Industry headlines

The planning system must allow more wind farms or Britain will fail to meet key climate change targets, Government advisers have warned. The UK is committed to generating 15 per cent of energy from green sources like wind and solar by 2020. But at the moment only 3 per cent of energy comes from renewables. Lord Adair Turner, Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), said the UK is likely to miss the target unless there is massive investment in wind, wave and solar. Click here for full story

Lord Turner, the chairman of the independent Committee on Climate Change (CCC), is calling for a "step change" in government policy if Britain is to meet its 2020 renewable energy targets. In a letter to Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, Lord Turner outlines several issues to be addressed "as a matter of urgency" to ensure Britain is producing 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources within 10 years as planned. The CCC remains supportive of both the headline target, and the estimation that within it some 30 per cent of UK electricity will need to come from renewables, requiring a massive expansion of offshore wind generating capacity in particular. Click here for full story

Today, only five percent of Europe's electricity comes from wind. But that will not be the case for long. For the past two years, 40 percent of all new electricity generating capacity in Europe came from wind turbines. From Spain to Sweden, so many new turbines are being erected that Europe is on target to produce 15 percent of its electricity from wind by 2020. By 2050, half of Europe's electricity is expected to come from wind. Click here for full story

The World Bank on Thursday said it has appointed a California professor to lead its efforts to foster growth of alternative energy programs in developing countries. Daniel Kammen, an energy professor at the University of California, Berkeley, will be chief technical specialist for renewable energy and energy efficiency, the bank said. The position was created amid unprecedented demand from developing countries for support to address development and climate change as interlinked challenges, the bank said. Click here for full story

Investment from venture capital funds and private equity houses could lead to the creation of 13,000 cleantech jobs in the UK in 2011, according to the global executive search firm Kinsey Allen International. With improving costs, favourable incentives and pressure to meet renewable energy targets could drive investment of £325 million in the UK cleantech sector next year by venture capital funds and private equity houses. Click here for full story

The Netherlands’ Damen Shipyards Group has announced the sale of its first ever Twin Axe Catamaran, the Damen High Speed Support Vessel (HSSV) 2610, which is particularly suited for the offshore wind industry. The vessel will go to Edinburgh based Marineco UK, which has signed for the first of class vessel with an option for a second. The Scottish firm already has an extensive Damen fleet. Click here for full story

A pioneering company has won investment to help them bring an award-winning tidal power turbine to market. Nautricity will drive forward with plans after making a deal with Aberdeen company First Tech. It will develop tidal renewable devices to help meet the global demand for carbon-free green electricity. The firm is already in discussions with a number of international organisations looking to deploy its patented contra rotating tidal turbine technology over the next 18 months. Click here for full story

The vital role of capital markets in tackling climate change has been ignored for too long, Climate Change Minister Greg Barker will say today (7 Sept) as he launches the Capital Markets Climate Initiative (CMCI) at the London Stock Exchange. Opening the conference with Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, Greg Barker will highlight the City of London’s potential to become a global hub for green finance and why low carbon investment is a huge opportunity for the UK’s financial services industry. Click here for full story

A new fuel cell being developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is set to take households a giant step closer to energy independence. MIT researchers envision an integrated system consisting of a solar installation and a fuel cell. During the day, the solar array produces electricity to power the household, and to charge batteries including electric vehicle batteries. At night, the system would shift to the fuel cell, which would produce additional electricity as well as clean drinking water. Click here for full story

Dedicated to the production of renewable energy, Europe and US-based B9 Energy is currently considering a number of UK ports which would be suitable to house its new CHP plant. However the facility is still in the very early stages of development and B9 Energy has stated that it will not be going ahead with the build unless the government implements the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive, as the plant would not make financial sense. Click here for full story

In September 2009 SeaEnergy took the lauded, or perhaps audacious, move to sell off its oil and gas investments to focus purely on its conceptual offshore wind business. It now claims to be 'The only listed pure play UK offshore wind development company, to benefit directly from the impetus behind the UK offshore wind energy market'. We believe that this is possibly a stretch for a company with no revenue, yet with a Heads of Terms agreement with the Crown Estate, progress is clearly being made! Click here for full story

An unpleasant combination of out-of-date food, animal manure and sewage sludge could be the key to a greener Britain if the Government can thrash out an action plan to increase anaerobic digestion plants across the country. Click here for full story

Electricity distribution subsidiaries of SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy plc) have bid for £48m from the first phase of Ofgem’s Low Carbon Networks Fund (LCNF) to revolutionise the way electricity networks operate in the Northern Isles and Thames Valley. Click here for full story

The Scottish Government has opened a consultation on changes to the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Order 2010. The Scottish Government proposes not to grandfather dedicated biomass stations. In England and Wales biomass is grandfathered. They are proposing only to extend grandfathering to anaerobic digestion and energy-from-waste with CHP. Responding to this proposal, REA’s chief executive Gaynor Hartnell said: “The Renewables Obligation is a tradable mechanism, and having different arrangements within the UK is far from ideal. When Scotland has deviated in the past, it was to improve the arrangements for Scottish generators. By not grandfathering biomass, it’s made their prospects worse. The justification is that it wants to see biomass used for heat only or CHP, particularly off the gas grid. Experience shows that when Governments are too prescriptive, it can back fire. Scottish forestry residues will end up being transported south of the border if they are to be used for clean, green, power generation. It makes no environmental sense.” Click here for full story

On the day that Greg Barker, Minister for Decentralised Energy endorses “Feed-In Tariffs” for solar power, the industry releases figures showing how the industry has growth since the introduction of the policy. Since April, homeowners and commercial sites have benefitted from guaranteed long-term tariff rates for the green electricity they generate. “In the first five months of the scheme, the tariffs have had more impact on solar PV than other technologies, but that’s hardly surprising,” said Gaynor Hartnell, Chief Executive of the REA. “Solar panels are the most straightforward renewable power generation technology for the average householder. All you need is some roof space with the right aspect. It is usually rapid to install and planning permission is rarely required as it is permitted development. Even so, it is important to keep this growth in perspective. Last year, the UK installed just 2% of the PV installed in Belgium, so we have a lot of catching up to do.” Click here for full story

A company developing a "recycled" energy project from breaking trains in Philadelphia has been awarded a major grant by the state of Pennsylvania. Viridity Energy, a Philadelphia-area smart grid company, announced last week it had received a $900,000 grant for a pilot project with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the nation’s sixth largest public transit organization. As part of the project, Viridity Energy will deploy its software optimization system to allow SEPTA to recycle the energy created from the regenerative braking ability of trains and trolleys at a high-use propulsion substation in Philadelphia, which will in turn improve power quality, produce energy savings and generate revenues. Click here for full story

RenewableUK launched a national campaign today to highlight the importance of investing in improvements to the UK's port facilities. The previous Government pledged £60m towards upgrading the infrastructure around ports to enable wind turbine manufacturing in this country, crucial for delivering Round 3 offshore wind projects. However, the fund could now be scrapped as part of the Coalition's Spending Review in October and RenewableUK is warning this could mean the UK loses out on 50,000 new jobs as manufacturers look to base their offshore wind operations outside the UK. Click here for full story

On Wednesday, September 8 in the afternoon, while running tests on the V112 prototype in Lem, a 7 meter part of one blade fell off. No one was hurt, and Vestas is currently taking care of replacing the blade, since strong winds are expected to lower Friday. "This incident is an undramatic occurrence in our first V112-3.0 MW prototype which we do take to the limits. Since this is a prototype we know incidents may happen even if we don't expect them, but we are testing our products rigorously to make sure we provide business case certainty for our customers", states Finn Strøm Madsen, President of Technology R&D. Click here for full story

Vestas has signed a global supply agreement for delivery of 400 MW in 2011-2014. The contract, which includes an option for an additional 1,000 MW, has been awarded by a company with worldwide operations. The contract comprises supply, installation, commissioning and a two-to-ten-year service agreement. The turbines under this contract will be delivered and installed at different wind sites in several countries all over the world. Delivery is scheduled to start in 2011 and is expected to be completed before the end of 2014. Click here for full story

It's always pleasant to have some peaceful night lights around the streams, but those lights obviously need energy in order to continue shining. A Korean industrial designer has come up with an idea to make it a less expensive job to keep these lights shining with his Stepping Stone Light design. These stepping stones sport a hydroelectric turbine that will capture energy from the flow of water from the stream, generating the necessary electricity which will in turn be used to power a set of LED lights embedded inside the stones. Click here for full story

The home of the Countess of Arran could be making its own electricity in the future following a planning application to place a hydro power generator on the Fortescue Estate. It seeks to place the generating device known as an Archimedean screw turbine on the weir site on the River Bray which once powered Filleigh sawmill. Click here for full story

The state-owned utility Scottish Water is to be given new powers to build windfarms, hydro schemes and "green" power stations in partnership and competition with established energy companies. The company, one of the country's last remaining state-owned firms, could generate £300m or more in extra revenues by using its 80,000 acres of land and vast pipe network for renewable energy projects. The proposal was unveiled by Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party. Click here for full story

ESB International (ESBI) has entered an agreement with tidal energy company Marine Current Turbines (MCT) to develop an initial phase of a 100MW tidal energy project off the Antrim coast in Northern Ireland. ESBI and MCT will work together to submit a proposal to the forthcoming Marine Leasing Round in Northern Ireland to secure an Agreement for Lease from The Crown Estate to commence formal consenting of the project. Click here for full story

In the world's northernmost wind farm at Havøygavlen, Statoil is to test next generation turbine technology. The innovation is a gearless turbine that promises to achieve significant reductions in operation and maintenance costs for offshore wind power. One of the biggest challenges with developing offshore wind power is the major cost involved in repairs and maintenance out at sea. Click here for full story

DONG Energy and PensionDanmark have signed an agreement, under which PensionDanmark will buy 30% of the Nysted offshore wind farm at a cash consideration of DKK 0.4 billion. At the same time, DONG Energy will buy E.ON's 20% ownership interest and resell it to PensionDanmark at a price of DKK 0.3 billion. Consequently, DONG Energy and PensionDanmark will each own 50% of the Nysted offshore wind farm, and DONG Energy will continue to be responsible for the operation of the farm. Click here for full story

Swedish furniture group Ikea has purchased six wind farms with a combined capacity of 45.05MW from Gamesa. The wind farms are the Oberende (Lower Saxony), Diemelsee I and II (Hesse), Winterspelt I and II and Zettingen (Rhineland-Palatinate). All of the projects are in northwest and southwest Germany.
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Public exhibitions are taking place this week for the proposed biomass power plant in North Blyth. As part of its pre-application community consultation process for the 100MW renewable energy project, the developer RES is holding exhibitions in and around Blyth 9-11 September. Click here for full story

E.ON has welcomed, in principle, the agreement reached by the German government on a compromise concerning an extension of the operating lives of nuclear power plants in Germany. "With this decision, the German government has made it clear, that nuclear energy will continue to be needed for some time as one of the main pillars of our energy policy," said CEO Johannes Teyssen. This compromise would allow nuclear energy to make an important contribution to affordability, security of supply and climate protection on the way to tomorrow’s energy supply. Click here for full story

The final turbine from Britain's first commercial wind farm has been taken down, with four new giant machines due to arrive in Cornwall next week. Peter Edwards watched with his son Martin as the wind farm the family created at Delabole nearly 19 years ago was dismantled. They had invested in ten turbines, which were seen as a greener alternative to plans for a nuclear power station in the area. Those ten, costing £3.6 million, will be replaced by four huge turbines costing £11.8 million, which should be generating power by November. Click here for full story

While Prince Charles gets his Green Living tour under way, his sister, the Princess Royal, will today (8 Sept) visit the UK’s greenest isle as part of a flying visit to the Highlands and islands. Princess Anne will make a 90-minute helicopter visit to Eigg to meet its 95 residents who, since the beginning of the year, have won more than £320,000 thanks to their energy-saving initiatives. Click here for full story

On day two of the royal tour, The Prince of Wales visited the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthen to open a two-day Start Wales festival. Celebrating sustainability, the festival included exhibits and workshops covering energy, transport, food, architecture and recycling. The Prince met members of the local community before launching three new projects: The Size of Wales Rainforest Initiative, The Prince’s Regeneration Trust’s Green Guide for Historic Buildings and the Carmarthenshire Community Challenge.
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The Royal Train, powered by used cooking oil, pulled into Glasgow yesterday on the first leg of the Start Royal Tour. The Prince of Wales, known as The Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, met with members of the public and visited a number of projects showcasing sustainability. Click here for full story

Government plans to subsidise green heating are challenged today by the largest ever field study of "heat pump" devices in the UK, which reveals 80% perform so badly they would not qualify as renewable energy under proposed European standards. The report, from the Energy Saving Trust, reveals the prevalence of badly installed heat pumps that are consequently under-performing. The controversial report could affect the government's plans to launch its Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) next April to pay householders for generating heat from such "green" ground and air source heat pumps. There are already fears the RHI could be a victim of spending cuts announced next month. Click here for full story

Government subsidy plans for nuclear, renewables and fossil fuels were under the microscope throughout August as investors and energy firms sought clarification on where the government’s support lies. In apparent contradiction to its previous perceived anti-nuclear subsidy stance, Chris Huhne confirmed that the government is fully behind new nuclear reactors coming online by 2018 (5.24% of coverage). How far the government will go in support of this target remains unclear as the carbon price remains too low to justify nuclear investment. Further pressure was heaped on the government following a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance showing that fossil fuel subsidies are roughly 12 times greater than those provided for renewable energy and biofuel industries, despite a G20 commitment to phase out this funding (3.56%). Click here for full story

This would be "the greenest government ever", David Cameron declared in May – easy words in the first flush of office. The difficult thing is making them true. In the next few weeks the coalition will confront a series of decisions that will tell us if the heady rhetoric of spring is to be fulfilled – or regretted. At the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Lib Dem minister, Chris Huhne, has made a good start. He has committed to a strong European emissions target, published an important roadmap of Britain's low-carbon energy choices, and made a foray into international climate diplomacy. But elsewhere it's been ominously silent. Click here for full story

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £3m in innovative collaborative research, development and demonstration in the area of wave and tidal stream energy technologies. This competition is targeting pre-commercial full-scale devices installed and operating in the sea, including those supported by Carbon Trust's Marine Renewables Proving Fund (MRPF). The scope includes verifying performance; improving reliability in a real environment; and developing installation, operation and maintenance methodologies. Open date: 13 September 2010; Close date: 21 October 2010. Click here for full story

Plans to improve the development of renewables in Scotland were unveiled by Energy Minister Jim Mather today (8 September). Two separate consultations have been published, one proposing the combination of capital grants plus Renewable Obligation Certificates for wave and tidal stream projects, and the other shifting the determination of all onshore hydro scheme applications of 50 Megawatts or less to planning authorities. Click here for full story

Proposals to amend the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Order 2010, including the introduction of phasing for offshore wind projects, sustainability criteria for biomass and bioliquids, changes which would allow wave and tidal projects in Scottish waters to receive grant plus enhanced ROCs and questions around the introduction of grandfathering for biomass and other types of station. Deadline 1 December 2010. Click here for full story

The consultation welcomes views on proposals to transfer the determination of all onshore hydro scheme applications of 50 MW or less to Planning Authorities. The move would bring Scotland in line with England and Wales and seeks to encourage developers to size their scheme appropriately. It would also allow planning authorities to recover more of their cost from application fees than they are currently able to. Click here for full story

The approval of the Marine (Scotland) Act earlier this year introduced a framework for a new streamlined marine licensing system which will speed up the decision process for both applicants and regulators whilst balancing the risks and minimising adverse impacts of activities on the environment, human health and legitimate uses of the sea.…….Before the new marine licensing system can fully come into effect there are various orders and regulations which require to be implemented. This consultation is about the new marine licensing system which we wish to create either through secondary legislation or through existing provisions within the Act. Click here for full story