Marine Current Turbines kicks off first tidal array for Wales

Marine Current Turbines Ltd (MCT) has today submitted a consent application to install a 10MW array of tidal stream turbines off the North West coast of Anglesey in 2015. The array, consisting of seven twin rotor turbines arranged across an area of 0.56km², will harness the power of the tidal waters, generating enough power for over 10,000 homes on the island. It will be the first tidal array to be deployed in Wales.

This tidal farm, using the fast moving and predictable flow of the tides, will use MCT’s proven and award-winning tidal energy technology (known as SeaGen and which works in principle like an underwater windmill) to generate enough power to supply electricity to up to 10,000 homes. The array will be situated between the Skerries islands and Carmel Head, about 1km off the Anglesey coast. SeaGen is a proven technology, the first 1.2MW unit having been successfully operated in Strangford Narrows, Northern Ireland since 2008, and it is officially accredited by OFGEM as the UK’s first and only tidal current power plant.

If the planning consent is granted to SeaGeneration Wales Ltd, the MCT / RWE npower renewables project company, it will be the first tidal array in Wales demonstrating the commercial viability of this technology. This project will help to demonstrate that the deployment of tidal generation can be recognised as a viable means of securing renewable generation, lower carbon emissions whilst simultaneously creating a new industry and many jobs.

The project will cost approximately £70 million to develop and, where possible, local businesses will be contracted for the assembly, installation, operation and maintenance of the tidal array. It will generate jobs that use skills ranging from advanced blacksmithing through to sophisticated control systems management. The project will also stimulate the supply chain to support the emerging marine renewable energy sector in the UK and Wales.

Martin Wright, CEO and founder of MCT said: “Tidal power is a predictable and reliable source of renewable energy and our technology can play an important part in helping Wales realise its renewable energy targets as set out in the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) Energy Policy statement. It aims to capture 10% of the tidal stream and wave energy off the Welsh coast by 2025, making Wales a UK low carbon economic area for tidal energy. The proposed project would represent a significant step in meeting both of these targets and furthermore, will see the creation of many new green jobs.”

MCT has undertaken a series of environmental and technical studies and consulted a range of local residents as well as local and national organisations, including: RSBP, Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in order to consider the impact of the project over its operational lifespan, about 25 years.

Joseph Kidd, MCT’s Development Manager for the project, said: “Engagement with local interests is an important part of our work, particularly local marine recreation groups and so far the response to our plans has been generally positive. Our experience of working in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough has been hugely valuable in taking forward our plans for Anglesey.”

RWE Npower Renewables’ Project Manager, Paul Catterall said: “RWE npower renewables are delighted to have been involved in the development of this project, which exemplifies one of the most promising of the emerging renewable energy technologies. Tidal energy has the potential to play a significant role in our future renewables portfolio. SeaGen represents the end result of many years of hard work, perseverance and human ingenuity, and we are privileged to be working with MCT, global leaders in tidal generation.”

Client News-UK ENERGY MINISTER APPLAUDS SEAGEN TIDAL PROJECT

UK ENERGY MINISTER APPLAUDS SEAGEN TIDAL PROJECT

On a visit to Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, the UK’s Energy Minister, today congratulated Marine Current Turbines (MCT) on its achievements to design, deploy and operate its SeaGen tidal current energy system.

SeaGen is the largest grid-connected marine renewable energy system in the world and which last month exceeded 1000 hours of commercial operation. SeaGen is the first tidal current energy system in the world to have achieved this milestone. The 1.2MW tidal current turbine, which was deployed in April 2008, has achieved a capacity factor of 66% and so far delivered more than 800MWh of electricity into the National Grid.

Lord Hunt, who used his visit to launch the Marine Energy Action Plan for UK waters, said “I applaud Marine Current Turbines’ pioneering work with SeaGen. The company’s engineering expertise and determination is to be admired. The success of the SeaGen project shows how British companies, like MCT, with the active support from Government, can harness the massive energy potential that exists in British and overseas waters, and at the same time form the basis of a new and world-class industry for Britain.”

Martin Wright, Managing Director of Marine Current Turbines said: “We are delighted to welcome Lord Hunt to Strangford Lough. The support and encouragement of the UK Government, both in London and Belfast, were instrumental in getting SeaGen deployed. SeaGen is showing that tidal power can be a reality. We hope that SeaGen’s demonstrable success will help to maintain the vital political impetus necessary for Government policy initiatives that are still required to commercialise the technology and ensure that it, together with the rest of the British marine energy sector, makes a long-term contribution to the UK economy. “

“The recent investment in MCT made by global engineering company, Siemens, underlines the commercial potential and engineering quality of our patented SeaGen technology but a significant step change in the financing of marine energy projects will be necessary if we are to deploy the UK’s first tidal array by 2012. SeaGen’s success, coupled with the support of Siemens, Carbon Trust Investments and our other shareholders, puts MCT in a strong position to meet the challenges that lie ahead.”

Siemens Energy’s investment in Marine Current Turbines was announced last month (February 25th 2010). New investment in the company from the Carbon Trust, EDF Energy and other shareholders was secured in December 2009 and February 2010. These two funding rounds totalled £8.5million.

In February 2010, Marine Current Turbines also received £2.7m from the UK Government’s Marine Renewables Proving Fund and administered by the Carbon Trust. This funding stream is being used to support the improvement of SeaGen’s operation and its future installation.

Notes to Editors:

1. Marine Current Turbines Ltd (www.marineturbines.com) is based in Bristol, England. The company was established in 2000 and its principal corporate shareholders include BankInvest, Carbon Trust Investments, EDF Energy, ESB International, Guernsey Electricity, High Tide and Siemens Energy.

2. In September 2009, MCT was ranked the world’s top tidal energy company in The Guardian/Clean Tech Global 100 Survey and in June 2009 won Renewable Energy Developer of the Year in the UK Renewable Energy Association Annual Awards.

3. MCT’s 1.2MW SeaGen was deployed in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough in April 2008; it has the capacity to generate power for the equivalent of about 1500 homes. It works in principle much like an “underwater windmill” with the rotors driven by the power of the tidal currents rather than the wind. The SeaGen turbine is subject to a rigorous monitoring programme imposed under its licensing conditions to ensure it does not threaten the marine life of Strangford Lough where it is located.

4. SeaGen is accredited by OFGEM as a UK power station and so is a recipient of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs).

5. Since February 2008, MCT has partnered RWE npower renewables on plans to develop a 10MW tidal farm in waters off Anglesey, north Wales and is working with Minas Bay Pulp & Paper to deploy a single SeaGen system in Canada’s Bay of Fundy.

Political News-UK government proposes faster grid access for renewable energy

UK Secretary of Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband, has proposed to address the way power plants are connected to the UK’s power grid in the hope of getting new generation, including renewable energy, connected faster.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says in a statement: “The shake-up will help new projects waiting to get a date to feed electricity into the grid to get out of the queue, and will in particular help renewable energy projects such as wind farms.”

Currently 60 GW of new electricity generation is waiting to be connected to the grid, of which 17 GW is from renewable energy.

Under the current system, new generation, including renewable energy, has been connected on a first come first serve basis regardless of when the projects can actually start generating electricity. According to DECC, this means some windfarms, for example, were given grid connection years after they were due to start producing renewable energy.

Miliband says: “Access to the grid has been one of the key barriers to the generation of renewable energy in this country. … We need these new projects to get hooked up to the grid as soon as they are ready – both to help tackle climate change and secure our future energy supplies.

“The government will do whatever is necessary to bring about the transition to a low carbon economy and to give investors the certainty they need so that new renewable energy generation is built.”

DECC proposes three models:

* Connect and manage (socialised): Cost will be shared between all users of the network;
* Connect and manage (hybrid): A model that targets some, but not all, of the additional constraint costs on new entrant power stations;
* Connect and manage (shared cost and commitment): A model that offers the choice to new and existing power stations to commit to the network (which is helpful to the grid in terms of long term management of the system) in return for greater certainty over charges, or to opt out and be exposed to additional constraint costs.

Ofgem has already approved interim arrangements, which so far have seen 1 GW of renewable energy projects in Scotland being offered earlier connection dates. The UK government says it wants to ensure that these arrangements are put fully in place by June 2010.

Client News - AWS contributes to Marine Energy Report calling for more marine energy in Scotland.

More than 12,000 jobs in marine renewables could contribute £2.5 billion to Scotland's economy by 2020, according to a report published today.

The industry-led Marine Energy Group study charts a course for wave and tidal power around Scotland, and highlights actions to build further success in the sector. Its recommendations, for Government and its partners, include:

A call for the Scottish Government to repeat its Wave and Tidal Energy Support scheme A review of grid infrastructure required to support growth A fresh look at the levels of support available under the renewables obligation Calls for the Treasury to do more to help the sector, including the release of the Fossil Fuel Levy surplus funds to help promote renewables in Scotland Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney is in Orkney today where he will visit Stromness based marine energy company Aquatera.

Mr Swinney said: "With unrivalled marine resources and a range of wave, tidal and offshore wind development already underway, Scotland leads the way in generating energy from the sea.

The £10 million Saltire Prize continues to attract global interest in the marine energy potential around our coast. We also have publicly funded world leading testing facilities here in Orkney which are hosting wave and tidal devices built with Scottish Government support.

"Marine energy will be key to Scotland's future energy mix and that's why we changed our support mechanisms to give greater assistance to wave and tidal energy in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK.

"The report, put together by industry, highlights the actions it believes we need to deliver a commercial scale industry. It confirms there could be 12,500 Scottish jobs in marine renewables by 2020, a huge boost for the economy and a long term platform for sustainable growth.

"Industry recognises, as this Government has always believed, that the Treasury should unlock Scotland's share of the Fossil Fuel Levy - currently over £150 million - to allow us to give additional support to our renewables industry, the economy and environment.

"This report is an excellent example of collaboration in the public and private sectors. The recommendations are very much industry driven and we will consider their views very carefully as we continue to build a world leading renewables sector."

The Marine Energy Group is part of Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland and works to accelerate delivery of a world leading marine energy industry to provide a contribution to the sustainable economy and environment of Scotland.

Its members are:

Sian McGrath, Aquamarine Power (co-chair) Lynne Vallance, Scottish Government (co-chair)

Mike Barlow, Scottish & Southern Energy

Graham Bibby, AWS Ocean Energy

Alistair Birnie, Subsea UK

Duncan Burt, National Grid

Robin Burnett, Airtricity [from June 2009] Morna Cannon, Scottish Renewables/Scottish Government Gareth Davies, Aquatera Karen Fraser, Scottish Government Phil Gilmour, Scottish Government Neil Kermode, EMEC Audrey MacIver/Elain Cameron, Highlands & Islands Enterprise Tom Mallows, The Crown Estate Robin McGregor, Lunar Energy/Christie Griffith Alan Mortimer, ScottishPower Renewables Paul Neilson, Scottish & Southern Energy Brian Nixon, Scottish Enterprise Paul O'Brien, Scottish Development International Matthew Seed, Wavegen Robin Wallace,

Industry News-Green light for Cheshire waste fuelled power station

A new 95 Mega Watt power plant capable of turning 600,000 tonnes of waste each year into electricity and heat, to be built at Ince in Cheshire,was approved by the Government today.

The waste, which would have otherwise gone to landfill, will instead be used to generate electricity to power a new Resource Recovery Park.Excess electricity will also be exported to the National Grid.

The approval follows a public inquiry held into both the power plant and the Resource Recovery Park, which recommended that consent should be granted for the construction and operation of the plant and also that planning permission be given for the Resource Recovery Park.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Hunt said:

“We need to increase our use of renewable energy and to find solutions to the UK’s waste problem. This power plant will convert over half a million tonnes of waste each year into energy.

“The Inspector recommended the power plant be granted consent after a thorough public inquiry. I am satisfied that the mitigation measures to be put in place will protect the amenity of local villages.”

The separate planning permission for the Resource Recovery Park was also given today by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham.

Indutry News-Warning: Oil supplies are running out fast

Catastrophic shortfalls threaten economic recovery, says world's top energy economist

The world is heading for a catastrophic energy crunch that could cripple a global economic recovery because most of the major oil fields in the world have passed their peak production, a leading energy economist has warned.

Higher oil prices brought on by a rapid increase in demand and a stagnation, or even decline, in supply could blow any recovery off course, said Dr Fatih Birol, the chief economist at the respected International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris, which is charged with the task of assessing future energy supplies by OECD countries

In an interview with The Independent, Dr Birol said that the public and many governments appeared to be oblivious to the fact that the oil on which modern civilisation depends is running out far faster than previously predicted and that global production is likely to peak in about 10 years – at least a decade earlier than most governments had estimated.

But the first detailed assessment of more than 800 oil fields in the world, covering three quarters of global reserves, has found that most of the biggest fields have already peaked and that the rate of decline in oil production is now running at nearly twice the pace as calculated just two years ago. On top of this, there is a problem of chronic under-investment by oil-producing countries, a feature that is set to result in an "oil crunch" within the next five years which will jeopardise any hope of a recovery from the present global economic recession, he said.

In a stark warning to Britain and the other Western powers, Dr Birol said that the market power of the very few oil-producing countries that hold substantial reserves of oil – mostly in the Middle East – would increase rapidly as the oil crisis begins to grip after 2010.

"One day we will run out of oil, it is not today or tomorrow, but one day we will run out of oil and we have to leave oil before oil leaves us, and we have to prepare ourselves for that day," Dr Birol said. "The earlier we start, the better, because all of our economic and social system is based on oil, so to change from that will take a lot of time and a lot of money and we should take this issue very seriously," he said.

"The market power of the very few oil-producing countries, mainly in the Middle East, will increase very quickly. They already have about 40 per cent share of the oil market and this will increase much more strongly in the future," he said.

There is now a real risk of a crunch in the oil supply after next year when demand picks up because not enough is being done to build up new supplies of oil to compensate for the rapid decline in existing fields.

The IEA estimates that the decline in oil production in existing fields is now running at 6.7 per cent a year compared to the 3.7 per cent decline it had estimated in 2007, which it now acknowledges to be wrong.

"If we see a tightness of the markets, people in the street will see it in terms of higher prices, much higher than we see now. It will have an impact on the economy, definitely, especially if we see this tightness in the markets in the next few years," Dr Birol said.

"It will be especially important because the global economy will still be very fragile, very vulnerable. Many people think there will be a recovery in a few years' time but it will be a slow recovery and a fragile recovery and we will have the risk that the recovery will be strangled with higher oil prices," he told The Independent.

In its first-ever assessment of the world's major oil fields, the IEA concluded that the global energy system was at a crossroads and that consumption of oil was "patently unsustainable", with expected demand far outstripping supply.

Oil production has already peaked in non-Opec countries and the era of cheap oil has come to an end, it warned.

In most fields, oil production has now peaked, which means that other sources of supply have to be found to meet existing demand.

Even if demand remained steady, the world would have to find the equivalent of four Saudi Arabias to maintain production, and six Saudi Arabias if it is to keep up with the expected increase in demand between now and 2030, Dr Birol said.

"It's a big challenge in terms of the geology, in terms of the investment and in terms of the geopolitics. So this is a big risk and it's mainly because of the rates of the declining oil fields," he said.

"Many governments now are more and more aware that at least the day of cheap and easy oil is over... [however] I'm not very optimistic about governments being aware of the difficulties we may face in the oil supply," he said.

Environmentalists fear that as supplies of conventional oil run out, governments will be forced to exploit even dirtier alternatives, such as the massive reserves of tar sands in Alberta, Canada,which would be immensely damaging to the environment because of the amount of energy needed to recover a barrel of tar-sand oil compared to the energy needed to collect the same amount of crude oil.

"Just because oil is running out faster than we have collectively assumed, does not mean the pressure is off on climate change," said Jeremy Leggett, a former oil-industry consultant and now a green entrepreneur with Solar Century.

"Shell and others want to turn to tar, and extract oil from coal. But these are very carbon-intensive processes, and will deepen the climate problem," Dr Leggett said.

"What we need to do is accelerate the mobilisation of renewables, energy efficiency and alternative transport.

"We have to do this for global warming reasons anyway, but the imminent energy crisis redoubles the imperative," he said.

Oil: An unclear future

*Why is oil so important as an energy source?

Crude oil has been critical for economic development and the smooth functioning of almost every aspect of society. Agriculture and food production is heavily dependent on oil for fuel and fertilisers. In the US, for instance, it takes the direct and indirect use of about six barrels of oil to raise one beef steer. It is the basis of most transport systems. Oil is also crucial to the drugs and chemicals industries and is a strategic asset for the military.

*How are oil reserves estimated?

The amount of oil recoverable is always going to be an assessment subject to the vagaries of economics – which determines the price of the oil and whether it is worth the costs of pumping it out –and technology, which determines how easy it is to discover and recover. Probable reserves have a better than 50 per cent chance of getting oil out. Possible reserves have less than 50 per cent chance.

*Why is there such disagreement over oil reserves?

All numbers tend to be informed estimates. Different experts make different assumptions so it is under- standable that they can come to different conclusions. Some countries see the size of theiroilfields as a national security issue and do not want to provide accurate information. Another problem concerns how fast oil production is declining in fields that are past their peak production. The rate of decline can vary from field to field and this affects calculations on the size of the reserves. A further factor is the expected size of future demand for oil.

*What is "peak oil" and when will it be reached?

This is the point when the maximum rate at which oil is extracted reaches a peak because of technical and geological constraints, with global production going into decline from then on. The UK Government, along with many other governments, has believed that peak oil will not occur until well into the 21st Century, at least not until after 2030. The International Energy Agency believes peak oil will come perhaps by 2020. But it also believes that we are heading for an even earlier "oil crunch" because demand after 2010 is likely to exceed dwindling supplies.

*With global warming, why should we be worried about peak oil?

There are large reserves of non-conventional oil, such as the tar sands of Canada. But this oil is dirty and will produce vast amounts of carbon dioxide which will make a nonsense of any climate change agreement. Another problem concerns how fast oil production is declining in fields that are past their peak production. The rate of decline can vary from field to field and this affects calculations on the size of the reserves. If we are not adequately prepared for peak oil, global warming could become far worse than expected.

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Industry News-Latest protest leaves climate strategy twisting in the wind

From Shetland to the Isle of Wight, feelings run high as plans to transform the UK into a low-carbon economy hit further trouble.

Europe's largest onshore windfarm project has been thrown in severe doubt after the RSPB and official government agencies lodged formal objections to the 150-turbine plan, it emerged today.The setback adds to the problems facing the government's ambition to install 10,000 new turbines across the UK by 2020 as part of its plan to cut the carbon emissions causing climate change.

The proposed 550MW windfarm, sprawling across the centre of Shetland's main island, would add almost 20% to existing onshore wind capacity. But the objectors say the plans could seriously damage breeding sites for endangered birds, including a rare wader, the whimbrel, which was unexpectedly discovered by the windfarm developer's own environmental survey teams.

Other species at risk include the red throated diver, golden plover and merlin.

The RSPB heavily criticised the proposal from Viking Energy after initially indicating it could support the scheme. The RSPB also claims now that installation of the turbines could release significant carbon dioxide from the peat bogs affected, undermining the turbines' potential to combat global warming.

The group's fears have been endorsed by the government's official conservation advisers, Scottish Natural Heritage, and SNH has also objected to the "magnitude" of the scheme, claiming it could kill many of these birds through collisions with the 145-metre-high structures.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), which oversees pollution and waste laws in Scotland, has also formally objected, making it inevitable the scheme will now go to a full public inquiry and intensifying pressure on the developers to alter the scale of the project.

In a detailed critique of the proposal, Sepa has asked Viking Energy to significantly rethink its plans to cut out and dump up to 1m cubic metres of peat during construction, and asked ministers to impose tough conditions to protect local water quality and freshwater species .

Bill Manson, a director of Viking Energy, the community-owned company which is collaborating with Scottish and Southern Energy on the scheme, said it would be prepared to negotiate. "I believe there's a dialogue to be had, which will assuage their fears, I hope," he said.

A Scottish government consultation on the £800m scheme closed yesterday, with more than 3,600 of Shetland's 21,000 islanders signing a petition calling for the project to be scrapped.

The Shetland Amenity Trust, a local heritage and archaeological charity, and one of Scotland's major countryside access organisations, the John Muir Trust, have also objected, arguing that the proposal would have a "hugely damaging detrimental impact" on the treeless, hilly landscape.

The dispute has highlighted the conflicts arising over the siting of major windfarms on land, between the need to exploit the most windy locations and the desire to preserve the rural environment.

The government wants to have an additional 6,000 onshore and 4,000 offshore wind turbines installed by 2020 to meet its legally binding target of generating 15% of all energy from renewable sources. There are currently about 2,400 turbines.

ed Milliband, the energy and climate change secretary, has set out an ambitious plan to transform the UK to a low-carbon economy.

But the plans to change the planning system to make windfarm approvals quicker and give priority to renewable projects in granting national grid connections prompted significant criticism on the siting and cost of windfarms.Within a week, the newly formed National Association of Wind Action Groups pledged to campaign against the harmful impact of wind turbine developments on communities and landscapes.

Another blow came from the decision of Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas to close the UK's only blade manufacturing plant on the Isle of Wight. The company said the UK wind market was not growing fast enough and that projects had been slowed down by planning objections.Existing windfarms have 3,000MW of capacity, but another 9,600MW is in the planning process.

A further 6,000MW has planning permission but no funding and on Monday the government announced a £1bn loan package to try to fill that funding gap. It argues that the UK has the largest potential for wind power in Europe and already has more offshore wind installed than any other country. Miliband has said that climate change poses a greater threat to landscapes than windfarms and that opposing them should be "socially unacceptable".

Scotland is already home to more than half the UK's onshore wind capacity and Shetland is a key location. The islands reputedly experience the highest and most consistent wind speeds of any comparable place on earth. One small turbine at Lerwick, known as Betsy, is believed to be the world's most productive, reaching 59% of its potential output.

The Viking scheme, if approved by ministers, would alone generate a fifth of Scotland's domestic electricity needs and earn up to £37m a year in profits for Shetland. Manson said yesterday that the scheme had to be large-scale for the energy regulator and National Grid to agree to lay the £300m interconnector cable that would carry the electricity to the mainland. A scheme even half its current size would not be commercially viable.

But opponents claim that the scheme is far too large and that, with a further 62 miles of access roads, it would significantly affect a fifth of the main island's desolate interior and industrialise the landscape."We can't simply build our way out of climate change," said John Hutchison, chairman of the John Muir Trust."It is both cheaper and less destructive to reduce energy need and waste, rather than cover the wild landscapes that define Scotland and its people with wind turbines."

For the full version of this article in the guardian please click here

Political News-Ed Miliband Guardian Article One giant leap for a greener Britain

Only an Apollo-like effort of imagination and action will help us move to a low carbon economy

Forty years since the Eagle landed on the moon, the idea of a new Apollo project has become shorthand for how we should tackle climate change: politics forcing through the technological limits, a decade-long push, and a nation unified for a shared goal. The Guardian's Manchester Report last week showed there are plenty of reasons for optimism about the technologies that can take us into the low-carbon future.

But like Apollo, the challenge of climate change is to combine political will with technological leapfrog – and, in fact, the political challenge is almost unparalleled in human history. We can't all be rocket scientists (or climate scientists), but every one of us is needed for the political moonshot of today.

If the world agrees to act on climate change at the Copenhagen conference in December, countries will need to maintain their radicalism not just for a year or two but for decades. There must be a consensus from the richest country to the poorest and from democracies to autocracies. When we all depend on each other's actions, the world can't afford climate free-riders.

At home, our consensus already stretches from businesses to trade unions and from the Women's Institute to MTV. But for the pace and breadth of change that is needed many more people must be won over to our cause – to make change themselves and to build a climate change consensus. Climate change denial is given short shrift, but we should not confuse widespread acquiescence for universal enthusiasm. Climate change champions face the classic test of take-off political movements: how to widen the circle of the committed without watering down the clarity of the message.

First, if we are in the persuasion business, all of us have to talk as much about the advantages of the low carbon choice as the disaster that awaits if we don't act. We don't do this enough.

Just look at energy. Two-thirds of the world's gas is in Russia and the Middle East, but renewable energy is homegrown and can help us stem a rising dependence on imports. In manufacturing, there is a thriving set of new industries dependent on low carbon and on ways of cleaning up old sectors, and a chance to build a broader-based economy. Only by making the transition, with government support, can we reap the benefits.

And let's use the moment and cause to think about how we design cities and towns to make it easier for people to enjoy greener space, use public transport and have a better quality of life.

Second, we need not just to appeal to people to change their lifestyles but make it easier for them to do so. Here government has a central role. What will make more people leave the car in the garage and take a bike to the train station? Not finger-wagging, but convenience. As Andrew Adonis, the transport secretary, pointed out last week, the Dutch town of Leiden has three times as much bike storage at its station as all the London terminals put together. In Holland a third of journeys to stations are by bike; in Britain it's 2%. And from bike racks to loft lagging, the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan is designed to help make it possible for people to find a better way.

Third, we need to win some big and difficult arguments to create consensus. To do this we need to be candid about the pressures created by the transition to low carbon and show we will try to alleviate them where we can.

When I launched the plan, last week, I said energy prices were likely to rise by 2020. We need to convince people that despite the costs, the transition is right because the costs of not acting are much greater, and high-carbon fossil fuels offer an insecure future. We need to find ways of making the transition as fair as we can, insulating particularly the poorest people from these effects.

I believe the biggest threat to the countryside is not wind turbines but climate change. We do need to site new turbines in the most appropriate places, but we also need to persuade people that they have to go somewhere, and that the catastrophe wrought by climate change would indeed destroy many parts of our green and pleasant land.

However, building the resolve of a country, let alone a planet, is a big ask. Change happens not just because leaders want it, but because people demand it.Groups are springing up to persuade people to act on climate change. They ally the power of imagination – the rocket on the moon – with the power of example, action in their own lives.

They must also be the kernel of the movement, sustained and broad, that we need to exert pressure on governments up to Copenhagen and beyond. While this week we celebrate Apollo, it is persuasion, campaigning and political argument, not just technological advance, that will generate the giant leaps humankind needs on climate change.

for the copy of this article click here

Client News-Press Notice for Broadview Energy in South Warwickshire

BROADVIEW ENERGY INVESTIGATING FARMLAND SITE IN SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE FOR SMALL WIND FARM

Date of Issue: Monday, July 20th 2009

Broadview Energy Limited has today announced that it is considering the development of a small wind farm on agricultural land close to Junction 12 of the M40 motorway, and in the vicinity of the villages of Knightcote and Bishop’s Itchington in Warwickshire.

The company, which is developing a number of other small wind farm projects in England and Scotland, has identified the site as a possible location for up to 6 wind turbines. The company now needs to carry out a series of technical and environmental studies on the site (known as Starbold) and the surrounding area to confirm its initial findings.

Broadview has submitted a “Scoping Document” to Stratford-on-Avon District Council (the local planning authority) which outlines the scope of the studies that are to be carried out as part of the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The Council will consult on the Scoping Document with parish councils, the Environment Agency, the Highways Agency, other government agencies and organisations such as Natural England and the RSPB. Once the scope is agreed, Broadview will set about completing the EIA which is expected to take six to eight months.

Jeffrey Corrigan, Managing Director of Broadview Energy said: “We have carried out initial studies and we think that the Starbold site could be ideal for a small wind farm. It’s windy and it’s set away from residential areas. It’s now necessary to carry out very detailed work to confirm our initial views. The results of the EIA, along with our consultations with local people and others, will establish the viability, size and precise location of the wind farm and whether or not we decide to take forward a scheme for planning approval by Stratford-on-Avon District Council.”

Public consultation is an important part of Broadview’s development work and the company will be holding “drop-in” sessions for local people after the summer holidays to give them an opportunity to learn more about the wind farm project and to meet members of the Broadview Energy team.

Jeffrey Corrigan added: “We are at a very early stage in the process but we are keen to let people know about our plans, our reasons for choosing the Starbold site and the contribution that onshore wind power can make to the region and to the country as a whole. In turn, we want to hear people’s initial thoughts on our plans and how they see renewable energy in helping to protect the environment and to secure the country’s energy future”.

As well as the “drop-in sessions”, Broadview Energy has launched a project website (www.starboldwindfarm.co.uk) and will also publish regular bulletins about its work. Assuming the environmental and technical studies confirm the Starbold site to be suitable for a wind farm, Broadview Energy will hold a series of exhibitions where people would see the final design and layout of the proposed scheme.

Notes to Editors:

1.Broadview Energy Limited (www.broadviewenergy.com) develops wind energy projects in the United Kingdom that generate clean, sustainable energy. Broadview takes projects from site identification, through the planning process, to construction and ultimately operation. The company focuses on small projects, typically between two and ten turbines. It currently has a number of projects under various stages of development throughout the United Kingdom.

2.The Government published its Renewable Energy Strategy on July 15th 2009 and has now set a revised target of 30% of all the electricity produced in the UK to be from renewable sources by 2020; currently the figures sit at approximately 5%.

3.The West Midlands Regional Energy Strategy (published in November 2004) includes targets for increasing the use of renewable energy. In August 2008,the West Midlands had approximately 188MW of renewable energy (primarily wind power) either projects in the planning process awaiting planning determination, those which have received planning consent but are yet to be constructed, those being constructed or those which are operational.

For more information:

Broadview Energy Limited

Lisa Ross, Community Relations Manager: lross@broadviewenergy.com / 020 8487 9150

Or Paul Taylor: paul@taylorkeogh.com / 020 3170 8465

Industry News-Government admits marine power fund has run aground

Plans undermined by admissions that it has not handed out any of a £50m marine development fund set up in 2004.

Government promises that it would establish Britain as a global centre for tidal and wave power have been undermined by admissions that it has nothanded out any of a £50m marine development fund set up in 2004.

Companies have often complained that the rules for the Marine Renewable Deployment Fund (MRDF) are so demanding that they have struggled to get money from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to develop prototypes.

"As yet there have been no projects which have met the necessary requirements [of the MRDF]," the department told the Observer, but it insisted that changes made in the government's renewable energy strategy, published last week, would transform the situation.

A new Marine Renewables Proving Fund of £22m has been set aside to help marine power companies reach the stage where they would be eligible for MRDF money. The fund requires companies to demonstrate their prototype power systems have operated for at least three months before they can receive money.

Companies argued they needed funding earlier and the DECC has finally agreed. The department has also sought to make up ground by pumping £9.5m into the trial Wave Hub wave power system off Cornwall plus £8m for the European Marine Energy Centre in the Orkneys.

In addition the marine power sector should benefit from £10m being put into the south-west, which is the UK's first low-carbon economic area.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jul/19/utilities-energy-marine-power-uk

Client News-MGT Power coverage in the Financial Times

Green light for £500m biomass plant

England’s biggest biomass power station, a £500m plant at Teesport, near Middlesbrough, was given the go-ahead on Wednesday .The 295-megawatt capacity renewable energy plant, capable of generating enough electricity to meet the needs of 600,000 homes, will be one of the world’s biggest biomass plants.

Announced on Wednesday to coincide with the unveiling of the government’s low-carbon strategies, the plant is expected to save 1.2m tonnes of CO2 per year and account for 5.5 per cent of the UK’s renewable electricity target.

David Kidney, the energy minister, said: “In just over 10 years’ time, 40 per cent of the country’s electricity will come from low-carbon sources, like biomass.”

The British company developing the wood-fuelled power station is MGT Power, established 18 months ago to develop biomass-generation projects in the UK and continental Europe. Main shareholders include Trafalgar Asset Managers and MKM Longboat. An as yet unnamed international group of four banks, including a UK high-street name, will provide debt finance for the project, MGT’s first.

The Teesport power station, to be built on the South Dock area, owned by PD Ports, won local authority planning approval last November and hasnow received final approval from the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The plant will use 2.4m tonnes of woodchips each year, sourced from North and South America and the Baltic states, and is expected to produce the same amount of renewable electricity over a year as a 1,000MW wind farm.

Chris Moore, director of MGT, said the plant had secured an early connection date to National Grid, to which it would export power from 2012.

“Other, similarly sized biomass plants are proposed in other parts of the country but our Teesport project is currently two years ahead of the pack and likely to be one of the first to be operational,” he said.

This article was published in the Financial Times and can be seen here

Industry News-Government announces UK Low Carbon Transition Plan

UK at forefront of a low carbon economic revolution

A comprehensive plan to move the UK onto a permanent low carbon footing and to maximise economic opportunities, growth and jobs was published by the Government today.

The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan plots out how the UK will meet the cut in emissions set out in the budget of 34% on 1990 levels by 2020. A 21% reduction has already been delivered – equivalent to cutting emissions entirely from four cities the size of London.

Transforming the country into a cleaner, greener and more prosperous place to live is at the heart of our economic plans for Building Britain’s Future and ensuring the UK is ready to take advantage of the opportunities ahead. By 2020:

• More than 1.2 million people will be in green jobs
• 7 million homes will enjoy pay-as-you-save home energy makeovers, and more than 1.5 million households will be supported to produce their own clean energy
• 40% of electricity will be from low carbon sources, from renewables, nuclear and clean coal
• We will be importing half the amount of gas that we otherwise would
• The average new car will emit 40% less carbon than now.

The Transition Plan takes a cost effective route to reducing carbon and keeps the overall impact on the consumer to a minimum. Today’s plan will not increase average energy bills by 2015, compared to now. By 2020, the impact of ALL climate change policies, both existing and new, will be to add, on average, an additional 8% - or £92 - to today’s household bills. Since 2000 £20 billion has been spent tackling fuel poverty, assisting millions of households in the UK. The Plan includes greater powers for the regulator Ofgem to protect the consumer and, following new legislation, new resources for discounts off the bills of some of the most vulnerable households.

The Transition Plan is the most systematic response to climate change of any major developed economy, and sets the standard for others in the run up to crucial global climate talks in Copenhagen in December.

The UK Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, published alongside, sets out a series of active government interventions to support industries critical to tackling climate change. It puts workers and businesses in the UK at the forefront of massive global opportunity by targeting key industries and regions where the UK has competitive or commercial advantage, including offshore wind, marine power and carbon capture and storage. This includes the first allocations from the £405m funding for green industry and technology announced in the Budget.

Also published today are the Renewable Energy Strategy which maps out how we will deliver the UK’s target of getting 15% of all energy (electricity, heat and transport) from renewables by 2020, and the Government’s Low Carbon Transport Plan which sets out how to reduce carbon emissions from domestic transport by up to 14% over the next decade.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said:

“The UK was the first country in the world to legislate for carbon budgets. It was a dramatic change in approach. This is a transition plan for Britain, a route-map to 2020, with carbon savings expected across every sector and a carbon budget assigned to every government department alongside its financial budget.

“Renewables, nuclear and clean fossil fuels are the trinity of low carbon and the future of energy in Britain. Under our plans we will get 40% of our electricity from low carbon energy by 2020 and more in the years afterwards.

“Our plan will strengthen our energy security, it seeks to be fair to the most vulnerable, it seizes industrial opportunity and it rises to the moral challenge of climate change.

“In five months, the world must come together at Copenhagen and follow through on the commitment of world leaders last week to stop dangerous climate change. Today we have shown how Britain will play its part.”

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said:

“The strategies we are launching today outline the government’s vision for achieving a low carbon future for the UK, reshaping the way we live and work in every element of our lives. This is a challenge that every economy is facing, and we are determined that by setting clear policy now Britain positions itself to benefit both economically and environmentally from the transition.

“The UK is already the sixth largest economy for low carbon goods and services, globally worth £3 trillion and growing, and today the government is outlining how its support for the economy will ensure our businesses and our workforce continue to lead the way. We must combine the dynamism of the private sector with a strategic role for government to deliver the benefits of innovation, growth and job creation in the UK.”

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said:

"Transport accounts for a significant amount of our domestic emissions. Therefore decarbonising this sector has to be front and centre of efforts to meet our obligations and commitments to tackle climate change. Our strategy sets out a long-term vision for a fundamentally different transport system in our country, where carbon reduction is a central consideration in the way we do business.

"If we are to safeguard the future of transport then we must also safeguard the environment that it impacts upon – I am determined to do that."

The UK is the first country in the world to set itself legally binding ‘carbon budgets’. Under the Climate Change Act 2008 emissions of greenhouse gases are constrained in each successive five year period. The Transition Plan sets out how we will cut emissions by 34% on 1990 levels by 2020 from the main emitting sectors – power, homes, workplaces, transport and agriculture – on the way to achieving a reduction of at least 80% by 2050. Every government department has today been allocated its own carbon budget, as the Government pilots a new system to run alongside financial budgets.

Departments will have to live within these when taking major policy decisions and managing their buildings. Failure could have real financial implications for Government.

An outline of announcements contained in the documents published today:

THE POWER SECTOR

Around 50% of the annual emissions cuts between now and 2020 will be achieved by further greening of the electricity mix. We expect 40% of the electricity we use in 2020 to come from low carbon sources – 30% from renewables, the rest from nuclear (including new build) and clean coal. We need to all-but eliminate carbon from electricity by 2050.

New today:

• Up to £6m to start development of a ‘smart grid’, including a policy road map next spring.
• DECC to take direct responsibility from Ofgem for establishing a new grid access regime within 12 months.
• Launch of the new Office for Renewable Energy Deployment in DECC to speed up the growth of renewables in the UK.
• £11.2m to help regions and local authorities prepare for and speed up planning decisions on renewable and low carbon energy whilst protecting legitimate environmental and local concerns.
• The final shortlist of the schemes for the Severn Tidal Power feasibility study is confirmed as three barrages (including the Cardiff-Weston barrage) and two lagoons. Three innovative schemes have also won funding to support their development.
• A consultation covering the changes to the existing Renewables Obligation, such as extending the life-time of the RO to at least 2037 and the introduction of a 20 year limit on support, to make it capable of delivering some 30% of our electricity from renewables.
• Approval for the UK’s largest biomass power station on Teesside
  

HOMES AND COMMUNITIES

Around 15% of the annual emissions cuts between now and 2020 will be achieved making our homes more efficient and supporting small scale renewable energy. There are massive cash savings to be made - in a poorly insulated home, up to £1 out of every £3 spent on heating is being wasted.

New today:

• We aim to place the energy suppliers’ social programmes on a statutory footing with increased resources when the current voluntary agreement ends in March 2011.
• Strengthening the energy regulator Ofgem’s powers to protect the consumer.
• ‘Pay as you save’ pilots helping people make their whole house greener by using the savings made on energy bills to repay the upfront costs, backed by up to £4m from low carbon investment funding. An eventual national roll out could create 34,000 jobs.
• Consultation on the shape and rates of a new ‘clean energy cash-back’ scheme (Feed in Tariff) to be in place by April next year. People and businesses that generate their own electricity from low carbon sources will be paid for doing so. A similar scheme for renewable heat will follow in April 2011.
• Extending the current CERT energy efficiency programme by a year to 2012. Alongside an uplift of 20%, total help under the scheme will total £3.2 billion.
• A new personal carbon incentive scheme to challenge people on a voluntary basis to save energy, through the Government’s Act on CO2 campaign.
• Challenging 15 villages, towns or cities to be testbeds for piloting future green initiatives.
  

WORKPLACES AND JOBS

Around 10% of the annual emissions cuts between now and 2020 will be achieved through greater efficiencies in our workplaces. By 2050, our offices, factories, schools and hospitals need to reduce emissions to almost zero. Jobs and business opportunities will be created in new sectors outside the energy sector and help will be needed to support all businesses be more energy efficient.

New today:

• Up to £120m from low carbon investment funding to significantly advance the offshore wind industry in the UK.
• Up to £60m from low carbon investment funding announced in the Budget to cement the UK’s position as a global leader in wave and tidal energy including:
  
  - Up to £9.5m investment in the Wave Hub sub-sea socket off Cornwall and up to a further £10m funding to make the South West the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area, a world centre for wave and tidal energy, building on business opportunities and skills.

- Up to £10m for testing facilities at the National Renewable Energy Centre in Northumberland and up to £8m for the European Marine Energy Centre in the Orkneys.

- Up to £22m for a new Marine Renewables Proving Fund for testing and demonstration of wave and tidal technologies.

• £6m of funding to explore areas of potential “hot rocks” to be used for geothermal energy. The deep geothermal resource of the South West of England alone could meet 2% of annual UK electricity demand.
• A £4 million expansion of the Manufacturing Advisory Service, to provide more specialist advice to manufacturers on competing for low carbon opportunities, including support for suppliers for the civil nuclear industry.
• A new Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to combine the knowledge, practices and expertise of around 30 manufacturing companies with the capability of universities on manufacturing, processes and skills.
• Campaign to be launched later this year to help small and medium businesses in the shift to low carbon.
• The public sector must lead by example. Emissions have already reduced by a third between 1990 and 2007 and DECC has challenged itself to reduce emissions from its own building by 10% in 09/10 with more to follow.
  

TRANSPORT SYSTEM

Around 20% of the annual emissions cuts between now and 2020 will be achieved by cleaning up the way we travel. By 2050, road and rail transport will be largely decarbonised and aviation and shipping will have seen a significant improvement in efficiency.

New today:

• Providing proposed detail on the kinds of electric and plug-in hybrid cars that could qualify for the £2-5000 consumer incentives expected to apply from 2011. This includes the requirement for the vehicle to have maximum tailpipe emissions of 75g CO2/km. An update has also been published on the infrastructure framework which is supporting this scheme.
• A new steering group for the freight and logistics industry to find effective ways of measuring, reporting and reducing emissions across the logistics sector
• Commitment to work with our European partners to develop a robust mechanism for regulating CO2 from new vans.
  

FARMS AND MANAGING LAND AND WASTE SUSTAINABLY

Around 5% of the annual emissions cuts between now and 2020 will be achieved by reducing emissions from agriculture, land use and waste.

New today:

• For the first time ever, an ambition for agriculture to cut emissions. Changes to farming practices can save farmers money and contribute 6% cuts from current projections by 2020.
• Support for anaerobic digestion, a technology that turns waste and manure into renewable energy.
• Support for energy efficient and low carbon farming. Within the limits imposed by the current EU rules on state aid, the Government and the Carbon Trust will work to make farming businesses eligible for its interest-free loans for low-carbon activity.
• Agreeing an action plan with the agriculture sector to reduce emissions and developing an advisory service to help farmers.
• Encouraging private funding for woodland creation.
• Reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, and better capture of landfill emissions.

For more details click here

Client News-MGT Power to build large biomass plant on Teesside

LARGE SCALE BIOMASS POWER PLANT TO BE BUILT ON TEESSIDE

Date: July 15^th 2009

The £500m Tees Renewable Energy Plant, located at Teesport, and being developed by British company MGT Power Limited has received consent from the British Government under Section 36 of the Electricity Act.

At 295MW capacity, the plant will generate enough electricity to meet the needs of approximately 600,000 homes and will be one of the largest-ever biomass plants to be built in the world, and one of the largest of all renewable energy projects. The Tees Renewable Energy Plant will enter commercial operation in late 2012.

Chris Moore, Director of MGT Power said: “The Government’s consent is welcome news as we are at an advanced stage with forestry establishment for fuel sourcing, and power plant procurement. We can now mandate our banks, conclude the financing and reach agreement with our preferred technology bidders. We are moving towards an early construction start with a high degree of confidence.”

He added: “Other similarly sized biomass plants are proposed in other parts of the country but our Teesport project is currently two years ahead of the pack and likely to be one of the first to be operational. It comes at a time when replacement UK energy generation capacity is urgently needed. We will continue to work closely with Redcar & Cleveland Council as well as PD Ports, the owners of Teesport, Renew Tees Valley and the local Trade Unions to complete the project. Their support and commitment to the project over the last 2 years has been invaluable. ”

The Tees Renewable Energy Plant will help to meet the Government’s environmental and renewable energy targets and add to the country’s growing need to diversify its power generation. It will create 600 jobs during the three year construction period, 150 permanent jobs during the station’s lifetime, and once operating will contribute about £30m per annum into the North East’s economy, supporting a further 300-400 jobs indirectly. It will save 1.2million tonnes of CO₂ per year and will account for 5.5% of the UK’s renewable electricity target.

David Kidney MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the UK Department of Energy & Climate Change said: “The Tees Renewable Energy Plant brings a range of economic and environmental benefits, not least creating new jobs at Teesport, and the use of clean technology will help reduce carbon emissions. Biomass generation, using sustainable sources, is starting to make a significant contribution to the UK’s energy market and will help us reach our renewable targets.”

The biomass feedstock for the Tees Renewable Energy Plant will be sourced from certified sustainable forestry projects developed by the MGT team and partners in North and South America and the Baltic States. These projects will provide clean burning woodchip, which delivers 95% greenhouse gas savings in comparison to coal or natural gas through the life cycle and will not use high quality land suitable for food crops.

The plant will use around 2.4m tonnes of woodchips per annum and will operate at baseload – 24 hours a day, all year round. This means the Tees Renewable Energy Plant will produce the same amount of renewable electricity over a year as a 1,000MW wind farm.

Notes to Editors:

1. MGT Power (www.mgtpower.com) was established in December 2007 to develop biomass generation projects in the UK and Europe. The management team includes Chris Moore, Ben Elsworth, Thiago Azevedo and Noel Forrest who have backgrounds in UK power generation and the supply of renewable energy feedstocks. The company’s main shareholders include Trafalgar Asset Managers and MKM Longboat. The firm’s financial advisors are Ernst & Young and engineering consultants are Pöyry Energy and PB Power. Legal advisors include Taylor Wessing, Dickinson Dees and Shadbolt.

2. The site is about 6kms east of Middlesbrough and 5kms west of Redcar. It is situated on land adjacent to the main southern dock at Teesport on the south bank of the River Tees. It has a number of advantages: available industrial zone land, suitable dockside acreage in a deep water port, good access to the National Grid and associated electrical infrastructure, excellent highly skilled local industrial workforce and contracting base, and excellent road links.

3. As a storable, concentrated energy form, wood biomass allows electricity generation 24 hours a day, all year round, in contrast to intermittent renewable sources such as wind or solar. MGT Power will use trees sustainably planted specifically for use as fuel, such as Short Rotation Forestry (eg. Eucalyptus, Pines) and Short Rotation Coppicing (eg. Willow, Poplar).

For further information & images please contact:

Paul Taylor (Taylor Keogh Communications) on +44 (0)20 3170 8466 / +44 (0)7966 782611

Industry Renewables Report-Managing Variability by David Milborrow

One week ahead of when the UK government is expected to publish its ‘Renewable Energy Strategy’, a new report Managing Variability, by energy analyst David Milborrow, claims that the UK’s grid could cope with the variable energy input generated from wind farms.

The report commissioned by WWF, RSPB, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth looks at the options already available to manage variability on the system, identifies solutions for the future and assesses ways to minimise costs.


Summary of Findings:
•Wind Power can significantly reduce our climate damaging emissions.

•Fluctuations in wind strength can be managed technically and at modest and declining cost.

•High proportions of wind power in our energy mix are feasible, and are already successfully integrated in other countries.

•A range of technological developments already underway could allow for a steadily increasing use of wind power and the phasing out of conventional carbon based fuels as backup technology.

Conclusions:
•There is no technical barrier to accommodating large amounts of wind power in our energy mix. We can keep the lights on.

•Even at relatively high levels of wind in the energy mix, the need for backup capacity is modest, with most backup needs being met by the existing pool which supports all forms of power generation.

•The cost associated with managing the variable nature of wind power are modest and can be expected to decline as new technologies including a supergrid, smart grid and improved energy storage are developed.

•As other variable renewable technologies are developed, it is expected that these too would be suited to displace conventional power stations.

•Other European countries are already using large proportions of wind power in their energy mix and see no technical barriers to increasing to higher levels.


Recommendations:
•Ensure that the energy market is able to deliver a massive expansion of renewables. This must include ensuring that the energy regulators main task is to cut climate change emissions by prioritising renewables and energy efficiency.

•Grant priority access to the energy market and electricity grid system for renewables ahead of conventional dirty power.

•Deploy continued and substantially increased financial support and regulatory incentives for renewable energy beyond 2020.

•Secure attractive grants and green loans for energy efficiency measures and research and development for renewable technologies.

•Enable better planning for renewabels, including spatially based approaches to ensure timely delivery and facilitate appropriate siting.

•Create an industrial strategy that will establish skills and manufacturing in the UK, addressing shortages in the supply chain for renewables and boosting jobs and the economy.

Click here for the full report Managing Variability by David Milborrow

Political News-Energy Debate must focus on renewables, smart grids, smart meters,smart tariffs and improving planning

Westminster All Party Climate Change Group debate on renewables

The debate around renewables is still open. While they are accepted as being a key part of the energy mix and necessary in decarbonising energy the variety of technologies used to generate power has often been cited as being a barrier to increasing their use in the UK.

As part of its legally binding EU renewable energy target (EUTS), analysts have suggested the UK may need up to source 35-40% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. A high proportion of the UK's renewable electricity is likely to come from onshore and offshore wind, whose variability needs to be managed.

One week ahead of when the UK government is expected to publish its ‘Renewable Energy Strategy’, a new report Managing Variability, by energy analyst David Milborrow, claims that the UK’s grid could cope with the variable energy input generated from wind farms.

The UK can meet its targets of generating more than a third of its electricity from wind by 2020 without raising the risk of blackouts at an additional cost of £2 for every £100 electricity bill.

The report commissioned by WWF, RSPB, Green Peace and Friends of the Earth looks at the options already available to manage variability on the system, identifies solutions for the future and assesses ways to minimise costs.

Yesterday evening the All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group (APPCCG) held a Westminster debate discussing the report findings and the many opportunities that exist for delivery of UK renewable energy targets and grid development and management.

The debate was chaired by Colin Challen MP, and the panel included Dr. Keith Allott, Head of Climate Change, WWF-UK, Chris Bennett, Future Transmission Networks Manager, National Grid, Dr. Keith Maclean and Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Scottish & Southern Energy.

The overall message from the panel was that using more wind energy is ‘do-able’. Countries such as Denmark and Germany have already ‘removed the myths’and have proved that a variety of sources can be used to generate energy and supply the network.

Chris Bennett spoke confidently that the ‘changes in transmission and to the national grid could and have already been made’. Similar to other commentators he noted that more “investment will be needed” and that the focus must be put on the ‘market to ensure the right levels of generation” is reached. He said that that they had “already started work on increasing the numbers of interconnectors with Europe and it is now that market questions need to be put on the table”.

Dr. Keith Maclean called for a ‘sensible discussion to be had around renewables and a real debate around capacity demand’. He noted that the ‘real thing to note is that renewables replace fossil fuels so in essence they are reducing emmissions’.

The complexity of the energy mix and how to reach supply is one the reasons that Maclean called for caution in “going all out in support of one technology or the other”. He said that he was “pleased that the government was looking at biomass and issues around storage”. He believes that “the real challenge is in the timing, getting everything right and delivering the policy, the investment and building of new plants for biomass, thermal and wind farms at the right time”.

One key point that he did raise is “the uncertainty that there is around small projects because of issues in relation to transmission charges. Smaller developers need to be able to show the bank that they can make a return on their investment and for this to be done DECC needs to use their powers under the energy act very quickly to make this happen”. His fear is that unless action is taken in this area soon there will be no investment for more small to medium generators going into the market”.

Unfortunately it was very hard to hear anything that Dr. Keith Allot from the WWF said. But from what we did record he said “there are other renewables out there and we need to look at marine, biomass and geothermal. CCS looks like a very expensive way of producing energy but the WWF will wait and see”.

Key points in debate:

•The WWF and members from the BWEA were pushing for wind as being the main solution members of the panel kept repeating that focus needed to be put on the mixed energy approach.

•Both Bennett and Macclean said emphasised the point that planning is an area that needed to be focused on and sped up.

•The panel agreed that both biomass and marine would have a lot to play in energy supply but to make this happen companies will need to receive more investment. In order to do this smaller companies will need to be supported in being able to demonstrate their ability to generate power and get it onto the network so banks and investors can explicitly see return on investment.

•The discussion around ‘capacity’ and ‘demand’ and what renewables such as wind, biomass, marine and geo-thermal must be clearer.

•The energy must start to focus on integration of smart grids, smart meters and smart tariff plans for customers.


Click here to read David Milborrow full report Managing Variability

Political News- Energy debate must focus on renewables, smart grids,smart meters and imporve planning

Westminster All Party Climate Change Group debate on renewables

The debate around renewables is still open. While they are accepted as being a key part of the energy mix and necessary in decarbonising energy the variety of technologies used to generate power has often been cited as being a barrier to increasing their use in the UK.

As part of its legally binding EU renewable energy target (EUTS), analysts have suggested the UK may need up to source 35-40% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. A high proportion of the UK's renewable electricity is likely to come from onshore and offshore wind, whose variability needs
to be managed.

One week ahead of when the UK government is expected to publish its ‘Renewable Energy Strategy’, a new report Managing Variability, by energy analyst David Milborrow, claims that the UK’s grid could cope with the variable energy input generated from wind farms.

The UK can meet its targets of generating more than a third of its electricity from wind by 2020 without raising the risk of blackouts at an additional cost of £2 for every £100 electricity bill.

The report commissioned by WWF, RSPB, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth looks at the options already available to manage variability on the system, identifies solutions for the future and assesses ways to minimise costs.

Yesterday evening the All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group (APPCCG) held a Westminster debate discussing the report findings and the many opportunities that exist for delivery of UK renewable energy targets and grid development and management.

The debate was chaired by Colin Challen MP, and the panel included Dr. Keith Allott, Head of Climate Change, WWF-UK, Chris Bennett, Future Transmission Networks Manager, National Grid, Dr. Keith Maclean and Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Scottish & Southern Energy.

The overall message from the panel was that using more wind energy is ‘do-able’. Countries such as Denmark and Germany have already ‘removed the myths’and have proved that a variety of sources can be used to generate energy and supply the network.

Chris Bennett spoke confidently that the ‘changes in transmission and to the national grid could and have already been made’. Similar to other commentators he noted that more “investment will be needed” and that the focus must be put on the ‘market to ensure the right levels of generation” is reached. He said that that they had “already started work on increasing the numbers of interconnectors with Europe and it is now that market questions need to be put on the table”.

Dr. Keith Maclean called for a ‘sensible discussion to be had around renewables and a real debate around capacity demand’. He noted that the ‘real thing to note is that renewables replace fossil fuels so in essence they are reducing emmissions’.

The complexity of the energy mix and how to reach supply is one the reasons that Maclean called for caution in “going all out in support of one technology or the other”. He said that he was “pleased that the government was looking at biomass and issues around storage”. He believes that “the real challenge is in the timing, getting everything right and delivering the policy, the investment and building of new plants for biomass, thermal and wind farms at the right time”.

One key point that he did raise is “the uncertainty that there is around small projects because of issues in relation to transmission charges. Smaller developers need to be able to show the bank that they can make a return on their investment and for this to be done DECC needs to use their powers under the energy act very quickly to make this happen”. His fear is that unless action is taken in this area soon there will be no investment for more small to medium generators going into the market”.

Unfortunately it was very hard to hear anything that Dr. Keith Allot from the WWF said. But from what we did record he said “there are other renewables out there and we need to look at marine, biomass and geothermal. CCS looks like a very expensive way of producing energy but the WWF will
wait and see”.

Key points in debate:

•The WWF and members from the BWEA were pushing for wind as being the main solution members of the panel kept repeating that focus needed to be put on the mixed energy approach.

•Both Bennett and Macclean said emphasised the point that planning is an area that needed to be focused on and speed up.

•The panel agreed that both biomass and marine would have a lot to play in energy supply but to make this happen companies will need to receive more investment. In order to do this smaller companies will need to be supported in being able to demonstrate their ability to generate power and get it onto the network so banks and investors can explicitly see return on investment.

•The discussion around ‘capacity’ and ‘demand’ and what renewables such as wind, biomass, marine and geo-thermal must be clearer.

•The energy must start to focus on integration of smart grids, smart meters and smart tariff plans for customers.

To read David Milborrow