Energy | News & Views

What are the possibilities for geothermal energy?

Members of the energy industry are currently meeting in Bali, Indonesia, for the World Geothermal Congress 2010.  The event is already being called the largest forum ever held on the utilisation of the world’s natural heat energy.

And from its location on the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire, one of the most active volcanic regions in the world, Indonesia seems like the ideal host.  The BBC reports that the country has “ambitious plans” to make use of the natural heat energy to power the homes of its growing population.   Indonesia estimates that it may have total reserves of 13,070 MWe contained in a number of different areas under its many islands.  To harness this, the country would have to drill into the earth before pumping down water to be naturally heated. It is then brought back to the surface and used to power generators and create electricity.  Scientists believe that it is possible the earth holds enough geothermal energy beneath its surface to meet the needs of the entire global population.  This conclusion is understandable when countries such as Indonesia and Iceland are used as examples.

However, what about countries like the UK, which don’t have an abundant supply of geothermal energy?  Well the UK government seems to have a number of options in mind.  Late last year it launched a £6 million investment fund to be used for the exploration of deep geothermal energy in Britain.   It estimates that the energy stored within the south-west of England alone could meet two percent of the country’s energy needs, and, as such, plans for a geothermal power plant in the region are being looked into.

The Scottish Highlands are also thought to hold genuine promise as a centre for the production of electricity from geothermal energy.  Currently, the UK only uses geothermal energy for heat, through the Southampton District Energy Scheme. There is also a series of ground-source heat pumps installed in homes and businesses across the country which are being used to provide hot water and heat.  It is thought that the take-up of this microgeneration technology will increase following the introduction of the feed-in tariff scheme.   So, is geothermal power really an option for the UK, or should it be consigned to the countries which have the abundant resources to properly utilise it?

>>> Please read the full article here

UK to become world leader in renewable energy

Environment secretary Hilary Benn has published a new paper to advance Britain as a future “world leader” in renewable energy.

The report aims to help businesses, local authorities, farmers and food producers to turn organic waste into biogas for heat, power and transport fuel through grants and financial incentives.

This comes as the number of anaerobic digestion plants has risen from three to ten in three years, with more being built.

Supporting the technology, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is to introduce a £10 million programme of demonstration sites across the country, an online advice portal for businesses and a research facility for UK companies.

Speaking on the launch of the paper, Mr Benn commented: “I’ve already seen great examples of this technology in use around the country and the Implementation Plan we are publishing today will help speed up its use across the economy.

“We should aim to become world leaders in the innovative use of [anaerobic digestion].”

>>> Please read the full article here

Top Ten Ways to Cook Eco-Healthy

Get you and your family involved with the cooking and give your lives an eco-overhaul. Watch those lbs drop off whilst reducing your carbon footprint – and having fun (what more could you want?!)

1. Get your Five a Day – If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times, but getting your five a day is good for you (and the environment!). Filling up on un-processed fruit and veg helps your digestion, clears your skin, rids your body of toxins and keeps your blood-sugar level consistent – stopping you from snacking! The benefits of this are obvious. Un-processed food uses fewer chemicals, machinery, oil, energy and resources and the lbs will drop off if you fill up on healthy, natural produce.

2. Grow Your Own - If you don’t own a garden, look into getting a allotment. Gardening is something the whole family can enjoy and as the weather brightens up it’s worth teaching your kids about the benefits of growing your own fruit and veg. Teach your family by example and get your hands dirty – now summer is looming you have no excuse! Spring is the absolutely best time to plant some seeds and enjoy watching them flourish and there is nothing more satisfying than watching that plant go from seed, to seedling, to plant to plate.

3. Cook from Scratch – Not only is cooking from scratch more likely to result in healthy food, but it can also help you cut down on your carbon footprint. Teaching kids from a young age the benefits of cooking from scratch sets them up for life, and if you have your own home-grown fruit and vegetables then all the better! It also means you will cut down on over-packaged, over-produced and (often) over-priced food and will naturally lower your calorie, salt and sugar intake as hidden additives are often found in processed food.

4. Support your Community – Local butchers, grocers and bakeries are dying due to the rise of big supermarket chains. Support your local farmers market or local providers by buying your food stores from their shops and help keep your local community flourishing. The produce will also be local, meaning the carbon footprint of your dinner can be reduced dramatically.

5. Get the Kids Involved – Starting on this journey from a young age, and understanding the importance of keeping our planet healthy, is the first step to ensuring a good future for your children, grand-children and future generations. Teach your children to eat healthily and educate them about where food comes from and watch the enjoyment that comes from their understanding of how to make healthy choices.

6. Fill up the Dishwasher – It might be dull but cutting down on your energy consumption is the first step towards a greener future. Make sure you don’t run the dishwasher unless it’s full, that way you cut down on your energy bills and your water consumption – saving you money and lowering your carbon impact.

7. Cut down the Meat – Cutting down on meat can help you shift those pesky lbs (if you keep your diet rich in protein from eggs and nuts) and the manufacturing process of producing and packaging meat products can be costly to the environment. Find some amazing vegetarian recipes and learn that you don’t need to have meat on the plate to have a delicious meal.

8. Be Colourful – Make your plates alive with colour! The more colourful the meal, the more likely it is to be full of natural goodness. Think of green and red vegetables, add some yellow pepper, add some natural fibres and protein and you’re away with a meal that looks as good as it tastes.

9. Be Seasonal – Try to stick to seasonal produce. This way you’ll ensure that what’s on your plate hasn’t been flown in from other countries, cutting down on your personal carbon footprint dramatically.

10. Try something New – Be adventurous! What’s the point in sticking to the same old food? Try something new and encourage your family to design and create new recipes you can all enjoy. Have fun with your cooking and reap the benefits as your bills, carbon footprint and clothing size decrease…

Marine energy may create power for 15m homes

A new report from the government has suggested that marine energy holds the key to the UK’s low carbon transition.   The Marine Energy Action Plan has laid out proposals to harness marine renewables and create thousands of new jobs in the sector.

Recommendations include developing guidelines for new technologies and establishing a nationwide group to strategically coordinate the industry.  It is thought that electricity generated through marine energy could provide power to 15 million homes in the UK and save up to 70 million tonnes of carbon.  The sector could also create some 16,000 new jobs.

Energy minister Lord Hunt said: “Harnessing the power of our seas will help us reduce our carbon emissions, provide clean, green, secure and reliable energy, create jobs and provide export opportunities.   ”This Action Plan sets out our vision for what marine energy can do for the UK and what we need to do to make it happen.”

>>> Please read the article here

Good News on Wind Power

Earlier this month the government announced a £100bn plan to boost wind power to an unprecedented scale. The Crown Estate confirmed the latest round of leasing of UK waters for offshore farms, which will add 25 GW of electricity generation (to the existing 8GW); this will be enough to power every household in the UK.
Additional plans for offshore wind farms in Scotland could bring the total capacity to about 40GW.

This is all very impressive. Construction is planned to begin 2013-2015. I was at parliamentary seminar on energy policy earlier this week where the shadow minister for Energy Charles Hendry rightly commented on these plans en passant ”we have a shortage of ships, skills, engineers, manufacturing capacity, and absolutely
no money, but other than that everything is going fine”. It’s a typical “Yes Minister” moment, and probably spot on, but there’re reasons to be optimistic.

There is a huge challenge in delivering the necessary volume to build these offshore farms and the cost involved, especially at a time when Britain is risking a rating downgrade and needs to keep a lid on printing money, but I have no doubt that we will rise to the challenge. It also beside the point that in all likelihood all this technology will be sourced from abroad.

The concerns about the unreliability of windpower are unjustified. If there’s wind for a net 50% of the time during the year, and we need to resort to burning coal and gas for the remainder to make up for the shortfall, that is a 50% cut in emissions already. There is no objective need to expect that any one renewable source will produce electricity
at a continuous level 24/7. The key is to diversify the energy mix and securing that the main elements of the mix delivering the lion’s share of the demand are low carbon.

The same applies at a micro-generation or household level. Solar panels can be a great investment because the excess production can be sold to the National Grid. The limited number of hours of daylight means that a household needs to buy back from the grid part of the time. However the net balance
is that an average set up with an initial outlay of £30000 can bring dividends of about 5-7% p.a. by selling the electricity, which is more than one would get from putting the money in a savings account, plus there’s the added advantage that the household becomes a carbon negative contributor to reducing emissions.

This is far from a trivial point. Micro-generation and energy efficiency can play a crucial role in decreasing demand that would otherwise spiral out of control.

Article by Mikel Susperregi – full article can be found at http://www.baseshow.co.uk/

Budget Airlines – Better for the Environment

Passengers who fly with no-frills carriers leave a softer “carbon footprint” than those on full-service easyjet airlines, new research has shown.

A couple flying with Ryanair from London to Venice and returning a week later have a carbon footprint of 410kg, while the equivalent journey on Alitalia would produce 977kg. A flight from London to Zurich with easyJet has a carbon footprint of 277kg per couple, compared with 688kg with Aer Lingus.

An easyJet spokesman said: “Our policy is to expand our fleet through the acquisition of the latest-technology aircraft, as these are more fuel-efficient than older models. The average age of an aircraft in our flight is 3.5 years. We also use these aircraft as efficiently as possible, by maximising load factors and seating density.” On an Airbus A319, the average full-service airline has 124 seats; easyJet has 156.

“Our analysis shows that the environmental stigma of budget travel may be unwarranted,” said Gbenga Kogbe of Liligo.co.uk. “Travellers can now assess the financial and environmental costs of travelling with low-cost airlines, traditional airlines and charter-flight companies.”

While many scheduled carriers report dwindling passenger numbers, low-cost carriers continue to see growth: easyJet reported a 9.3 per cent rise in passenger traffic in December compared with December 2008.
Analysts said the airline had benefited from the threat of Christmas strike action against BA and the disruption by snow of Eurostar services.

BA carried four per cent fewer passengers in December compared with the same month last year. Overall, passenger numbers fell by 750,000 to 25.2 million last year. It is not yet clear how damaging the renewed threat of strikes will be to bookings, but several travel agents have already switched flights away from BA since the cabin crew’s union, Unite, announced plans for a new strike ballot. The vote is expected to be held in early March.

Read the full article at the telegraph.co.uk

Eco-Friendly Schools

Wind turbines and solar panels will be popping up on schools across the country as part of a Government drive to eco2 educate children about climate change.

From today every school in the country will be offered a hi-tech smart meter that shows pupils and staff how much energy is being used at any one time.

Ultimately schools will be expected to go carbon neutral by improving energy efficiency through insulation, double glazing, using low energy equipment and encouraging children to turn off appliances. Schools will also be expected to generate their own heat and power where appropriate by installing solar panels, wood chip boilers and wind turbines.

Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, said it was important people learn about cutting carbon at a young age.
“As parents know, their children have a real desire to become the environmental champions of the future and help save the planet for future generations – and we need to harness this interest and do even more,” he said.
The £12 million initiative to provide smart meters to every school will help monitor energy use. It can also be used as a teaching tool by demonstrating how different appliances and lifestyle changes can cut energy use.

See full article at telegraph.co.uk

Green Skills Required

The UK workforce lacks the green skills necessary to take advantage of the wind power revolution, claims an Green-Jobs-hard-hat energy-saving advisory group.

A spokesperson for the Renewable Energy Centre said that the £100 billion investment by the private sector would revitalise the construction sector only if the workforce has suitable skills in place.

She said: “The government has to make sure the UK is able to meet this demand otherwise jobs will inevitably go to those working in the UK from overseas.

“It is critical that as renewables become an integral part of the UK’s energy supply that the country has the skills to drive the industry forward from manual construction work through to project management and board level.”

The granting of nine major development licences for offshore wind farms by the Crown Estate this month is expected to create up to 70,000 jobs by 2020.
Find the article at: therenewableenergycentre.co.uk

Top Ten Ways to Save on Energy

1. Turn it Off

Turn things off at the plug. Make sure that little red light on your TV is switched off at night time and don’t leave your computer endlessly on charge!

2. Energy-Saving Products

Energy saving products can be a fantastic way to upgrade your home and keep your carbon footprint down. Water-saving products are a particularly efficient way to keep your bills down and your home eco-friendly.

3. Commit to 10:10

Make it your New Years Resolution to cut down your emissions by 10% in 2010

4. Clean your filters

Make sure all of your appliances are efficient by keeping them clean

5. New Appliances!

Ironically, keeping your old appliances might mean your using more energy than you need! If it’s from before the 90s then it might be time to think about buying a new and more energy efficient replacement.

6. Tumble Dryers

Turn them off!!! Dry your clothes outside for a nicer smell, a better feeling and a much-reduced energy bill

7. Heating

Heating can be one of the biggest expenditures, especially around this time of year. Try to exclude any draughts and seal your windows and doors as best as possible. Have thick curtains instead of blinds to retain the heat and don’t keep your heating on all day! If you keep your windows and doors closed you shouldn’t need the heating on.

8. Use The Dimmer

Using your light dimmers is a great way to cut down on electricity. Try not to have your lights on full power and remember to turn them off whenever you don’t need them.

9. Run Full Loads
In your dishwasher and washing machine. This can dramatically save water-use and save you money and time!

10. Insulate!

Insulation in your attic or home is the best way to retain heat on those chilly winter days

Top 10 Eco Tips

1. Recycle

Find out what your local council recycles and make sure to adhere to their rules. Clean out your cans and jars and take your paper (newspapers, cardboard, old letters etc) to your local dump. Recycling is one of the best ways we can cut down on our unnecessary consumption!

2. Simplify

Your life – cut down on any unnecessary expenditure. Take any un-used clothes to your local charity shop and try not to buy too many things you don’t need! Getting rid of things you don’t use and cutting down on things you don’t need helps reduce unnecessary waste in the future!

3. Avoid Throwing Away Food

Try to budget and plan your weekly shop so you don’t throw away food. Keep a small compost heap so any raw vegetables that you might have thrown away get put to better use. If you enjoy gardening then grow your own instead of buying your fruit and vegetables down the shop!

4. Reusable Products

Get rid of all your disposable products and replace them with reusable products. This might include plates, cups, cutlery, razors, bathroom products, towels, bags, pens etc.

5. Use the Library!
The library is a great local free service. Instead of buying all your books new go down to your local library and borrow for free! Great for the environment and your purse strings.

6. Buy Organic, Local and Free Range Where You Can

One of the best ways to be sustainable is to keep your local businesses thriving. Instead of tescos head down to your local butchers or grocers and try to support your local Farmer’s Market. Try to avoid food which uses unnecessary packaging and has been processed. It’s better for your health and the eco-system! Only purchase ‘dolphin-safe’ Tuna and try to buy fair trade wherever possible. Helping other people is the first step to helping the world.

7. Cut Down on Your Energy!

Buying an energy-meter can be one of the best ways to measure and cut down on your energy use. Turn off your TV at the socket and try to keep your computers off-charge when they don’t need it. Turn off lights when you’re not in the room – it is these little changes that can make a massive impact on energy consumption in your community! Try these changes in your office as well!

8. Conserve Water

Try to commit to cutting down your water consumption. Place a water-saving product in your shower such a timer and try to avoid having too many baths! Only fill up your kettle to the level which is needed and consider buying a low-flow flush toilet. Always run your laundry and dishwashers on full – they should be packed before you turn them on! Use a dishwasher instead of hand washing and don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the wash! Fix your leaks and try to use a recycling-water car wash!

9. When Outdoors

Don’t throw your trash on the floor and try to pick up any you see left along the roadside. Get involved in a local clean-up project and think of planting some trees in your local park. Helping to support local parks is an important part of keeping your community green.

10. Natural Products

Try to use natural products whenever possible. This includes make up, cosmetics, body lotions, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner etc. Make sure they’re cruelty free. Good for your body and the world! Try to use natural products for the home as well (such as Ecover)