Industry News-PRASEG Delivering the UK’s renewable energy targets

Delivering the UK’s renewable energy targets

Greater leadership on planning decisions for onshore wind farms from local councillors was one of the main points made at a seminar on Monday (November 2^nd) organised by the Parliamentary Renewable & Sustainable Energy Group.

The topic of the seminar was the delivery of the UK’s renewable energy targets and presentations were given by Sarah Rhodes, Acting Head of DECC’s Office of Renewable Energy Deployment, Maria McCaffery of the BWEA and Keith Anderson, Managing Director of Scottish Power Renewables.

Whilst the facts about current levels of renewable power generation were nothing new, nor the enormity of the challenge to reach the2020 targets, let alone the 2030 target, the speakers outlined the steps that are already being taken by government and what more must be done. Keith Anderson referenced the positive steps being taken in the US (tax credits) to encourage renewables, and the need to focus effort on delivering renewables now rather than spending too much time on the longer-term issues such as grid infrastructure (although these are important).

Maria McCaffery spoke of the need for government and the industry to blow away the myths about wind power often used by objectors across the UK, and to communicate the positive impact that wind farms bring to areas once they are up and running as well as the benefit to the UK economy.

Delivering 30% of the UK’s electricity from renewables sources by 2020 is the target, with the associated benefits of energy security and “green jobs”.….wind, biomass, tidal and wave will all have a part to play. We will have an idea of what the UK must do by 2050 when DECC publishes its Energy Vision in March 2010

Industry News-Funding for wind energy welcomed but more needed for renewable sector

The government’s announcement that it is to drive funding into Clipper, Siemens, and Artemis Intelligent Power has been widely welcomed. However it must be viewed within the context of the wider challenges facing the renewable energy market in the UK. These include access to funding for projects, planning issues for large onshore and offshore wind farm projects and the general pace at which everything is moving at.If the UK is to profit from the new ‘green economy’ then more effort must be taken on several fronts.

In order to comply with legislation from the European Union, the UK's renewable energy target (to produce 15% of final energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020) may require between 35% and 40% of electricity to come from renewable energy sources by 2020.

Research from the business advisory group the Carbon Trust shows that by 2020, the UK could capture 45% of the global offshore wind energy market, and that by 2050 our wind energy industry alone could be worth £65bn to the UK economy.

Building up the 40 GW capacity that the EU will need to reach its climate targets requires €57 billion of investment by 2020 but banks are still reluctant to lend money. Although offshore wind projects by nature attract large utility companies with strong balance sheets, the challenge is not insignificant. The facts are single turbine installation vessel costs up to €250 million.

The challenge to onshore wind projects is still influenced by local planning issues and protests from local communities. As one commentator has noted local objections are normally based on aesthetic value of wind turbines and the ‘blight on the landscape’. While claiming that they support renewable energy and onshore wind farms it is always more favourable if they are ‘built in the next valley’. Of course it is not feasible to have wind turbines on every green belt of land in the UK but more proactive and progressive view must be taken.

It is widely agreed that the government is creating the right regulatory framework for renewable energy in the UK but if the banks are still hesitant to invest in more and more projects in wind and other new energy projects then it is hard to see how the government can reach its targets in fighting climate change. The issue of ROCs for marine and tidal energy is still on the table and must be seriously considered if this sector is to flourish. While Solar still needs a significant boost.

Electrified vehicles, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and concentrated solar power, among other emerging “green tech” sectors, will need massive investment, infrastructure, and research to get off the ground. While the Chinese, German, UK and US governments, along with private investors, are pursuing all of these technologies, they cannot achieve separately what they could jointly. Time is of the essence and bringing all the variables in science, technology, regulatory regimes and investment is the only solution to the present challenges.

Fighting climate change on a global context is the key. Worldwide in 2008, at $155bn (£95bn), more was invested in sustainable than conventional energy production. Britain is well placed to succeed and profit from this new 'green economy'. These projects create jobs, secure energy supply, fight climate change they bring investment to local communities and put money back into the wider economy.

The government now need to make this clear to the banks or they will need to take more steps in direct investment of green and clean tech technologies.

Taylor Keogh Communications Public Affairs and Pr for the Energy and Clean Tech Industry

Industry News-ESB acquires two wind farms in Britain

THE ESB has bought its first wind farms in Britain for an undisclosed sum. One is based in Devon and the other is the West Durham.

An ESB spokesman said prices are not being disclosed "for commercial reasons".

The deals mean the Irish semi-state energy group has reached almost half its 2012 target for wind generation in Britain.In its corporate strategy the group said it wanted to have 200MW of electricity under generation in the renewable sector in Britain by 2012.

Fullabrook Wind Farm in Devon has permission to generate up to 66MW of electricity generation with construction expected to start early next year.The 24MW West Durham wind farm, near Tow Law in the north-east of England, started generating power last May.

The group also set out a target of having 3GW of electricity under generation in the conventional manner in Britain also by 2012. It has acquired two conventional plants there including a base in Southampton helping it to move towards its GW target.

ESB’s head of wind development, Joe O’Mahony, said the deals marked the first step in the company’s strategy to achieve 200MW of wind generation in Britain by 2012.

"We are committed to developing a balanced portfolio of generation with less reliance on fossil fuels. Market convergence between the UK and Ireland, and delivery of our low carbon strategic framework, means that ESB sees the UK as a key market. We are delivering on our strategic objectives to become a significant investor in the UK renewables market," he said.

ESBI launched a major investment strategy in Britain last November that has significant plans to develop or acquire wind energy projects.That is in line with the ESB’s strategy to halve its carbon emissions in 12 years and to achieve carbon zero emission by 2035.

Overall, ESB has allocated €4bn specifically for direct investment in renewable generation projects.


This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, July 30, 2009

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

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

Political News-Summary of UK Governments Renewable Energy Low Carbon Transition Plan

Ed Miliband has today announced its strategy for meeting carbon emissions targets and to a massive increase in renewable energy.

The announcements today are to demonstrate the government is committed to fighting climate change and reducing carbon emissions.

In a wide ranging announcement Ed Miliband covered all of the main issues including the focus on the technologies needed, infrastructure, feed in tariffs and the need to have skilled work force that can fuel the ‘green economy’.

Summary of the key points

General Notes
•Regional Development Agencies will play a crucial role in partnership with the Government to promote the development of market-led technology clusters for low carbon energy developers.

•South-West will be developed into the worlds first Low Carbon Economic Area.

•The Government and the Technology Strategy Board will work to improve collaboration and knowledge sharing within and beyond the UK through the launch of the Energy Knowledge Transfer Network as a one stop shop for investors and developers in energy generation.

•The Intellectual Property Office will consider how the Government can support small- and medium-sized businesses developing low carbon technologies to license them in developing countries.

•Renewable Energy Industry will be supported with an additional £4billion from the EU Investment Bank. In the short term the government thinks it will be able to bring forward £1 billion for small and medium sized renewable projects.

Marine
•The Government is allocating up to an additional £60 million for a suite of measures which will help accelerate the development and deployment of wave and tidal energy in the UK and will cement our current position as a global leader in the sector.

•The Government will double its financial support to Wave Hub – the development of a significant demonstration and testing facility off the Cornish coast – with up to £9.5 million of investment. The Government is also proposing to invest up to £10 million at NaREC, the New and Renewable Energy Centre, in the North East to build on and utilise existing infrastructure to provide an open access facility for marine developers to test and prove designs/components onshore.

•The Government will also provide up to £10 million to support the South West’s significant potential for wave and tidal energy deployment, research, demonstration and engineering and up to an additional £8 million from the UK Environmental Transformation Fund to expand the in-sea stage testing facilities at EMEC, the European Marine Energy Centre, in the Orkneys.

•In addition the Government will launch a Marine Renewables Proving Fund which will provide up to £22 million of grant funding for the testing and demonstration of pre-commercial wave and tidal stream devices. This will accelerate wave and tidal technologies’ move towards commercial demonstration and assist the development of successful projects under the Marine Renewable Deployment Fund. Taken together, these investments will provide the UK with unparalleled testing and demonstration facilities.

Emmissions and Trading Cap
•Emissions in the traded sector, for the purposes of accounting under the Climate Change Act, are fixed at the level of the UK’s share of the declining EU Emissions Trading System cap.

This will be equal to the level of auctioning rights the UK receives plus the number of EU allowances that are freely allocated to UK installations. Combined with the emissions reductions that measures in the non-traded sector are expected to deliver shows how the UK, on central projections, will meet the first three carbon budgets.

Wind
•The Renewable Energy Strategy recommits the Government to a massive increase in renewables generation going up from 5% today to 30% by 2020. Based on the figures in last year’s draft strategy this implies 22% of all electricity will come from offshore and onshore wind and another 2% from marine technologies.

Carbon Capture and Storage

•The Department of Energy and Climate Change will also establish an Office of Carbon Capture and Storage to support the delivery of this work. Full details will be announced in the autumn of 2009.

•In 2007 the Government launched a competition to build one of the first commercial scale projects in the world. In April 2009 the Government announced that new fossil fuel power stations would have to be designed and built so that they could fit CCS in the future.

•In a consultation launched in June 2009, the Government proposed a new financial and regulatory framework to drive the development of CCS. These proposals included plans to fund up to four CCS demonstrations in the UK and a requirement for any new coal power station to demonstrate CCS.

•The Government is considering how to encourage clusters of CCS infrastructure and expertise, in key areas, such as Yorkshire and Humber, the Thames Estuary, the Firth of Forth, Tyne/ Tees and Merseyside, bringing major employment and regeneration benefits.

Local Generation and Feed in Tariffs
•The Government working with the energy Saving Trust, energy companies, Local Authorities, the Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and others to test the uptake in the interest of the ‘whole house’ approach. The government are going to put up to £4m to support these initiatives.

•The Government is putting in place financial rewards for small-scale low carbon electricity generation, with Feed-in Tariffs from April 2010. Payment for the electricity produced by small-scale generators, will be provided through the electricity supply companies and encourage the uptake of renewables by schools, homeowners, hospitals, businesses and communities.

Job Creation and Training
•Renewable energy also requires specialist skills. The Office for Renewable Energy Deployment is working with industry on a strategy for skills in wind, wave and tidal energy and is also establishing the National Skills Academy for Power. Full plans will be published towards the end of 2009.

Planning and enabling timely investment:
•The government is committed to delivering sufficient financial investment, and ensuring the attractiveness of the UK as a place to invest.

•Ensuring planning policies support the development and installation of low carbon technologies. The focus here is around the IPC and the statutory legislation related to planning matters.

•Taking advantage of the replacement/ refurbishment schedules of existing plants and infrastructure

Delivering the engineering challenges of building a low carbon energy system of this scale:

The government understands that meeting the physical and supply chain challenges of building new, reliable electrical generating capacity and other energy infrastructure at this scale, particularly in the face of likely international competition for these capabilities will be challenging.

The focus going forward will need to be on developing or upgrading infrastructure as it becomes necessary. As well as the electricity grid (transmission and distribution networks), this could include networks for transporting and storing captured carbon, systems for managing nuclear waste, hydrogen or electric vehicle fuelling/charging networks and community heat systems.

The Energy Mix
The government understands that the transition in matching evolving sources of demand for energy with new sources of supply in an efficient and practical mannerDeveloping technologies that will be needed to close the energy gap and meet the government commitments to reducing carbon emissions.

Future Consultations
• Government will develop a strategic roadmap to 2050 by spring 2010, working closely with industry and wider stakeholders.

•In autumn, the Committee on Climate Change will provide further analysis of the pathway through 2030 to 2050 The Government will work with the Committee, taking its analysis and recommendations into account when developing the roadmap to 2050.

•The Government is consulting on the detailed design and proposed tariff levels for ‘Feedin Tariffs’ alongside this Transition Plan.10 A household with a well-sited photovoltaic installation could receive over £800 plus bill savings of around £140 a year.


Click here to review and see all of the four documents released by the government today

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

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

Client News-Broadview Seeking local opinion on Windfarm between Kimbolton and Stow Longa

BROADVIEW TO SEEK LOCAL OPINION ON WINDFARM PLAN

Broadview Energy Limited has today announced that it is considering the development of a small wind farm on land between Kimbolton and Stow Longa, and it is holding ‘drop-in’ sessions (July 13/14) so that local people can find out more about its plans.

The company, which is developing a number of other small wind farm projects in England and Scotland, has identified the site, near the Bicton and Harvards Way Industrial Parks, as a possible location for wind turbines and now needs to carry out a series of technical and environmental studies on the site and the surrounding area to confirm its initial findings.

Broadview has submitted a “Scoping Document” to Huntingdon Council that outlines the studies that are to be carried out, and to ask the Council whether any additional studies will be needed as part of the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The Council will consult on the Scoping Document with the parish councils, the Environment Agency, the Highways Agency, other government agencies and organisations such as Natural England and the RSPB.

Jeffrey Corrigan, Managing Director of Broadview Energy said: “From our initial studies, we believe that the site could be an ideal spot for a small wind farm. It’s windy and it’s set back from residential areas. It has good access to the electricity distribution system and it shouldn’t interfere with local airfields. However, these are preliminary studies and so we now need to carry out very detailed work to confirm our initial views. The results of the EIA, along with our consultations with local residents and others, will establish the viability, size and precise location of a wind farm and whether or not we decide to take forward a scheme for planning approval by Huntingdon Council.”

Public consultation will be an important part of Broadview’s work over the coming months. The company has already started talking with local residents about its plans. A website on the Bicton project has been launched, which contains information on the company, its other projects, its development approach and the types of studies that will be carried out (www.bictonwindfarm.co.uk). A newsletter on the project is being distributed to local residents and next month, the company will be hosting two “drop-in” public consultation sessions for people to learn more about the plans and meet the Broadview team.

The drop-in sessions are on Monday, July 13th (4.00pm to 8.00pm) at The Queen Katharine Building, Kimbolton School and Tuesday, July 14th (4.00pm to 8.00pm) at St Botolph Church Hall in Stow Longa.

Later in the year, if the EIA studies and other technical reports confirm that the site is suitable for a wind farm, Broadview Energy will hold a series of exhibitions where people would see the design and layout of the proposed scheme.

Jeffrey Corrigan added: “We want to ensure that the local community is fully aware of our initial plans, our reasons for choosing Bicton and the steps that we will be taking to fully assess the site. In addition, we want to explain the reasons why onshore wind farms still need to be built in the east of England. In turn, we want to hear people’s views about our plans and how they see renewable energy in helping to improve the environment and to secure the country’s energy future.”

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 has a target of 15% of all the electricity produced in the UK to be from renewable sources by 2015; currently the figures sit at approximately 5%.

3.The East of England Plan, The Revision to Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England (May 2008), sets out the following minimum regional renewable energy installed capacity targets: 1,192MW by 2010 (820MW excluding offshore wind) and 4,250MW by 2020 (1,620 MW excluding offshore wind).



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