, creating economic downturn and preventing economic recovery."

Nor do King and his co-author, oceanographer James Murray of the University of Washington in Seattle, hold out much hope for future discoveries. "The geologists know where the source rocks are and where the trap structures are," Murray notes. "If there was a prospect for a new giant oil field, I think it would have been found."

King and Murray based their conclusion on an analysis of oil data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Looking at use and production trends, the two note that since 2005 production has remained essentially unchanged whereas prices (a surrogate for demand) have fluctuated wildly. This suggests to the authors that there is no longer any spare capacity to respond to increases in demand, whether it results from political unrest that cuts supply, as in the case of Libya's political upheaval last year, or economic boom times in growing countries like China. "We are not running out of oil, but we are running out of oil that can be produced easily and cheaply," King and Murray wrote.

Other statistics, however, argue against a plateau. Oil company BP found in its most recent analysis that oil production was actually more than 82 million barrels per day in 2010, higher than the proposed plateau of 75 million. That difference may be the result of the increasing use of "unconventionals"—Canadian tar sands or the natural gas liquids co-produced with oil extraction. Rising production in the China, Nigeria, Russia and the U.S. also hints that technological improvements may allow greater production from existing fields than the new research suggests.

Plus, the price of oil may argue against any such plateau. Adjusted for inflation, today's $100 per barrel is roughly equivalent to prices in 1981, according to environmental scientist Vaclav Smil of the University of Manitoba. Smil also notes that in the last 20 years enough oil has been found to satisfy the demands of two new consumers—China and India—nations that now import more oil than is consumed by Germany and Japan.

Some of that price stability is the result of increased efficiency—the potentially vast reserve of unused oil. The U.S. and other developed countries have maintained economic growth while reducing the amount of oil (and other energy) required for that growth, although some of this apparent efficiency has come from outsourcing energy-intensive economic activity, such as steel production. "We have about halved oil intensity since 1981," Smil argues. "We could halve it again, so we could do with so much less oil—why should we panic about producing less, even if that were the case?"

If King and Murray are correct about 2005 marking the end of easily extracted oil, however, then Smil's additional halving of demand, plus conservation and a rapid deployment of alternative energy, would be required to avoid even more economically painful oil price shocks in the future. As it is, the U.S. spent more than $490 billion on gasoline in 2011—$100 billion more than in 2010, even though the number of miles driven was similar, according to data from the New America Foundation.

An easy-oil plateau is not good news for the climate, either. Harder to extract oil means increased burning of dirtier oil like that from the tar sands—or even dirtier coal. In fact, there are trillions more barrels of carbon-intensive fuel out there in the form of huge coal fields, such as the one currently being brought into production in Mongolia. "There will still be enough CO2 produced to result in significant climate warming," Murray notes.

Even with large supplies of coal and natural gas, the world faces a potential energy shortfall, one reason that the U.S. Department of Energy suggested in a 2005 report (pdf) that a "crash program" to cope with any decline in oil supplies be instituted. The report argued this program should start 20 years before peak global production to avoid "extreme economic hardship." That's because it will take decades for any kind of energy transition to occur, as evidenced by past shifts such as from wood to coal or coal to oil.

In fact, King and Murray argue that global economic growth itself may be impossible without a concurrent growth in energy supply (that is, more abundant fossil fuels, to date). "We need to decouple economic growth from fossil-fuel dependence," King adds. "This is not happening due to industrial, infrastructural, political and human behavioral inertia. We are stuck in our ways."

DECC loses feed in tariff appeal

2012-01-25T19:15:00.002Z

On Wednesday 25^thJanuary, the Department of Energy and Climate Change lost its legal case at the Court of Appeal. This means the feed-in tariff remains at 43.3p for <4kW systems installed until March 3, 2012, unless DECC wins a further appeal at the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Caplor has a limited number of slots available for residential installations before 3 March. If you have an existing quote with us and wish to ensure your installation happens before then, please get in touch as soon as possible. You can read more about the implications for Caplor customers on our website, and more about the issue as a whole on the Friends of the Earth website.

Barker addresses uncertainty over solar feed-in tariffs with March cut-off date

2012-01-19T18:31:00.001Z

Following calls from the industry for the government to clarify the level of incentive available for current installations, Climate Change Minister Greg Barker this afternoon tabled a Written Ministerial Statement in parliament detailing the government's plans.

"We continue to stand by our original proposal," he said, referring to the plan to halve solar incentives for installations completed after December 12 last year. "However, I know that the uncertainty while we await the court's decision is difficult for the industry."

He added that to tackle this uncertainty and limit risks to the scheme's budget in the event that the government's appeal proves unsuccessful and the court orders a return to the previous feed-in tariff level of 43p/kWh, the government will lay draft licence modifications before parliament that would allow tariffs to be cut from April 1 for all installations completed on or after March 3.

The statement also reiterates the government's intention to stick with its original proposals if it wins its appeal, imposing cuts to incentives for all installations completed after December 12 last year.

"If the court finds in favour of the government's appeal, we intend to stand by all our consultation proposals, including an earlier (December) reference date, subject to the Parliamentary procedure and consideration of consultation responses," Barker said.

"It is very important that we reserve this as an option because these 43p payments will take a disproportionate share of the budget available for small-scale low-carbon technologies. We want instead to maximise the number of installations that are possible within the available budget rather than use available subsidy to pay a higher tariff to a smaller number of installations."

In addition the statement indicates that the government might not meet its stated goal of delivering its response to the consultation and its wider proposals to reform the feed-in tariff scheme before the end of the month, suggesting that the documents may not be published until next month.

"The consultation closed on 23 December 2011 and over 2,000 consultation responses were received which we have been analysing carefully," Barker said. "We are intending to announce the outcome of the consultation by 9 February 2012, in time for any resulting legislative changes to come into effect from 1 April 2012. Our aim is that this announcement will be accompanied by a set of reform proposals for the next phase of the comprehensive review of the FITs scheme, which will be the subject of a further consultation."

He added that the government's latest intervention "gives the industry as much certainty as is possible" given the on-going legal action.

He also reiterated that ministers remain committed to reducing solar incentives "as quickly as possible, to protect consumer bills and to avoid bust in the whole Feed-in Tariff budget".

Friends of the Earth's executive director Andy Atkins welcomed the move, predicting the statement will "sort out some of the uncertainty that's crippling a thriving UK industry".

However, he reiterated calls for the government to rethink its approach to solar feed-in tariffs and raise the spending cap for the scheme.

"Ministers must urgently use the millions of pounds in tax that solar firms generate to safeguard this industry and the jobs and businesses it has created."

His comments were echoed by Seb Berry, head of public affairs at Solarcentury, who urged the government to reconsider the spending cap for the feed-in tariff scheme.

"The Government is taking an important step today to restore some certainty to the PV market in the short-term, but it is no more than that," he said. "The elephant in the room for all FIT technologies, not just PV, remains the Government's decision to impose an unrealistic cap on the FIT scheme in 2010.

Until that fundamental issue is addressed by the "greenest Government ever" what we have today is no more than a temporary albeit welcome step forwards."

Band (kW Declared Net Capacity (DNC)	Current generation tariff (p/kWh)	New generation tariff from 1 April 2012 (p/kWh) - Min rates
≤4kW (new build)	37.8	21.0
≤4kW (retrofit)	43.3	21.0
>4-10kW	37.8	16.8
>10-50kW	32.9	15.2
>50-100kW	19	12.9
>100-150kW	19	12.9
>150-250kW	15	12.9
>250kW-5MW	8.5	8.5
stand alone	8.5	8.5

New Energy Finance estimates 26.5-29.3 GW of PV installed in 2011

2012-01-19T09:06:00.000Z

Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF, New York, New York, U.S.) has revealed preliminary estimates for 2011 solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, calculating that a global aggregate capacity of between 26.5 and 29.3 GW of PV was installed during the year.

BNEF notes that it has not yet released official 2011 estimates. However, its unofficial numbers contain some surprises, including an estimated 7.5 to 7.7 MW of installed PV in Italy in 2011, a greater capacity than is reported from Germany for the year.

Following Italy and Germany, BNEF puts China as the world's third largest PV market in 2011 at 2.2 GW installed, a figure released by the nation's National Development and Reform Commission. This number represents a dramatic increase over the nation's 2010 PV market.

BNEF states that it is still unsure if France or the United States will take fourth place in 2011, with an estimated 1.5 to 1.7 GW installed in the United States, and 1.3 to 1.8 GW in France. Chase admits that BNEF's view of the French market is still quite cloudy, citing a lack of organization in official French data.

The company also notes that while India's MNRE has stated that 180 MW was connected to the grid in 2011, it believes that between 200 and 375 MW were installed in the nation by the end of the year, citing delays between installation and commissioning.

Report shows solar competitive with existing generation in most MENA nations

2012-01-18T17:40:00.000Z

So if we can get just a few years of support and clear messaging from our green govt this could be the UK soon. Oh happy times......

On January 17th, 2012 the Emirates Solar Industry Association and PriceWaterhouseCoopers released a report stating that solar photovoltaic (PV) generation is currently competitive with conventional generation across most nations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

"Sunrise in the Desert" states that the break-even point for PV generation to be competitive without subsidies is when oil prices are above $80 per barrel or liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices are above $13/million BTU (MMBTU). The report estimates the current levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from PV in the region at $0.154/kWh, cheaper than electricity production at many conventional plants which burn either petroleum or LNG.

"MENA countries have a new way to help meet their fast-growing energy demand," states the report's Executive Summary. "This, in turn, can release more oil and gas for export to world markets."

"To take advantage of this new opportunity, MENA governments and private-sector organizations will have to work together to rationalize energy pricing, introduce appropriate regulations to accommodate solar power in the generation mix, develop large-scale projects, and, ideally, help develop local companies across of the solar value chain."

Role of subsidies stressed
The report notes that in most MENA nations, electricity prices are kept artificially low through subsidies, noting that in Saudi Arabia alone, the opportunity cost of burning crude oil for electricity generation under current subsidies is roughly $50 billion annually.

The report recommends removal of these electricity subsidies for fossil fuel generation, and the extension of those subsidies to solar power to level the playing field.

“Green Shift” could save heavy industry over $2tr

2012-01-18T08:43:00.000Z

Transitioning towards a low carbon economy could help avoid multi-trillion dollar costs that will otherwise arise from increased energy and resource insecurity, according to a major new report from the World Economic Forum.

The report, developed in conjunction with consultancy giant Accenture and due to be discussed at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos this month, argues that investment in more sustainable and efficient business models will deliver net economic benefits and help insulate businesses against the risks posed by worsening material shortages.

Entitled More With Less: Scaling Sustainable Consumption and Resource Efficiency, the report looks at the carbon, steel, and iron sectors operating in major economies and concludes that resource efficiency measures in these three industries alone could save up to $2tr.

Similarly, the report cites evidence suggesting that consumer goods industries could save $37bn by 2030 through investment in basic energy efficiency measures – savings that could rise to over $55bn if energy prices rise in line with some analysts' expectations.

"The sustainability agenda is not an abstract development concept," said Sarita Nayyar, head of consumer industries at the World Economic Forum. "There is real economic value at stake. Companies that effectively weave resource efficiency into their core strategy and operations can drive revenue growth, reduce cost and improve brand reputation."

How long do greenhouse gases stay in the air?

2012-01-18T08:21:00.000Z

Aside from water vapour, the four principal greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and the halocarbons or CFCs (gases containing fluorine, chlorine and bromine). These gases can remain in the atmosphere for different amounts of time, from months to millennia, and affect the climate on very different timescales.

The lifetime in the air of CO2, the most significant man-made greenhouse gas, is probably the most difficult to determine, because there are several processes that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Between 65% and 80% of CO2 released into the air dissolves into the ocean over a period of 20–200 years. The rest is removed by slower processes that take up to several hundreds of thousands of years, including chemical weathering and rock formation. This means that once in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide can continue to affect climate for thousands of years.

Methane, by contrast, is mostly removed from the atmosphere by chemical reaction, persisting for about 12 years. Thus although methane is a potent greenhouse gas, its effect is relatively short-lived.

Nitrous oxide is destroyed in the stratosphere and removed from the atmosphere more slowly than methane, persisting for around 114 years.

Compounds containing chlorine and/or fluorine (CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, PFCs) include a huge number of different chemical species, each of which can last in the atmosphere for a specific length of time – from less than a year to many thousands of years. The IPCC has published a comprehensive list of the atmospheric lifetime of the various CFCs and other greenhouse gases.

Water vapour is a very effective absorber of heat energy in the air, but it does not accumulate in the atmosphere in the same way as the other greenhouse gases. This is down to it having a very short atmospheric lifetime, of the order of hours to days, because it is rapidly removed as rain and snow. The amount of water vapour that the atmosphere can hold increases as the atmosphere gets warmer, so the greenhouse properties of water vapour are usually considered to act as part of a feedback loop, rather than a direct cause of climate change.

Jet Lag: What's Causing One of the Driest, Warmest Winters in History?

2012-01-17T08:43:00.000Z

A little snow and rain are falling in a few states today, but the 2011–12 winter has been extremely warm and dry across the continental U.S. Meteorologists think they have figured out why.

First, a few records: The initial week of January was the driest in history. And more than 95 percent of the U.S. had below-average snow cover—the greatest such percentage ever recorded—according to some intriguing data maps generated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. During December, approximately half of the U.S. had temperatures at least 5 degrees Fahrenheit above average, and more than 1,500 daily record highs were set from January 2 to 8. Europe has seen similar extremes.

The chief suspect behind the mysterious weather is an atmospheric pressure pattern called the Arctic Oscillation, which circles the high Northern Hemisphere. Its lower edge is known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Together, the related features influence the path and strength of the jet stream. The jet itself is an air current that flows west to east across the northern latitudes of the U.S., Europe and Asia, altering temperature and precipitation as portions of it dip southward or crest northward. A strong jet stream that flows in a somewhat straight line from west to east, with few southward dips, prevents cold arctic air from drifting south. "The cause of this warm first half of winter is the most extreme configuration of the jet stream ever recorded," according to Jeffrey Masters, a meteorologist who runs the Weather Underground, a Web site that analyzes severe weather data.

By "extreme," Masters means that the jet stream was far north and fairly straight, and stayed that way for an unusually long time. That position allowed warm southern air to prevail over the entire U.S., and prevented cold fronts from descending from the north and clashing with warm fronts, creating large snow- and rainstorms. The jet stream has been locked in that position by the NAO for most of the winter, and Masters says it has sustained the largest pressure gradient since tracking began in 1865.

Conversely, December 2010 set record snowfalls in many parts of the U.S. Sure enough, the NAO at that time had some of the lowest pressures ever observed, allowing the jet stream to move south and stay there. Arctic air descended, picked up moisture or interacted with warm fronts, and dropped snow. "The December Arctic Oscillation index has fluctuated wildly over the past six years," Masters notes, "with the two most extreme positive and two most extreme negative values on record." Data for the trends is available at the Weather Underground site.

Meteorologists are not certain what causes the oscillations to vary so dramatically. Some scientists say the loss of Arctic sea ice due to global warming is causing the Arctic Oscillation to drop in pressure. Others have noticed a correlation with sunspot activity, which was very low in December 2010 and very high during December 2011, although they haven't proposed a mechanism whereby sunspots would directly alter the Arctic Oscillation.

Of course, winter has many weeks to go, so the oscillations, and U.S. weather, could shift. But if plentiful precipitation does not fall, complications could arise for many more people than ski resort owners and their patrons. A small snowpack often leads to spring droughts in the Midwest and summer water shortages in the West as well as a longer wildfire season in the latter because the soil dries out earlier than usual.

How to Buy Time in the Fight against Climate Change: Mobilize to Stop Soot and Methane

2012-01-17T08:36:00.000Z

A short list of relatively simple actions taken to reduce greenhouse gases other than CO2 could help put the brakes on global warming--if implemented globally

Rapid action to slow catastrophic climate change is not at the stage it needs to be.

However for some ''easy wins'' the best alternatives appear to be: methane and black carbon (otherwise known as soot). A new economic and scientific analysis published in Science on January 13 of the benefits of cutting these two greenhouse gases finds the benefits to be manifold—from human health to increased agricultural yields.

Even better, by analyzing some 400 potential soot- and methane-emission control measures, the international team of researchers found that just 14 deliver "nearly 90 percent" of the potential benefits. Bonus: the 14 steps also restrain global warming by roughly 0.5 degree Celsius by 2050, according to computer modeling.

That's because both methane and black carbon only remain in the atmosphere for a short time compared with CO2. As atmospheric physicist Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, said of such efforts to reduce atmospheric soot a few years ago:

"If the world pays attention and puts resources to it, we will see an effect immediately. I'm talking weeks, at most a few months, not decades or centuries."

The 14 measures that would immediately slow global warming are:

—Eliminate methane releases from coal mines—particularly in China—by capturing it and burning it.
—Eliminate the venting or accidental release of methane co-produced by oil drilling (and, of course, gas drilling itself), particularly in Africa, the Middle East and Russia.
—Capture gas from landfills in the U.S. and China as well as promote recycling and composting of biodegradable trash.
—Occasionally aerate flooded rice paddies to prevent the growth of methane-producing microbes.
—Stop leaks from natural gas pipelines, particularly in Russia.
—Use bio-digesters—vessels in which microbes break down manure into gas—to cut methane from livestock globally.
—Update wastewater treatment plants to capture methane.
—Filter the soot produced by incomplete combustion of diesel fuel in vehicles, and attempt to eliminate inefficient internal combustion engine vehicles entirely.
—Replace indoor cooking and heating fires with clean-burning cookstoves fired either by wood, manure or other biomass or, even better, methane.
—Replace traditional brick kilns with more advanced firing methods.
—Replace traditional ovens for turning coal to coke with modern technologies.
—Ban the open burning of crop stubble and other agricultural waste.

The researchers estimate that cutting those 14 together could avoid between 700,000 and 4.7 million premature deaths (largely from smoky, unhealthy air) and increase crop yields by between 30 million and 135 million metric tons (due to concomitant reductions in ground-level ozone, otherwise known as smog, which forms from fugitive methane and blights crops in Brazil, China, India, the U.S. and elsewhere). In addition, the economic analysis suggests that many of these measures provide more value in benefits than they cost to implement

DECC research suggests Green Deal will flop

2012-01-13T21:56:00.000Z

Government's flagship green policy appears doomed after figures show 93 per cent decline in efficiency measure

When I read this I thought - bound to be from a govt anti, but no it's from within their own. Let's hope having now made these findings they act positivly upon it. Take a look.........

The new data, obtained by Building magazine and from Department of Energy and Climate Change's (DECC's) own impact assessment, throws the government's grand ambition into serious doubt. Current government schemes that subsidise insulation have resulted in just over one million lofts a year being lagged in recent years, yet this will plunge to just 70,000 a year under the green deal, according to DECC figures. This is also far below the two million per year required to meet climate targets.

For cavity walls, the current 510,000 a year being filled will fall to 170,000, a drop of 67 per cent, and again far below the 1.4 million a year required.

"These stunning figures show that the government's Green Deal is in danger of becoming a car crash," said Luciana Berger, Labour's shadow climate change minister. "At a time when millions of families are struggling with their energy bills, it beggars belief that this government will cut the number of people getting help to insulate their homes by as much as 90 per cent, scrapping successful schemes introduced by Labour.

"The most effective way people can save money on their bills is by improving their home's energy efficiency, but this government is so out of touch it is making it harder to do."

Existing insulation schemes subsidise the cost of insulation. The funding comes from a levy of £25 a year on all bills and from government coffers. The Green Deal, by contrast, offers no subsidy for these measures and instead provides a loan enabling the up-front costs to be paid back using the savings made on heating bills.

"The paradox is that the government's own impact assessment suggests the policy will not deliver its objective. There is a difference between the rhetoric and their own assessment."
David Kennedy, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change.

He said the Green Deal removed the existing obligations on energy companies to deliver installations and left it to the open market to deliver. "We think there is a significant risk in leaving it to the market, as that has never worked anywhere in the world and is unlikely to happen in the UK."

In the UK, DECC statistics show that 10 million (43 per cent) of all lofts remain unlagged and eight million houses with cavity walls (42 per cent) have yet to be insulated.

"DECC has been staring a big question in the face for a long time: why would people take out a loan to pay for something they can currently get cheap or for free?" said Dave Timms, energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth.

Philippines pushes renewable energy

2012-01-13T09:08:00.001Z

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III called for boosting renewable energy to tackle climate change.

Speaking at the first Philippine BioEnergy Conference Thursday, Aquino highlighted his government's efforts to improve the renewable energy sector and urged "the rest of the world would join us in proactively responding to what is perhaps the most pressing challenge of our age," GMA News Online reports.

Nearly 39 percent of the Philippines' energy requirements are derived from renewable sources such as hydropower, geothermal, solar, wind and biomass, Aquino said, noting the government projects biomass to increase from 39 megawatts of energy in 2010 to more than 300 megawatts by 2015.

Biomass is energy derived from garbage, wood, waste, landfill gases and alcohol fuels.
In June the Energy Department launched the National Renewable Energy Program aimed at tripling the country's renewable energy-based capacity by 2030.

"With more emphasis on renewable energy resources, we can even make our own small contribution to addressing the massive problem that is climate change," the president said.

Increasing biomass energy alone, could generate about 89,000 jobs, Aquino said.

"Exploring alternative energy options is a noble endeavor, and is economically viable especially in our rural areas,"

ONS to discuss classification of FiT budget in April

2012-01-13T08:55:00.000Z

The German equivalent of the feed-in tariff scheme (a model Barker is keen to emulate) is not included within public spending, a fact that was challenged in the European Court of Justice, who ruled that it did not have to be regarded as subsidy. If the ONS decide not to classify feed-in tariffs within public spending, then it is expected that DECC could allow a loosening of the overall levy spending cap; a move that would allow the scheme to be more flexible and adaptable to major developments in the solar power sector, qualities that would have helped us avoid the current situation the industry finds itself in.

The current furore surrounding feed-in tariff levels for solar photovoltaic installations has been bought about by the impending depletion of the feed-in tariff budget. The spending envelope the feed-in tariff scheme operates within is a level agreed between Treasury and DECC to help minimise the impact feed-in tariff policies have on bill payers.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) a decision is yet to be made on whether feed-in tariffs are deemed to be imputed ‘tax and spend’ and therefore included within the public finances for National Accounts purposes.

Chris Daffin, a spokesperson for the Office of National Statistics commented on the progress of the decision, stating: “ONS has not yet formally reached a decision on the classification of levy funded schemes such as the feed-in tariff. Given the existence of similar schemes across Europe, a lack of clear international guidance on how such schemes should be treated in the national accounts, and different views across European Statistical Institutes on how such schemes should be treated under international statistical guidance, ONS and HM Treasury have agreed to a moratorium on the classification of these sorts of schemes until a clear international picture is in place.”

In lieu of a decision from ONS, DECC took a view that levy funded schemes (such as the FiT) should be deemed as imputed ‘tax and spend’ and as a result included in the comprehensive Spending Review, which imposed the budget the scheme operates under today.

Daffin continued: “The issue is due to be discussed at the next National Accounts Working Group, in April 2012, though an agreed approach may not be reached at this meeting, in which case the ONS National Accounts Classification Committee may consider the issue of environmental levy schemes in light of the international discussions.”

Russell speaks at the Oxford Real Farming Conference

2012-01-12T22:59:00.001Z

Every year at the beginning of January the Oxford Farming Conference is held to bring together the latest thinking in the agricultural industry and anyone who is involved in food production. However, there are a number of fringe events that surround the conference including an alternative version known as the Oxford Real Farming Conference which has a particular focus on the grass roots of farming.

This year Russell Carrington, assistant farm manager at Caplor, was invited to join a discussion entitled “New Generation, New Ideas” in which the aspirations of young people wanting to work on the land are met by the opportunities available. He was joined by other young farmers including Ed Hamer and Rona Amis from Devon and Sam Henderson from an urban food project called FARM: Shop in London. Ed runs a community supported vegetable box scheme called Chagfood (www.chagfood.org.uk/) and grows, harvests and delivers his produce without using any fossil fuel. Rona has recently completed a Nuffield scholarship in which she studied the opportunities for new entrants in farming. You can read her report here

Russell spoke of some of the activities being carried at Caplor in light of the need for greater sustainability within the food chain. A number of other topics were discussed including GM foods, putting value on the environment and the need for more young people with land-based skills.

“It was great to share ideas in our session, especially at a time when youth unemployment is rising and the focus on agriculture increases. The whole conference was very inspiring and I certainly took away a lot of new knowledge on how to manage our soils better and even sequester substantial amounts carbon.” said Russell

Renewable energy in the European Union

2012-01-12T09:00:00.003Z

Growth in renewable energy production has ''powered'' ahead in recent years. But we still have a long way to go as a contintent to reach 2020 targets. I'm afaid in the UK my old school teachers words ''could do better'' come to mind but the point is, if we are to tackle the agreed threats of climate change and fossil fuel energy price inflation and meet these targets we simply - MUST do better !

Take a look - Share of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy in 2010 and national overall targets in 2020.

In the USA renewable energy outpaces fossil fuel and nuclear growth

2012-01-12T08:51:00.000Z

Renewable energy sources continue to expand rapidly while substantially outpacing the growth rates of fossil fuels and nuclear power, according to the Monthly Energy Review by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Looking at the electricity sector, according to the EIA data, renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, water wind) provided 12.73% of net US electrical generation. This represents an increase of 24.73% compared to the same 9-month period in 2010.

By comparison, electrical generation from coal dropped by 4.2% while nuclear output declined by 2.8%. Natural gas electrical generation rose by 1.6%.

Conventional hydropower accounted for 8.21% of net electrical generation during the first 9 months of 2011 – an increase of 29.6% compared to 2010. Non-hydro renewable energy accounted for 4.52% of net electrical generation.

Compared to the first three quarters of 2010, solar-generated electricity expanded in 2011 by 46.5%; wind by 27.1%, geothermal by 9.4%, and biomass by 1.3%.

“Notwithstanding the recession of the past three years, renewable energy sources have experienced explosive rates of growth that other industries can only envy. The investments in sustainable energy made by the federal government as well as state and private funders have paid off handsomely.''
Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign.

DECC quietly delivers £197m boost to feed-in tariff budget

2012-01-10T12:17:00.000Z

Brilliant - This is a great step, thanks to DECC for this positive move. There are several more steps required for us to start looking like a country that leads or even sticks to its rhetoric, but a good step - thank you.

The government has quietly raised the feed-in tariff spending cap by nearly £200m in a bid to prevent the subsidy scheme exceeding its budget, after re-allocating funds previously earmarked for the Renewables Obligation (RO) incentive scheme.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) published a document last month following a parliamentary hearing into solar feed-in tariffs, which detailed changes to the Control Framework for DECC levy-funded spending that covers three energy policies where the Treasury has imposed spending caps intended to help avoid steep rises in energy bills.

The document reveals that DECC shifted £197m previously available for the RO scheme into the budget for feed-in tariffs, increasing the total budget for the feed-in tariff scheme from £867m to £1,064m.

Climate change minister Greg Barker told a parliamentary inquiry into solar power feed-in tariffs on 1 December that his department had adjusted the feed-in tariff "spending envelope" to subsidise small-scale renewables using money from the RO instead of FIT budget.

DECC then published questions and answers on the Control Framework for DECC levy-funded spending seven days later, for the first time revealing the scale of those adjustments.

Germany sets new solar installation record of 7.5GW

2012-01-09T23:11:00.000Z

According to preliminary figures from the German network regulatory agency, the Bundesnetzagentur, installations topped 7.5GW in 2011, slightly higher than record installations of 7.4GW in 2010.

Mild weather and falling module prices resulted in approximately 4GW of new power plant installations in the fourth quarter of 2011, while installations in December topped 3GW alone.

Meanwhile around the Globe total installs figures also shows the increasing value of PV to energy production.

Interesting solar projects around the world !

2012-01-09T22:51:00.000Z

Sanyo’s Solar Ark

It is amazing what can be constructed from material that was to be thrown away. That is what occured with Sanyo who aimed to make the largest PV system in the world, a 3.4 MW installation, in order to mark its 50th anniversary.

The Ark is an impressive 630 kW solar-collecting building that has over 5,000 solar panels and produces over 500,000 kWh of energy per year. Not just that, but all over the Solar Ark’s 1,033ft exterior are over 75,000 colored LEDs that can light up to create images and messages. Inside the Ark is a solar museum and laboratory where Sanyo are working on the next generation of solar technology.

China’s Solar Powered Office Complex

The Japanese are not the only one who are fans of solar technology — the Chinese are too. With the country now the world leader in solar cells, it is no surprise to learn they also have the “largest solar-powered office building in the world“.

Located in northwest China, the 75,000 sq m fan-shaped structure is a multi-use building and boasts exhibition centers, scientific research facilities, meeting rooms, and a hotel — all of which are solar powered.

The ''beautiful building'' was designed to “underline the urgency of seeking renewable energy sources to replace fossil fuels.” Its sun-dial influenced structure enables it to save 30% more energy than the national standard.

The Vatican

Solar power must be the future if the Catholic Church is getting on board with it. In fact, the Vatican is so into alternative energy, the city has the largest solar power plant in Europe. (mmm and the Ukraine, see other Blog enrty, we have a pretty large set up at Caplor.....)

Although it is the smallest country in the world, the Vatican has spent $660 million to build a massive 100MW photovoltaic installation. The output will be more than enough to provide enough power for the whole country.

The main installation is located on a 740 acre site near Santa Maria di Galeria and has seen solar powers placed all over the city.

And on the go now -

The Desertec Initiative

The Desertec Industrial Initiative is the largest solar project in the world (any one else know of bigger ?).

The US$550 billion plan aims to develop “a reliable, sustainable and climate-friendly energy supply” in North Africa’s Sahara desert that will be capable of providing the entire MENA region with energy as well as Europe.

When the project was first announced in July 2009, it sounded a bit like science-fiction and was dismissed as being “unrealistic” and even exploitative. However, once it was noted that the project could provide 15 percent of Europe’s electricity by 2050, people began to sit up and listen.

Currently Desertec’s first solar power plant is under construction. The $822 million Moroccan power plant will be a 150-megawatt, 7.4 square mile solar plant and is the first step in the major 500MW super project.

Investment in African Renewable Energy Reaches $3.6 Billion in 2011

2012-01-08T22:25:00.001Z

First, the bad news. Although Africa has vast fossil and renewable energy sources, only twenty percent of its population has direct access to electricity and in some rural areas, four out of five people are completely without power. According to the UN, over 600 million Africans currently do not have access to electricity.

A depressing 70 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa's population is living without access to clean and safe energy for their basic needs such as cooking, lighting and heating, making energy poverty among the most urgent issues facing Africa. Worldwide, more than 1.4 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity, and 1 billion more only have intermittent access.

The good news? Total investments in renewable energy in Africa rose from $750 million in 2004 to $3.6 billion in 2011. To put this in a global context, worldwide investment in renewable energy has risen from $33 billion in 2004 to $211 billion in 2011.

And the future? Africa is set to grow from the 2011 total of $3.6-billion in 2010 to $57-billion by 2020, a staggering 1,583 percent increase in nine short years.

The reason for the spectacular projections? Africa's combination of a massive unmet demand, including remote communities, allied to an abundance of renewable power potential in the form of solar, wind and geothermal potential. To give but one example. Only seven percent of Africa's hydropower capacity has been developed up to now.

Africa is not yet locked into the inefficient, oft-polluting infrastructure of many Western countries. Accordingly, Africa with modern efficient technologies could build a renewable energy infrastructure that could bypass the inefficient, fossil fuel-centered energy infrastructure systems of the developed world.

Solar? South Africa has its planned solar park in Upington, intended to contribute 5,000 megawatts to the national electrical grid, while North Africa's Desertec is the largest solar power project ever conceived, designed at a potential cost of $500 billion to provide a significant portion of the electricity needs of participating countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and up to 15 per cent of Europe's electricity needs by 2050.

Africa's ambitions have the support of the United Nations, where in 2010 the General Assembly unanimously endorsed a resolution designating 2012 as "The International Year of Sustainable Energy for All."

The downside to this picture? Three things - the need for massive amounts of investment capital, a problem attendant to massive amounts of cash - corruption, and the continent's changing political landscape, which is already impacting the Desertec North African solar initiative as the Arab Spring roils the south coast of the Mediterranean.

But both the need and potential are there - all that are currently lacking to make the future predictions a reality are cash and political will.

DECC statement seeks to reduce solar FiT uncertainty

2012-01-08T21:58:00.000Z

Following the uncertainty generated by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) decision to appeal the High Court’s ruling against the “unlawful” feed-in tariff deadline, an attempt has been made by Government to restore faith and ensure business can still be carried out. On Friday afternoon the Department released a statement confirming 4kW tariff rates until March 31, 2012, assuming its appeal is heard.

With fears beginning to mount that the tariff could be reduced to less than 21p as a result of the Judicial Review, many companies are unsure on what to say to new customers due to the uncertainty surrounding the future rates. So, following confirmation that there will be a hearing of its appeal against the JR, DECC has published the following statement, which it hopes will reduce the uncertainty:

“The tariff rate for PV installations less than or equal to 4kW will not fall below 21p for installations with an eligibility date between 12th December 2011 and March 31, 2012.”

DECC appeal permission hearing will be January Friday 13, which will be followed by the full hearing, if permitted, the same day. The findings won't be announced until the following week.

If DECC wins its case, it intends to publish its response to the consultation on or around the January 31 – which is the earliest date it can do so – along with the Phase 2 Comprehensive review. However, the proposals in the Phase 2 consultation are likely to depend on what the result of the Judicial Review is and the amount of PV that has been installed since December 12.

Many calculation suggest the FiT budget is already blown. So if the appeal is lost, DECC may be forced to reduce the tariff for all PV systems installed post April 1 to just 9p kWh (equivalent to 2ROCs), however DECC Officials have stressed that this is not the preferred outcome.

There we are then - clear as mustard what the Govt is thinking.

Electric car figures for 2011 scheme

2012-01-08T21:42:00.001Z

Figures reveal 1,052 electric vehicles registered for plug-in grant scheme last year, but significant growth expected in 2012

Electric car supporters argue sales will pick up when more models are made available this year and the UK's charging infrastructure improves. However, speculation is mounting that such low numbers could see the scheme's funding come under threat ahead of this year's Budget.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman stated that "there is still support for EVs in government" and that a decision on whether to renew the scheme will likely be taken in February.

Transport minister Norman Baker also reaffirmed his backing for electric cars, saying the picture will change once new models, such as the Vauxhall Ampera and Renault's ZE range, come onto the market later this year.

"It is the availability of qualifying cars, rather than the public appetite for them, that is the main challenge we face in developing the electric car market," he said. "I have every confidence that this will change in the next few months and we will begin to see sales of ultra low-carbon cars improve."

I don't know much about electric cars or details of the scheme - but here is a random site i found that would suggest there is quite a selection. I simply did a google search so not a recommendation.

http://www.greencarsite.co.uk/electric-vehicles-cars.htm

November Generation Game

2012-01-05T16:41:00.000Z

We delayed the draw for the November Generation game a little this month because the figures were coming in rather slowly - clearly people had other things on their mind! We've now made the draw and this month's lucky winner is Peter Thole - he'll shortly be receiving his prize with our congratulations.

November wasn't that good a month for a lot of our customers - including this writer - but Peter was lucky two times over. Not only did he win the draw but his figures well nicely over the estimated figures for his installation.

Figures are coming in thick and fast now for the December draw so, if you want to be in with a chance of a prize, get your figures in!

Europe’s largest solar power plant

2012-01-04T08:32:00.000Z

Is this the biggest ? - Its in the Ukraine and once again I think of our current limited ambition in this country with PV compared to activity in other countries. Oh for the good old days when the UK apparently led the world on so many fronts. Victoria would not be amused I am sure !

Activ Solar has finished the final construction phase of its 100MW Perovo Solar Power Station in Ukraine. This last development stage, completed on December 28, added a further 20MW to capacity, making Perovo Europe's largest PV system.

Located on Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, work began in July, and the 200-hectare site
has the potential to generate around 132,500MWh of electricity a year. At full capacity the plant will provide enough electricity to cater for the peak-load requirements of Crimea’s capital city, Simferopol.

Development has created more than 800 full- and part-time jobs for the local workforce. Funding for the record-breaking system – believed to have cost about €300 million (US$387 million) – came from two Russian banks, VTB Bank OJSC and Sberbank.

This is the second major utility-scale development Activ has undertaken in Ukraine; in October the Austrian company completed its 80MW Okhotnykovo plant.

Hammerfest Strøm installs tidal power turbine in Orkney

2012-01-03T15:39:00.000Z

Interesting stuff from the top of the country

Hammerfest Strøm has installed its 1 MW HS1000 tidal turbine 100 ft under water at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, UK

The HS1000 tidal turbine will be used by ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) as part of its planned 10 MW tidal turbine array in the Sound of Islay, which could be installed as early as feasible during the period 2013 to 2015. A prototype device has been generating electricity in Norway for over 6 years.
The HS1000 tidal turbine has been developed by Hammerfest Strøm, a company partly-owned by Iberdrola (SPR’s parent company), Andritz Hydro and Statoil New Energy.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of ScottishPower Renewables, says: “We are delighted that the HS1000 turbine has been successfully installed in Orkney, and Hammerfest engineers deserve huge credit for carrying out this difficult operation in very testing weather conditions. We look forward to monitoring its progress when fully operational next year.

“This is a major milestone in the development of tidal power technology in Scotland, and for the tidal power industry across the world. We anticipate using this turbine as part of our project in Islay, which will be the first of its kind in the world, and remains the only consented tidal array project in Scotland. Beyond this, we have ambitions to use this turbine as part of even larger scale projects in the Pentland Firth, which we are currently investigating.”

Renewable energy boosts UK economy by £2.5bn

2012-01-03T15:37:00.000Z

Figures from the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that companies have announced plans for almost £2.5 billion worth of renewable energy investment in the UK, with the potential to create almost 12,000 jobs, so far in the financial year 2011/12.

A separate report to the European Commission on renewable energy progress, shows that the UK:

Achieved a 27% increase in renewable energy consumption from 42.6 TWh in 2008 to 54 TWh in 2010 - representing 3.3% of total energy consumed;
Increased wind generation by 46% from 7 TWh in 2008 to 10.2 TWh in 2010, and in 2010 achieved 5 GW of offshore and onshore wind capacity; and
Saw a threefold increase in the use of biofuels in transport from 1% of total road transport fuel supply in 2007/8 to 3.33% in 2010.

UK Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne, says: “Renewable energy is not just helping us increase our energy security and reduce our emissions. It is supporting jobs and growth across the country, and giving traditional industrial heartlands the opportunity to thrive again.

“Our renewable target is less demanding than other EU member states, but the effect is bringing real jobs and investment.

“I do not want the UK to be left behind by turning our back on the green economy. The agreement to negotiate a global deal secured at Durban has reinforced major nations’ commitment to cutting carbon. We cannot afford to stand alone while the world wises up.”

EU warns wasting environmental resources could spark new recession

2011-12-31T10:20:00.000Z

Janez Potočnik, European Union commissoner for green affairs, says unless habits change scarcity could see prices spike

The overuse and waste of valuable natural resourcesis threatening to produce a fresh economic crisis, the European union environment chief has warned.

Janez Potočnik, the EU commissioner for the environment, linked the current economic crisis gripping the eurozone with potential future crises driven by price spikes in key resources, including energy and raw materials.

"It's very difficult to imagine [lifting Europe out of recession] without growth, and very difficult to imagine growth without competitiveness, and very difficult to be competitive without resource efficiency."

Unless consumers and businesses take action to use resources more efficiently - from energy and water to food and waste, and raw materials such as precious metals - then their increasing scarcity, rising prices and today's wasteful methods of using them will drive up costs yet further and reduce Europe's standard of living, Potočnik warned.

He said: "We have simply no choice. We have to use what we have more efficiently, or we will fail to compete. Resource efficiency is a real competitiveness issue for European companies."

Low Carbon Energy no dearer than "doing nothing"

2011-12-29T20:13:00.000Z

Interesting article in the Gurdian this week. According to Professor David MacKay, chief scientific adviser to the Department of Energy and Climate change, if we do nothing to develop low-carbon energy systems – and busting the UK's carbon targets – it would cost us each about £4,682 a year, spent on imported gas for electricity generation and heating and oil for all vehicles - and this doesn't include the further damage to the economy expected as a result of climate change.

The government's "higher renewables, more energy efficiency" scenario, in which wind delivers 55% of the total electricity supply and all cars and buses are fuelled by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells, is forecast to cost £368 a year (8%) more than the "do nothing" scenario, if climate change damage is ignored. If the writer of this piece was going to be around in 2050 he certainly knows which option he'd prefer!

You can read the whole article here.

Fownhope Christmas Walk

2011-12-28T13:39:00.001Z

The Fownhope Community Christmas Walk is an annual tradition for local villagers and this year Caplor played host to more than 50 walkers who set off from the farmyard into the Herefordshire countryside. "It was great to see so many people out and about" said Caplor's Gareth Williams.

2011-12-25T07:04:00.000Z

The resilience of Caplor installations has been demonstrated again this morning. Not a single panel damaged by a misplaced reindeer hoof, glancing blow from a sled runner nor a falling sherry bottle. "When our guys are working on a roof" says' Caplor's Gareth Williams, "they're aware of all possibilities" Happy Christmas!

MPs slam government’s “panicked” handling of solar incentive cuts

2011-12-22T08:40:00.000Z

It would appear that there is an increasing realisation that Solar and Fit support to develop it to grid parity is a great way forward to help with energy and climate issues in the UK. Oh but we all knew that already and followed the rest of the world on this well trodden successful path, but but then the DECC people or some in the team there seemed to ignore almost all and panic. So lets hope with a court ruling, MP committee reports industry, public and international opinion the ''powers at be'' will now come back on board with the rest of us. We could talk about it.......

Just a day after a High Court judged ruled that the government's consultation on cuts to solar incentives is legally flawed, two parliamentary select committees will today launch a blistering attack on the government's handling of proposed changes to feed-in tariffs, accusing ministers of undermining confidence in energy policy and landing a potentially "fatal" blow on the UK's solar industry.

The Energy and Climate Change Committee and the Environmental Audit Committee joined forces to investigate the government's controversial plans to half feed-in tariffs for solar installations completed after December 12, following complaints from the industry and green NGOs that solar firms had not been given long enough to prepare for the changes.

Tim Yeo MP, Chairman of the Energy and Climate Change Committee, said that while the government was right to try and cut incentives it had handled the changes "clumsily". "Ministers should have spotted the solar gold rush much earlier," he said. "That way subsidy levels could have been reduced in a more orderly way without delivering such a shock to the industry."

His comments were echoed by Joan Walley MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, who warned the government was in danger of doing significant damage to a successful industry.
"It doesn't make economic sense to let the sun go down on the solar industry in the UK," she said. "As well as helping to cut carbon emissions, every panel that is installed brings in VAT for the Government and every company that benefits from the support is keeping people in work."

The report also questions the government's plan to ensure all homes meet a minimum ‘C' energy efficiency rating before they can qualify for solar feed-in tariffs, warning that with 86 per cent of homes currently not meeting the standard the restriction could have a "fatal impact" on the solar market.

"The Government is right to encourage people to focus on saving energy before fitting solar panels," said Walley. "But these proposals will require most households to spend thousands of pounds on extra insulation before they even purchase the panels.

"This will stop nine out of ten installations from going ahead, which will have a devastating effect on hundreds of solar companies and small building firms installing these panels across the country."

The report comes just hours after a High Court judge upheld a legal challenge from Friends of the Earth and two solar firms arguing the government's consultation on the proposed cuts was illegal. He ruled that the consultation was legally flawed, effectively forcing the government to reconsider its plans or else face a judicial review.

The MP's report similarly criticises the time line for the government's proposed changes, concluding that the consultation has been "rushed", the official impact assessment was "inadequate", and the proposal to cut incentives for all installations completed after 12 December was "unfair". Yeo warned the mishandling of the changes could have a knock on impact on the wider low carbon economy.

"The consequence of the rushed, eleventh-hour consultation will be uncertainty among investors in all kinds of renewable energy, which will inevitably push up the cost of capital,"he warned. "This is an extremely unfortunate outcome, because right now we need unprecedented levels of investment to replace ageing power stations and reduce emissions."

The report also notes that a number of projects have been suspended as a result of the changes and households, businesses, local authorities, and community groups could have been left out of pocket as a result of cancellations.

The report calls on the Government to allow anyone who had made a contractual financial commitment to install solar panels before the 31 October launch of the consultation to receive the existing tariffs.

It also urges the Department of Energy and Climate Change to urgently develop a new system to review and adjust feed-in tariffs in a more orderly manner, consider relaxing the proposed energy efficiency requirements, launch a new community tariff to support social housing and community owned projects, and better promote domestic solar manufacturing.

The report also recommends that electricity suppliers be required to provide annual data on how much feed-in tariffs have added to bills - an approach that would make it harder for critics of renewable energy to exaggerate the cost of green policies.

A DECC spokeswoman said: "The Government welcomes the joint EAC/ECC report and will give its findings and recommendations careful consideration. We appreciate the uncertainty faced because of the changes we have proposed to the feed in tariff scheme but we believe solar projects will still be an attractive investment.

"We stand by the need for the proposed changes in order to protect the budget which is funded by consumers through their energy bills. We will consider all responses to the consultation on FITs for solar PV carefully and will announce the outcome early in the New Year."

Updated: High Court Judge rules solar consultation legally flawed

2011-12-21T20:30:00.001Z

Court rules in favour of solar firms, throwing government feed-in tariff plans into chaos

The High Court has today upheld a legal challenge from Friends of the Earth and two solar firms against the government's controversial decision to slash feed-in tariff incentives for solar installations, throwing the proposed changes to the subsidy scheme into chaos.

The Judge said the consultation was legally flawed and can be subjected to a judicial review.
The Court ruled the government had breached rules governing consultation exercises, when it announced that proposed cuts to feed-in tariff incentives would impact installations completed before the end of the consultation period.

Mr Justice Mitting said ministers were "proposing to make an unlawful decision" and as a result the court would be "amenable to a judicial review".

He also noted that the consultation has already had a "significant impact" on the industry in the form of projects being scrapped.

The ruling paves the way for a judicial review that could force the government to relaunch the consultation, significantly delaying when the proposed incentives to cuts will come into effect.

The judge rejected an immediate request for an appeal from DECC on the grounds it would create further uncertainty. However, DECC lawyers said they could make another application to appeal by the 4th of January next year.

Climate Minister later issued a statement confirming the government would seek an appeal. "We disagree with the Court's decision," he said. "We will be seeking an appeal and hope to secure a hearing as soon as possible. Regardless of today's outcome, the current high tariffs for solar PV are not sustainable and changes need to be made in order to protect the budget which is funded by consumers through their energy bills."
The decision will be hailed as a major victory by the solar industry, after firms warned that the scale and pace of the proposed cuts would have a crippling effect on the sector resulting in thousands of job losses.
It is also likely to be welcomed by the CBI and the Local Government Association, both of which criticised the government cuts.

However, DECC has consistently warned that delaying the proposed cuts to incentives could result in the feed-in tariff scheme exceeding its spending cap - a scenario that some solar industry insiders fear will result in deeper cuts to incentives in the future.

Jeremy Leggett, chairman of Solarcentury, which launched the legal action alongside HomeSun and Friends of the Earth, urged the government to now work with the solar industry to reduce incentives in a controlled manner.

"The Court has stopped Government abusing its power but it doesn't make up for the fact that DECC has created chaos for the renewable energy industry as a whole, and not just solar," he said in a statement.
"Solarcentury was very reluctant to take this legal challenge but DECC gave us no choice. All of this could have been avoided if DECC had done a proper consultation last summer, as they promised, and engaged constructively with the solar industry. I do hope that DECC will now engage properly with the industry, so that together we can build a viable solar industry in the UK, as they have in Germany."

His comments were echoed by Andy Atkins of Friends of the Earth who said: "These botched and illegal plans have cast a huge shadow over the solar industry, jeopardising thousands of jobs. Solar payments should fall in line with falling installation costs but the speed of the government's proposals threatened to devastate the entire industry."

However, it remains unclear how the government will proceed following the ruling.
The consultation exercise will remain open until the end of the week as had been initially planned, but assuming it does not win its appeal the government's response, which is expected in mid-January, is now likely to be informed by the threat of further legal action if it imposes cuts on installations completed after December 12 as originally proposed.

Lawyers for Friends of the Earth said that the judges ruling had effectively quashed the December 12 cut off date for installations to enjoy the current higher rate of feed-in tariffs. They predicted that under consultation rules the earliest DECC could impose a new cut off date would be mid-February.
However, any delay to the proposed cuts will fuel concerns that the scheme could again experience a gold rush that eats into its available budget.

Gaynor Hartnell of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) warned that the ruling could end up doing long term damage to the solar sector.

"Whilst no-one in the renewables industry was comfortable with the manner in which the latest PV tariff review was carried out, the implications of this decision could be very bad for those technologies benefitting from the feed in tariff," she said in a statement. "If the tariffs do get reinstated, the rush that we'd seen before 12th December will presumably resume... This may put the longer-term future of the small-scale feed in tariff in jeopardy, when what we need most is clarity stability."

From Friends of the earth site -

We win solar legal challenge
21 December 2011

Friends of the Earth has won its legal challenge against the Government in High Court.

Along with two solar companies we took the Government to court over their plans to slash support for solar energy.
After two days in court the Judge ruled in our favour calling the Government's plans "legally flawed".

These botched and illegal plans have cast a huge shadow over the solar industry, jeopardising thousands of jobs.
We hope this ruling will prevent ministers rushing through damaging changes to clean energy subsidies - giving solar firms a much-needed confidence boost.

Andy Atkins, Friends of the Earth's Executive Director

Illegal and unfair

Government proposed cutting the amount of cash-back - known as feed-in tariffs - for solar projects installed after 12 December.
But this date was 11 days before the official consultation on the plans closed.
The Judge agreed with Friends of the Earth that this approach was illegal.

Real-world impact

The Government's proposals have already caused thousands of planned or unfinished solar projects to be shelved.

Government must act

Following today's ruling the Government must act now to get solar back on track by:

Providing more money for feed-in tariffs.
Supporting solar projects in schools and social housing.

Take our Christmas action

Please send your MP a Christmas message asking them to help put solar back on track.

'Green deal' will fail, government's climate advisers warn

2011-12-21T12:26:00.000Z

Scheme to make 14m UK homes more energy efficient will only reach 2-3m households, Committee on Climate Change says

Oh dear - not more problems. The Govt own advisers suggesting that the plan is not sound. Can someone not bang their heads together. These issues are surely ''not rocket science''

The government's flagship programme to transform the energy efficiency of 14 million homes in the next decade will fail and only reach only two to three million households, according to an unprecedented attack from the government's own climate advisers.

The warning comes from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which on Tuesday for the first time published an open letter criticising government policy. It follows soaring energy bills and the news that one in for homes are now in fuel poverty.

The "green deal" plan, which will start in October 2012, will allow homeowners to take out loans to pay for insulation, with the guarantee that the savings on their energy bills will be greater than the loan repayments. Currently, energy companies have a legal obligation to enable their customers to improve their energy efficiency.

"The [green deal] proposal is to take away that obligation and say 'let's leave it to the market'," said David Kennedy, the CCC chief executive. "We think there is a significant risk in leaving it to the market, as that has never worked anywhere in the world and is unlikely to happen in the UK. We are talking about the transformation of the entire building stock of this country."

Google shines on solar sector with further £60m investment

2011-12-21T12:11:00.000Z

Search giant reveals annual investment in clean energy is approaching £600million

Google has confirmed it will invest £60m in four large scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, edging the total amount invested by the search giant in clean energy projects this year towards £600m.

The company announced yesterday that it had teamed up with investment firm KKR to finance a series of Californian projects planned by solar developer Recurrent Energy.

The four solar PV power plants are expected to provide up to 88MW of capacity and generate up to 160,000,000 kWh during their first year of operation, enough for 13,000 average US homes.

Construction of three of the projectsis expected to be completed early next year with the fourth completed later in the year.

Gosh - that is a thought, Google a single company investing more in a year then some countries in total into future energy issues. As some speculate, do corporations now rule the world ? On this particular issue they are certianly giving an inspiring lead !

The Arab emirate of Qatar is thinking of moving into the generation of solar thermal electricity.

2011-12-20T19:30:00.002Z

To this end, the Qatar National Food Security Program (QNSFP) has charged the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with looking for suitable sites for such power plants.

"The emirate of Qatar has excellent conditions for the use of solar energy. The DLR will use its many fields of competence here, from identifying especially suitable sites with the help of satellite data to practical help when constructing such plants and managing projects,” says Ulrich Wagner, DLR Head of Energy, on the agreement.

The QNSFP was set up in 2008 to reduce Qatar’s dependency on food imports. Apart from energy it will require seawater desalination plants to have enough water available for agriculture. As solar thermal power plants can be run as desalination plants in parallel to generating electricity, they are theoretically a good solution. The DLR has been working on this technology for quite some time now. A combined CSP/desalination technology has not yet made it into commercial operation, however.

Renewable Energy to be Fastest Growing Market in Malaysia

2011-12-20T19:22:00.000Z

Global Information (GII) presents "Global Solar Power Market" by Frost and Sullivan. The implementation of feed-in-tariff (FiT) policy will bring the required momentum to accelerate solar PV market growth in Malaysia. Malaysia aims to become the second largest producer in solar manufacturing by 2020 and is emerging as the favored country for new PV manufacturing units.

Investments in solar PV power projects for 2012 is estimated at US$72 million, a 194% growth over 2011 and close to 12 MW of solar PV power is to be added in 2012, a massive year-on-year increase of 242.9%.

According to Ravi Krishnaswamy, Vice President of Energy and Power Systems, Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific, banks are actively considering large-scale solar power projects as the next wave of investment option as they are well-equipped to understand risks better now.

Government support through a subsidy rationalization program that gradually removes subsidies from items such as fuel, gas, electricity and tolls bring their rates close to market rate, making solar power look less expensive in the long term.

"Falling global prices for PV modules could also aid the growth of grid connected solar market in Malaysia," he said.

EU energy production must be carbon free by 2050

2011-12-20T19:12:00.000Z

To achieve the goal of cutting emissions by over 80% by 2050, Europe's energy production needs to be almost carbon-free, according to the European Commission.

Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger stated: "Only a new energy model will make our system secure, competitive and sustainable in the long-run. We now have a European framework for the necessary policy measures to be taken in order to secure the right investments."

The Energy Roadmap 2050 is based on illustrative scenarios, created by combining in different ways the four main de-carbonisation routes (energy efficiency, renewable energy, nuclear and CCS). None is likely to materialise but all scenarios clearly show a set of 'no regrets' options for the coming years, the Commission says.

The Energy Roadmap 2050 identifies a number of elements which have positive impacts in all circumstances, and thus define some key outcomes such as:

De-carbonisation of the energy system is technically and economically feasible. All de-carbonisation scenarios allow achieving the emission reduction target and can be less costly than current policies in the long-run;
Energy Efficiency and renewable energy are critical. Irrespective of the particular energy mix chosen, higher energy efficiency and important rising shares of renewable energy are necessary to meet the CO2 targets in 2050. The scenarios also show that electricity will play a greater role than now. Gas, oil, coal and nuclear also figure in all scenarios in different proportions, allowing Member States to keep flexible options in their energy mix provided a well connected internal market is achieved quickly;
Early Investments cost less. Investment decisions for the necessary infrastructure up to 2030 must be taken now, as infrastructure built 30-40 years ago needs to be replaced. Acting immediately can avoid more costly changes in 20 years. The EU's energy evolution requires modernisation and much more flexible infrastructure such as cross border interconnections, 'intelligent' electricity grids and modern low-carbon technologies to produce, transmit and store energy;
Contain the increase of prices. The investments made now will pave the way for the best prices in the future. Electricity prices are bound to raise until 2030, but can fall thereafter thanks to lower cost of supply, saving policies and improved technologies. The costs will be outweighed by the high level of sustainable investment brought into the European economy, the related local jobs, and the decreased import dependency. All scenarios get to de-carbonisation with no major differences in terms of overall costs or security of supply implications.; and
Economies of scale are needed. A European approach will result in lower costs and secure supply compared to national parallel schemes. This includes a common energy market which should be completed by 2014.

China cranks up 2015 solar target

2011-12-16T09:01:00.000Z

Just days after committing itself to delivering a new international climate change treaty by 2015, China has significantly increased its renewable energy target for solar power capacity, according to state media reports.

Citing a statement from the National Energy Administration, China National Radio said that the 2015 target for solar energy capacity has been increased by 50 per cent to 15GW.

It also confirmed the existing target to deliver100GW of wind power capacity by 2015 will remain the same, and revealed that 5GW of this capacity will be provided by a new generation of offshore wind farms.

The change in the solar energy goal is the second increase this year, after the government announced in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster that it would double the target to 10GW.

The more ambitious target follows a surge in solar installations in recent months driven by the Chinese government's decision in the summer to introduce a national feed-in tariff incentive scheme and guarantee higher payments for projects finished by the end of this year.

China National Radio reported that annual solar power output will hit 20 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) by 2015 and wind power output will reach 190 billion kWh, assuming the targets are met.

The new target will further strengthen the Chinese government's claims that it is taking ambitious steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Barker confirms 21p FIT rate: could this spark another mini solar boom?

2011-12-15T18:42:00.000Z

In an uncertain world even a little bit of clarity is good, so we welcome energy minister Greg Barker's confirmation that, whatever the outcome of the consultation, the 21p rate of feed-in tariff (FIT) is fixed for the period from 12 December 2011 to 31 March 2012. That means that all systems installed in that time will receive that rate (index linked) for the full 25 years of the feed-in tariff.

There is potential for this news to cause another mini boom in solar installations for a number of reasons:

1. Even with the cut in feed-in tariff to 21p, we are still able to offer 8-10% on investment for a well sited solar PV installation.

2. There's a possibility the tariff may be cut again from 1 April.

3. It is very likely that new criteria for eligibility will be introduced from 1 April 2012, which will mean that buildings must meet strict energy efficiency levels before they qualify to receive the tariff.

4. Solar is very popular with the public. A Sunday Times YouGov public opinion poll at the end of November found that 74% of the public want more solar than there is at present, and 67% think that it's a realistic way of combating climate change (this link downloads a pdf). See earlier blog entry.

5. Some importers have panels they ordered before the review in tariffs that are still in transit - so there may be deals to be done to help overall costs.
While you might not have won the jackpot of the 43p tariff, there's still plenty of people for whom solar PV makes great sense.

Gas, not renewables, is driving up bills, says Climate Committee

2011-12-15T08:51:00.000Z

Independent report concludes green policies contributed just £75 to £455 increase in energy bills experienced since 2004

Soaring gas prices are contributing far more to increases in household energy bills than policies designed to support renewable energy and the other elements of the green economy, according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).

New analysis from the independent body finds the majority of homes have seen their annual bills rise from £604 in 2004 to £1,060 last year. But almost two thirds of that increase was down to rises in the wholesale gas price, compared to just a seven per cent increase resulting from renewable energy subsidies.

The report breaks down the £455 increase in bills, concluding that rising gas prices accounted for £290, transmission and distribution costs accounted for £70, VAT added £20, and £75 was the result of policies to reduce carbon emissions.

The cost of low carbon policies equated to £30 a year to support investment in renewable energy and £45 for energy efficiency schemes, which in turn help reduce energy consumption.

The news is likely to be welcomed by many green businesses who are concerned the Treasury is pinning the blame for energy price increases on environmental policies, after Chancellor George Osborne complained of the "burden" of environmental legislation during his Autumn statement.

Kennedy said that this was set to rise by £110 by 2020, making the typical bill £1,250, of which £100 would go to further investment in low-carbon energy generation capacity and £10 towards domestic energy efficiency schemes.

However, Kennedy said most of the increase in prices would occur in the second half of the decade and stressed that "the benefit significantly outweighs that £100 cost".

The report identifies that more efficient lighting and appliances could reduce consumption 19 per cent over the next decade, while improving homes through measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation could save another six per cent.

The CCC's analysis was welcomed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), along with renewables trade groups, and a swathe of green campaigners.

"[The report] underlines why it is so important that we reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels and protect our homes and businesses from international fossil fuel price shocks," a DECC spokesman said. "Investing to boost energy efficiency and develop a home-grown mix of low carbon energy sources is key if we want to make sure UK homes and businesses are no longer at the mercy of volatile international fossil fuel prices."

Dr Gordon Edge, RenewableUK's director of policy, added that the report backed up the government's conclusions in the Carbon Plan released earlier this month that doing nothing to address rising emissions was a more expensive option than investing in low carbon solutions.

"Over the last decade, rising fossil fuel prices have pushed up energy bills by more than double the amount that low-carbon investment is expected to do so in this one," he added. "And that extra £100 brings us more stable prices, a UK industry, and reduced dependence on imports, making investment in renewable energy excellent value for money."

Nick Molho, head of energy policy at WWF-UK, said the CCC had "injected a note of sanity into the fevered debate around household energy bills" and decried the "myth" that the cost of green policies and support for renewables is driving up energy bills.

"This deliberate attempt to pervert the debate and mislead consumers has also damaged confidence in an industry that can provide a major boost to UK investment and economic growth," he added.

"The reality is that renewables offer us the best chance to diversify our energy sources away from our excessive over-reliance on gas and to create a substantial renewable energy industry here in the UK."

British public strongly support renewable energy, survey says

2011-12-15T08:20:00.000Z

74% of UK population wants to see more Solar power, finds a YouGov survey

Does the UK have a "silent majority" in support of further investment in renewables? You wouldn't necessarily think so if you listen to the very vocal, media-driven opposition against, say, wind power, but a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the Sunday Times suggests the true picture might be a little different.

The Sunday Times itself chose not to report the YouGov findings related to renewables (you can draw your own conclusions as to why.

The real point of interest here can be found on page nine, which asks: "Thinking about the country's future energy provision, do you think the government should be looking to use more or less of the following?"

Solar power
More than at present - 74%
Less than at present - 6%
Maintain current levels - 12%
Not sure - 9%
Wind farms
More than at present - 56%
Less than at present - 19%
Maintain current levels - 15%
Not sure - 9%
Nuclear power stations
More than at present - 35%
Less than at present - 27%
Maintain current levels - 23%
Not sure - 15%
Oil power stations
More than at present - 10%
Less than at present - 47%
Maintain current levels - 27%
Not sure - 17%
Coal power stations
More than at present - 16%
Less than at present - 43%
Maintain current levels - 25%
Not sure - 17%

It then asks: "Do you think the government is right or wrong to subsidise wind farms to encourage more use of wind power?"

Right 60%
Wrong 26%
Don't know 15%

Do you think increased use of solar power is a realistic way of combating climate change?

Realistic 67%
Not realistic 18%
Don't know 15%

Over at BusinessGreen, James Murray describes the survey results as "explosive", especially given that they "follow months during which the right-wing press has waged an increasingly virulent campaign against climate change, wind farms, renewable energy, and the green levies that pay for it". (See Duncan Clark's assessment of how "UK newspaper coverage is skewed against renewables".)

As Murray correctly points out, it is worth the time drilling down into the various demographic, political and regional breakdowns of the results. For example, you see a clear age bias when it comes to wind farms. As the age of the respondent increases, their support for wind falls, but not to the point where the majority of the "60+" grouping are against it. The older respondents tend to be more supportive of nuclear energy, too. But support for solar energy is near equal across all age groups.

It is worth noting the political differences, too. For example, 43% of Conservative voters say they want more wind farms than at present, compared to 62% of Labour voters and 70% of Liberal Democrat voters. Equally, Conservative voters are noticeably more supportive of nuclear energy than Labour or Lib Dem voters.

But, somewhat counter-intuitively, support for wind farms is lowest among London-based respondents (49%) compared to areas that might consider themselves more at risk of being "blighted" by wind farms, say, Midland/Wales (57%) and Scotland (59%). Sadly, the survey doesn't distinguish between urban, suburban and rural residents, as those results might have provided extra illumination.

James Murray describes the survey's findings as the "best kind of early Christmas present" for the "government's green agenda". I'm not sure I would go that far – it is only one snapshot survey, after all – but it does provide grist to the theory that there is a danger that the vocal minority (and their powerful media allies) who oppose investment in renewable energy shouldn't be allowed to drown out the views of the silent majority who seemingly favour such an approach.

IEA report sees no let-up in world’s appetite for coal over next 5 years

2011-12-14T08:56:00.000Z

More factors pointing towards more expensive fossil fuel energy...

Global demand for coal will continue to expand aggressively over the next five years despite public calls in many countries for reducing reliance on the high-carbon fuel as a primary energy source, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a new annual publication, Medium-Term Coal Market Report 2011, released today.

Coal is already the single-largest source of electricity generation globally, and the report says the main reason for the projected increase in coal demand over the next five years is surging power generation in emerging economies. The report, which presents a comprehensive analysis of recent trends in coal demand, supply and trade, as well as an IEA outlook for coal market fundamentals for the coming five years, serves as a reminder of the significant challenges facing efforts to transform the global energy system to one that is sustainable, secure and low-carbon.

“For all of the talk about removing carbon from the energy system, the IEA projects average coal demand to grow by 600,000 tonnes every day over the next five years,” IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven said during the launch of the book. "Policy makers must be aware of this when designing strategies to enhance energy security while tackling climate change."

The report also raises concerns about the global implications of China’s massive appetite for coal, noting that events and decisions in China could have an outsized effect on coal prices – and thus electricity prices – around the world over the next five years.

Germany installs millionth solar power system

2011-12-13T18:28:00.000Z

Germany has installed its 1 millionth solar photovoltaic (PV) connected to the power grid, says the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar).

“When photovoltaics first took off in Germany and the 1000-roof programme was launched in the fall of 1990, nobody expected that we would already reach the one-million-system mark by 2011,” says Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, former Federal Minister for the Environment and current Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS).

“Photovoltaics have developed dynamically and become a key pillar of the energy supply,” adds Günther Cramer, President of the German Solar Industry Association. “Significant price reductions for solar power systems have been made possible by increases in production volume and by technical advances. Already in the near future, the generation of solar power will become one of the most affordable energy forms out there.”

For 2011, the German Solar Industry Association expects an expansion of solar PV capacity by around 5 GW, which could mean a total installed capacity of 22 GW by year end.

GO GERMANY !!

Generation Game - November

2011-12-13T16:46:00.001Z

In the midst of the Christmas rush don't forget our November Generation Game where there's another chance to win a prize. Just tell us how much you generated in the month and you'll be in the draw. What's the prize this time? We don't know just yet - perhaps it'll be something special from Santa!

Jeremy Vine - debate on Solar FIT changes.

2011-12-12T21:41:00.001Z

Starting just over 1 hour and 9 Min's into the show, Jeremy debates the over due and ''welcome'' change today to the level of PV tariff, but the dismal manner that it has been handled and the negative impact on so many right across the country - both suppliers and consumers. Coming out of the debate, the huge boost the PV solar is making to UK economy and the great opportunity we have had from the introduction of an incentive to encourage us on a low carbon and independent energy journey and how vital it is to support this industry for the next few years to give us all the opportunity to get off the big six fossil fix.

As Chris Green says - the energy supply companies have made multi million pound profits from the supply of fossil fuel based energy and they ''keep it all'' - we can be certain that the £1 ish we the public have been saved by this Govt reduction in tariff will not end up as a saving in our pockets !!

Click on the title to take you to i player

North American Photovoltaic Market Set to Double Year over Year

2011-12-11T17:08:00.000Z

“PV is now positioned to take significant market share from other energy sources as it approaches grid parity in some regions.” said Craig Steens, President of NPD Solarbuzz.

Demand in the United States market has spread to many states beyond California, but in Canada, Ontario is 99% of the national market.

The primary driver in Ontario has been a feed-in tariff (FIT), while American states have been driven by a combination of policies and regulations at both state and federal levels. More recently, the US federal government played a critical role in the US solar marketplace, providing investment tax credits (ITC), cash grants, depreciation bonuses and loan guarantees as vehicles to make PV more financeable.

By the end of this Autumn, the federal government cumulatively awarded over $1.4 billion in cash grants for solar systems.

Middle East set for solar boom over next decade

2011-12-11T16:45:00.000Z

Whilst our leaders appear keen to cling to rapidly rising prices and depleting availability, the oil suppliers themselves (who have the oil literally in the back garden) have the vision to move on and grasp the untapped, clean and ever cheaper opportunities that solar present. We pay them for the very expensive and exhaustive oil and they cunningly reinvest the revenue for the future..

Solar power is poised to become an important part of the Middle East’s energy mix over the next decade, according to a leading expert on solar within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

There is a growing demand within the GCC and North Africa for solar power and several countries, including Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are already embracing the technology and researching how it can be applied.

“The GCC countries are blessed with abundant energy reserves both above and below the surface,” Dr. Al Hajri said. “We have tapped the energy that lies below us in the form of our oil and gas deposits and we are now looking upwards to the sun to tap its unlimited energy potential. The possibilities are endless.

“There are a number of interesting solar projects which we are seeing within Qatar and the region that will have a positive impact on the development of the solar industry both locally, regionally and internationally, the region is well placed to become a major solar energy user, producer and researcher.”

QSTec is one of the leading names in driving solar in the Middle East and earlier this month unveiled plans to build a US$1-billion solar manufacturing facility in Qatar which has a scheduled completion date of late 2013.

Solar power is getting much cheaper to produce than most analysts realize

2011-12-10T18:34:00.000Z

The public is being kept in the dark about the viability of solar photovoltaic energy, according to a study conducted at Queen's University.

"Many analysts project a higher cost for solar photovoltaic energy because they don't consider recent technological advancements and price reductions," says Joshua Pearce, Adjunct Professor, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. "Older models for determining solar photovoltaic energy costs are too conservative."

Dr. Pearce believes solar photovoltaic systems are near the "tipping point" where they can produce energy for about the same price other traditional sources of energy.

Analysts look at many variables to determine the cost of solar photovoltaic systems for consumers, including installation and maintenance costs, finance charges, the system's life expectancy, and the amount of electricity it generates.

Dr. Pearce says some studies don't consider the 70 per cent reduction in the cost of solar panels since 2009 . Furthermore, he says research now shows the productivity of top-of-the-line solar panels only drops between 0.1 and 0.2 percent annually, which is much less than the one per cent used in many cost analyses.

Equipment costs are determined based on dollars per watt of electricity produced. One 2010 study estimated the this cost at $7.61, while a 2003 study set the amount at $4.16. According to Dr. Pearce, the real cost in 2011 is under $1 per watt for solar panels purchased in bulk on the global market, though he says system and installation costs vary widely.

Dr. Pearce has created a calculator program available for download online that can be used to determine the true costs of solar energy.

The Queen's study was co-authored by grad students Kadra Branker and Michael Pathak and published in the December edition of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

Billionaire Buffett Bets on Solar Energy

2011-12-10T18:18:00.000Z

The "Oracle of Omaha," one of the richest men in the world made partly by betting on technologies that appear underpriced, is now putting his money into solar.

The solar industry got a turbo-boost of both name recognition and mainstream credibility on Wednesday 7th as Warren Buffett’s investment company, MidAmerican, a subsidiary of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway announced plans to purchase the Topaz Solar power development from thin-film PV module maker First Solar. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 550-megawatt Topaz project in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., is among the world’s biggest solar farms under development, and many times larger than any project currently in operation. The First Solar project was not able to close its conditional loan guarantee with the Department of Energy prior to the Sept. 30 deadline, but it has gone ahead anyway. Construction on the project began in November and is expected to run through 2015. According to First Solar, it will create about 400 construction jobs.

The $2 billion project will include First Solar’s thin-film panels, and the company will build, operate and maintain the project for MidAmerican. Pacific Gas and Electric will buy the electricity under a 25-year power purchase agreement

It would appear that the early Govt review of FIT has rather scewed events of late.

2011-12-10T18:06:00.001Z

Announcing the severe change to FIT rates would appear to have some what distorted what was happening. What would the level of uptake have been under a modest review or no change until April - would the net result be any different other than the fact the public and PV suppliers would not have been thrown into such turmoil ?

UK homeowners do not realise how little the FiT incentive actually costs them

2011-12-10T17:57:00.000Z

Survey results published today show almost three quarters of UK homeowners do not know how much the feed-in tariff (FiT) is costing the average household.

Sharp Solar’s research, which was conducted by YouGov between November 25 – 28, 2011, found that 27 percent of respondents believe households are paying much more to support the FiT than is actually the case, with responses from those surveyed ranging from £12 to over £1,200 per year. These figures are alarming when it is considered that official figures released by the Government confirm that the current cost to every household energy bill is more like £1.40 per year.

Head of International Sales at Sharp Solar said: “This research clearly underlines the general lack of awareness amongst UK energy bill payers. This is hampering consumers, businesses and the Government from making a rational, informed choice about the most appropriate rate at which to set the tariff. The FiT needs to be more flexible and intelligent to respond to the solar panel (PV) price reductions but these ill-informed cuts will stop the industry dead in its tracks and undo the years of good work that has been invested in skills, infrastructure and businesses.”

The survey results also demonstrate that while solar is UK homeowners’ favoured FiT supported technology, many are put off installing a system as a result of the cut proposals. A total of 40 percent of survey respondents said they would prefer to see more domestic solar power in their community. However, despite its popularity, solar PV’s progress in the UK is being hampered by the proposed FiT cuts as over half (55 percent) of homeowners with their own roof that had previously considered installing solar panels over the last 18 months said they are now less likely to do so following the cut announcement.

“If set correctly, this FiT provides a scenario that’s beneficial for all parties concerned; cutting carbon and energy bills for the homeowners that install PV and supporting an industry that creates jobs and tax revenues for the Government,” continued Lee.

“Sharp fully supports measured reductions in the FiT rates and we have made constructive representations to DECC in this regard. By adopting a more considered approach, household costs to supporting the FiT would be between £2.60 and £3.60 a year – a fraction compared to increases in rates of conventional energy. Crucially, it would give all concerned a clear and accurate direction as to the cost of this mechanic to UK homeowners.”

UK Government could face legal action from European Commission over FiT cut

2011-12-10T17:49:00.000Z

The European Commission has confirmed that the UK could face legal action over its plans to more than halve subsidies for solar on December 12.

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London, submitted a Priority Question to the commission, who confirmed that legal proceedings will be taken if the current proposals significantly impact the UK’s progress toward the binding EU target on renewable energy.

On behalf of the European Commission, Energy Commissioner, Günther Oettinger, stated:“Whenever Member States revise their support for support schemes for renewable energy, they need to do so in a manner which does not destabilise the renewable energy industry or risk undermining their own plans to achieve their 2020 targets.

“Should the UK or any Member State weaken policies in such a way that it would threaten progress towards their targets, the Commission would take action, launching legal proceedings if necessary.”

Commenting on the Commission's response, Lambert said: "The UK Government is attempting to rush through foolhardy and damaging changes to an incredibly successful renewable energy scheme which has resulted in 100,000 solar installations, the creation of over 22,000 jobs and almost 4,000 new businesses. Rashly withdrawing support from this burgeoning industry will be disastrous for both our economy and the environment.

"Under the Commission's ruling, the UK is prevented from making amendments to support schemes which could jeopardise the renewables industry, yet sudden, drastic cuts to the tariff will strip away investor confidence, reduce the market for solar companies across the country, and threaten jobs. In the current climate, with unemployment reaching record levels, we can ill afford further job losses which could potentially reach into the thousands. This would seem to be a risky move: "destabilising" the industry by anyone's definition.

Lambert concluded: "The Government must now demonstrate that plans to slash the subsidy will not derail the UK from delivering 15 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2020, or the Commission will have no choice but to initiate infringement proceedings."

Russell secures place to represent England at the European Young Farmers Rally 2012

2011-12-05T16:23:00.001Z

Russell Carrington, assistant farm manager at Caplor, has successfully secured a place to represent England at the largest gathering of European Young Farmers in 2012. The Rally which is scheduled for August next year will involve 150 rural people aged between 18 and 26 from across Europe. It will take place in Zerków, in the western part of Poland and will be hosted by the Organisation for the Development of Rural Areas in Poland (WSnRRoW) in conjunction with Rural Youth Europe (www.ruralyoutheurope.com). Delegates will be kept busy with workshops, staying with local families, sight-seeing, sampling new cultures and sharing ideas with new friends. The theme for 2012 will be youth leadership in rural communities, and will focus on leadership development and the practical leadership skills needed by today’s young people. Russell will update us with further details as it happens...

First time lucky for October's Generation Game Winner

2011-11-29T12:54:00.000Z

"Chris C" was the lucky winner of the October Generation Game and it was certainly first time lucky for him, since he was taking part in the game for the first time. Chris wins two times over, in fact, because if you look at his figures for October on the Generation Game web page you'll see his generated figures are well over his predicted figures. Remember, you've got to be in it to win it - and besides having the opportunity to win a small prize every month - Chris's will be winging its way towards him later this week - you're also taking part in some really useful research. Get your figures to us at the end of this month and you'll be in with a chance for the November draw.

It's maybe worth mentioning that every Caplor customer taking part in the game bar two exceeded their generated figures, and both of them are still ahead of their predicted figures for the year so far!

IEA: Renewables fastest growing energy sector

2011-11-25T13:01:00.001Z

Renewable energy is now firmly entrenched as the world's fastest growing energy sector, according to a major new report from the International Energy Agency released this week.

The book, entitled Deploying Renewables 2011: Best and Future Policy Practice, analyses current trends in renewable energy and sets out a series of proposals designed to help governments develop effective renewable energy policy.

It also repeats the IEA's increasingly vocal predictions that several renewable energy technologies will become cost competitive with fossil fuels over the next decade, allowing renewables to emerge as the dominant energy technology.

"As the IEA's analysis has shown, without an urgent and radical change of policy direction, the world will lock itself into an insecure, inefficient and high-carbon energy system," said IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven in a statement. "Renewables already play a central role in fostering sustainability and energy security, and their significance will only grow in the coming decades."

"A portfolio of renewable energy technologies is becoming cost-competitive in an increasingly broad range of circumstances, in some cases providing investment opportunity without the need for specific economic support," the report stated, adding that established hydro power, geothermal and bioenergy technologies are already cost-competitive with conventional energy in a wide range of circumstances, while the cost of solar and wind energy is falling fast.

The IEA report came as the UK's National Grid released new projections detailing how it expects the UK to generate over 30 per cent of its energy from renewables by 2030.

Question Time finds Huhne short on feed-in tariff answers

2011-11-25T12:57:00.002Z

Have a look at this (44min and 40sec in) - Chris Huhne our representative from our Green and business friendly Govt goes for what must be the hat trick plus this week.

1) Ignores international opinion and MP voices from across the country in Parliament debate this week on FIT review and forces a vote

2) Tells business at Imperial college to do their bit for Climate in the light of his dept doing their level best to decimate one of the few growth area's in the whole economy that directly helps with climate and energy issues.

3) Announces a very confused and expensive ''green deal'' flagship that will cost £14 Billion, but it's OK there will be 65,000 jobs hopefully if it happens. But said no to 39,000 already existing solar jobs growing to 100,000 plus in 2015 with relatively modest support.

4) Goal 4, beyond the hat trick argues with the audience and Justine King of Sainsbury on question time.

Take a look. The more I read / look and listen the less I can believe of it.

We asked the guys to do their best to be efficient !

2011-11-25T09:53:00.001Z

We asked the guys to do thier best to be efficient !

And based on this film of an install this week they certianly appear to have taken up the challenge. Well done guys and thanks to all the team for trying so hard this month.

Click on the title to see the film.

Government cuts to the feed-in tariff for Solar Power - The debate in parliament

2011-11-23T20:59:00.002Z

On this link - if you can face it, there is the 3 hour debate on the FIT question raised by the Labour party today. I am certainly no politician - Any of you that know me, will not need to be told that !

It would appear to me in watching this and in meeting some of our leaders of late - they seem to talk but not actually listen very much in a manner that can positively evolve the debate.

Watch and see what you think - I have. Mars bar for any one that makes it all the way through......... The debate starts at 4.34pm

The good news is - hopefully both ''sides'' will realise the outcome was a pretty close thing. Nobody wants FIT to stay at 43p the new rate will be OK.

But for goodness sake can we please talk about how we can ensure there is support for the next few years so that solar can play it's part and reach grid parity.

The rest of the worlds Govts appear to get it - why not ours ?

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=9419

Caplor Energy have written a consultation response and You can read our full response here.

Report: Shale gas will blow UK carbon budgets.

2011-11-23T13:59:00.000Z

Now - before you start, this is the technology that has been stopped in France and put on hold in the UK as it started some earthquakes. Mmmmm now lets see.

Tapping country's resources would use up 15 per cent of forecasted emissions and divert investment from green technologies

Exploiting just a fraction of the UK's shale gas deposits could undermine the UK's ability to meet its climate change targets, opponents of the controversial energy source will claim today.

While the UK industry is far behind its US counterparts, Cuadrilla Resources, a company drilling the UK's first test wells in Lancashire, claims to have found 200 trillion cubic feet of shale gas reserves in the UK, which could result in up to 800 wells being drilled over the next 15 years.

But a report written by scientists at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research today warns that extracting and burning a fifth of these reserves would result in emissions of over 2,000 million tonnes of CO2 - around 15 per cent of the country's entire emissions budget through to 2050.

It also takes issue with shale gas proponents' contention that the technology offers a clean, cheap, and secure alternative to fossil fuel imports.

The report suggests up to £32bn would be needed to extract the gas and convert it to electricity, money which would be better spent on renewable energy or other emissions-cutting technologies.

It predicts that even conservative rates of worldwide extraction and combustion would use up over a quarter of the remaining global CO2 emissions budget needed to prevent 2C of warming.

Paul Monaghan, head of social goals at The Co-operative, said the government needed to urgently re-appraise its approach to shale gas.

"Evidence is now emerging which indicates that gas derived from shale may have a significantly greater carbon footprint than previously thought, seriously questioning whether it can play any role in the transition to a low carbon economy," he said. "The calls from 'big gas' for the abandonment of renewables targets must be rebuffed, and here is the science to do just that."

A Department for Energy and Climate Change spokesman said the economic viability and environmental impact of shale gas had yet to be established and a fully-fledged industry was "years away".

Global solar PV to reach 24 GW in 2011

2011-11-21T22:08:00.000Z

Global solar photovoltaic (PV) installations could reach 24 GW in 2011, according to IMS Research.

Solar PV installations are set to rise by 24% in 2011 to reach 24 GW, up from 19 GW in 2010. Italy is predicted to displace Germany as the world’s largest market.

IMS Research’s shows that solar PV installations exceeded 8 GW in the first half of 2011 and are set to reach 15 GW in the second half confirming the prediction that solar PV installations would soar.

Europe’s share falls

Despite a freeze and then cuts to its incentives earlier this year, Italy is forecast to become the world’s largest solar PV market in 2011 for the first time; and install 6.8 GW of new capacity.

“ Europe’s share of global installations will sharply fall from 82% in 2010 to 68% in 2011,”

Growth from Americas & Asia

Although Europe is stagnating, the American and Asian markets are performing well; these two regions could generate 85% of the global growth in solar PV installations in 2011. Furthermore, the research found that this trend is forecast to continue into 2012.

Diversification is clearly continuing to happen and we have identified 20 markets that will install more than 100 MW in 2011, up from just 14 last year,”

UK among top 10 in 2011

“Despite installing just 45 MW last year, the UK is set to install more than 500 MW in 2011 and become the 8th largest PV market. The attractive incentive levels helped kick-start the market, but the changes to the tariff during the year to prevent large-scale projects and the sudden cuts proposed for December have created a surge in demand,” Sharma says.

“Installation rates in China have rocketed since the introduction of provincial and the national FiTs;

Installations in China could reach as much as 2.5 GW this year, with IMS Research predicting a level of around 1.9 GW to be most likely,”

Generation Game - get those figures in!

2011-11-21T12:08:00.000Z

If you want to be entered in the October Generation Game this is just a warning that it's not long now before we make the next draw. Send your figures in to Mike in the next few days to be in with a chance of winning a prize!

....and it's tax free

2011-11-21T11:02:00.000Z

That there would be changes to the Feed-in Tariff wasn't too much of a surprise to anyone, though the timing of their implementation most certainly was, and indicates to many of us a considerable lack of understanding on the part of the government. In the midst of all this it's important not to lose sight of the fact that at 21p per kWh generated installing a PV system still represents a sound investment - both from an environmental and financial perspective. Besides offering a pretty impressive rate of return it's worth mentioning that the income recieved from the tariff is not taxable in domestic settings. We always recommend that commercial organisations discuss the tax implications with their accountants, but for the ordinary householder the picture is very clear - a sound rate of return bearing no tax!

And now S Korea put us to shame !

2011-11-17T17:57:00.000Z

Come on England. On almost a daily basis whilst we have been having debates about FIT levels costing us 60p or a £1 and threatening some 25-30,000 jobs, the rest of the world appears to be taking the issues of climate change and energy security as the serious threats and opportunities that they are.

South Korea plans to plough £20billion into renewable energy, nuclear power and emission reduction projects in a co-ordinated bid to boost exports and domestic employment.

The south east Asian nation aims to claim a 10 per cent share of the global green energy market by the end of the decade, and boast one of the world's top five energy industries, according to a statement issued today by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

It estimates that, by 2020, the programme will have generated £114bn of export revenue, £33bn of domestic sales, and created 914,000 jobs.

South Korea has brought in a swathe of green policies and spent £2bn between 2006 and 2010 on developing low carbon sectors in a bid to curb emissions and cut expensive oil imports.

Caplor Energy's Response to the FIT Review Consultation

2011-11-17T16:49:00.003Z

We've now had two weeks to digest the news that the Department for Energy and Climate Change are proposing to more than half of the Feed-in Tariff and bring forward the eligibility date to 12th December. Our Business Development Manager - Jamie Baldwin - has gone through the Consultation document with a fine tooth comb and we have now drafted our consultation response to the FIT Review. You can read our full response here.

A day in the life of a solar lobbyist (and how you can lobby too!)

2011-11-17T16:47:00.005Z

LOBBY YOUR LOCAL MP AND MAKE YOURSELF HEARD ABOUT THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE FEED-IN TARIFF.

You can help by writing a letter to your local MP – we’ve put together a template letter to get you started and you can find out your local MP’s address by entering your postcode here.

We meet in the Thistle Hotel lobby in Kensington, central London. I guess it's the obvious to meet someone when you are trying to get a Government to rethink its plans on how to shape an industry. Dave Snowdon has invited me to come along to an industry meeting of the great and the good of the UK solar marketplace, as we try to hatch plans to counter some of the Government's plans for the industry.

Murmured comments of sabotage and deceit are heard; as are guffaws of laughter when someone mentions 'greenest Government ever'. There's around 60 of us including all the Chairs of the four main trade organsations, MDs from several of the biggest national companies, and - of course - plucky Caplor Energy making our voice heard in the humdrum.

Promisingly, almost everyone agrees on the big issues - yes, we can live with the 21p rate; yes, the EPC energy efficiency requirement is a very bad idea; yes, the elephant in the room - and we're talking an alpha-male jumbo here - is that we're constrained by the Government's Spending Review cap. The only area of contention is that most of the big guys see the 12th December date as unlawful - which it may well be - and that this needs to be changed as the number 1 priority. I disagree - we have to accept that to sustain the industry in the medium term we need action now, and now it's been announced we should cede on this one to fight the bigger battles. I can see why the big boys want the 12th date changing though - they've got stock, well, stockpiled and contractual obligations to deal with.

My mate Dave does a good job chairing it all. My only issue with him is that he looks unerringly like the estate agent who recently sold my house - but I can forgive him for it. We exchange pleasantries at the end as I do with Ray Noble and the MD's of HomeSun and EvoEnergy. Most have calmed down after the initial flurry of activity when the announcement was made - I'd like to think we've done the same, taken a deep breath and now we can go start lobbying with a clear direction and purpose.

And that's where you can help too. We need to make a big noise if we are to see Government back-tracking on some of the plans it is proposing. You can help by writing a letter to your local MP – we’ve put together a template letter to get you started and you can find out your local MP’s address by entering your postcode here.

The first ever 'Generation Game' winner

2011-11-17T14:29:00.001Z

Congratulation to Alan C, the first ever winner of Caplor Energy’s very own ‘Generation Game’.

As I’m sure most Caplor Energy customer are aware, we’ve been running a prize draw for everyone who gets in contact with us to let us know exactly how much electricity their solar PV system has been generating. I’m pleased to say that September’s response was fantastic and we’re thrilled that so many people have wanted to get involved.

The figures you give us will allow us to determine exactly how well our PV systems are generating and will help us to create more accurate generation estimates for our customers, as they will be based on real, accurate figures rather than government statistics.

September’s winner Alan C will has receiving a gift hamper worth £25, but don’t be too disheartened as we will be having another prize draw for October’s figures at the end of November. That gives everyone who would like to enter plenty of time to get in touch with us and tell us how much they have generated. If you would like to tell us your figures you can call us on 01432 860 644 or email Mike, mike@caplor.co.uk. October’s figures have already started pouring in so good luck!

Global renewable energy investment to double over next 10 years

2011-11-16T16:15:00.000Z

Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts annual investment in new renewables capacity will approach $400bn by 2020

Global investment in renewable energy infrastructure will double over the next 10 years, soaring to $395bn a year by 2020, according to a major new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).
The report, entitled Global Renewable Energy Market Outlook, also predicts that growth will be maintained throughout the 2020s, with annual investment in new capacity and retrofitting of existing infrastructure reaching $460bn by 2030.

Guy Turner, director of commodity market research at BNEF, said that the surge in investment will prove a truly global phenomenon.

"One of the most startling statistics is that around 40 per cent of global power demand will come outside the EU, North America and the BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India and China] countries," he said.
"There is going to be huge growth in markets such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America."

Turner said that the prospects for the sector after 2020 are even more encouraging as improvements in solar and wind energy technologies in particular should make renewable power cost competitive with fossil fuels.
"Once you get to post-2020 you start to get growth driven by raw economics rather than policies. Solar will continue to come down in price while better blades and energy storage will make onshore wind competitive at the same time as fossil fuel prices are likely to rise," he said.

"Then you will start to see a step change in renewable energy economics where it will make more sense for people to invest in clean energy."

These predictions are borne out in the report, which estimates that global solar energy capacity will rise from 51GW currently to 1,137GW in 2030, driven by $130bn a year of investment, while the wind energy sector will see investment increase from $82bn last year to $140bn in 2020 and $206bn in 2030.

Trina Solar receives ISO 14064-1:2006 verification statement from the BSI

2011-11-15T21:07:00.000Z

Trina solar is the first Chinese solar company to receive the ISO 12064 verification. Image credit: TB2011

PV module manufacturer Trina Solar has received ISO 14064-1:2006 verification from the British Standards Institute.
The ISO 14064 verification recognises the strides that Trina Solar has taken in order to establish a systematic methodology to quantify and report GHG-related information in accordance with ISO's rigorous international requirements.
"This verification is a recognition Trina Solar's ability and commitment to sustainable development and emission reduction efficiency within the PV industry," said Jifan Gao, Chairman and CEO of Trina Solar.
"Given the increased awareness and the effects of global warming, we are determined to act responsibly through this initiative and commit ourselves to measuring, monitoring and reducing green house gas emissions. We believe Trina Solar is the first company in the solar sector in China to have officially received this verification."
BSI, the global standards developer and leading provider of greenhouse gas verifications, performed a stringent audit to ensure Trina Solar's conformance to the ISO 14064 1:2006 requirements.
Trina Solar’s efforts to inventory, report and reduce green house gas emissions will allow all stakeholders to verify the organisation’s GHG emission claims, opening the door for other manufacturers to follow suite

How to beat the ‘Big Six’ winter bill price hike

2011-11-15T20:57:00.000Z

With winter bills set to rise, Housing Advisor outlines their top tips for slashing your fuel bill. Image credit: TaxBrackets

During winter the average price of gas will rise by 17.4 percent with electricity rising by 10.8 percent. The price hikes are conveniently timed to correspond with the nation’s peak demand; however, a significant proportion of UK residents are willing to forgo heating this winter in an attempt to save money.

A recent poll by MoneySupermarket.com revealed that 6 percent of consumers can’t afford to even turn their heating on, whilst a further 17 percent said that they would wait until the weather gets really cold before turning their heating on.

Scott Byrom, an energy expert from MoneySupermarket.com, said: “With the cost of living soaring, particularly driven by higher energy bills, now is the time to be apathetic, especially as we head into winter where bill payers typically use around 40 percent of their annual energy consumption.”

In response to the poll, Housing Energy Advisor has published a list of tips for UK consumers to help save money on bills this winter:

Install cavity wall insulation and/or loft insulation. Insulation radically reduces a heating bill as the majority of heat escapes from a house through the walls and roof. The government’s CERT scheme helps those people who are on benefits, over 70 or whose incomes are lower than £16,190 a year by paying the full cost of the installation.
Invest in double glazing to help trap heat and reduce the time needed to heat a home.
Use an energy comparison site to compare prices. “Finding the right tariff means bill payers could save on average £237 per year,” said Byrom.
Invest in a home energy monitor to help monitor energy expenditure and eliminate wastage.
Generate energy by installing a solar PV system. A solar PV system will provide a property with energy independence for the next 25 years.

The tips outlined above by Housing Energy Advisor should help bring consumers’ winter energy bills down to a more manageable level whilst simultaneously reducing the UK’s carbon footprint.

Delivering Clean Energy to Eastern Europe

2011-11-15T20:38:00.000Z

Whilst in England our green govt attempt sabotage over in Eastern Europe -

Bulgaria is on the verge of becoming the world's leading solar power producer with large international solar projects and significant solar potential equal to that of Northern Spain and exceeding Germany by 10 - 15%. Currently foreign investors are racing to Bulgaria to be part of the rapid growth of the solar sector encouraged by the European Union and the Bulgarian Government.

The Bulgaria Solar Energy Summit took place on 27-28 October 2011 in Sofia, Bulgaria, bringing together around 90 government officials, solar farm owners and developers, and solution providers to discuss local regulations, investment opportunities and the advanced technologies needed to help shape the solar industry in Bulgaria.

Electricity prices to soar by 2021, survey predicts

2011-11-15T20:01:00.000Z

Wholesale electricity prices are set to soar while solar PV is predicted to reach grid parity in five years. Image credit: Ell Brown

Wholesale electricity prices have been predicted to rise by at least 40 percent over the next ten years, according to a survey of 71 leading industry figures.
The Power Predictor Survey 2012, conducted by SmartestEnergy, interviewed independent generators, energy buyers and brokers.
More than 90 percent of those questioned in the survey said they believed prices in 2021 will be higher in real terms than in 2011.
More than a third of survey respondents said they believed wholesale prices will be between £70-£79.99/MWh. A further 29 percent predicted prices will hit at least £80/MWh, which is more than 60 percent higher than the current rates. Only 8.4 percent believed prices will be the same or lower than today.
The average price predicted was just over £70/MWh compared to the £49/MWh average seen over the past year; this marks an increase of 43 percent.
“While it is impossible to forecast with any certainty what will happen over the next decade, it is clear from our survey that many in the industry are bracing themselves for significant increases,” said Robert Groves, Chief Executive of SmartestEnergy.
“Wholesale prices have already more than doubled since 2001 and a continued upward trend presents major challenges as well as exciting opportunities for the energy entrepreneurs we work with.”
Environmental campaigner Jonathon Porritt, keynote speaker at an event celebrating SmartestEnergy’s anniversary, predicted the next decade would see “astonishing changes” in the way energy is generated, stored, distributed and consumed. The former director of Friends of the Earth made a number of predictions about how the energy sector will develop by 2021 including reaching grid parity for solar PV within five years and the rapid development of carbon capture and storage projects.

Caplor on bbc Midlands today Thursday 10th at 6.30pm

2011-11-10T23:18:00.000Z

You may like to have a look at this on i player from - at 15mins 50 seconds. Part of an interview Caplor held yesterday with Midlands today. The real issue that effects us all, is that the Govt appear to perceive that £1 a year now and maybe £25 in 10 years time is too big an investment to help mitigate the effects of clmate change and help individuals and the country as a whole do what we can with the ever rising cost of energy - Current energy systems have resulted in energy bills rising by some £170 in the last few months. Surely makes a £1today look cheap !

Midlands Today: 10/11/2011

www.bbc.co.uk

The latest news, sport and weather for the Midlands.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b016yfr9/Midlands_Today_10_11_2011/#

EIA urges Governments to go for “bold change” in energy policy

2011-11-10T20:51:00.000Z

The World Energy Outlook 2011 is issued by the International Energy Agency

The Major oil-consuming nations must either opt for “a bold change of policy direction” or end up in an “insecure, inefficient and high-carbon energy system,” the International Energy Agency (EIA) warned yesterday in its publication the World Energy Outlook 2011.

"Growth, prosperity and rising population will inevitably push up energy needs over the coming decades. But we cannot continue to rely on insecure and environmentally unsustainable uses of energy," IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven told a press conference in London, launching the publication.

Greg Barker meets with industry representatives to discuss our solar future

2011-11-10T20:45:00.001Z

Barker discussed alternative support mechanisms, each of which could work along the feed-in tariff. Options included utilising money from the Renewable Obligation budget and increasing the export tariff rate. The Minister was keen to recognise that going forward, other incentives may be needed in order to carry the solar industry until the point when it reaches grid parity.

What does the Generation Game tell us?

2011-11-09T13:01:00.001Z

There's been a lot of interest in Caplor's Generation Game, both within the company itself, amongst our customers and in the wider world. What the figures currently tell us - and you can see them for yourself here - is that the average amount of energy our customers are generating is running at over 14% above the predicted figure. This is pretty important in the light of the recent slash in the feed-in tariff because it shows that Caplor's customers should still be doing well even with the lower (but still very attractive) tariff. All PV companies will use the same calculations when it comes to making a prediction, but it might be that not every company is the same when it comes installing a system that makes the absolute best of the setting in which its installed.

On one level the Generation Game is just that, a game - and don't forget we need your October figures in within the next couple of weeks if you're going to be entered into the October draw - but on another level it's a useful piece of research that really does show us what's happening up there on the roof. These are real figures from real customers!

Friends of the Earth video

2011-11-08T22:21:00.000Z

This is worth a watch - so simple yet so telling !

The big energy companies are giving back