Beware of the Solar Panel Cowboys

The slashing of solar electric subsidies has left the industry in turmoil – while consumers are still vulnerable to rogue traders

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The UK solar electric industry says it is in turmoil. The government slashed its subsidies in the middle of a consultation period, and then, this week, Friends of the Earth showed in the high court that the government had acted illegally. Many companies, who thought Christmas had come early, now say they are confused, uncertain of the future and don't know what to advise consumers.

Join the club. The public has been confused and uncertain about solar energy for months now. The industry has some fine, legitimate businesses, which have vast experience in installing and maintaining solar PV systems; but ever since word got out that there was free money to be had, it's gone mad, with cowboys, incompetents, rogue dealers, dodgy workers, ruthless salesmen and hosts of under-employed, have-a-go builders, many of whom graduated in the double-glazing industry, piling in.

They have left a trail of faulty installations and unfinished work and householders believing they will benefit from massive amounts of cheap or free electricity over the next 20 years – when they almost certainly will not.

The first problem is that rogue companies have been over-enthusiastic about the kind of returns people can expect, both from their panels and then from the government scheme. Some people have reportedly paid £18,000 for 1Kw systems in the belief they are getting a mini-Sellafield power station on their roof, when in fact they will be lucky to be able to boil a kettle most days.

Others have been persuaded to "rent" their roofs out to companies for 20 years in return for "free electricity" with little idea of what this means if they sell or want to change.

Then there's the problem of installers. Solar companies need qualified electricians but most of these have never been on a roof. One couple I know of had to have 400 tiles replaced after the installers trampled over it. They were lucky that the company rectified the damage quickly.

In addition, they need plumbers, who mostly have little experience of electrics, and scaffolders, who have massively upped the price of renting kit.

There's room for trouble everywhere. Companies must, in theory, be accredited under the MicrogenerationCertification Scheme (MCS) and also be members of an approved consumer code scheme. But cowboy installers have found ways round this, getting "freelance" electricians to do the final hook-up to the grid and therefore technically making it safe and eligible for the subsidy, but actually having no responsibility for anything else.

Then there's the money. There has been a glut of panels and factory prices have plummeted, but many companies are over-charging, asking for upfront deposits and offering minimal "cooling off" periods.

So what to do?

• Only approach companies that are members of the REAL Assurance Scheme.

• Only sign a contract with a company that is certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme for the technology you are looking to install.

• Check the Energy Saving Trust website for objective information and target prices. Their online "cashback calculator" will tell you how much solar panels could earn on your roof.

• Read guidance carefully before you sign a contract or pay a deposit.

• Get at least three quotes, make sure any testimonials you rely on are genuine and were not paid for and contact the people yourself and ask them any questions.

• Before you sign a contract or pay a deposit, make sure the company gives you a quote in writing, including a standard performance estimate specific to your property.


• The standfirst of this piece was clarified at 14:55 on 23 December 2011

This article was first published by John Vidal on Friday 23rd December 2011 on http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Growth & Innovation Fund Launched

The second phase of the Government's Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF) has been launched. The fund supports businesses in the UK to develop their skills solutions tailored to their own needs, transforming growth in their sector, region or supply chain.

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) is providing £34 million during 2012-13, added to an existing budget of £29 million. With matched funding from businesses there will be approximately £60 million available under GIF this year.

There are no minimum or maximum funding levels cited for individual projects. However, the selection criteria include looking at the scale and impact of proposals and how well proposed solutions meet priority needs identified by bidders in their sectoral analysis of what can unlock growth potential. For that reason, applications with a very small value will not generally be accepted. BIS expects most successful proposals to be on a relatively large scale requiring investment greater than £500,000 per annum over a period of approximately two years.

GIF is able to invest in a wide variety of ideas and is actively seeking proposals that:

• deliver demonstrably employer-led, innovative and future-proofed skills solutions;
• support the drive to greater ownership of skills by employers;
• use GIF investment alongside employer investment; and
• build sustainable skills capacity and infrastructure.

Applications are invited from Sector Skills Councils, Industry Training Boards, formally constituted Sector Bodies, National Skills Academies, Employer Associations, Trade Associations and Professional Bodies in the United Kingdom. Collaborative applications are welcomed from multiple sector organisations. In order to ensure the fund supports businesses in the different ways they work together to secure growth, the programme has also extended its eligibility to apply to local enterprise partnerships.

The first deadline for receipt of applications under the Fund's current phase is 31 January 2012.

Renewable Heat Premium Payment Scheme Launched

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a new Government initiative providing finance to non-domestic renewable heat generators and producers of biomethane in Great Britain.

Designed to revolutionise the way heat is generated and used, this is the first financial support scheme for renewable heat of its kind. Under the scheme's terms, organisations may to apply for assistance and, if successful, receive payments on a quarterly basis for heat generated over 20 years.

£860 million has been made available from central Government funding to support the RHI over the period 2011-2015.

The following technologies are included in the scheme:

• Biomass boilers (Including CHP biomass boilers).
• Solar Thermal.
• Ground Source Heat Pumps.
• Water Source Heat Pumps.
• On-Site Biogas combustion.
• Deep Geothermal.
• Energy from Municipal Solid Waste.
• Injection of biomethane into the grid.

The scheme is being introduced in two phases. In the first phase, long-term tariff support is targeted within the non-domestic sectors, focusing on high energy consumers, including the industrial, business and public sectors. These energy users contribute 38% of the UK's carbon emissions. Under this phase there is also support of approximately £15 million for households through the Renewable Heat Premium Payment.

The second phase of the RHI will see the scheme expanded to include more technologies as well as support for households. Details about the introduction of Phase 2 are expected to be announced in early 2012.

Generators of heat and producers of biomethane that are based in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) may apply to the RHI, providing they meet the eligibility criteria, at any time. For further information please visit:

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/renewable_ener/incentive/incentive.aspx

Low Carbon Construction Conference - Invite

Invitation

Low Carbon Construction : Retrofit and the Green Deal (part of the Norfolk - Constructing the Future Conference) 1^st December, Norwich

At the next in the series of events on low carbon construction promoted by UEA’s Low Carbon Innovation Centre (LCIC) and InCrops Enterprise Hub we focus on the retrofit agenda including the Green Deal and an example of a local retrofit project. 

This event forms part of the programme of Norfolk –Constructing the Future Conference taking place from 9.00 until 16:00 (full details here http://www.buildnorfolk.co.uk/events/?eventid=46).

These events are free to attend and will be of interest to those involved in construction.

1^st December 9.00 – 16.00, John Innes Conference Centre, Norwich

During the morning of the conference LCIC will be presenting an overview of the Code 6 homes at Trinity Close, Rackheath and LCIC’s associated Embodied Carbon Study.  There will also be an opportunity to learn about the Low Carbon Innovation Fund at one of the breakout sessions taking place during the day.

In the afternoon (13.30 – 15.30) Low carbon construction:Retrofit and the Green Deal

Hear about

·         UEA low carbon construction projects – Ben Binns, Business Innovation Manager,  InCrops Enterprise Hub

·         The Green Deal Appraised – an opportunity? – Martin Ingham, Associate Consultant, Low Carbon Innovation Centre

·         ‘Retrofitting Broadland Housing Association’s Stock-lessons learnt’ – David Daniels, Consultant, Low Carbon Innovation Centre

Registration

To register for the both the low carbon construction event and the Norfolk – Constructing the Future Conference please go to http://www.buildnorfolk.co.uk/ (http://www.buildnorfolk.co.uk/events/?eventid=46) , click on the ‘Events’ tab and book on-line.  Information and booking for the session is in the ‘additional information’ section.

More information available on the InCrops website (http://www.incropsproject.co.uk/events/55)

Feed in Tariffs to be Slashed?

Solar subsidies to be cut by more than half

Government documents prematurely published online reveal feed-in tariff cut will double the payback period for householders - By Adam Vaughen and Fiona Harvey (The Guardian Online, Friday 28th October 2011)

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Solar subsidies will be cut by more than half. Photograph: Chris Howes/Wild Places Photograph/Alamy

Solar subsidies will be dramatically cut by more than half, according to government documents that were prematurely published online and quickly taken down.

The cut will almost double the payback period for householders, the document revealed, meaning someone installing £10-12,000 solar panels will only be in credit after 18 years rather than the current 10. The rate will be reduced from 43.3p per kilowatt hour of solar electricity to just 21p, the document revealed, cutting returns from around 7% to 4%.


Although the solar industry said it could bear the cuts, many companies said the reductions would hurt the poorest consumers hardest. Lower income households are more likely to rely on free deals whereby the installer takes the subsidy but the household gets free power – often enough to rescue people from fuel poverty.

While the PDF on the Energy Saving Trust website noted that "these proposals are currently under consultation and are not final", the figure is in line with earlier speculation that the rate will be cut by over half. It also said consumers considering solar should assume the 21p figure is what they will get if they install after 8 December.

Howard Johns, MD of Southern Solar, who spotted the document, tweeted: "It seems that EST know exactly what the outcome of the Fit review already – so much for consultation." Toby Ferenczi, chief technology officer at solar company Engensa, wrote: "This isn't acceptable and will result in massive job losses – don't be fooled."

The official announcement on the slashing of the feed-in tariff rate paid to householders looks set for Monday, with energy secretary Chris Huhne slated to make a statement in parliament, echoing tweets from the climate change minister, Greg Barker.

A Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) spokesman said: "We'll be publishing a full consultation on changes to the solar PV tariff changes in parliament on Monday. The Energy Saving Trust inadvertently published a draft of documentation on its website that was neither final nor accurate." However, the figures are line with those disclosed by the Guardian.

The spokesman added that if government took no action now, by 2014-15, Fit payments for solar would be cost consumers £980m annually, adding £26 to electricity bills by 2020. Average electricity bills are estimated to be £512 by 2020.

The government has argued that as the cost of solar power has come down, the subsidies should also be reduced as at present solar companies are absorbing some of the extra profits. Although the payback period has been reduced, the financial return at about 4% a year still beats most bank offerings and other financial investments available to individuals.

Prof Stephen Frankel, who chairs the Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network in Cornwall, which wants to install solar panels for free to local homes, warned the cuts would endanger the project.

"The Fit underpins these installations, and the benefits then flow not to outside speculators but are retained in the area and contribute to our community fund. This fund is available for local projects, as decided democratically by local people. We are now told that the Fit is to be curtailed drastically. If that is true, our efforts to act upon government advice and encouragement will have been for naught."

Daniel Green, of the solar installer HomeSun, said people without the money to invest £10,000 or more upfront in roof panels would be hardest hit, as suppliers would no longer find it worth their while to install solar panels for them.

HomeSun is one of a range of companies fitting solar panels to homes and community buildings for free: the roof-owner gains free energy, and the subsidies are kept by the installer. Proponents of these schemes argue that it helps to rescue people from fuel poverty.


Green said: "In the residential sector, providers of free solar panels are around 50% of installations and they will disappear at anything less than 28p per kWh. This means the less well-off will not be able to benefit from solar."


The news comes a day after the government signalled support for the 25,000 jobs in the fast-growing solar industry. Barker said the government wanted growth in solar panel installations to continue.


"We are determined not just to drive down carbon emissions but to build a successful, thriving, prosperous low-carbon economy," he told a solar power conference in Birmingham.


"I'm personally committed to ensuring that your industry can prosper in the longer term, sustaining green jobs at a critical time for our economy, jobs that people can build a career on [and] that can help drive the recovery."

Johns told the Guardian that the cuts would be a "disaster". "If they go ahead with this, the tariff is way too low, and all the social housing and free solar schemes – which make the feed-in tariffs exciting in terms of fuel poverty – will be destroyed." He added that this was the third government review into solar subsidies this year, saying: "We've invested business in PV [solar photovoltaic panels] and had it sliced up three times in a year. They [the government] have no credibility on this any more."

"You can't do U-turns like this without having to answer for it – it puts the spotlight firmly on the coaliton's green credentials," he said.


Seb Berry, head of public affairs at the UK's largest solar company, Solarcentury, said they would campaign against the proposals:

"Today's leak from the EST confirming the government's intention to more than halve the domestic tariff from 8 December to 21p makes a mockery of the feed-in tariff consultation process established by the Energy Act. The minister tried to reassure the industry yesterday that he supported this sector and valued our investment, jobs, innovation and rapid growth. Today those reassurances ring hollow."


Juliet Davenport, CEO of utility Good Energy, said: "Clearly we'll have to wait until Decc comes out with the final details on Monday, but if these rumours are true they are very concerning. Feed-in tariffs have been successful at the end of the day because they give households control over their energy supply, insulating themselves from price hikes and reducing their carbon footprint."


But the consultancy PwC argued that the deep fast cuts proposed by government were better then continued uncertainty or the risk of a bubble leading to over capacity in the short term followed by cuts later, which would mean sharper job losses. "A deep and fast cut in UK Feed in Tariffs (FiTs) will be required to protect the UK solar Photovoltaic (PV) industry from stalling or creating a market bubble before any rate changes take effect," the consultancy said in a report on Friday.


On Thursday, Germany, the world's biggest solar-panel market, said it will also cut subsidies for solar photovoltaic power. Rates will be reduced 15 percent from January 2012, the Bundesnetzagentur, the federal grid regulator, announced. Power from panels will earn 17.94 euro cents to 24.43 euro cents a kilowatt-hour, depending on size and location.

Deep cuts to the popular feed-in-tariff have been overseen in recent years, with the German government arguing that economies of scale and improvements in technology are resulting in rapid reductions in the cost of the sector, meaning the industry no longer needs such a high level state aid. Since Germany's Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) was introduced 11 years ago, providers are guaranteed fixed prices for the electricity they feed into the grid. Like the UK scheme, it is paid for by consumers, adding 3,59 euro cent a kilowatt-hour on energy bills or, according to calculations by The Rheinish-Westphalian Institute for Economic Research (RWI)€ 85,4 billion for the solar built between 2000 and 2010 and ensuing payments.

The Bundesnetzagentur revises the tariff regularly. A 9 percent reduction every year is given by law, but it can be higher depending on actual new installations. "During the last 12 months an additional new capacity of approximately 5.200 megawatts (MW) has been registered. This figure results in a 15 % lower remuneration compared to the actual FiT for systems connected to the grid beginning January 1st, 2012," said Matthias Kurth, President of the federal grit regulator. The rate could have been cut by as much as 24% (the annual cut's ceiling) if a larger amount of solar, 7,500MW, had been added.


In 2010 Germany added a record 7.400 megawatts of solar power, and small green energy firms have become sizeable within just a few years. The renewable industry supports 380,000 jobs in total, 108,000 within the photovoltaic industry alone. "Germany is the global market leader in the renewable energy sector," German Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen stresses repeatedly.


However, German solar cell manufacturers can hardly keep up, now that prices are collapsing and Chinese suppliers are flooding market. "The prices were falling down more rapidly than German manufactures expected. but they will prevail in the long time because of the better quality", Daniel Kluge from the German Renewable Energy Federation said.

'Any company that is not looking at carbon is bonkers'

'Any company that is not looking at carbon is bonkers'
Liesel van Ast - Trucost

Backing for mandatory carbon reporting was almost unanimous during a debate today on the UK Government consultation on proposals to require companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions.

Mike Anderson, Director General of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, said companies were "bonkers" if they weren't already looking at carbon, as well as their use of water and other resources. Despite business,  investor and public support for rules to make large or listed companies report on carbon, Defra could find it difficult to introduce the rules because of the Government's arbitrary "one in, one out" rule - regulations with an equivalent cost to business would have to be slashed elsewhere to avoid adding to any overall regulatory "burden".

Defra has to make the case for mandatory reporting based on an impact assessment that was widely criticised for over-egging the costs to business of measuring and reporting emissions, and for under-estimating cost savings that could result from carbon management. Colin Baines, Campaigns Adviser at The Co-operative Group, said that the costs of getting data and including it in annual reports were minimal.

It's unclear how the Government would achieve a target to cut economy-wide emissions by 50% from 1990 levels by 2027 unless companies responsible for more than half of the countries emissions measure and report carbon. It's the very least that they will need to do.

"Measuring and reporting is an essential tool," said Andrew Raingold, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group, which organised the event and backs the option to require all large comanies to report emissions in their annual reports & accounts under the Companies Act 2006. What gets measured, gets managed.

The consultation closed on 5 July, so it should be clear by the autumn whether or not the Government is prepared to essentially do nothing under a voluntary framework, despite the clamour for mandatory carbon reporting to deliver consistent carbon data to investors and a level playing field for business.

Electronic car infrastructure rolls out across the UK

With public and private charging networks shifting out of first gear, it is still early days for electric car take-up in the UK

Electric car infrastrcture is slowly shifting out of first gear in the UK. After the launches of a Boris-backed recharging network in London (216 points) and a so-called national network from Ecotricity (12) this year, Chargemaster on Wednesday opened what it described as the "UK's first privately funded nationwide electric vehicle" network (around 150).

These new additions join the UK's hundreds of existing public points, designed to alleviate the "chicken and egg" problem for electric cars that I've blogged on. "Range anxiety", the fear of running out of charge in an electric car is, while overegged by the likes of Top Gear, nevertheless a real deterrent to people switching from petrol and diesel cars.

Chargemaster's new network, Polar, should go some way to reduce that fear. It says it'll have 4,000 points by the end of next year, built at the rate of around 300 a month with its partners, Waitrose, NCP and others.

What doesn't look so good – and is often used as a selling point for electric cars – is the money side. Membership of Polar works out at £24.50 a month, and you pay 90p per charge. That seems steep in comparison to Boris Johnson's Source London network, which while limited to the capital for now, costs just £8.33 a month and comes with free charging.


Yet David Martell, the company's chief executive, isn't worried about competition between public and private charging networks, as 160 of the Source bays are operated by Chargemaster. "The idea is to build the infrastructure, regardless of who it's owned by," Martell said. It wins either way.

What's not clear is whether the driver wins either way. These are embryonic days for electric car take-up in the UK, a technology seen as crucial to hitting carbon targets for transport. Yet just 465 electric cars were sold under the government's £5,000 grant in the first quarter of 2011, falling to 215 in the second. The figures for the third quarter have been delayed, the Department for Transport told me.

Charging points aren't everything when it comes to supporting electric cars – most research suggests the majority of charging will be done at home – but there's a clear fracturing of competing charging networks going on here that doesn't benefit the consumer at all. Polar users can use Source London points, but not vice versa. A new scheme launching next month in Manchester with 300 points, by the Manchester Electric Car Company, is unlikely to be linked with other schemes at launch, a spokeswoman said. Expect similar for the numerous other local schemes in the pipeline.

Lessons learned from privatising railways on complicated ticketing and incompatible schemes spring to mind. Given the government is part-funding some of these points via its £30m plugged-in places scheme, it has a responsibility to make sure they're all interoperable too. Until it does, it risks electric cars in the UK never getting into second gear.

This article was written by Adam Vaughan and was published by the Guardian Online on Friday 14th October 2011

Heating a home on benefits takes more than fuel promises

The Guardian's Edward Lawrence wonders whether proposals by the energy secretary will make a difference to vulnerable people. First published by the Guardian on Thursday 29th September 2011.

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Winter fuel payments can help with energy costs. Photograph: G. Bowater/Corbis

Last week Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat energy secretary, told the party conference that he was determined to get tough with the six biggest energy companies

Although his speech was full of ideas, it was sadly lacking in how these proposals might be put into effect. The Liberal Democrat conference liked what they heard, despite the lack of details.

One of Huhne's proposals – which no doubt will be subject to intense lobbying by the energy companies – was to give Ofgem more regulatory powers. These would involve giving Ofgem in certain circumstances the ability to fine energy companies 10% of their profits.

Sounds sensible doesn't it? The sort of thing no right thinking person could disagree with, given that energy prices have doubled since 2004.

But on closer inspection Chris Huhne resembles King Canute – who famously, so the story goes, had his throne put by the seashore and ordered the waves not to come in. Huhne's words are as futile as Canute's.

The King's courtiers had said he was so great he could command the sea to stop. His gesture was to point out that words, no matter how well intentioned, had no bearing on events that would happen regardless.
Why do I think this? Because when Ofgem found that British Gas was negligent in its customer service, it fined them £2.5million. It was reported in the Wall Street Journal as a stiff fine, and evidence the regulator wasn't toothless. The next day – 28th July 2011 – British Gas posted half year profits of £1.3 billion. Some disparity between the stiff fine and the profits.

This isn't only of academic interest to me, although it does expose the rank hypocrisy of government ministers in their desperate attempts to appear tough, whilst actually leaving business to do as they please.
No doubt energy companies would point out in their defence that they are merely passing on the rising cost of fuel to the consumer.

But to me it is personal, given that I am wholly dependant on benefits which have not risen in line with the fuel charges or the cost of living generally, as anyone on benefits is all too aware. The situation looks likely to get even worse. Given that the country is in the grip of a recession and people are losing their jobs, not only will the Treasury be losing taxation revenue, it will also be having to pay more unemployment benefit.

Her Majesty's customs and excise recently estimated that the amount of tax that was uncollected was £35 billion in 2009 -2010. The situation is further exacerbated by the news that the International Monetary Fund has forecast our gross domestic product to rise by 1.1%. The economy is the nautical equivalent of the Titanic just before it encountered the iceberg.

Obviously there can be no correlation between people on benefits being afraid to heat their homes because of the cost.

The government will no doubt talk up the winter fuel payment as evidence that it is doing everything it can to encourage people to heat their homes.

Everything to help? Each person gets either £100, £200, or £300 depending on their circumstances.
But as someone haemorrhaging cash, living on benefits with many outgoings and precious few incomings, the winter fuel payment is about as much use as a plasticine football. Although if one doused the plasticine football in paraffin it might be a short-lived source of heat ... But then when it burnt itself out you would be left in the cold again – with only the warm words of the government to heat you.

Q&A - Feed in Tariffs

What are feed-in tariffs?

By Rhiannon Edwards, the Guardian

A feed-in tariff is a rate of money paid by the government to homeowners, business and organisations such as schools and community groups to generate their own electricity through small-scale green energy installations such as solar panels. Under the UK scheme, which was launched on 1 April 2010 and is known as clean energy cashback, homeowners could receive up to £1,000 a year.

How does it work?

You can receive feed-in tariffs for both the generation of electricity (a generation tariff) and for giving unused generated electricity back to the National Grid (an export tariff). The level of payment depends on the technology and whether it is being fitted to an existing home, or installed as part of a new build. In the UK, future payments are guaranteed for the next 25 years for solar and 20 years for wind turbine-generated power and are linked to inflation.

How much could I receive?

It depends on how much electricity you generate and how you generate it. Anyone fitting an average-sized £12,500, 2.5kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system to their existing home will initially be paid 41.3p per kilowatt hour (kWh) generated, and those fitting the same system to a new-build house will get a slightly lower tariff (36.1p per kWh). People using wind turbines will be paid a lower rate of 34.5p per kWh for a turbine that is less than 1.5 kW (which will be the case for most homeowners) and 26.7p per kWh for a turbine that is more than 1.5kW. Households also receive an extra 3p for every kWh that they export back to the grid, on top of the money given in the first place for generation. The income is tax-free. The Guardian's Miles Brignall estimates that solar PV could generate a return of 7-10%. The Energy Saving Trust has a feed-in tariff calculator which you can use to see how much you could earn.

How do I know if I am eligible for the scheme?

The scheme is available to those who have one or more of the following technologies: solar PV panels (roof-mounted or stand alone), wind turbines (building mounted or free standing), hydroelectricity, anaerobic digestion (generating electricity from food waste), and micro combined heat and power (through the use of new types of boilers, for example). You will only qualify for the full feed-in tariff if the technology was installed between 15 July 2009 and 31 March 2010 or is installed in your home after 1 April using a product and installer certified under the government's microgeneration certification scheme. . The rate per kWh available for the generation tariff decreases every year so the rate you begin on will depend on when you join the scheme. The scheme is guaranteed to be open until 2013, when it will be reviewed by the government.

I had a solar panel system before 15 July 2009. What will I receive?

People who have already got a small electricity generation system will only receive a flat tariff of 9p per kWh. Some early adopters say they have been "betrayed" by the UK feed-in tariff because they will not receive the full rate.

Where will the money come from?

From the government, with payments made via the utilities companies. Jeremy Leggett, founder and chairman of Solarcentury, argues that each household will only see a rise of £8.50 per year in their bills but this is only a projected figure.

How does the UK scheme compare to other countries' feed-in tariffs?

Germany introduced feed-in tariffs in 2000 with the Renewable Energy Sources Act, which was based on an earlier bill covering renewable energy production. Like the UK's new tariff, the German scheme differentiates rates depending on technology type, size and site, and the rates are designed to decline over time.

The level of payments in Germany have fallen considerably since the scheme's launch, and earlier this year were controversially cut by another 15% for solar PV. France adopted the feed-in tariff system in 2001 and announced earlier this year that it would increase rates for geothermal, biomass, and solar photovoltaics integrated into the fabric of a building. A typical building-integrated photovoltaic system earns €0.58 per kWh - much higher than the UK's rate.

In Spain, feed-in tariff legislation was created in 2007. Photovoltaic electricity generation is the most popular technology in the country and the initial generous rates had to be revised after an unexpectedly high response rate led to a solar market crash.

What's the catch?

Commentators such as Chris Goodall and George Monbiot have argued that the scheme is a financially inefficient way of saving carbon compared to alternatives, such as large windfarms. One analysis by the Ruhr University suggests the German feed-in tariff cost €35bn to push solar to 0.6% of the country's electricity generation.

Wave & Tidal Power almost ready for mass consumption

Latest wave and tide machines being tested in Scottish waters expected to become commercially viable by 2015 by Severin Carrell (the Guardian).

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Wave and tidal power devices are close to producing electricity for mass consumption for the first time after a surge in investment, Alex Salmond has predicted.

 

The first minister said that the latest wave and tide machines being tested in Scottish waters were expected to become commercially viable by 2015 with several hundred megawatts of installed capacity, in a major breakthrough for the green energy industry.

Salmond's prediction came as it emerged that one developer, Aquamarine Power, which has one of the most advanced wave power machines being tested off Orkney, had won fresh investment of £7m in its latest design and pledges of another £18m by 2014.

Until now, the presumption was that wave and tidal power was still up to a decade away from full-scale production.

However, the first minister told a green energy investment conference in Edinburgh that: "In the next few years, the wave and tidal industry will move from demonstrator machines towards substantial commercial development."

Tidal and wave power was "the most exciting and powerful thing", he added as he opened the conference on Tuesday.

Salmond also announced a new £35m Scottish government fund to help up to seven companies find advanced designs for the next generation of ocean-based wind turbines for deep waters up to 20 miles offshore, with turbines three times larger than current designs.

"Scotland's potential as one of the green power houses for Europe is beyond question," he told conference delegates, who are due to be addressed on Wednesday by Al Gore. "We mustn't let transient but severe economic circumstances deter us from that goal."

Scotland, he said, had 25% of Europe's offshore wind and wave resource. Current offshore windfarms were simply "onshore wind turbines in a puddle", being sited just a mile off the coast. "We want these 20 miles offshore, where the wind really blows."

Wave and tidal energy is still expected to produce only a small fraction of the total renewable energy output. The Crown Estate and Marine Scotland have so far licensed only about 1,400mw of wave and tidal power for future development, compared with 7gw of onshore and offshore wind power already in production or development.

Scotland's current share of offshore renewable energy production is still relatively small. Salmond's strategy is based on rapidly increasing its stake and eventual overall share, to help hit his ambitious target to generate 100% of Scotland's electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

He believes Scottish wave and tidal energy firms could come to dominate the global industry. Aquamarine is also developing projects in Chilean waters, along the west coast of the US and Canada, and the west coast of Ireland.

Martin McAdam, Aquamarine's chief executive, said he believed his latest device, the 800kw Oyster wave machine, would be commercially viable by 2014. By the end of the decade, wave technology would be cheaper than offshore wind, he predicted.

"At the moment we're far too expensive [but] we will become more and more cost effective over time," he said. "As we move to 2020, we will get to a cost curve where we will be more competitive than wind."
Salmond's latest £35m offshore investment fund, the prototype offshore wind energy renewables support (Powers) fund, follows confirmation last week of a further £70m fund to develop green energy infrastructure. Industry and investment agency figures warn that up to £200bn is required by 2020 to realise the UK's full renewable energy potential.

The first minister conceded the industry overall still faces several significant barriers, including finding investors, protecting UK and Scottish government support through a levy on energy bills and making transmission charges on the National Grid much less expensive for Scottish power companies.

The UK's first 'Green Museum'

Southend on Sea Borough Council has launched a new website to track the progress of the UK's first 'green' museum. The website has been made possible thanks to the Build With CaRe project, of which Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is a partner. Build With CaRe aims to make energy efficient building design mainstream. The creation of the UK’s first green museum is a great example of how green buildings are evolving and progress is being made in Southend.

http://prittlewellpriory.com/

Prittlewell Priory is a Grade I Listed Building with a fascinating history stretching back to the 12th century when it was built as a medieval monastery for the Cluniac monks. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it was converted into a private country house until it was donated to the people of Southend-on-Sea by a local benefactor, and opened as a museum in 1922.

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council has successfully gained Heritage Lottery funding to redevelop the Priory in order to bring to life the history of this site, increase access and visitor numbers, and to create the UK’s first green museum to the museum.

The Facility were commissioned to design and manage the renovation with a newbuild Education Centre. They developed an interpretation plan for the site and the design and implementation of new displays to improve the visitor experience. The new visitor journey will take visitors back in time to learn about the different communities who have lived at the Priory, and read the clues to the past in the remaining building, landscape and objects which will be interpreted to bring to life the different eras.

 

 

New loan scheme launched for Env. Businesses

EnviroBusiness provides strategic financial and commercial advice to companies in the Cleantech and Renewable Energy sectors in South East England. The organisation works with businesses from across the environmental spectrum, helping them to increase their share of the global market for environmental technologies and services.

EnviroBusiness is responding to demands from stakeholders to address the shortfall of finance in the marketplace due to the current economic climate. A number of its members have found that traditional funding methods have not been freely available to provide necessary finance for growth. Therefore EnviroBusiness is launching a loan scheme which will enable some members to access loans of up to £20,000, enabling them to:

• meet working capital needs;
• increase or launch new services and products; and
• fund productive asset acquisition to enable business growth.

Members who are eligible will be:

• profitable companies able to demonstrate potential for growth;
• working in the low carbon or environmental goods and services sector in the South East; and
• small and medium-sized, with less than 250 employees and a turnover of less than £45 million.

To request an application form interested parties are advised to email info@envirobusiness.co.uk quoting reference number WCLS2011. Requests must be made by 23 September 2011.

Applications must be submitted by 12 noon 6 October 2011.

Win £16,000 worth of PV

With energy prices marching inexorably up, generating your own energy has never seemed so attractive. We're partnered with PV Solar UK, one of the UK's biggest solar power installers, to offer one Guardian reader the chance to win up to £16,000 worth of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate free, clean electricity for their home.

To be in with a chance of winning the PV panels go to: 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/competition/2011/sep/07/solar-panel-competition?CMP=twt_fd

You just need to answer what PV is short for, hmmm....

Climate Week - 2012

 

A new national occasion - Climate Week 2012...

Climate Week is a supercharged national occasion that offers an annual renewal of our ambition and confidence to combat climate change. It is for everyone wanting to do their bit to protect our planet and create a secure future.

Climate Week will shine a spotlight on the many positive steps already being taken in workplaces and communities across Britain. The power of these real, practical examples – the small improvements and the big innovations – will then inspire millions more people.

Support from every part of society

Thousands of businesses, charities, schools, councils and others will run events during Climate Week on 12-18 March 2012. They will show what can be achieved, share ideas and encourage thousands more to act during the rest of the year.

Climate Week has support from every part of society – from the Prime Minister to Paul McCartney, the NHS to the National Trust, Girlguiding UK to the CBI, the Big Lottery Fund to the National Association of Head Teachers.

Help inspire millions to act

You can help create a massive movement for change by making Climate Week happen where you are. Ask an organisation or group you know – such as your workplace or local school – to run an event.

The event could be a talk, workshop, training session, open day, exhibition, party or any other kind of activity. People can also take part in Britain’s biggest live environmental competition – the Climate Week Challenge – and enter the prestigious Climate Week Awards.

For more information please visit www.climateweek.com 

Earth is home to 8.7 million species

There are approximately 8.7 million different types of plant and animal on Earth but 90 per cent of them have yet to be discovered, according to new estimates writes the Daily Telegraph's Nick Collins.

Previous guesses had put the total number of different species at anywhere between three million and 100 million, but a new calculation based on the way in which life forms are classified puts the estimate at the lower end of that scale.

The list of known species currently stands at about 1.2 million, but experts said that advances in technology meant that the remainder could be found and classified within the next century.

The study was undertaken by researchers from the Census of Marine Life, a ten-year project involving 2,700 scientists from more than 80 countries aimed at assessing the diversity of life in our seas and oceans which concluded in October 2010.

Since the 18th century species have been officially classified under a pyramidlike system, with each placed in a series of related groups. For example humans are categorised in the same order as chimpanzees, the same class as dogs and cats and the same overall kingdom as all other animals.

By analysing the rate at which the more generic groups, such as mammals and fish, break down into smaller ones scientists were able to predict the number of species at the lowest level despite not having found them yet.

When tested against well-known groups like mammals, birds and fish, the method accurately predicted the number of individual species, study leader Dr Camilo Mora said.

The formula predicted there are 7.77 million species of animal, of which fewer than one million have been catalogued, 298,000 species of plants, and 611,000 species of fungi on the planet.

Dr Sina Adl, one of the researchers, said: "If we really want to understand how our environment works we need to have a sense of what the species in it are and how they interact.

"If we have been trying to manage the environment with only 10 per cent of its species known, then it is no surprise that we are not doing a very good job."

Most of the species which have been found are vertebrates, like mammals and birds, while many of the 7.5 million undiscovered species lurk in the seas and in the soil around us.

Scientists currently discover about 15,000 new species each year, meaning it would take almost 500 years to classify every plant and animal on the planet at the current rate, but technological advances could see the work completed sooner.

In a commentary accompanying the study in the Public Library of Science Biology journal Lord Robert May, of Oxford University's zoology department, said: "My optimistic guess would be around a century to complete our assessment of the diversity of life on earth."

Funding a Green Future 2012 to support Climate Week

We are delighted to announce that next year's Funding a Green Future will be supporting Climate Week 2012, which runs between 12-18 March 2012.

Climate Week is a supercharged national campaign to inspire a new wave of action on climate change.

Culminating in a week of activities and events, Climate Week showcases the practical solutions to climate change being developed in every sector of society. By highlighting real examples, the campaign aims to inspire thousands more, renewing our ambition to create together a more sustainable, low-carbon future.

The UK’s first Climate Week in March 2011 saw nearly half a million people participating in over 3,000 events in Britain’s biggest ever environmental occasion. Events were run by schools, businesses, charities, government, local councils, trade unions, community groups and others. There were more than 1,000 pieces of media coverage, and over a quarter of British adults were aware of Climate Week.

To find out more about Climate Week visit http://www.climateweek.com/

Cycling worth £3bn a year to UK economy

A Report by the London School of Economics says industry employs 23,000 and generates £500m for the state annually, as manufacturers see sales rise by 28%

 

 

Cycling generates nearly £3bn a year for the UK economy, according to a report from the London School of Economics. The figure includes £51m in revenue for British manufacturers from the 3.7m cycles sold in 2010 – a rise of 28% on 2009.

The gross cycling contribution of £2.9bn for the economy takes into account factors such as bicycle manufacturing, cycle and accessory retail and cycle-related employment.

Commissioned by the broadcaster Sky and British Cycling, the report said every cyclist in the UK has a "gross cycling product" of £233 annually.

Employing around 23,000 people, the UK cycling sector made a £500m employment contribution in 2010, including more than £100m in income tax and National Insurance contributions last year, the report said. A total of 208m cycle journeys were made in 2010, with a net addition of 1.3m more cyclists taking to their bikes compared to the previous year, bringing the total to 13m.

Of these new cyclists, half a million are now cycling regularly. New cyclists alone contributed £685m to the UK economy, with existing regular cyclists representing a total market value of £635m. The report also showed that regular cyclists take 7.4 sick days per year, compared with 8.7 sick days for non-cyclists.
It added that a 20% increase in cycling by 2015 would save the economy £207m in reduced traffic congestion, £71m in lower pollution levels and £52m in NHS costs.

Dr Alexander Grous, of the LSE, who conducted the research, said: "The good news is that structural, economic, social and health factors seem finally to have created a true step-change in the UK's cycling scene."

The transport minister, Theresa Villiers, said: "The government is committed to encouraging cycling as a healthy and enjoyable way of getting around. It helps reduce congestion, gives children more opportunities for exercise, and it can play a part in the fight against climate change.

Stewart Kellett, British Cycling's recreation director, said: "This report is further evidence that when more people get involved in cycling there are measurable benefits to the individual, their family, their employer, the environment and the economy as whole."

Ian Austin MP, vice-chairman of the all party parliamentary cycling group, said: "This important report shows that encouraging greater participation in cycling can bring not only social but economic benefits for Britain."

Article orginally appeared on the Guardian's website

Energy-saving light bulbs leap in price

The cost of energy saving light bulbs is rising sharply ahead of the European Union ban on the traditioanl 60-watt bulbs. First the European Union banned the sale of traditional 100-watt light bulbs in favour of "energy-saving" alternatives.

By Edward Malnick, the Daily Telegraph

Frosted-style bulbs, too, disappeared from British shop shelves on orders from Brussels.

Now, at the end of this month, comes the biggest reform of all, when all production of basic 60-watt light bulbs will cease. Once stocks run out, householders will have to rely on low-energy Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) instead.

Whilst the new-style lights last longer and use less electricity, critics complain that they are less bright.

And with just weeks to go before the September 1 switch date, consumers have suffered another blow: the cost of CFLs is soaring.

Manufacturers have blamed recent price rises on the growing cost of raw materials required to make the bulbs, and say there are further increases to come.

In a second, parallel move, the price of the traditional-style 60-watt bulbs has also gone up sharply as the date approaches for their manufacture to cease.

A similar pattern was observed in 2009, when the price of 100-watt bulbs increased sharply just before they went out of production – at a time when some shops and consumers were stockpiling the old-style bulbs.
Giles Chichester, the Conservative energy spokesman in the European parliament, accused manufacturers of "exploiting a market opportunity" by raising the price of 60-watt bulbs.

The EU announced in 2008 that it would phase in a ban on the manufacture of old-style incandescent light bulbs, used since Victorian times, as part of its drive to save energy and cut carbon emissions.

However, the CFLs that are replacing them contain small quantities of expensive rare earth elements. Makers say that growing demand for the substances, particularly in China where they come from, has forced prices upwards.

One major wholesaler, Sparks in north London, said the price charged by its supplier for an 11-watt CFL had risen from £1.39 in June to £1.67 today, an increase of 20 per cent.

For consumers, the price of a Philips 11-watt CFL at Argos has risen from £3.99 in September 2009 to £4.99 last week, a rise of 25 per cent. At Sainsbury's, the cheapest energy-saving bulb is now £2, up from £1.21 for the same bulb two years ago – a rise of 65 per cent.

In letters sent to lighting suppliers and seen by The Sunday Telegraph, manufacturers say they expect even more increases later in the year. The sales director of Sylvania, one of Europe's largest bulb-makers, told his customers that China's near-monopoly over the key raw materials lay behind the increase.

He wrote: "At the end of last year, the Chinese government decided to reduce the export of rare earth elements to protect their fast-diminishing reserves. This has resulted in limited availability of phosphors in 2011 and a steep increase in price."

Duncan Chamberlain, the trade commercial manager of Philips, wrote: "Philips Lighting expects that further price increases may be necessary during the course of 2011." The price of traditional 60-watt bulbs has doubled since the EU announced its ban in 2008. One manufacturer which charged 16p in 2008 now charges 33p, and at Sainsbury's the price per bulb has gone up from 70p to £1.

James Shortridge, managing director of the Ryness lighting shop chain, said that such sharp increases in wholesale prices were last seen around the time that the 100W bulb was banned in September 2009.
He told The Sunday Telegraph: "When the 100W ban came in, the last orders we placed were 30 per cent higher in cost than the previous ones. Their production plant did not suddenly leap in cost from one month to the next, it's just a case of 'These are the last orders, we are going to take what we can for it.'"

Whereas 11-watt CFL bulbs are marketed as being the "equivalent" of a traditional 60-watt bulb, tests conducted by this newspaper have shown they produce less than 60 per cent of the illumination.
Consumers were encouraged to accept the new-style bulbs with a Government scheme – now ended – which saw them sold for as little as 10p at supermarkets and DIY stores, thanks to subsidies provided by energy giants in return for points towards carbon reduction targets.

The Energy Saving Trust's website states that the price of their recommended light bulb starts from between £1 and £2. However, consumers will struggle to find CFLs manufactured by the leading brands recommended by the Trust at this price.

Mr Shortridge said that not a single manufacturer sells the energy saving bulbs for less than £1.80, which are in turn being sold to customers for over £2. Consumers have been warned that cheaper, non-branded alternative bulbs have been known to explode and to break light fittings.

Sustainable Procurement

What is sustainable procurement?

Sustainable procurement is an approach to buying products and services that takes into account the economic, environmental and social impacts of what you buy. Looking for Carbon is about supporting action on climate change and therefore this guide focuses on the environmental impacts of procurement and particularly reducing carbon emissions in the supply chain. The aim is to explore how sustainability considerations complement other key business criteria such as cost, value-for-money and stakeholder preference.

Sustainable procurement means looking at the impacts of the product or service on the environment over its entire lifecycle from creation to disposal. Taking paper as an example, you would assess whether the paper is made from virgin pulp or a form of recycled product, whether it is from a sustainable source, the production process, how it is packaged, how it is delivered to you and whether you can recycle it.

The benefits

Taking sustainability into consideration in purchasing decisions is not merely about being seen to be green, there are many potential business benefits. Recent CIPD research reveals that more than 50 percent of people would prefer to work for a company with a strong environmental policy and clients are increasingly asking their legal advisers to demonstrate their green credentials. Being ahead of the game can give firms competitive advantage, but equally, as more firms build environmental considerations into the procurement process it will drive suppliers to develop more, better and cheaper low-carbon products and services. So it really is a win-win situation.

Business case	Example
Reduced exposure to reputation risk	Strengthened brand, enhanced community relationships, etc
Competitive advantage	Both public and private sector clients assess law firms on environmental credentials
Cost savings	Lower consumption of energy and other resources
Attract and retain talent	Employees are increasingly concerned with firms' environmental credentials
Anticipating legal obligation	Being ahead of the game on legislative requirements to reduce carbon consumption