Renewables Category
-
First ever Capacity Market auction
Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, has officially confirmed the results of the first ever Capacity Market Auction. Through the auction, the Government has procured 49.26GW of capacity at a clearing price of £19.40kW. This will cost a total of £0.96 billion (in 2012 prices), which works out at around £11 for the average household. The auction is part of a strategy to drive new investment and secure energy supplies in the short, ...
-
Aldersgate Group defines “Economy that Works”
A coalition of some of the UK's biggest businesses has backed a new macro-economic roadmap for Britain by launching a campaign called "An Economy That Works". In a new report, Aldersgate warns that the UK economy risks becoming detached from the long-term needs of society because a focus on GDP growth alone won't define a path to lasting prosperity. The Group reckons that an economy that works for the UK is one that will be low carbon, ...
-
New tranche of Green Deal funding
More people should get help to improve the energy efficiency of their homes through a new release of the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF). From 9am on Wednesday 10th December the scheme will open to new applications, with up to £5,600 available to households in England and Wales to help with the cost of installing energy saving measures such as solid wall insulation, double glazing, boilers, cavity wall and floor insulation. Up to £30 million in ...
-
Met Office: 2014 warmest year on record
Figures from the Met Office show that 2014 is on course to be one of the warmest, if not the warmest, year on record both globally and for the UK. The global mean temperature for January to October is 0.57°C above the long-term (1961-1990) average and recent Met Office research also suggests the shift is likely to be due to human influence on the climate. Responding to the data, Lord Deben, chairman of the Committee on Climate ...
-
Walney wind farm extension granted
The extension to the Walney offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea has been given the go-ahead by government - if built it will triple the size of the wind farm, already one of the biggest in the world. It is expected to create 230 new jobs over the four year construction period and around 185 jobs annually during the expected 25-year lifespan. Once built, it should generate enough electricity to power over half a million ...
-
£14m fund for new energy technology
A £14 million fund to help businesses develop new products and technologies to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy security has been announced by Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable. The move is aimed at encouraging companies to invest in technologies that will meet future energy needs in a more environmentally friendly way, while at the same time boosting economic growth. In a separate competition, Innovate UK are making £5 million available to ...
-
“Perfect storm” sees attractiveness of UK renewables fall
The UK’s appeal as a destination for renewable energy investment is at its lowest level for almost five years as a result of a combination of domestic and international factors, according to EY’s Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index. The sector is currently weighing the impact of a recent consultation on solar subsidies that will see the UK Government withdraw Renewables Obligation support for solar projects above 5MW two years earlier than planned. In addition, the Government has ...
-
World’s biggest tidal array to be built in Scotland
The world’s biggest tidal array is to be built in the North of Scotland, bringing jobs and energy security to the Pentland Firth region. The UK Government has provided £10 million worth of grant funding to the Meygen project which will provide enough electricity to power 175,000 homes and secure up to 100 jobs, when fully completed. Other funders include the Scottish Government and The Crown Estate. According to ministers, the £51 million scheme could inspire further ...
-
DECC releases key UK energy stats
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has released a digest of UK energy statistics for 2013, with some of the key figures as follows: In 2013, primary energy production fell by 6.3 per cent on a year earlier, due to record low coal output following mine closures; oil and gas output were also down as output facilities were affected by maintenance issues alongside longer term decline. Electricity generated from renewable sources in the UK in 2013 ...
-
Britain’s recycling stalls
British recycling is stalling: recycling rates rose just 0.2% between 2012 and 2013, partly because of the disjointed way recycling is organised across the UK. A new report from environmental think-tank, Green Alliance, claims the UK's recycling market isn’t working too well, to the extent that we are losing an estimated £1.7 billion in material and reuse value each year. Outdated policy means that a plastic bottle discarded at home is treated differently across the UK’s 376 ...
