better generation

The Royal Academy of Engineering has, in its Generating Future report, outlined the energy systems that will be fit for meeting the carbon emissions targets for 2050. As a result, the entire infrastructure of our energy supply will need a complete revamp, even with a considerable decrease in energy demand across all sectors.

Four possible scenarios have been drawn up to meet 2050 targets:

1.    Level demand with fossil fuels used principally for transport.
It is estimated that 80 new nuclear or Carbon-Capture-Storage (CCS) equipped power plants will be needed, along with a mix of renewable energy technologies. This is in order to meet the expected rise in electricity demand from 42GW to 127GW. Moreover, fossil fuels will need to be replaced for low grade heating.

 

Advertising regulatory bodies, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), have updated the codes of practice of the advertising industry. It is a move to stop advertisers exaggerating the environmental credentials of their products.

The updates are aimed more at the broadcasting code, as the radio and non-broadcast parts have been covered already. As of 1st September 2010, any green claims made by advertisers will need a “high level of substantiation”. The government itself has already been warned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for using the infamous IPCC report on the melting of the Himalayan glaciers to support its drive to curb carbon emissions.

The Enivronment Agency has identified 26,000 locations along rivers in England and Wales that could be used for hydro-electric purposes. Rivers such as the Severn, Aire and Neath have been highlighted as strong areas. Additionally, there has been an increase in applications for small-scale hydro-electric plants in the last year, from 10 per year to 80 per year, with more increases expected as a result of the Feed-in Tariffs from the Clean Energy Cashback scheme to be introduced in April.

However, hydro-electric installations may be to the detriment of some local environments. For example, fish migration is one such sensitive issue because of the delicate balance of the ecosystems involved. Moreover, some locations have practical constraints, such as lack of access to the local electricity grid. On the other hand, there is potential to generate electricity, as well as improve the environment through sensitively designed installations in many other areas. Furthermore, if installed properly, hydro-lectric installations provide a clean form of energy storage that can combat the problem of intermittency of renewable energy supply.

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 Nocera, 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 Nocera, 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. Nocera 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.