Archive for the Renewable Energy Category

Big plans: Sustainable communities and Climate Finance

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Source: DECC (12th July, 2010)

Climate Change Minister Greg Barker is today [12 July] launching the first stage of the Government’s plans to help communities become more self-sufficient in the way they use heat and power.

Empowering communities to generate their own energy on a large and a small scale can not only bring in an income but also help save money on fuel bills and increase domestic energy security.

Homes, schools and businesses are already guaranteed cash payments through the ‘feed-in tariff’ for producing their own green electricity through technologies such as solar panels or small wind turbines, as well as for selling it to the national grid.

Around 100,000 homes and organisations have installed this kind of technology so far.  The Government wants to see what more it can do to help develop the industry, create more job opportunities, and make sure customers can trust the green technology they buy.

Greg Barker said: “I want to see more homes, communities and businesses generating their own energy. We can literally bring power back to the people. Microgeneration is a key part of this vision.

“By becoming more self sufficient we can create sustainable local energy economies. People and communities can save money on their fuel bills at the same time as generating an income and cutting carbon. I want to work with industry to overcome the challenges it is facing. Together we will create a marketplace for jobs and prosperity alongside products and advice which people trust.”

The consultation on the Microgeneration Strategy will look at four key areas for development:

  • Quality: ensure consumers have confidence that equipment and installation is reliable and adheres to the highest standards;
  • Technology: examine how to improve products through more trialling of technologies new to the UK;
  • Skills: develop the microgeneration supply chain to ensure it is properly equipped with the right people to meet the expected rise in demand, as well as creating and sustaining jobs in the UK;
  • Advice: provide more accessible advice and information about microgeneration to homeowners, communities and small businesses.

Read complete press release…

Chris Huhne calls for renewed focus on climate finance

Chris Huhne warned today [12 July] that a deal on climate finance is vital to breaking the climate deadlock. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change arrived in New York for a meeting of the High Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing. The group was set up to identify ways of raising new and innovative sources of climate financing to reach $100 billion per annum of public and private finance by 2020 as agreed during the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last December.

Chris Huhne said, “Helping developing countries tackle climate change is crucial if we are to secure a comprehensive and ambitious deal. Aside from a moral obligation to help vulnerable countries who have historically contributed little to the problem, it’s also in our own interests to provide practical support.

I’m looking forward to getting down to work with colleagues in New York to secure the long term finance needed to tackle climate change and kick start a renewed push towards a truly ambitious climate change deal.”

Chaired by Prime Ministers Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, the Group consists of finance and environment Ministers and economic and finance experts including President Obama’s chief economic advisor Larry Summers, George Soros and Prof Nick Stern.

The Group will work to develop proposals to present to the UN Secretary General by the end of October 2010, ahead of the international discussions at Cancun, Mexico.

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Posted in Energy saving, Renewable Energy

Solar Farms – what do you need?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

A 5MW solar farm is likely to consist of approx 27,000 Solar PV panels set on frames which face south. The frames are set high enough off the ground that sheep can graze underneath.

 

Site requirements:

1) 20 – 25 acres

2) Flat ground or gently sloping to south

3) No rights of way across the land

4) Site not obviously visible from neighbouring houses

5) Site outside special protection areas such as National parks, AONB’s etc

6) Accessible by road or track to site entrance

7) Site not liable to flooding

8 ) Site not overlooked by adjacent high ground

9) Single ownership

10) No large trees, mobile telephone masts or other structure which would cast a shadow on the land

11) No adverse planning history

12) Particularly suitable sites include – redundant airfields, restored land fill sites, old glass house sites, low quality grazing land.

13) MOST IMPORTANTLY – the site needs to have 33KV over head power lines crossing it. Larger power lines are too expensive to connect to and smaller ones will not take the load.

For advice with your solar farm, call our consultants today.

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Posted in Renewable Energy, Solar PV

Feed-in Tariff Case Study

Friday, May 21st, 2010

This is a great example of how Ringmer Community College are pioneering the use of renewables, including the use of solar, ground source heat pumps and win turbines. The payback is considerable and a it is part of a programme engaging those that attend the College, teachers and pupils alike, with the importance of environmental responsibility. Well done Ringmer.

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Posted in Case Study, Energy saving, Feed in Tariff, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Latest News, Renewable Energy, Solar PV, Wind Turbines

The Feed-in Tariff (FIT)

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Want to generate your own energy and make an income on the side? The Feed in Tariff is a scheme which came into effect from April 1st 2010 and requires energy suppliers to make a regular payments to those who households and businesses who qualify and  generate their own electricity from sustainable sources.

The Feed In Tariff can be gained for renewable technologies up to 50 mega watts and include:

  • Solar electricity (PV)
  • Wind turbine
  • Hydroelectricity
  • Anaerobic digestion
  • Micro combined heat and power (mCHP) – limited to a pilot at this stage

The benefits for the feed in tariff include:

A Generation tariff

The energy supplier pays you a set rate per kWh of electricity generated. Once you join the rate is set on the same tariff for 20 years (25 years in the case of solar electricity).

Export tariff

The energy supplier pays a further 3p per kWh of electricity exported back to the electricity grid –  when it is surplus to demand and isn’t used on site. The export rate is the same for all technologies.

Savings on electricity bills

The final financial benefit is that on top of the payments being received, the energy being produced and used, is not energy purchased from the supplier. This is a saving on the electricity bill.

Together the benefits, both financially and in terms of reducing environmental impact can be considerable. The investment required in the technologies, where well specified, can be paid back in a number of years, with a substantial return on investment possible. There are also means, such as grants, to support the initial capital expenditure.

To qualify for the FIT, if you do not currently have renewable technologies installed, the renewable technology chosen must be an Micro-generation Certification Scheme (MCS) certificated product and installer. There are options FIT open to those who have renewable technologies in place also.

For more information about the current tariffs, the sort of renewable technology that would be suitable for your site and the degree of benefit you could expect, give us EAdvantage a call and we’ll happily go through it with you. We work with Micro-generation Certification Scheme certified products and installers to ensure you would qualify for the feed in tariff.

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Posted in Feed in Tariff, Renewable Energy, Solar PV