Case Studies Category
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Leap in Scottish farmland prices
According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the cost of farmland in Scotland jumped to £4,438 per acre during the first six months of 2013, with growth in prices driven by sustained demand from farmers and investors alike. As prices look set to continue the upward trend, the RICS warns that it is imperative that industry professionals get to grips with the region's new approaches to the Land Use Strategy and are aware of ...
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22% rise in wheat area for harvest for 2014
A new survey from HGCA (the cereals and oilseeds division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) claims there will be a sharp rise in the total area of wheat and winter barley for harvest 2014, compared to a year earlier. A team of agronomists assessing 280,000ha of arable land have forecast that the total wheat area, including spring wheat, will increase by 22% to 1.98m hectares at the UK level. Winter barley is also set to ...
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New online weather info for farmers
Farming Minister, George Eustice, is promoting a range of measures to help farmers increase their resilience to severe weather. These range from encouraging local groups of farmers to share information, to developing tailored weather forecasts and information specifically for farmers, including a Met Office-hosted Get Reading for Winter webpage. the new webpage should give farmers accurate and up-to-date information on the weather coming their way to help them to protect their crops and livestock. Mr Eustice comments: "The ...
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Proposed Doger Bank offshore wind farm makes progress
An application from Forewind for the proposed Dogger Bank / Creyke Beck offshore wind farm has been accepted for examination, the Government has announced. Dogger Bank is the first stage of Forewind’s proposed offshore wind energy development of the Dogger Bank Zone, comprising two wind farms each with an installed capacity of up to 1.2GW. Located 125 to 290km off the coast of East Yorkshire, both will be connected to the national grid in the East Riding ...
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£6m funding for local authority heat networks
A £6 million grant funding programme has been launched to help Local Authorities in England and Wales develop new heating and cooling networks, and expand existing ones. To collect a share of the funding, applicants need to submit innovative proposals for networks that, as much as possible, draw heat energy from renewable, sustainable or recoverable sources. The bidding process will continue for 18 months through a series of six rounds with winning criteria including: the potential for ...
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New generation offshore wind turbines up and running
Energy Minister, Greg Barker, has opened a new extension to the Gunfleet Sands offshore wind farm that will see the first demonstration in UK waters of the next generation of offshore wind turbines. The turbines, made by Siemens and installed by DONG Energy, have been designed specifically to be used at sea and have the potential to significantly cut costs. According to the Minister, many turbines currently installed off the UK coastline are variations on turbines designed ...
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Breakthrough for UK solar thermal
The Solar Trades Association (STA) has welcomed a government-backed seven-year financial incentive for homeowners who install renewable heating technologies, including solar thermal. According to the STA, households with solar thermal are set to benefit by between £1,150 and £3,250 depending on the number of people in the home. The scheme will be open for applicants in Spring 2014 but installations since 15th July 2009 are eligible to join, meaning that customers can install right now with the ...
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EU endorses advanced biofuels
Draft legal measures to cap traditional biofuel production and accelerate the switchover to products such as seaweed and certain types of waste have been approved by the EU's Environment Committee. The proposed new measures are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions that result from the increasing use of farmland to produce biofuel crops. A legislative report will be put to a plenary vote in Strasbourg in September.
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Solar industry fights Chinese anti-dumping proposals
The UK's Solar Trade Association (STA) recently joined forces with ministers in efforts to impress upon the European Commission the damaging impact of proposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panels. As the deadline for responses to a consultation on anti-dumping arrived, a letter written by the STA to Trade Commissioner, Karel de Gucht, had been signed by 15 European trade associations across 12 countries. STA chief executive officer, Paul Barwell, comments: “Jobs, growth and carbon and renewables ...
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Flood risk deadline set for 31st July
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says its members will continue to meet their commitments to offering flood insurance for an extra month after an agreement with the Government expires on 30th June. Flood insurance for existing customers will be renewed until 31st July but according to the ABI, the current agreement is unsustainable beyond that date as it distorts competition, there being no incentive for new insurers to offer flood cover. Around one in six homes ...
