Eco | News & Views

Eon installs first turbine on MoD land

The first wind turbine to be used on Ministry of Defence (MoD) land has been installed by Eon at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Kent.

Over the 20-year lifespan of the turbine, it will save 114 tonnes of carbon emissions and will help contribute to the MoD’s target of generating ten percent of power from renewable sources.

The Duke of York’s Royal Military School is used to educate the children of serving army personnel and the turbine is also intended to teach pupils about renewable energy.

Colin Grenville, Eon’s microgeneration sales manager, told BusinessGreen: “Up to now, wind energy was seen as a bit of a no-go for MoD sites as there had been a number of issues with radar interference. This project shows what can be done even where there has been historic opposition.”

Mr Grenville added that the energy company was in talks with the MoD about installing more turbines.

The UK generated 6.7 percent of its electricity from renewable sources in 2009, statistics released recently by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show.

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Branches of low carbon restaurant chain to open in the UK

The low carbon restaurant chain Otarian is to open its first UK branches in London this week.

Based on the principle of vegetarianism, the chain will be the first to include information on carbon footprints to internationally recognised standards on all of its menus .

Restaurants in Wardour Street, Soho, Shaftesbury Avenue, and Covent Garden are due to open on August 20th.

Otarian operates a no air freight policy, meaning all products are delivered by road and if a reliable supply cannot be obtained the dish is altered.

Some 98 per cent of waste from the restaurant is either composted or recycled and sustainable building products, such as floor tiles made from recycled glass, are used throughout the building design.

Radhika Oswal, said that vegetarianism is the most sustainable way of living as it has “a lighter ecological footprint, reduced resource impacts, and lower carbon emissions than non-vegetarian equivalents”.

A report released earlier this year by the Centre for Alternative Technology entitled Zero Carbon Britain suggested that an 80 per cent reduction in livestock in the UK would contribute to the country producing zero emissions by 2030.

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FSB: Green improvements must be economically viable

The government must do more to help small businesses in the UK improve their energy efficiency, a new report by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) concludes.

Entitled Making Sense of Going Green – Small Businesses and Low Carbon Economy, the report claims that the coalition must provide incentives for small firms to make their buildings more eco friendly and expand the current system of loans to make going green economically viable.

As 44 percent of small businesses in the UK rent their premises, the FSB said steps must be taken to make energy efficient improvements beneficial to both the company and the landlord.

This could be done by encouraging private sector providers to pay for the upfront cost of works, linking pay-as-you-save repayments to the building – which would “overcome the landlord/tenant divide” – and waving increased fees for those who improve the rateable value of their property through green improvements.

John Walker, national chairman of the FSB, said: “If the correct policies are put in place now, then small businesses will have the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions while also delivering the substantial economic growth that the UK economy desperately needs.”

There are currently around 4.8 million small businesses operating in the UK which provide around half of the annual UK turnover.

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Green investment ‘covers a wide range of techniques’

Green and ethical investments no longer centre around leaving some companies out of a stock portfolio, one expert has suggested.

Penny Shepherd, chief executive of UKSIF – the sustainable investment and finance association, said that sustainable investment now covers a wide range of investment techniques and is “fundamentally about making a positive choice”.

Ms Shepherd said that this could include choosing the most responsible company in the sector, working with fund managers that encourage companies to improve their performance or investing in new “sunrise industries rather than sunset industries”.

“We are in a situation where the new coalition government says it will be the greenest government ever [and] that should make a difference both to companies managing their social and environmental impact and those who provide them with the tools to do that better,” she added.

The comments come after figures from the Investment Management Association showed that net retail sales of ethical funds in the second quarter of 2010 were at their highest level since the final three months of 2007.

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Young people ‘must be attracted to energy industry’

More must be done to attract young people to careers within the energy industry, it has been claimed.

Zoe Robinson, ethical development manager at Warren Evans, said that the government and private sector must work in partnership to provide opportunities within the sector for school leavers and the long-term unemployed.

She added: “The UK can only be world leaders in the green energy revolution if we have world-leading skills.”

The comments come after energy firm Centrica warned of an emerging skills gap as many undergraduates are shunning employment opportunities in the industries that will contribute to low carbon growth.

One in four parents that took part in the survey said they would not actively encourage their children to enter the science, technology and energy sectors.

Ms Robinson warned that with the government cuts taking place in the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the coalition will have to “find new ways of delivering the green agenda”.

“While the public can do its part, the government’s responsibilities to deliver on this agenda will obviously not be met by telling us all to switch off our TVs,” she added.

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Majority of UK businesses ‘not measuring carbon footprint’

The majority of UK companies do not measure their carbon footprint yet, the Carbon Trust has claimed.

Britain’s largest business and public organisations now have less than 50 days to sign up to the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is intended to help the country meet its carbon reduction target.

However, a survey conducted by the trust revealed that just 26 per cent of firms make the effort to measure their emissions, Bloomberg reports.

Some 38 per cent of the 200 finance directors who took part in the poll said that they planned to begin monitoring their carbon footprint in the next five years.

Harry Morrison, general manager of the Carbon Trust, said that finance departments are playing a greater role in monitoring emissions. Earlier this year, Mr Morrison said that the key to implementing a successful CRC strategy lies within the internal audit and data collection processes.

“In many companies, the finance team in their internal audit function are best placed to have a robust view of carbon and environmental data than the energy and climate teams may have done in the past,” the news provider quoted him as saying.

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New standards for eco products

The development and global implementation of a new environmental ratings system could make product comparisons easier for consumers across the world.

The US-based Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) announced on August 10 that it had partnered with Canadian Standards Association and international US-based group UL Environment, two leading standards organizations. The three groups intend to develop a series of new standards which can be used by governments, retailers and consumers worldwide to identify and promote environmentally responsible products.
The new standards of environmental efficiency will take into account not just the energy consumption of the product, but also its ecological impact across its lifetime. In a press release, the American and Canadian companies stated that they intended to develop a “metric that will instill consumer confidence.”

Increased transparency in environmental standards is needed as consumers become increasingly ecologically aware and manufacturers begin responding to their demands; it is not yet known when the firms will have completed drafting the new standards, or when they will be implemented.
Currently low environmental impact products are awarded under the Energy Star system and are available throughout America and Europe; energy-efficient EU products also carry a green flower symbol.

Consumer websites such as www.energystar.gov in the United States, www.energysavingtrust.org.uk in the UK and www.ecolabel.eu in Europe provide environmental ratings and information on a number of household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.

It is hoped that development of a new system of environmental ratings could lead to a comprehensive global standardized environmental rating system, simplifying product comparisons for consumers and allowing them to avoid “greenwashing” or misleading ecologically oriented marketing.

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CITROËN DS3 ‘ECOMEDY TOUR’: TWO COMEDIANS, FIVE NIGHTS, FIVE HUNDRED MILES, ONE TANK OF FUEL

Citroën’s DS3 is going on tour – transporting comedians Dan Adams and Christian Ancliff to their first ever Edinburgh Fringe Festival (6th to 30th August). The Citroën DS3 Ecomedy Tour will see the two stand-ups piloting a DS3 DStyle 99g and gigging all the way from London to Edinburgh – a journey of over 500 miles – all on a single tank of fuel.

The pair will put in a performance each night during the tour, playing in London, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Manchester and Glasgow before reaching Edinburgh in time for the start of their Fringe run. The DS3 Ecomedy Tour runs from 1st to 6th August and is supporting Oxford-based hospice, Helen & Douglas House.

To allow members of the public to follow all the action, Dan and Christian will be updating a special tour microsite, www.ecomedytour.com every day with videos, images and words.

Christian Ancliff commented; “It’s our first Fringe appearance, so understandably we’re fantastically nervous and very excited at the same time. Trying out our show material right across the UK during the tour will give us a great warm-up and a brilliant experience.”

Dan Adams added; “We’re testing our humour against the public and Citroën’s technology against the elements. I only hope we can match audience laughs per gig with DS3’s miles per gallon. This should be a terrific adventure for a very worthwhile cause. We look forward to sharing it with the public.”

For more information on each performance or to follow the tour activity, visit www.ecomedytour.com.

Tour updates will also be published on Citroën’s official Twitter and Facebook pages: www.twitter.com/citroenuk & www.facebook.com/CitroenUK

>>> Details: Kicks off in London on the 1st August and finishes in Edinburgh on the 6th August

>>> Visit the website here for more information

>>> For information on Helen & Douglas House click here

German power plant testing CO2-scrubbing algae

Swedish energy group Vattenfall said it had launched a major pilot project using algae to absorb greenhouse gas emissions from a coal-fired power plant in eastern Germany.

The two-million-euro (2.6-million-dollar) trial run, which will continue until October 2011, in the depressed Lausitz mining region is one of several experimental attempts in the sector using algae to slash carbon dioxide output.

“The microalgae use climate-killing CO2 to create valuable biomass,” the chairman of Vattenfall Europe Mining and Generation, Hartmuth Zeiss, said in a statement.

“Moreover the new technology will bring useful know-how to the Lausitz and increase its importance as a region for energy production.”

Half the funding for the project called green MiSSiON (Microalgae Supported CO2 Sequestration in Organic Chemicals and New Energy) comes from Vattenfall, the other half from state and European Union subsidies.

The gas emitted at the Senftenberg brown-coal-fired plant is being pumped through a kind of broth using algae cultivated in 12 plastic tanks.

“The aim is to find out what kinds of algae work with brown coal dust and then, how economical this kind of CO2 reduction is,” a spokesman for the Vattenfall division, Axel Happe, told AFP.

The biomass produced in the process can be used to produce biodiesel, to feed biogas power plants and as a nutritious supplement in fish food, Happe said.

He said it was difficult to quantify the amount of CO2 emissions normally emitted at Senftenberg or estimate how sizeable the reduction could be with the use of algae, which can scrub 10 times as much CO2 as land-based plants.

But he said the company aimed to publish initial results in late 2011.

A project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008 found that diverting CO2 through an algae broth could reduce emissions by as much as 85 percent.

Vattenfall is the third biggest electricity provider in Germany.

Last month, European aerospace giant EADS unveiled what it called the world’s first “hybrid” aircraft to run on algae fuel.

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Wind turbines ’set for increase’

In a Sunday Telegraph interview, the Lib Dem minister backed new onshore and offshore wind power over nuclear.

Mr Huhne, whose department is facing cuts of between 25% and 40%, said turbines were “incredibly competitive” but not always popular among locals.

Offshore sites had fewer planning issues and were “likely to be an important part” of energy independence.

There are currently around 250 wind farms operating in the UK, with a further 12 offshore, with 2,909 turbines in operation in total. A further 27 onshore and five offshore wind farms are currently under construction while plans for another 468 wind farms have been announced.

Speaking ahead of a key policy statement to the Commons, Mr Huhne identified Dogger Bank in the North Sea as a prime area for further offshore development.

“It’s relatively cheap to put wind turbines in that shallow area,” he said.

Mr Huhne said the UK needed to become more independent in energy production to allow it to withstand “shocks from the outside world”.

“The lights will not go out on my watch,” he said.

The Energy Secretary said it was feasible for Britain to be totally self-sufficient thanks to renewable sources, which also includes wave power and harnessing tidal streams.

“It implies quite a stretch as it implies we would be building an awful lot of turbines around our coasts. But the technology is changing. It is becoming substantially cheaper to generate from these renewable sources,” he said.

Plans for new nuclear plants won support from both the Tories and Labour in the previous parliament but Mr Huhne said the new coalition had “no money” to subsidise such a move.

Under the coalition agreement, Lib Dem MPs can register their long standing opposition to the issue by abstaining from any parliamentary vote.

Mr Huhne, however, told the Telegraph he expected new power stations would be built through private investment “given the framework we can put in place”.

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