Wind Energy and renewable energy blog

Its not your back yard, its OURS says Prescott

“Its not your back yard, its ours” Rt Hon John Prescott told anti- wind farm campaigners in his keynote address to the British Wind Energy Association conference today.

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) opened its 31st annual conference and exhibition at Liverpool’s ACC this morning with the speech from the ex deputy PM.

Prescott launched into an attack on the UK planning system saying that it discourages the industry and communities from submitting planning applications.

“Three quarters of applications are refused and this is the highest it has ever been and it is getting worse” he said and went on to warn politicians that the system is threatening renewable energy targets.

Conservative Proposals for Onshore Wind Energy

The Conservatives have announced proposals that will make it more difficult for UK wind farms to be built on land if they win an election next year.

The Shadow Local Government Minister, Bob Neil visited East Riding Council last week to discuss the topic of wind farms in the district. Although the area is ideal for wind farms the Council is complaining that it is being put under too much pressure from wind farm proposals. The Council is struggling to justify its refusals when in front of a planning inspector at appeal, given the urgency to create a sustainable energy future.

Despite the region of Yorkshire and Humber not having reached its target for renewable energy the district of East Riding says it has done its fair share through accommodating several wind farms.

Government Appoints New Scientific Advisor

The UK government has appointed David MacKay Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

David MacKay is a Professor in the Department of Physics at Cambridge University and recently published a book ‘Sustainable Energy – without the hot air’.

Secretary of State Ed Miliband said: “David MacKay is known for making science accessible and helping to explain clearly the urgency and the challenges of moving to a low carbon economy. I want him to bring all of these qualities to the job of advising DECC on how we can meet Britain’s carbon targets and energy security needs.”

Scotland on Road to Fighting Climate Change

Scotland has slashed its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly a fifth since 1990, according to new figures published by the Scottish Government.

The figures show that emission levels stood at 56.9 million tonnes in 2007, but have been reduced 19% on 1990 levels. The carbon cuts are credited to greener energy production through increased use of renewable energy, business and industry, the public sector, waste management, international shipping, housing and agriculture. The bad news is that emissions from international aviation and shipping have increased.

Power generation accounted for 36% of emissions, 22% from transport, 14% from agriculture and 13% from business and domestic fossil fuel use. The Scottish Government has committed to a 42% reduction in carbon emissions from 1990 levels, by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

Pressure Ramps Up for Global Carbon Caps

The pressure has been stepped up to persuade rapidly expanding economies such as China and India to incorporate climate change committments into their future growth plans.

Developed countries want countries world-wide to agree caps on greenhouse gas emissions and have been making the demands through the United Nations talks on climate change in the lead up to the conference to be held in Copenhagen in December.

The Chairman of the World Bank Commission for Growth and Development has however warned that both the climate and the global economy are threatened if the developed world tries to force countries with growing economies to restrict carbon emissions.

Oxford Proposes City Wind Turbine

A recent wind turbine proposal for the city of Oxford has sparked up the debate about where it is appropriate to locate wind turbines.

The proposal between Cowley works and Horsepath was announced last week by Oxford City Council and renewable energy developer Partnership for Renewables.

Oxford City Council say the site is capable of hosting a single commercial wind turbine. Local Councillor John Tanner said: “Wind turbines are a beautiful way of helping to tackle climate change with renewable energy. This Horspath site is a first for Oxford and a practical contribution to creating a low carbon city.

Energy Savings Trust Seeking Green Community Heroes

The Energy Savings Trust is seeking the UK’s Green Community Heroes this year to celebrate the UK’s most inspiring green community projects.

The green awards are aimed at saluting those individuals and groups who have strived to combat climate change by reducing thier community’s energy or by generating clean energy for their community.

The Energy Savings Trust is offering national recognition with a feature in Society Guardian. It says this will help the community with future promotion and bid requests. The categories include Best Rural Community Project, Best Urban Community Project, Most Innovative Project and Outstanding Contribution by An Individual. From street by street home insulation projects to community wind turbines and education about climate change, the Energy Savings Trust want to hear about it.

Conservatives Confirm Stance on Large Infrastructure Projects

Shadow energy minister Charles Hendry MP has today confirmed the Conservative’s stance on proposals for the new Infrastructure Planning Committee (IPC).

Hendry wrote to the Department of Climate Change stating that the main concern arising from the current planning system is the inherent delay which has provided no certainty or guaranteed timeframe in which applications are decided. “Whilst we are wholly supportive of the principle of speeding up the process, we remain concerned that the IPC offers no recourse to the public to express their views given that decisions are made by an unelected quango” he said.

Paxman’s Brother Says No Wind Turbines in My Back Yard

Jeremy Paxman’s brother has spoken out against a wind farm proposal in his Dartmoor back yard today, saying the wind turbines would “stick out like a sore thumb”.

At a public inquiry held in Okehampton, Devon, James Paxman said “It is my personal opinion that wind turbines are one of the least reliable and least cost-effective modes of electricity generation”. The brother of climate change sceptic TV celebrity Jeremy Paxman also said he believes government subsidies are wrongly focussed towards wind turbines – despite marine and offshore wind energy recieving higher financial credits per megawatt hour of generated renewable energy.

Wind Turbine Company Court Hearing Adjourned

A wind turbine company whose staff are currently illegally occupying a factory failed to secure permission to remove the workers today.

Between 13 and 25 workers are involved in the demonstration at the Vestas factory on the Isle of White which is now into its 9th day. The protest is against the closure of the factory by Danish company Vestas who blame low demand for wind turbines in the UK.

Today, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer’s lawyers sought a possession order from Newport County Court to allow them to appoint bailiffs to remove the workers. However because the proper notices had not been served against the 25 occupiers, the hearing has now been adjourned until Tuesday 4 August. The lawyer acting for Vestas admitted that the company had not served individual notices on those who had locked themselves inside the factory. A crowd of 200 attended the court hearing in support of the protestors.

£1 Billion Loans for UK Wind Energy Projects

The UK Government today announced plans to allocate £1 bn (US $1.6) of loans to wind energy companies through part – state owned banks.
After announcing that offshore wind energy would recieve double the financial incentives in the budget earlier this year, the Government has stepped in again to help smooth the path for struggling [...]

UK Government Launches New Renewable Energy Strategy

The UK government today published the eagerly awaited Renewable Energy Strategy. The new strategy lays out plans to meet the UK target of producing 15% of the UK’s energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: “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.” We need to all-but eliminate carbon from electricity by 2050“.

Miliband Opens Southern England’s Largest Wind Farm

Mr Miliband opened the biggest onshore wind farm in the south of England at Romney Marsh in Kent yesterday.

The Climate Change Secretary said Britain needs wind farms like the 26 turbine Little Cheney Court wind energy project to diversify its energy sources in order to be less dependent on imported gas.

Kevin McCullough, chief operating officer at RWE Innogy – the operator of the Little Cheney Court Wind Farm said: “This is a landmark renewable energy project for the South East of England and shows the region is playing an important part in the global battle against climate change….

French Nuclear Giant and British Wind Energy Company in ‘Green Union Jack’ War

The marketing of a new “Green Union Jack” has sparked off an argument between two electricity companies today.

Wind energy company Ecotricity have accused utility giant Electricite de France of stealing ‘its’ green union jack. EDF energy are using the flag for its advertising posters and on its service vehicles despite Ecotricity using a similar image on their service vehicles for 3 years.

French state owned nuclear company EDF energy is the “sustainability partner” of the 2012 Olympic Games in London and is using the green union flag to launch its first annual Green Britain Day and asking schools and others to join “Team Green Britain”.

Climate Change Secretary Defends Support for Onshore Wind Energy

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change – Ed Miliband told the UK last month that opposing onshore wind energy projects should be socially taboo.

In response the Council for Protection of Rural England (CPRE) posted a number of questions on their website directed to Ed Miliband. One question asked if he believes local communities have a legitimate role to protect valued local landscapes from what they describe as “damaging energy infrastructure“. Miliband replied saying that he believes that local communities do have an important role. He says on the CPRE website “We’re changing the rules for nationally significant infrastructures so developers have to consult the community before they even submit an application. And I agree that there are some places where wind farms may not be suitable.”

Miliband says that we need to think about our attitudes to wind farms because the biggest threat to our countryside is not the wind turbine, but climate change. He pointed to the recent RSPB report which said climate change is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, threat facing wildlife over the next 100 years.

European Report Tries to Establish the True Cost of Wind Energy

An indigenous energy source such as wind energy seriously reduces the exposure of our economy to fuel price hikes and falls according to a report published recently by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

This risk reduction provided by wind energy is not usually taken into account when different energy technology costs are compared. The EWEA report says that current calculation methods “quite blatantly favour the use of high-risk options for power generation…but that as the world becomes more dependent on importing fuel from politically unstable areas at unpredictable and higher prices, this aspect merits immediate attention“.

UK Struggles to Protect Fund Flood Zones

The UK Environment Agency has no easy task. With massive rises in national debt – public cash for high cost flood defence systems is proving difficult to find.

With much of the east coast of England now a flood zone – under threat from the north sea, the Environment Agency (EA) has a tough job prioritising funds for maintaining and building new flood defences.

The EA has spent the last few years trying to establish where flood defences can be abandoned causing the least impact – socially and financially.

New Climate Change “Five Point Plan” For UK

The UK government is to take new action in response to climate change, according to an announcement yesterday.

According to Hilary Benn MP, Ministers will this summer set out the building blocks of a ‘five point plan’ designed both to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at home and abroad and “to protect and prepare for the changes that are already inevitable“.

Climate change is already happening in the UK. The ten hottest years on record globally have occurred since 1990. The South and South East of England are short of water and we have seen increased incidents of flooding.

Benn says the Government has more than doubled spending on flood protection since 1997, developed a heatwave plan in the NHS and is helping communities affected by coastal erosion. These measures are in addition to the push for renewable energy and come at the same time as the UN announced “Seal the Deal Campaign” – a campaign to gather the political momentum needed to seal the Kyoto agreement successor in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Find out more about climate change projections for the UK from Benn’s You Tube video below.

Siemens Wins Wind Energy Advertising Row

Wind turbine manufacturer Siemens has won a dispute over the description of its green energy business as “drastically” reducing CO2 emissions.

Siemens marketing campaign posed the question “How can you power a planet hungry for electricity without damaging it?“. The Siemens answer was “efficient energy supply…our innovations efficiently generate and distribute the power we need while at the same time drastically reducing CO2 emissions“. A complaint was lodged by an unknown wind energy sceptic who objected to the use of the word “drastically” when talking about wind energy projects and CO2 reduction helping in the fight against climate change.

Global Wind Day

Wind energy works – it tackles climate change and it improves energy dependence on fossil fuels. This is the message being shouted from wind farms all around the world on Global Wind Day.