Government Criticised for ‘Breaking the Law’ on Renewable Energy & Heat

Amplify’d from www.windenergyplanning.com

The UK Micropower Council has criticised the UK government for ‘breaking the law on renewables’. The organisation called on David Cameron to stand by his pledge to be the ‘greenest government ever’.

In a newly published report the Micropower Council claims Local Government Department Ministers have broken the law by failing to comply with an Act of Parliament requiring the implementation of Permitted Development rights for air source heat pumps and micro wind turbines. The organisation says that the Treasury is blocking the wishes of Energy and Climate Change Ministers Chris Huhne and Greg Barker to introduce a key policy that will encourage millions of people to install renewable heating or hot water.

“The Conservative Party was a staunch supporter of these two key policies when in opposition, and if they are not seen through without any further delay, the Greenest Government Ever will have ended its first Parliamentary term with a microgeneration industry in crisis” said Sowden. Read more at www.windenergyplanning.com

 

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Green Data Centre Report

Amplify’d from www.thegreenitreview.com

The green data centre market - $40bn by 2015

In the past the main concerns in running a data centre were availability, performance, security and resilience and these still are important. Increasingly, though, these aspects need to be delivered within new constraints on resources and under new demands in terms of the services provided. Consequently data centres will become more energy-efficient, more dynamic - to have the flexibility to adapt to new business needs and technologies - and virtualised, to ensure optimal use of resources.

The report forecasts that the revenue from green data centres will exceed $40bn worldwide by 2015. North America and Europe will lead the way in the short term, but the Asian market will catch up quickly as its data centre capacity grows.

See more at www.thegreenitreview.com

 

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Wind Turbine Installation at Sheringham Shoal

Amplify’d from www.windenergyplanning.com

A specialised vessel is now installing wind turbine monopiles and transition pieces at Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farm off the UK north Norfolk coast.

The 317 megawatt (MW) wind farm is located between 17 and 22 km north of the town of Sheringham. Construction work began in March of this year and the wind farm is expected to be generating green electricity by the end of 2011.

The electricity export cable laying operation is programmed to begin in late August. The cable installation will begin at Weybourne Hope, west of the coastal town of Sheringham, and work will continue for around six weeks.

Wells harbour on the North Norfolk coast will be the operational base for the offshore wind farm. Once in operation, the wind turbines will need daily maintenance by teams of technicians travelling to and from the new outer harbour at Wells-next-the-Sea. It is proposed that these technicians, and the wind farm company’s management and administration, be based at a new office and storage facility at Egmere.

The Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm is owned equally by Statoil and Statkraft through the joint venture company Scira Offshore Energy Limited. Statoil is the operator for the project during the development phase. Scira will be the operator of the wind farm. To find out more visit the Statoil website. Read more at www.windenergyplanning.com

 

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Bill Gates on Energy

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Feed in Tariffs Latest

The Structure of the feed in Tariffs.

The rates of generation tariff for the first two years of feed-in tariffs (April 2010 - March 2012) will be as follows. The rate will be indexed to the retail price index for the life of the tariff.


Hydro:
19.9p for installations up to 15kW;
17.8p for 15-100kW;
11p for 100kW-2MW;
4.5p for 2-5MW, paid for 20 years

Solar photovoltaic panels:
41.3p for installations of less than 4kW retrofitted onto an existing building (36.1p if it is on new build);
36.1p for 4-10kW;
31.4p for 10-100kW;
29.3p for 100kW-5MW and for stand alone systems, paid for 25 years.

Wind:
34.5p for installations with a capacity of less than 1.5kW;
26.7p for 1.5-15kW;
24.1p for 15-100kW;
18.8p for 100-500kW;
9.4p for 500kW-1.5MW;
4.5p for 1.5-5MW, paid for 20 years.

MicroCHP pilot:
10p per kW for micro combined heat and power installations. This will support up to 30,000 installations and will be reviewed when the 12,000th system has been installed. It will be paid for 10 years.

Existing microgenerators (under 50kW) who are currently accredited under the Renewables Obligation will automatically be transferred to the feed-in tariff and will be paid 9p per kWh, regardless of technology, until 31 March 2027.

Tax: In the 2009 Pre-Budget Report the Chancellor confirmed that household which use renewable technology to generate electricity mainly for their own use will not be subject to income tax on feed-in tariffs.

People who install any of the above systems before April 2010 are still be eligible for government grants such as the low carbon buildings programme (subject to funds lasting until then). You will automatically be transferred to the feed-in tariff once it comes in.

For more information from the EST on buy back tariffs click here.

North Norfolk District Council

Please print,sign and send this in if you would like to see more wind turbines in North Norfolk.


Click here for a google doc version.

North Norfolk District Council
Case Officers Ian Thompson & Paul Took
Planning Service
Council Offices
Holt Road
Cromer
Norfolk
NR27 9EN

Re: Ingham Wind Turbines – Planning ref: 20091060

Dear Sirs,

I wish to SUPPORT this planning application because:

• Climate Change is the greatest threat facing our planet. We need
renewable technology solutions, such as this proposed wind farm, to
tackle Climate Change and Global Warming.

• The two turbines would provide electricity for around 3600 homes.

• Wind power is clean. It doesn't produce emissions of acid rain gases, carbon dioxide or particulate matter.

• Wind power is truly sustainable. Oil, coal, gas and uranium all eventually run out.

• Wind power works! Several European countries already generate around
20% of their electricity from wind power. The UK needs to catch up.

• The UK wind power industry will create thousands of jobs. Many
engineering skills used in the declining UK oil and gas industry are
transferable to the growing wind power industry.

• It helps reduce the need for new expensive nuclear power stations
that leave a toxic legacy of radioactive waste that remains dangerous
for tens of thousands of years.

• The UK has the best wind resource in Europe. This proposal exploits that resource.

• Wind power is popular with around 80% of the public in support.

• It is often claimed that wind farms damage tourism when in fact they often act as tourist attractions.

• Wind power is part of our clean, green energy future.



Yours sincerely,





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Gordon Brown on global ethic vs national interest

Solar Botanic COP15 Copenhagen