better generation

E.on, the energy provider, has teamed up with Self Energy UK to produce the Energy Performance Guarantee (EPG) service, which promises “no gain, no fee”. The service is similar to the government’s recently launched Pay As You Save scheme that offers homeowners loans to cover the high upfront costs associated with renewable energy. Consequently, the loans are paid back over time through savings made from having lower energy bills.
An energy use strategy is used to produce “guaranteed” energy savings that will be greater than the cost of implementation.  As a result, cost savings may be appreciated while paying back the initial investment. If there are no cost savings then the business does not have to payback. Additionally, companies will be able to observe their energy usage with the Business Energy Manager Monitor, which will be supplied for free with downloadable software.

The EPG service is in preparation for the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) scheme that will be launched next month. Also known as the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, it sets out to reduce the carbon emissions of larger “low energy-intensive” organisations, estimated at about 5,000 in the UK, which accounts for about 25% of the business sector. This would be achieved mainly through a mandatory carbon trading scheme that aims to achieve a 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.the scheme will apply to companies in the public and private sector, working in tandem with the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), so that emissions counted in the EU ETS will not be included in the CRC.

China and India complete the list of big economies to endorse the Copenhagen Accord and add to the list of over 100 countries that formally support the agreement. The Accord states that global temperature rises are limited to 2 degrees and for climate funding to be increased to developing countries. In general, developed countries have given their emissions targets for 2020, while developing countries have given climate change action plans. However, Russia is still the last remaining major greenhouse gas emitter that has not endorsed the Copenhagen Accord.

Professor Daniel Kocera, a scientist at the world renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), claims to have found a way to produce energy with sunlight and water. It involves splitting water with sunlight using a cobalt-based catalyst, into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen may then be used in fuel cells for electricity generation. As a result, it is a way of storing solar energy to use when there is no sun.

“Almost all the solar energy is stored in water splitting,” says Kocera, whose company Sun Catalytix secured $4 million of funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). ARPA-E has $400 million available for risky but potentially transformational energy research. Sun Catalytix is one of five companies awarded funding under the “direct solar fuel” category. Moreover, Kocera claims the technology can work under ambient conditions, even using impure puddle water.

However, as with most bold claims of a revolutionary new technology, there remain some yet unanswered questions. Kocera claims the technology will be cheap but there is no indication of concrete prices. Details of a fully working model are still yet to be shown and sceptics will point to the fact that the process of water splitting has been around for many decades, but the problem has always been to make it safe enough for home usage. Therefore, like the Bloom Box, it remains to be seen whether this technology can live up to the ambitious claims of its maker.

This blog comes in response to the sparring match between George Monbiot (GM), Jeremy Leggett (JL) and Alan Simpson (AS) on The Guardian website. For a bit of background, here are the articles in question: the first right hook from GM, then JL’s blow to the ribs, followed by GM’s left jab and AS's uppercut.  

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llk3G-gyowk 550x360]

Since our latest newsletter went out (sign up here) we've received a fair number of emails on the subject of Feed-in Tariffs, and a fair number complimenting us on the current success of the Power Predictor. Enough trumpet blowing, here is an interesting account (also check out the inspiring video above) from Piet Willem Chevalier who has taken the Power Predictor over to Mali, and who is now seeing interest from elsewhere in Africa:

Plans to encourage households to be more energy efficient by providing loans for installing insulation, solar panels and other renewable technologies will be unveiled today. Ed Miliband, the climate change secretary, claims that the home improvements encouraged by the loan can result in energy bill savings (as much as £380 a year some ministers state). Moreover, the savings in energy may result in adding value to the house, with as many as 7 million homes expected to benefit. This should help the government meet its target of 29% of carbon dioxide emissions saved from homes by 2020. Additionally, the government hopes to create 65,000 in the green industry.

500 homes around the country were tested in the Pay As You Save scheme pilot. Under new legislation to be introduced, the loans will be tied to the houses rather than the buyer.

"You'll find that the energy bills are significantly lower,” said Mr Miliband. “So, say, you'll be having a few hundred pounds off your energy bills and offsetting that you'll have a couple of hundred pounds in payments.”

This is seen as a way to overcome the financial barriers and large upfront costs often associated with renewable energy. However, with people moving, on average, every 9 to 12 years, there are concerns that there may not be enough time to payback to ensure that householders save on their bills more than the cost of repayments. On the other hand, it is refreshing to see that the government is taking renewables and microgeneration seriously with actions.

Marks and Spencer launched 80 new commitments under the M&S eco and ethical Plan A programme, which originally started in 2007 with 100 commitments. The extension will ensure that 50% of all products will be ‘Plan A products’ by 2015 and 100% by 2020. It is hoped that suppliers and customers will adopt best practices and “live greener” respectively.

Among the new commitments is the Your Green Idea competition, where a prize of £100,000 is given to support the winning ‘green’ idea. Marks and Spencer also aim to ensure their factory workers in Africa and Asia get a fair living wage. Other measures include sourcing cardboard for food packaging under a single ‘model’ forest programme and increasing recycling of clothing among customers tenfold to 20 million. Energy efficiency measures among employees will be introduced, where they will be entitled to free home insulation and home energy monitors.

“Our extended Plan A will reach further and move us faster - covering every part of our business and reaching out to forests, farms, factories, lorries, warehouses and into our customers’ and employees’ homes,” said Sir Stuart Rose, Chairman of Marks and Spencer. Time will tell if they reach their ambitious targets.

 As of January 2011, businesses and individuals will be entitled to a grant of up to £5,000 towards an electric car. The grant will cover 25% of the cost of the vehicle, with it capped at £5,000. There will be no limit to the amount of cars one may buy, as “it is the car, rather than the individual, that is eligible for the incentive”. The scheme will be managed by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

The government is also investing £30 million into developing electric hubs for charging the vehicles under the Plugged-in Places scheme. Well, it is no good making the technology accessible but neglecting the infrastructure to maintain it. It is hoped that the scheme will be rolled out in London Milton Keynes and the North East, with 11,000 points to be installed over the next three years. The government will also be working with the Highways Agency as they look to install charging points along the major transport corridors.

Although the electric car industry has welcomed the news, especially with a raft of new models, such as the Nissan Leaf, due out this year, there is concern that demand will plummet in the second half of the year, as consumers may delay purchasing until they can receive the grant. However, this move is generally seen as a welcome stimulus to the electric car market.

The hype has been building across the pond in San Francisco, over a new fuel cell that may revolutionise the way electricity is distributed. The Bloom Box, which is being developed by Bloom Energy, supposedly utilises solid oxide fuel that combines with oxygen to produce electricity. The solid oxide fuel, which can be produced from a range of fuels, such as landfill gas, natural gas, diesel or biogas, is placed on a ceramic tile that means multiple stacks may be assembled.

The dream, according to the developer KR Sridhar, is that in ten years, you will have a small box that can carry on your hand powering your whole house. However, at the moment they do not come cheap, with units costing around $700,000. Sridhar hopes to get the price down to about $3000, as he believes affordability is vital. $400 million has been pumped into this project and there are a list of high profile customers such as Google, FedEx and San Francisco Airport. Google, in particular, have had a 4 unit box powering a data centre for the last 18 months.

However, the Bloom Box is sure to have its critics, just as any suggestion of a revolutionary power generator would. There is still a great shroud of secrecy over exactly how the whole thing works. Moreover, its green credentials leave a little more to be desired. We shall watch this space...

Roll up, roll up, Spring is around the corner and with it comes a host of shows focused on sustainability, respect for the environment, and green and ethical lifestyles.