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Date: 2013-03-27
In Hyderabad, India, the State Energy Conservation Mission is preparing to launch its Energy Conservation Building Code in April. The code will make Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation measures mandatory in all the major new building complexes including shopping malls, multiplexes and sky scraper commercial buildings. (Source: Deccan Chronicle, 27 Mar., 2013)
Tags Energy Efficiency news, Energy Management news,
Date: 2013-03-20
In the UK, the proposed 28-turbine wind power development at Brechfa Forest West, Carmarthenshire has been approved by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The project will produce power sufficient to supply as many as 39,700 homes and will create 150 jobs during its construction phase. The developer is RWE. (Source: UK DECC, 14 Mar., 2013) Contact: UK DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags DECC news, UK Wind news,
Date: 2013-02-27
A group of companies across the biomass supply chain have come together to draft a Biomass Charter which aims to "set the foundations for a meaningful collaboration with government on the decarbonization of domestic heating in the UK by 2030".
The group believes that in order to achieve the UK's ambitious decarbonization targets the UK needs to target the 4th Carbon Budget recommendation of deploying 1 million domestic biomass boilers by 2030. The group has identified several key areas for collaboration, including the setting of Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) support for biomass boilers. The group will be lobbying the government to introduce a tariff of 15.4p/kWh for biomass boilers.
The Biomass Charter believes that a rate of 15.4p/kWh will sufficiently kick-start the domestic biomass boiler market. As part of the RHI structure, the group wants the government to outline a degression path for domestic biomass boilers that is in line with the 4th Carbon Budget projections. The Biomass Charter is also urging the government to ensure that appropriate fuel sustainability criteria, air quality standards and energy efficiency eligibility requirements are implemented in order to reward best practice which will foster market confidence as a result. The charter argues that the support of biomass boilers in the UK is incredibly important because the technology is particularly suited to large properties which form a substantial proportion of the housing stock in rural off-grid areas.
The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) closed the consultation over its plans for the domestic RHI in December last year. The department set out an initial RHI rate of just 5.2-8.7p/kWh -- far below what the biomass industry believes is necessary to drive demand. (Source: Solar Power Portal UK, Feb. 25, 2013)
Tags Biomass news, Biomass Boilers news, DECC news,
Date: 2013-01-28
In the U.K., the The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) reports that the Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc may lend as much as $631 million to support five biomass-to-electricity projects with an average production capacity of 50 to 150 megawatts apiece. The five plants would produce approximately 8 percent to 11 percent of the U.K.'s primary energy demand within eight years. (Source: DECC, Energy Collective. Jan. 27, 2013) Contact: UK DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags Biomass news, Bank of Scotland news, DECC news,
Date: 2013-01-28
According to the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), homes across the UK will become more energy efficient from today as the Green Deal gets up and running. Hundreds of homes have been assessed for the scheme in which homeowners pay for energy-saving improvements via their electricity bill.
The Green Deal will keep thousands of homes warm for less and homeowners will benefit from energy saving improvements lower energy bills. The Green Deal will also create and support thousands of long term jobs, according to DECC secretary Edward Davey. (Source: DECC, UK Metro News, Jan. 28, 2013)
Contact: DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags UK DECC news,
Date: 2013-01-16
In the UK, three organizations have agreed to contribute as much as £10 million (€12.5 million) to a Europe-wide scheme to encourage investment in bioenergy technology and to meet the EU's target of making bioenergy 14 per cent of the EU energy mix and up to 10 per cent of energy demand in transport by 2020.
The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will contribute up to £6 million (€7.4 million) over the next two to three years, while the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board set to add up to £4 million (€5.1 million). The initiative will be coordinated by the DECC with support from the Technology Strategy Board.
The scheme, ERA-NET Plus BESTF, is reportedly worth in the region of £37 million (€47 million) in public money and hopes to encourage up to £78 million (€100 million) of bioenergy innovation projects across the UK, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Switzerland and Portugal. ERA-NET Plus funds will be used to support bioenergy demonstration projects that utilize: Synthetic liquid fuels and/or hydrocarbons and blending components via gasification; Bio-methane and other synthetic gaseous fuels from biomass via gasification; High-efficiency heat and power generation via gasification of biomass; Bioenergy carriers via other thermochemical processes (e.g. pyrolysis, torrefaction); Ethanol and higher alcohols from ligno-cellulosic feedstock via fermentation; and Renewable hydrocarbons through biological and/or chemical synthesis from biomass containing carbohydrates.
Projects are expected to start from January 2014 and all work, including all reporting, must be completed by 31 August 2017.
Grants are expected to be administered in early in 2014.
In addition to the funding it will provide for the ERA-NET Plus BESTF scheme, seven British entrepreneurs have been granted a share of £292,000 as part of its £2 million three- phase wetlands biomass to bioenergy competition that was launched in October 2012. (Source: UK DECC, Resource. 10 Jan., 2013) Contact: UK DECC, www.decc.gov.uk; BESTF, www.eranetbestf.net
Tags Bioenergy Funding news, UK DECC news,
Date: 2013-01-16
Swedish utility Vattenfall has invested more than £1 million (€1.2 million) to join the UK Carbon Trust's Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) programme (OWA) and partner with nine other UK wind farm developers that currently hold 60 percent of licensed offshore wind capacity in UK waters.
The £45 million research, development and demonstration OWA programme is an industry collaboration to identify and commercialize innovations that can reduce the costs of offshore wind. The Swedish utility is half of a joint venture with ScottishPower Renewables to develop the 7.2GW East Anglia Zone.
Established in 2008, the OWA is a joint industry project funded two thirds by industry and one-third by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The OWA includes two thirds funded by industry, with the other third coming from the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change. It plans to commercialise innovative ideas in time for use on UK Round 3 wind farms., E.on, Dong Energy, Mainstream Renewable Power, RWE Innogy, ScottishPower Renewables, SSE Renewables, Statkraft and Statoil.
(Source: Vattenfall, Jan., 2013) (Contact: Vattenfall AB, +46 8 739 50 00, www.vattenfall.com
Tags Vattenfall news, Offshore Wind news, Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator news,
Date: 2013-01-09
The UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has added Riello UPS Ltd.'s Multi Sentry range of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units between 30 and 100 kVA to its Energy Technology List (ETL) which encourages businesses to invest in approved energy saving technologies.
According to Riello, by investing in environmentally friendly systems such as the Multi Sentry UPS, businesses can claim tax relief of over £26,000 from the government's Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme set up by the Carbon Trust to encourage the reduction of carbon emissions; effectively writing off some of the costs of their UPS investment. (Source: Riello UPS, DataCenter Dynamics, 7 Jan., 2013) Contact: Riello UPS Ltd., http://www.riello-ups.co.uk
Tags Power Supply news, Data Center news, Energy Efficiency news,
Date: 2013-01-09
UK-based international construction specialist Costain Group Plc has won Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) funding to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, the firm announced today. Costain has received funds from a £20 million DECC programme to find ways to reduce the costs CCS projects. The firm will now work on two projects with Edinburgh and Leeds University.
Working with Edinburgh University the firm will investigate the use of cheaper absorber columns for use in post-combustion carbon capture in coal and gas power plants, as well as consider an improved oxyfuel capture technology with the both universities.
Costain is currently developing next generation carbon capture technology with the Energy Technologies Institute. The project is expected to improve efficiencies and reduce cost for power generation in Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle power plants while delivering a carbon capture rate of 95%.(Source: Costain, New Civil Engineer, Jan. 8, 2013) Contact: Costain Group, +44 (0) 1628 84 2444, www.costain.com; DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags Costain Group news, CCS news, DECC news,
Date: 2012-12-21
In the UK, H.M. government will defer a decision on including aviation and shipping emissions in the nation's carbon budgets until 2016, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced on Wednesday. The carbon budgets are part of the Climate Change Act, which calls for all economic sectors to contribute to an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Some parliamentarians opposed the idea on the grounds that the shipping industries' emissions are difficult to track because they generally occur outside national borders. They also argued that demanding reductions from the shipping industry would raise the price of imported goods.
Prior to the DECC's announcement, several environmental NGOs, including the World Wildlife Fund-UK, the Aviation Environment Federation, and AirportWatch called on the government to include the industries.
(Source: Ship & Bunker, 20 Dec., 2012) Contact: DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags DECC news, Maritime Emissions news,
Date: 2012-12-19
In the UK, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released two consultation papers detailing proposals for the Renewables Obligation (RO) covering the period 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2017. One of the papers addressed biomass affordability and sustainability and the other solar energy.
The government also announced measures to ensure that the Renewables Obligation (RO) will bring forward new biomass projects which are both cost and carbon effective. The aim is to unlock investment decisions worth £600 million creating around 1,000 construction jobs. Thus, dedicated biomass plants will receive 1.5 ROC's/MWh up to a limit of 400MW of installed capacity. Once this cap is reached the government will consider whether or not to consult on the restriction of further biomass deployment through the removal of grandfathering rights from additional biomass plants. (Source: DECC, PR, 18 Dec., 2012) Contact: UK DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags UK DECC news, Biomass news,
Date: 2012-12-14
UK Bioenergy Strategy, a new report by UK bioeconomy consultants NNFCC says biomass can deliver cost-effective, low-carbon energy with real and meaningful environmental and economic benefits but warns that the way we calculate these benefits needs to be more transparent and robust.
According to the report, by the end of the decade 15 per cent of the UK's energy supply must come from renewable sources. Biomass is expected to play a crucial role in delivering low carbon heat, power and transportation fuel to support this goal. Furthermore, biomass will continue to play an important role in energy production until at least 2050, according to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). However, there is some uncertainty as to whether bioenergy is the most appropriate technology to help deliver cost-effective and low carbon electricity. The report outlines how bioenergy could deliver up to 11 per cent of the UK's primary energy demand by 2020.
The report discusses the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from woody biomass used in the production of electricity, relating these to 'carbon payback' and 'carbon debt'. The briefing also looks at the wider benefits and implications of the developing bioenergy power market, including its impact on the price of wood and jobs.
The report admonishes that industry must continue to work with government to ensure bioenergy is effective in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, delivering economic benefits and decreasing the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. (Source: NNFCC, 12 Dec., 2012) Contact: Dr Geraint Evans , Head of Biofuels and Bioenergy , NNFCC, +44 (0)1904 435182, [email protected], www.nnfcc.co.uk
Tags NNFCC news, Woody Biomass news, Biomass news,
Date: 2012-12-05
In the U.K., CCS developers Drax Group and Alstom SA's plans to build CCS facilities in Northern England have missed out on approximately €600 million financing from the first phase of a €1.5 billion ($2 billion) European Commission program after failing to secure government funding guarantees . The developers had asked the EC for more time to arrange government guarantees to ensure the eligibility. The UK's CCS projects -- Teeside and White Rose -- will, however, qualify for second phase funding. (Source: UK DECC, Bloomberg, 4 Dec., 2012)
Tags DECC news, Drax.CCS news, CCS Funding news,
Date: 2012-12-03
In the UK, the new carbon tax levied on businesses should be recycled to help people struggling to pay their fuel bills, according to campaigners outraged by cuts to fuel poverty funding. According to a new report by the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE), the Government has slashed funding to England's "fuel poor" from £1.191 billion in 2009 to £879 million in 2013, taking into account all the Government’s new policies. Similarly, ACE says the cash on offer for energy efficiency has nearly halved from £376 million in 2009 to £209 million.
ACE is an alliance of more than 100 charities, consumer groups, businesses and labor unions. The alliance is calling for money from the carbon tax to be pumped back into schemes to help people in fuel poverty -- those who are defined as spending more than 10 percent of their income on home heating. Earlier this month, Consumer Focus also called for the tax to be used to help consumers.
H.M. Government is set to raise £2 billion in carbon tax revenue in 2013 with consumers each paying an average of £25 on their electricity bill, say the campaign group, meaning that by 2020 it will be bringing in £4 billion with consumers paying an average of £54.
The government's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says total fuel poverty spending was £760 million in 2009/10 and will be £828 million in 2014/15; a 9 percent rise in spending over the period.
(Source: Association for the Conservation of Energy, Energy Live News, 27 Nov., 2012) Contact: Association for the Conservation of Energy , www.ukace.org; UK DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags Carbon Tax news, DECC news,
Date: 2012-11-26
According to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Britain plans to triple subsidies for low-carbon power generation by 2020 after its coalition government this week forged a compromise over how to fund wind farms without harming the future of gas-fired power. The compromise became possible after the government agreed to postpone setting a controversial target for decarbonization until 2016. The target is the extent to which carbon emissions are to be reduced by 2030. The deal is expected to boost the share of renewables in Britain's energy mix to 30 percent by 2020, outpacing European Union targets of 20 percent, and create thousands of new jobs.
Under the new Levy Control Framework, spending on renewable power generation will increase to £7.6 billion ($12 billion) a year in real terms by 2020, from the current £2.35 billion, in an effort to reduce dependence on gas.
The renewable spending plans will be funded through higher household energy bills.
(Source: UK DECC , Reuters, Nov. 23, 2012) Contact: DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags UK DECC news, CCS news, Renewable Energy Target news,
Date: 2012-11-21
In the UK, anew government "green" charge will add significantly to household energy bills, power firms claim The energy industry has accused ministers of underestimating the impact on households of its Energy Company Obligation (ECO) rules. The rules will force companies to provide energy efficiency technology and home improvements to low-income households and others considered to be at risk of "fuel poverty".
The scheme, due to start in 2013, will oblige firms to fund expensive modifications including cavity wall insulation. Energy firms say ministers have understated the costs of the work, which will be recouped from other customers.
Energy UK, which represents the industry, is expected to publish a report by independent economic consultants suggesting the scheme will add as much as £50 to the average household bill. That contradicts assurances from the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), which is insisting that the changes will not mean additional costs for consumers. The DECC insisted that next year's changes will not hurt households. A spokesman said: "ECO replaces other energy-efficiency schemes almost pound for pound, so there will be no additional costs on bills. The ECO will take over from the power companies' existing obligations, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and the Community Energy Saving Programme. These obligations are due to end next month and the ECO will take over in addressing energy efficiency in the domestic sector.
The Energy Saving Trust says it is likely that this form of support will be heavily linked to the Green Deal and will particularly support those householders and those types of property which cannot achieve financial savings "without an additional or different measure of support".
(Source: DCEE, Telegraph, Nov. 18, 2012) Contact: UK DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags UK DECC news, Energy Efficiency news,
Date: 2012-11-16
The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has unveiled its first ever National Energy Efficiency Strategy, which offers a wide ranging package for increasing energy efficiency across all sectors of the UK economy, and could reduce energy use by 11 percent by 2020.
The strategy is intended to help "connect finance with demand, encourage innovation and make energy efficiency information more accessible to the consumer. The Energy Efficiency Strategy identifies an embryonic and underdeveloped market, a lack of information on energy efficiency, misaligned financial incentives and the perceived hassle of implementing energy efficiency improvements as the principle barriers to large-scale efforts to improving energy efficiency in the UK. .
The DECC says that following the Strategy
could save the UK 196 terrawatt hours a year by 2020, the equivalent of 22 new power stations; reduce energy consumption by as much as 13 percent by 2025. (Source: DECC, OilPrice.com, 12 Nov., 2012) Contact: DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags UK DECC news, Energy Efficiency news,
Date: 2012-11-07
Following on our March 22 coverage, Summit Power Group, LLC and Petrofac Ltd have been selected by the the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for Captain: The Clean Energy Project (Captain CEP) and will advance to the next stage of DECC's CCS for power plants competition. Captain CEP is one of four proposed CCS projects consisting of:
Captain CEP's 90+ percent carbon capture rate will allow electric power to be generated with less than 10 percent of the CO2 emissions of a conventional coal-burning power plant, and about 25 percent of the CO2 emissions of a high efficiency natural gas-fired power plant.
Summit is a U.S.-based developer of wind, solar, and carbon capture power plants, including another proposed coal gasification power project with 90+ percent carbon capture known as the Texas Clean Energy Project, which has won substantial funding and other financial support from the U.S. DOE.
Petrofac is major oilfield services provider, oilfield facilities operator, and design engineering and construction contractor for onshore and offshore petroleum and petrochemical facilities, including major oil installations and sub-sea reservoirs in the North Sea. The two companies have joined together to develop Captain CEP, with support from the National Grid Carbon as owner and operator of the onshore CO2 transport system and from Siemens as a key technology provider for the project's gasifiers and high-hydrogen combustion turbine and other power generation equipment. (Source: Summit Power, heraldonline.com, 5 Nov., 2012) Contact: Summit Power Group, (206) 780-3551, [email protected], www.summitpower.com; Petrofac, www.petrofac.com
Tags Summit Power news, CCS news, Petrofac news,
Date: 2012-11-05
In the UK, Teesside Low Carbon (TLC) -- the £2 billion bid for a vital CCS pipeline, has been shortlisted for a Government competition. Supporters say that, if built, the project would be a magnet for industry and technology and would create 1,250 permanent and construction jobs as well as help safeguard many thousands of existing area heavy industry jobs. Under TLC plans, a green power station, big enough to fuel as many as 500,000 homes, would be built alongside a pipeline to transport carbon from big industries to sub-sea voids for long-term storage.
According to North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) CEO Stan Higgins, "Ultimately, when we look at what a CCS facility could do for the country, I don't think there's a better place than Teesside to do this. It will provide the foundation stone for the country to continue to have large scale industry supporting the UK economy. The investment in itself will have a large impact on local engineering companies, both onshore and offshore. We look forward to helping the consortium of companies achieve their goal of building a scheme that will not only enable energy production but will be an attractant for future industry to Teesside."
The TLC consortium will now work with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and an investment decision is expected by 2014.
The project is also in line for a funding award under the EU NER300 programme, as DECC has also announced that, subject to ultimate success in the UK competition, it will support TLC. (Source: DECC, gazettelive.uk.co, Nov. 5, 2012) Contact: Teeside Low Carbon, www.teessidelowcarbon.com
Tags UK DECC news, CCS news,
Date: 2012-10-31
In the UK, plans to store carbon dioxide beneath the North Sea have been shortlisted for a share of £1 billion in government funding. The White Rose project plans to transport CO2 produced at Drax power station, near Selby, through a pipeline and store it underground.
The funding supports the development of technology to cut fossil fuel-fired power plant emissions. The government is expected to make a decision next year on whether the scheme will receive further support.
The White Rose scheme is backed by a consortium of companies including Alstom, Drax, BOC and National Grid.
The plan would develop CCS technology at a new coal-fired power station on the existing Drax site.
The developers believe it would reduce carbon emissions at Drax -- the UK's largest coal-fired power station - by up to 90 percent.
(Source: Dax, Department of Energy and Climate Change, BBC, Oct. 30, 2012) Contact: Contact: Drax Biomass, +44 (0)1757 618381, www.draxpower.com; UK DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags Drax news, UK CCS news,
Tags DECC news, Drax news, CCS news, CCS Funding news,
Date: 2012-10-29
Offshore wind to benefit from emerging technologies Funding for £20m (€24.6m) is available from the UK government to support the commercialization of promising energy storage technologies, including compressed air technology for commercial scale deployment. Energy storage solutions are widely expected to boost further growth in variable renewable energy generation, especially large-scale offshore wind projects. But storage technologies have yet to be commercialized, making the offshore wind sector vulnerable to claims that it is dependent on fossil-fuel or nuclear power stations to provide baseload electricity generation.
The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced two energy storage funding competitions worth a total £20m. The first fund £17 million fund will provide money for the design of up to ten technology demonstration projects, with up to three of these expected to be chosen for full-scale testing. A further £3 million will be available for projects aimed at testing components and materials used in energy storage technologies and to conduct feasibility studies concerning the workability of energy storage systems.
As energy storage solutions emerge, multiple technologies need to be deployed, said James Sun, new ventures manager at the UK Carbon Trust. The Carbon Trust is a member of the UK Low Carbon Innovation Co-ordination Group which has advised the DECC on energy storage competitions.
(Source: DECC, Carbon Trust , Oct. 23, 2012) Contact: UK DECC, www.decc.gov.uk; Carbon Trust, Tom Delay, CEO, +44 0800 085 2005, www.carbontrust.com
Tags UK DECC news, Carbon Trust news, Energy Storage news,
Date: 2012-10-22
In light of the growing importance of energy storage in the low carbon economy, the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched two energy storage competitions -- the first for large-scale energy storage demonstration projects and the second for research and feasibility studies into storage systems and their components.
A £17million energy storage technology demonstration competition offers organizations the opportunity to secure contracts to design and test energy storage technologies currently in the early stages of development. The competition will be run in two stages, with the first stage offering up to £40,000 for project designs. Applications for the competition must be submitted by 13 December 2012. Winning bidders will be announced in February 2013 and invited to take part in a second stage where up to £12million will be available to test their designs on the ground.
Under a £3 million energy storage systems component research and feasibility studies competition,
organizations can bid for grants of up to £ DONG Energy, +45 99 55 11 11, www.dongenergy.com >1million to improve components or materials used for energy storage systems or to develop feasibility studies to further explore how systems work and how they can be used in the UK electricity network. The bids will be assessed against a range of criteria including the technical specification, value for money and potential for commercialization. There are two opportunities to apply, the first application window closes at noon on 13 December 2012 and the second closes at noon on 27 March 2013.
Interested organizations are allowed to bid for funding under both competitions and are encouraged to attend the briefing event in London on 6 November 2012 before submitting an application. (Source: DECC, PR, Oct. 20, 2012)
Tags Energy Storage news, Renewable Energy news, DECC news,
Date: 2012-10-15
In the UK, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Edward Davey, is meeting this week with heads of the UK's coalition government to make a case for awarding £1 billion in funding to two CCS projects. Britain's previous attempts to finance CCS projects failed as costs surged above expectations, but the UK is counting on the technology to help it meet legally-binding climate targets and is banking on using it as a new export product to countries which have a vast fleet of polluting coal plants, such as China.
The UK plan runs alongside a European Union program, which has earmarked two UK CCS projects as contenders to win up to €337 million ($434.78 million) of funding each raised from the sale of carbon permits in the EU. EU countries whose projects were short-listed for the funding must advise the Commission by the end of the month which three projects, including any renewable energy schemes, they would support beyond the EU funding to ensure they get built.
Britain's Electricity Market Reform proposals, which are currently being assessed by parliament, include a mechanism to guarantee a minimum price of electricity for generators which emit no carbon, including CCS plants.
These so-called contracts for difference make UK an attractive place to invest in CCS projects as they are guaranteed set long-term revenue. (Source: DECC, Reuters, 11, Oct., 2012) Contact: DECC, William Lecky, [email protected], www.decc.gov.uk
Tags UK DECC news, CCS news, CCS Funding news,
Date: 2012-10-08
On Friday, UK Energy Minister John Hayes announced a new voluntary reporting process under the Renewables Obligation (RO) for power generators wishing to convert coal plants to biomass facilities. The change will reduce the regulatory burden for generators, making it easier to make the conversion, and allow it to better estimate how much financial support such schemes require. Beginning next April, the government will introduce new support bands for biomass under the RO, giving low-range plants burning less than 50 percent biomass 0.5 renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) per MWh; mid-range plants burning 50-85 percent biomass 0.6 ROCs per MWh and high-range plants 0.7 ROCs per MWh.
In other UK bioenergy news, Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker announced a new £2 million fund to support innovation in bioenergy.
The scheme is specifically aimed at the country's wetlands, which could provide plant material for use in energy production.
Initially, the scheme will provide up to £50,000 for pre-commercial ideas. In the second phase, successful applicants from the initial stage of the scheme will be able to bid for up to £1 million to get trials off the ground. A further judging round will select successful organizations to apply to phase 3 funding. (Source: DECC, Energy Efficiency News, Oct. 8, 2012) Contact: UK DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags Biomass news, DECC news,
Date: 2012-10-05
Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) and Siemens AG (SIE), the biggest manufacturers of offshore wind turbines, and 42 other companies are participating in an initiative to lower power-generating costs for the technology and promote investments that may reach as much as $630 billion by 2035, according to a release from the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). NORSTEC membership has more than doubled since U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron announced the group's formation in April.
NORSTEC seeks to drive development of offshore wind farms, an industry with the potential to employ as many as 185,000 people in the U.K. by 2020 and spur the laying of 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) of high voltage transmission cables in Europe's northern waters by 2022, Norstec said today in a statement e-mailed by DECC.
Norstec is pursuing "innovation throughout the sector to push forward technological development, creating competitive and well-established supply chains, which bring down costs and enable economic sustainability,"the statement said.
Other Norstec members include Alstom SA (ALO), Balfour Beatty Plc (BBY), EON AG, Dong Energy A/S, National Grid Plc (NG/), Repsol SA, SSE Plc (SSE), Statoil ASA (STL), Vattenfall AB and others. (Source: DECC, NORSTEC, Oct. 3, 2012)
Tags NORSTEC news, Vestas news, Siemens news,
Date: 2012-09-24
In the UK, the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change plans to make £ 20m available for two energy storage competitions. The new competitions are due to open to applicants within the next few weeks with the aim of getting the first projects underway early next year.
The first competition, the Energy Storage Technology Demonstration Competition will offer organizations the opportunity to secure funding to develop and demonstrate innovative energy storage technologies which can address the future grid-scale storage needs for the UK electricity network.
The second competition, the DECC Energy Storage Component Research and Feasibility Study Competition, will offer grant funding, on a competitive basis, to support component level research in relation to storage technologies.
According to an Imperial College London report, published in June this year, progress in each of these areas could help deliver massive benefits based of their finding that under a 2050 high renewables scenario the application of energy storage technologies could potentially generate total savings of £10 billion a year.
(Source: DECC, 21 Sept, 2012) Contact: DECC, William Lecky, [email protected], www.decc.gov.uk
Tags Energy Storage news, UK DECC news,
Date: 2012-09-19
Wood for Good, the UK timber industry's sustainability and promotion campaign, is submitting an entry for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC's) £1 billion CCS program, according to the Timber Trade Federation. The trade organization unveiled plans for what it calls the cheapest, most efficient and effective carbon capture and storage system available: increased forest cover.
The organization is promoting increased forest cover as a means of capturing and sequestering the UK's carbon emissions and is calling on the Government to invest the available funds in new sustainable forests and commercial forestry practices. Sustainable forestry practices harvest trees at the peak of their growth and carbon sequestration ability and replant them with more trees in a continuous, renewable cycle. The carbon is stored indefinitely in the wood products harvested. These wood products in turn can substitute for a range of other higher carbon materials in manufacturing and construction. The by-products of production can also be used as substitutes for fossil fuels in energy production.
Europe's forests currently provide a carbon sink for 150-200 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, with an additional 500 million tonnes sequestered annually. In the UK alone, a mere four per cent increase in forest cover could deliver abatement equivalent to ten per cent of total GHG emissions.
A recent Independent Panel on Forestry report highlighted the importance of UK forestry in sequestering carbon emissions and its role in the green economy. The report recommended that the development of wood-based industries and technologies is a key priority for support from the Green Development Bank. (Source: Lesprom, Sept. 19, 2012)
Tags Reforestation news, CCS news, DECC news,
Date: 2012-08-27
The first phase of the UK's Entrepreneurs Fund is now open to applications. The fund is part of the £ 35 million package announced by DECC earlier this year. Up to £10 million is available to support energy efficiency technologies such as building control systems, advanced lighting systems and space heating and cooling technologies. Up to £6 million is available for power generation and energy storage technologies including fuel cells, biomass boilers and heat pumps.
The aim of the funding is to speed up the development of low carbon technologies towards commercialization, helping to cut carbon emissions in the UK, supporting jobs and creating export opportunities. According to Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker, "Low carbon innovation is vital for the growth of our green economy. This investment will help entrepreneurs with novel ideas get designs off the drawing board and into our homes and businesses, helping cut carbon and spur on growth in this exciting market place."
The scheme will support projects at Technology Readiness level 3 (TRL 3) and above. Innovators will be able to bid for up to £1 million to develop and demonstrate innovative technologies and processes. Applications can be made online and must be submitted by 31 October 2012 at the latest. Successful bidders will be announced later in the year. (Source: Innovatechuk August 23, 2012) https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/carbon-sequestration-and-storage/articles/-/blogs/trackback/9155791
Tags Carbon news, DECC news,
Date: 2012-08-24
In the UK, carbon emissions per person rose in 2010 for more than 90% of local authorities, according to new figures released by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Between 2009 and 2010, CO2 emissions per capita rose by 0.2 kilotons for the UK as a whole -- or an increase of 2.7%. Nominally, total emissions were up by 4.2%. The largest rise was observed in Neath Port Talbot, where emissions climbed from 44.7 Kt to 62.0 Kt per person. By contrast, per capita missions in Redcar and Cleveland dropped by more than half, falling from 50.7 Kt to 21.8 Kt. Emissions from industry and commerce accounted for 43% of the UK total on a per capita basis, followed by domestic emissions (32%) and those resulting from road transport. (Source: DECC, DataBlog , 23 Aug. 2012))
Tags Carbon Emissions news,
Date: 2012-08-15
In the UK, the latest figures from Nottingham City Council's Greenhouse Gas Report submission to the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that the City Council has successfully cut its own carbon emissions by 16.1%. The Council's report shows that large businesses and other organizations can make a substantial difference to carbon emissions levels, often by making small changes to how they operate.
The City Council took action to help reduce its own carbon footprint by reducing the amount of energy used in key high-energy using premises, such as sports centers and schools, and finding smarter ways to use its fleet.
The city's efforts resulted in a 41% fall in CO2 as a result of careful waste management, reducing gas use by 26%, investing in low carbon and renewable energy installations in city property, optimizing fleet vehicle use by achieving a 66% reduction in CO2 in city business travel.
The reductions were made in comparison to baseline figures provided to DECC for the year 2007/08. (Source: City of Nottingham, 9 Aug., 2012)
Tags DECC news, Carbon Emission Reduction news,
Date: 2012-07-25
In the UK, five major government-backed R&D projects funded by the UK's innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board (Innovateuk) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change will demonstrate the use of fuel cell systems and hydrogen technologies in low carbon energy systems and transport. The projects will show how these technologies can be integrated with other energy and transport components, such as renewable energy generation, refueling infrastructure and vehicles.
The five projects, selected through a competitive process, will be led by Air Products plc, BOC Ltd, ITM Power (Trading), Rutland Management Ltd and SSE plc. They will involve:
The demonstration of a whole renewable hydrogen system, connecting a 1MWe electrolyser to the grid, in conjunction with an Aberdeenshire wind farm, to explore the grid impacts and energy storage potential of hydrogen generation, and to provide the green hydrogen produced to power a fleet of fuel cell buses (SSE plc).
The Technology Strategy Board and DECC will provide grant funding of £9 million and the total value of the projects, including contributions from the industrial partners, is in excess of £19 million. These projects build on previous Government support for fuel cells and hydrogen systems, accelerating the process toward commercialization. (Source: Innovateuk, 24 July, 2012) Contact: Technology Strategy Board, David Bott, www.innovateuk.org; DECC, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags Innovateuk news, Fuel Cell news,
Date: 2012-07-24
An investment worth more than £19 million is to provide a major boost to the UK's developing hydrogen fuel cell industry. A £9 million investment from the Technology Strategy Board and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will be complimented by investment from private partners to more than double the funding for six new projects, each of which is designed to demonstrate the potential of fuel cell systems and hydrogen technology.
Each project will show how fuel cell and hydrogen technologies can be used integrated into energy and transport industries.
The five projects were selected through a competitive process, will be led by Air Products plc, BOC Ltd, ITM Power (Trading), Rutland Management Ltd and SSE plc.
They will include the creation of the UK's first end-to-end, integrated, hydrogen production, distribution and retailing system, centered around a fully publicly accessible 700 bar renewable H2 refueling station network across London.
(Source: GreenCar UK, 23 July, 2012)
Tags Hydrogen news, Fuel Cell news,
Date: 2012-07-19
Scotland failed to meet its greenhouse gas emissions target for 2010, according to just released Scottish Government statistics. The statistics show a 1.9% increase in emissions in 2010 on the previous year, which has been blamed on the extreme winter weather. The figure means the statutory target set out under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act to reduce emissions year-on-year was not achieved.
The Government said the long-term trend still showed a reduction in emissions, down 24.3% since 1990, while provisional figures from the UK DECC indicate that emissions fell 7% in 2011.
Campaign group Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said "these figures underline the need for greater leadership in actually delivering reductions. World-leading climate legislation needs world-leading climate action." Environment minister Stewart Stevenson said that the Scottish Government remains fully committed to delivering ambitious and world-leading climate change targets. (Source: STV, July 17, 2012)
Tags Carbon Emissions Target news,
Date: 2012-07-13
On Wed., July 11, the European Commission (EC) Climate Change Committee (CCC) approved the UK's national auction platform for phase III and aviation auctions under the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). The CCC endorsement is the latest step in the UK's preparations for auctioning phase III and aviation allowances. Under EU rules, the Commission and Member States in the form of the CCC must first approve the platform. This will be followed by a three month scrutiny period by the European Council and Parliament. The UK expects auctioning to start in November 2012, subject to successful completion of this scrutiny process.
Following a decision by the CCC last year, Member States are due to start auctioning some 120m phase III emissions allowances before the end of this year. The UK's share of these allowances is 12 million. Subject to EU approval, it is expected that these allowances will be auctioned in November and December this year. In addition, the UK is expected to auction approximately 7 million aviation allowances by the end of 2012.
Auctions of these allowances will be held separately during the same period.
Further detailed information on the UK's phase III and aviation auctions, including the proposed auction calendar and how to access the auctions, will follow in due course. (Source: UK Dept of Energy & Climate Change, July 11, 2012)
Tags UK DECC news,
Date: 2012-07-10
Further to our June 19 coverage, Centrica's planned £1.5 billion Docking Shoal UK offshore wind farm has been scuppered by the government Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) because it might kill as many as 94 sandwich terns (small sea birds) a year. Over £10m, and three and a half years of planning, have gone for naught on the 540 megawatt project near the Lincolnshire and north Norfolk coast.
The rejection of Docking Shoal came as a second Centrica wind farm in the same area won approval -- the 580MW Race Bank project. A third 560MW project in the region, known as Dudgeon and operated by Warwick Energy, was also approved.
The DECC said that
"The north Norfolk coast is an important summer site for sandwich terns and we have an international responsibility to protect them."
(Source: DECC, Guardian, July 8, 2012) Contact: Alan McLaughlin, Centrica, +44 (0)77 8957-0598, [email protected], www.centrica.co.uk
Tags Centrica news, Offshore Wind news,
Date: 2012-06-04
In a move that should prove popular with Conservative MPs, the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) secretary Ed Davey says that onshore wind energy subsidies under the Renewables Obligation Scheme are set to fall. Earlier this year, more than 100 MPs wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron asking the government to limit the growth of onshore wind generation.
Supporters say onshore wind is vital if Britain is to avoid dependence on expensive imported energy sources like gas. Conservative MPs say wind turbines are unsightly and inefficient. Onshore wind supporters retort that the government is putting economic growth ahead of environmental concerns and are contrary to the government's pledge to run the "UK's greenest government ever."
There are currently just over 3,000 onshore wind turbines and more than 500 offshore in the UK.(Source: Telegraph, 3 June, 2012)
Tags Wind Incentive news, UK Wind news,
Date: 2012-05-31
In June and July, the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will be surveying UK firms on their low carbon innovation activity. The survey will look at levels of investment in innovations that result in reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. DECC are also keen to investigate drivers of and barriers to investment. This will help improve the UK government's understanding of low carbon innovation activity in the private sector, and will help inform the development of future innovation support programmes.
The DECC is keen to hold brief telephone interviews with a wide range of companies active in the low carbon sector. To participate in this survey or for further details contact William Lecky, Energy Innovation, DECC [email protected], www.decc.gov.uk
Tags UK DECC news,
Date: 2012-05-18
Air Liquide/Progressive Energy, Alstom/Portland Gas Storage, Centrica/SEQ, Costain Energy & Process/Shell, CO2 Deepstore/SSE, Doosan Power Projects/SSI, National Grid/Summit Power and Peel Energy/2Co are among the companies expressing interest in working with the British government to make CCS commercially viable. "This high level of interest proves that the UK is back on track with CCS," a spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was quoted as saying. "From the outset, we are working through collaboration with industry to ensure we make CCS a reality and importantly create the maximum return for what is one of the best offers anywhere in the world."
The UK's CCS commercialization program, which builds upon an earlier CCS efforts, offers £1 billion in direct funding support for the design and construction of CCS projects.
Participating companies will also benefit from the government's planned CCS feed-in tariff payments and other electricity market reforms designed to encourage low-carbon power.
(Source: GreenBang, 17 May, 2012)
Tags UK CCS news,
Date: 2012-05-10
UK Energy Minister Charles Hendry yesterday granted consent for a controversial 76-turbine wind farm located between Neath and Aberdare. Developer Vattenfall predicts the Pen y Cymoedd project will power the equivalent of up to 206,000 homes a year. The turbines will be up to 145 metres high and have a total capacity of 299 MW. According to the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) it will have "the highest generating capacity of any onshore wind farm in England and Wales".
Vattenfall projects a construction cost of around £300 million. Construction is slated to start in 2013 with the first electricity generated in 2016.
(Source: Wales Online, May 9, 2012) Vattenfall AB, +46 8 739 50 00, www.vattenfall.com
Tags Vattenfall news,
Date: 2012-05-08
In the UK, energy industry officials are warning the Government that moves to reduce residential solar panel installations subsidies are jeopardizing Britain's hopes of hitting renewable energy targets and threatening thousands of jobs. Some 400 senior figures in the solar energy industry said demand for panels has collapsed since the Government began slashing financial incentives. They said that more than 6,000 people working in solar energy had lost their jobs since last summer, and 43 per cent of solar companies are planning redundancy layoffs.
Last year the Government slashed by half the household feed-in tariff which feed excess solar panel electricity into the national grid. Critics said the move would deter people from purchasing panels, which cost an average of £12,000, because it would double the time it took them to recoup their initial investment.
The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is considering a further cut in feed-in tariffs to come into effect in July. The DECC argues that the scheme still amounts to a generous subsidy for prosperous people who can afford panels, funded by less well-off consumers. The solar energy firms told the Government that demand for solar panels has halved in the past year because of the uncertainty over subsidies.
(Source: The Independent, 7 May, 2012)
Tags Solar Incentive news,
Date: 2012-04-25
Carbon emissions from goods imported and consumed in the UK are rising faster than the domestic fall in greenhouse gases, according to UK MPs' 'Outsourcing' of pollution overseas will tarnish the UK's record on carbon emissions, experts warned. The UK's carbon dioxide emissions fell by 19% between 1990 and 2008, but its carbon footprint, based on what the UK consumes, grew by 20%. The government says that a new deal on climate change should be agreed.
The cut in GHGs since 1990 was the result of switching from coal to gas for electricity generation and the fact that what is consumed is more often manufactured in countries such as China, rather than because of policies to tackle climate change, the committee said in a report on Consumption-Based Emissions Reporting. The committee urged the government to consider consumption-based emissions in designing climate change policies and working out data on UK's greenhouse gas emissions.
The MPs asked the government to take on board its independent climate advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, to work out how the UK could incorporate emissions from imported goods in its policies.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said: "We account for our emissions according to international rules that are followed by all countries that are signed up to the Kyoto Protocol, and that are the basis for international negotiations on climate change."
The DECC believes it is difficult to calculate and verify figures relating to consumption-based emissions, and it would be hard to negotiate a global reduction treaty on this basis. (Source: DECC,BBC News, 19 April, 2012) Contact: Department of Energy and Climate Change, +44 0300 060 4000, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags UK Carbon Emissions news, DECC news,
Date: 2012-04-23
In the UK, ICE Futures Europe has won a contract to host auctions to sell carbon permits in the third phase (2013-2020) of the EU emissions trading scheme. An auction platform will enable the UK to sell emissions permits to power and industrial plants, as well as the aviation sector, taking part in the world's biggest carbon market. "Subject to successful completion of the European Commission notification and listing process the auctioning of the UK's phase III and aviation auctions allowances will start in November," the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DCEE) said in a statement. (Source: UK Dept. of Energy and Climate Change, 23 April, 2012) Contact: DCEE, www.decc.gov.uk; ICE Futures Europe, David Peniket, President, (770) 857-4700, www.theice.com
Tags DECC news, ICE Futures news,
Date: 2012-04-11
In the UK, a new £13 million scientific hub to tackle climate change has been announced by the government. The UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre will be founded by the Universities of Leeds, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Cranfield, Cambridge, Nottingham and Durham, as well as the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the British Geological Survey and Imperial College London. The Centre will lead investigations into CCS technologies, bringing together 100 of the country's leading academics in this subject. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will invest £3 million into this development, with a further £10 million coming from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
In other UK CCS developments, a centre for Innovation in Carbon Capture and Storage at the University of Nottingham is examining the potential of permanently locking up GHG inside rocks to create solid carbonate products.
Companies in the construction industry could benefit from Sage ERP EVision financial and contract management software, which is programmed to streamline essential business functions. (Source: Sage, April, 10, 2012)
Tags UK CCS news, DECC news,
Date: 2012-04-10
In the UK, Nottingham University will play a key role in the new UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC), a £13 million initiative which will lead research into safe storage of GHG produced from power generation.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will invest £10 million in the Centre over a five-year period, with funding of £3 million from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to establish new capital facilities that will support innovative research. This forms part of the Research Councils UK Energy Programme, which is led by EPSRC.
DECC has also launched its CCS Commercialization Programme and Roadmap, setting out the Government's vision for achieving commercial deployment of CCS in the UK in the 2020s, including investing £125 million in CCS R&D between 2011-2015. A key priority will be to support the UK economy by driving an integrated research programme focused on maximizing the contribution of CCS to a low-carbon energy system for the UK. (Source: Nottingham University, April, 9, 2012) Contact: Nottingham University, www.nottingham.ac.uk
Tags CCS R&D news, DECC news,
Date: 2012-03-29
In the UK, government Ministers laid out plans today to reform the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) which they said would save businesses £250 million. The reforms are being put forward for final consultation to simplify the mandatory carbon trading scheme. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said the proposals would reduce the administrative cost of the CRC on companies and organizations participating in the scheme by almost two-thirds -- equating to around £250 million savings for businesses up to 2030 and £330 million in total for both public and private sector organizations.
The package of proposals, many of which have been on the table since last July, follows an acknowledgment by the Chancellor George Osborne last week that the CRC was "cumbersome and bureaucratic". In his Budget speech, he said that unless major savings in the administrative costs of the scheme for businesses could be found before the autumn, he would replace the CRC with an alternative environmental tax. But Britain's biggest business group has already labeled the consultation a "waste of time" and is calling for the CRC to be scrapped without delay.
As set out last July, DECC said it will cut the number of fuels covered by the schemes from 29 to four and remove the requirement on facilities covered by Climate Change Agreement or EU Emissions Trading System installations to purchase CRC allowances. Other measures include shortening the CRC qualification process and reducing the amount of reporting required by businesses and the length of time participants will have to keep records. In addition, DECC said it would retain the Performance League Table but would make it no longer a legal requirement to include detailed metrics within the table. Ministers said the proposals would also create greater alignment between the CRC and company greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting by adopting for the CRC the emission factors used for GHG reporting purposes.
The formal consultation will run for twelve weeks from today. Following on from this, Government will amend the legislation for CRC by April 2013. (Source: DECC, March 27, 2012) Contact: Department of Energy and Climate Change, +44 0300 060 4000, www.decc.gov.uk
Tags DECC news,
Date: 2012-03-28
Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, has signed a collaboration agreement with Landis + Gyr. The agreement will see the two companies form a strategic partnership to jointly develop smart metering and smart grid solutions targeted for commercial launch from mid 2012 onwards.
Under Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) plans, every home and business in the UK will be fitted with a smart meter by 2019. The national roll-out will transform the relationship between energy supplier and consumer, paving the way for the development of a low-carbon "smart grid". Landis+Gyr and Huawei's immediate focus will be to support the UK's roll-out through the joint development of a universal communications hub that will provide a common solution for every home in the country and offer energy utilities worldwide the opportunity to optimize the deployment of hundreds of millions of smart meters. A joint innovation center and product development plan will be set up to pursue opportunities in the wider market, such as smart homes and cities.
Landis+Gyr is currently working with British Gas on the UK's first major deployment of smart meters.
(Source: Huawei, March 26, 2012) Contact: Richard Mora, CEO , Landis+Gyr North America,(678) 258-1500, www.landisgyr.com
Tags Landis&Gyr news,
Date: 2012-03-22
Seattle, Washington-based low-carbon electric power developer Summit Power Group has entered into an agreement with National Grid and Petrofac to seek funding for the development of a low-carbon power plant, including full-chain, commercial-scale CCS in the United Kingdom. The project, to be named the Caledonia Clean Energy Project, will be submitted to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for funding under the UK's Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) Delivery Competition, as recently outlined in the European Journal. The proposed Summit power plant will be based at the Port of Grangemouth, west of Edinburgh on the Firth of Forth, Scotland. With more than 90 percent carbon capture, the coal feedstock plant will generate extremely low-carbon electric power and also produce hydrogen gas for commercial use. The CO2 captured will be transported via pipeline to St. Fergus by National Grid Carbon and then transferred offshore for geological sequestration deep under the North Sea by Petrofac subsidiary, CO2DeepStore.
The project site has been selected to take advantage of synergies with other facilities for industrial gas supply and to support CO2 capture. The location provides the benefit of being close to the UK North Sea for both CO2 storage and, later, enhanced oil recovery opportunities, and enables the re-use of existing pipelines.
Summit Power is currently developing a very similar project in Texas -- the Texas Clean Energy Project (TCEP) -- and intends to replicate many aspects of TCEP at Grangemouth. Summit Power's TCEP project is a cutting-edge CCS project for the U.S. DOE , which in 2010 awarded the project $450 million under the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI). CCPI is a cost-shared collaboration between the Federal government and private industry, aimed at stimulating investment in extreme low-carbon, coal-based power generation technologies through successful commercial demonstrations. (Source: Summit Power, March 20, 2012)
Contact: Summit Power, Tom Cameron, Senior VP Project Development, (509) 448-7589, www.summitpower.com
Tags Summit Power news, DECC news, Clean Coal Power Initiative news,
Date: 2012-03-20
The U.K. Department of Energy & Climate Change has granted E.ON Climate & Renewables permission to construct a 150 MW biomass power plant at Royal Portbury Dock in the Port of Bristol, North Somerset, England. But it is unclear whether the company will advance its plans in light of a proposal to cut government biomass subsidies in the coming years. To be fueled mainly by imported virgin wood, dedicated energy crops and locally-sourced waste wood, the plant would generate enough electricity to power up to 160,000 homes. The company believes the project will create up to 325 temporary jobs during construction, 35 full-time jobs during operation and require 20 contract personnel during routine and annual maintenance.
Shortly after the DECC's approval, the company announced that it would first re-examine its renewable energy strategy in light of the U.K. government's current banding review of the Renewables Obligation, which is being finalized for release this spring.
The Renewables Obligation awards Renewables Obligation Certificates to qualifying technologies. Levels of support are banded by technology type and include multiple biomass-related technologies, as well as wind, geothermal, solar and hydro. In October, the DECC proposed to leave dedicated biomass support at the current 1.5 ROCs per MWh through March 2016, reducing it to 1.4 ROCs per MWh beginning April 2016.
Shortly thereafter, the U.K. Committee on Climate Change released its Bioenergy Review, which recommends government support through the Renewables Obligation be tailored to burning biomass in existing coal-fired plants through conversion and co-firing, and smaller-scale plants using local resources. But it adds that safeguards will need to be introduced to ensure support for new dedicated biomass capacity is limited, if any support is given at all. (Source: E.ON, March, 2012) Contact: E.ON, www.eon.com
Tags E.ON news,
Date: 2012-03-20
In the UK, Her Majesty's government's energy policy estimates that the UK could support a CCS industry worth as much as £6.5 billion a year by the late 2020s. Although the UK's first CCS pilot opened in Yorkshire last year, the technology has not yet been deployed on a commercial scale, prompting energy companies to insist that they will not deploy the technology without government financial support. As a result, the previous government promised £1 billion of funding to support the first demonstration plant - a policy that was retained by the present coalition government.
But after long-running negotiations the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) canceled the funding competition in October, 2011, on the grounds that the only bidder, Scottish Power's Longannet power station, could not be delivered for budgetary reasons. NAO's report concluded DECC launched the competition with "insufficient planning and recognition of the commercial risks", resulting in the decision to cancel the bidding process four years later. It said the DECC gave insufficient weight to commercial viability when it assessed bidders' outline solutions, and was then forced to turn the competition into a single-tender negotiation in October 2010, because of uncertainty around whether an agreement on the commercial terms could be reached. It also said the lack of clarity over government finance for the project delayed the early stages of the competition and added to the commercial risks for bidders. It also questioned time wasted in developing full-scale CCS, rather than the money that was spent on the abandoned competition.
The NAO also made a series of recommendations to DECC on its future CCS funding plans, which last week saw the launch of a £20 million CCS innovation fund that could award funds to a few big projects or as many as 10 smaller projects by late summer.
The report was welcomed by the CCS Association as providing "invaluable insight" into the reasons why the government scrapped the Longannet CCS project. (Source: BusinessGreen, March 19, 2012)
Tags UK CCS news,
Date: 2012-03-05
British energy regulator Ofgem and the U.K.'s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have released a report that finds that if offshore wind power projects were interlinked, instead of individual connections being built for each development, it would lead to a substantial decrease in construction and operating costs for offshore wind energy development. According to the report, this coordinated approach could reduce the cost of offshore connections by 8% to 15%, which would help meet the U.K. government's target of reducing the cost of offshore wind to £100 per MWh by 2020. It could also pave the way for an offshore network in the North Sea linking wind farms off Britain's coast to other European countries, the report says.
Ofgem will assess whether anticipatory investment is beneficial to the development of an efficient network. Approval would also depend on other factors. For example, developers and the system operator would have to show that there is demand for capacity to be built and that it will benefit customers.
Access report HERE. (Source: Ofgem, March 3, 2012)
Contact: Ofgem, Mark Wiltsher, +44 (0) 20 7901 7006, [email protected], www.ofgem.gov.uk
Tags Ofgem news, UK Offshore Wind news,