Hinkley
Leader: Nuclear Disaster. Hinkley Point C is too big, too expensive and unproven. It should be abandoned before the costs get completely out of hand. Chris Bakken, the project’s director, resigned last month. Thomas Piquemal, EDF’s finance director, stood down at the weekend. Neither seems to have had full faith in Hinkley Point C. With or without new nuclear capacity in the future, Britain faces looming power supply gaps that could be filled more quickly and cheaply with gas-fired stations. In the longer term Britain’s nuclear power future looks more plausible if based on new designs for smaller, cheaper reactors rather than on relics from the age of Chernobyl. It is more likely that construction would be delayed, as with a similar EDF reactor in Normandy. There a 160-tonne steel reactor vessel has been found to be too brittle and prone to crack. In fact there is no working example of the reactor planned for Hinkley point anywhere in the world. Despite this President Hollande recently promised it would be very profitable. If so, it will be profitable at the expense of British customers. This bad deal was struck by Ed Davey, a biddable Liberal Democrat whose judgment history has been found wanting. The cost of backing out would be substantial, but the cost of staying in far higher.
Times 8th March 2016 read more »
Taxpayers will save more than £17 billion if ministers tear up plans for a French-led nuclear power plant and choose a tried-and-tested alternative, analysts have calculated. EDF’s plan to build the plant at Hinkley Point, Somerset, which is designed to generate 6 per cent of Britain’s electricity, was struck a blow yesterday when the company’s finance chief quit. Thomas Piquemal claimed that the £18 billion French-Chinese deal would push EDF towards financial ruin, raising fresh questions about the sustainability of building the two Hinkley reactors after a deal signed with the British government in 2013. Savings of £500 million a year, or £17.5 billion over the 35-year term of the contract, could be achieved, according to Peter Atherton, energy analyst at the US investment bank Jefferies. The cost to consumers of building a reactor using a rival technology from Hitachi, which has been proposed for a site on the island of Anglesey, was likely to be far cheaper, Mr Whittome said. Unlike the French reactor, which is not operational anywhere, four of the Hitachi ABWR reactors have already started generating electricity in Japan. The reactors are quicker and cheaper to build because they are assembled in a factory using modules. The reactor planned for Hinkley Point, called the EPR, must be built in situ, including the construction of a hardened steel and concrete “containment vessel” that houses it. Industry experts believe that the Hitachi design would still require subsidies but could probably be built with a lower price of about £70 per megawatt hour. Mycle Schneider, a French nuclear consultant, said that Mr Piquemal’s exit, a month after Christopher Bakken, EDF’s Hinkley project director, also quit, was a “very substantial indicator that this project is not sustainable”. He claimed that the Hinkley project was now being driven more by political than commercial considerations.
Times 8th March 2016 read more »
The minister who agreed that EDF, the French nuclear company, could charge twice the wholesale cost for electricity generated by the new Hinkley Point plant now works for the lobbyists who advise the company. Sir Edward Davey, who announced the deal with EDF in October 2013, has taken a part-time job with MHP Communications, who name EDF Energy among their clients. As the energy secretary during the coalition government, Sir Edward, a Liberal Democrat, helped to negotiate the deal that would ensure that EDF would get £92.50 for every megawatt hour of energy that Hinkley C generates, plus compensation for inflation. In a letter about Sir Edward’s appointment, sent in December, the advisory committee said it was “clear that you will not have any involvement with EDF whatsoever in relation to their generating business prior to the announcement of a final investment decision in relation to Hinkley Point C. It also took into account your assurance that you would not be required to lobby the UK government on behalf of EDF or any of their clients.” The body added that it required Sir Edward to “not involve yourself in work related to Hinkley Point C or any commercial deal in which DECC [Department of Energy and Climate Change] is currently involved”.
Times 8th March 2016 read more »
In the decade since Britain first outlined plans for a new generation of nuclear power stations, the obstacles to realising this “renaissance” have become ever more apparent. One strategic investor after another has walked away from the Hinkley Point project, intended to be the first of eight new reactors. Each time, the government has pressed on. Now even EDF, the French utility leading the project, is split over the risks it entails: Thomas Piquemal, its finance director, has quit on concern that it jeopardises the group’s financial future. It is imperative to prove that the so-called EPR reactor technology to be built at Hinkley Point is viable, after endless problems with reactors under construction in Finland and at Flamanville in northern France. Export orders are important for the French nuclear industry to sustain its expertise, as the time comes when it will have to replace the country’s own fleet of reactors. EDF’s finances look increasingly fragile after it was forced to absorb part of Areva’s troubled business and to take a bigger stake in Hinkley Point than it had intended. EDF’s response to these concerns, and that of the governments backing the projects, has essentially been: “Trust us”. But it is no longer enough simply to assert confidence in the project’s merits. It is time for both EDF and the British government to face up to the difficulties besetting Hinkley Point and to outline alternatives. Mr Piquemal’s resignation makes it ever harder to defend a deal whose flaws have become increasingly apparent. It is time to move on.
FT 7th March 2016 read more »
The French and British governments on Monday redoubled their support for a nuclear project in the UK, attempting to quash an internal rebellion at project-leader EDF just weeks before a final investment decision. The Paris-based utility was thrown into turmoil when chief financial officer Thomas Piquemal resigned, saying that he felt that plans for the £18bn Hinkley Point project in Somerset threatened the group’s entire future. He is the most high profile of a growing group arguing that the project would be disastrous for EDF, with one board member telling the Financial Times: “Piquemal is not the only one. Many on the board feel the same.” The two governments and EDF on Monday launched a co-ordinated response in public and behind the scenes to kill the rebellion, highlighting their commitment to push through the deal at the highest levels. For the French government, which owns 85 per cent of EDF, the deal is crucial for maintaining the competencies of the French nuclear sector and supporting its suppliers at a time when export orders are hard to come by. The UK government sees Hinkley as a crucial part of its future energy mix. It is set to provide low-carbon electricity to meet 7 per cent of the UK’s electricity needs when it is up and running in 2025.
FT 7th March 2016 read more »
Tensions inside EDF over its plans to build a flagship nuclear power station in the UK were laid bare on Monday, after the finance director quit his job in protest and claimed the project could threaten the company’s future. Thomas Piquemal’s dramatic exit highlights how a number of senior executives at the French state-controlled utility have long wanted to either delay the £18bn Hinkley Point C project in Somerset or scrap it completely. They say the plans look too risky for a group that is grappling with difficult European markets and a large debt load. The concern is therefore that, while the Hinkley project may be profitable if all goes according to plan, the risks of multibillion-euro construction delays are significant and could put the company under severe financial pressure. EDF is already in a weakened state. Wholesale electricity prices in Europe have fallen sharply over the past year, because they are linked to the value of crude oil. Meanwhile, the opening up of the French market to competition has eroded EDF’s once near-monopoly status. Shares in the company, which fell 7 per cent on Monday, have more than halved over the past year. EDF borrows money every year just to pay its dividend, and the group’s 37bn euro of net debt dwarfs its 21bn euro market capitalisation.
FT 7th March 2016 read more »
Nick Butler: Thomas Piquemal, the finance director of EDF has performed a significant public service by resigning and focusing attention on the continuing problems around the UK’s Hinkley Point nuclear project in Somerset. I cannot remember the last occasion when the CFO of a major company resigned over an issue of policy. The event is certainly rare and can only increase the pressure on the French company’s chairman, Jean-Bernard Levy. A resignation like this is not usually the end of the story. It will be hard now for Mr Levy and the EDF board to press ahead regardless. All the questions above and more will have to be answered. Mr Piquemal’s departure makes the postponement of Hinkley more rather than less likely. For that service he deserves the thanks not just of EDF’s shareholders but also of UK energy consumers who could yet escape paying the excessive price of an unproven project.
FT 7th March 2016 read more »
Although EDF continues to be bullish about the project, it has yet to make a final decision on whether to proceed, pushing back its deadline to decide time and time again over the past three years. The company’s board is now due to consider its options at the end of this month, although many expect the decision will be postponed once again. Several board members representing trades unions and non-state shareholders (the French government owns 85 per cent of EDF) are known to favour cancellation or delay. Mr Piquemal’s resignation may have been a last-ditch attempt to influence the board’s decision – or a recognition that he had lost his battle against Hinkley Point.
Independent 7th March 2016 read more »
The British and French governments have insisted the Hinkley Point nuclear plant is on track, despite fresh doubts emerging over the £18bn project after an executive row at its main backer, EDF Energy. EDF confirmed that finance chief Thomas Piquemal had resigned, amid reports he wanted the French state-owned company to delay a final decision on building the UK’s first new nuclear power station in a generation. French trade unions latched on to Piquemal’s departure as evidence that the Hinkley Point C plant, which is expected to meet 7% of the UK’s energy needs once up and running, poses a threat to EDF’s future. Analysts echoed the finance director’s concerns, with one energy expert saying that the project to build two nuclear reactors on the Somerset coast was “verging on insanity”. “Politics is rather trumping the economics at the moment,” said Tim Yeo, the former Tory MP who chairs pro-nuclear lobby group New Nuclear Watch. He said the government should put the project on hold and consider potentially cheaper nuclear technologies from South Korea, China and Russia. Yeo added: “Now is the moment for the government to examine whether these alternatives represent value for money. We need to cast the net a bit wider.” Martin Young, an energy analyst at investment bank RBC Capital Markets, said that for EDF to proceed with such a costly plan would be “verging on insanity”. He said the firm would have to sell assets in the “double-digit” billions to afford the project. Kevin Coyne, national officer for energy at the Unite trade union, said EDF should follow the lead of the British and French governments by confirming that Hinkley will go ahead. “We want to unpack the boots and shovels and get on with the job,” he added.
Guardian 7th March 2016 read more »
Just days after Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron and French president François Hollande expressed their support for the ambitious Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor in Britain, the finance director of state-controlled power operator EDF resigned over the financial risks to the project. This underlines the schism between political support and financial realism, and puts the spotlight on the troubled situation of the French nuclear sector, which is of strategic importance for energy supply and provides many jobs.
Forbes 7th March 2016 read more »
EDF shates dive after Finance offcer resigns.A person familiar with the matter said Mr. Piquemal argued in the letter that financing the U.K. project would dangerously stretch the utility’s finances. EDF, which carries €37.4 billion ($41.2 billion) in net debt, had its credit rating put on review for a downgrade by Moody’s Investors Service last month. News of Mr. Piquemal’s surprise departure unnerved investors, sending EDF’s shares down 6.7% in Paris. His resignation comes as the company, one of the world’s leading nuclear-power utilities, is close to a final decision on building a new nuclear-power plant at Hinkley Point in southwest England. Marie-Helene Meyling, one of the six worker representatives at EDF’s board, said the French utility would likely have to take on extra debt as the owner of two-thirds of the Hinkley Point venture. Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s Corp. recently said a decision to proceed with the project could prompt a downgrade.
Wall St Journal 7th March 2016 read more »
The GMB trade union – which has a large membership in the energy and construction sectors – is urging the UK government to re-designate the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority as the ‘Nuclear Development Authority’ and for it to take over the on-off saga of the proposed Hinkley Point C new-build atom power station. The call follows reports from Paris that the financial director of the French nationalised nuclear utility EDF – which owns and operates the two Scottish nuclear power stations and another six in England – would face financial ruin if EDF proceeds with the Hinkley plan.
Scottish Energy News 8th March 2016 read more »
Letter Lord Howell of Guildford: The reported problems facing EDF over the Hinkley C nuclear power project bring a strong sense of deja vu. On October 18, 1979, I gained cabinet approval for the construction of nine new pressured water reactors in the UK. What happened? Only one of the nine was ever built – Sizewell B, which finally began operating in 1995. The reason for this disappointing outcome was not so much the familiar concerns about nuclear power, despite Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, as the simple fact that oil and gas prices subsequently collapsed, making new-build nuclear costs prohibitive. We are in the same position again now. Of course the current oil and gas price collapse will not last for ever, and in due course our need for renewed nuclear power in the energy mix, as one of the best paths to a low carbon future as well as to power supply reliability, will be stronger than ever. Happily, as Matt Ridley reminds us (Opinion, Mar 7), there are several nuclear plant proposals beyond Hinkley in the pipeline. Let’s hope that any setbacks over Hinkley do no deter us from moving forward with a carefully paced longer term civil nuclear programme, maybe with more tested designs, and eventually with much smaller, cheaper and entirely safe reactor units, drawing on a wealth of well-established marine experience with small nuclear power plants.
Times 8th March 2016 read more »
Letter Lord Hutton of Furness: It is beyond dispute that the UK needs to replace the 21.4 GW of generation capacity which has gone offline since 2010 with secure and reliable power for the future. While Matt Ridley accepts that nuclear energy is part of the answer, his scepticism of Hinkley Point C appears to rest on a number of false premises. Any new energy infrastructure costs money and Hinkley’s agreed price of power is lower than other projects agreed with the government. Payment is only made when power is generated, so all strike prices are inflation-linked. The current low gas price is no sensible basis on which to believe that the movement of wholesale prices will all be downwards for the next 60 years. Importing power, from whatever source, will not contribute to improving UK energy security. The complexity and scale of the energy challenge the UK faces means that now is not the time to pull back, but for industry and government to focus on delivering new low-carbon nuclear power as part of a balanced generation mix.
Times 8th March 2016 read more »
Matt Ridley is right to argue French-State power generator Électricité de France (EDF) can’t afford to build the Hinkley Point C European Pressurised Reactor (EPR); that Britain ( or indeed France, as the resignation on 7 March of EDF chief finance officer,Thomas Piquemal testifies) can’t afford to pay for it; and that there are better options elsewhere. But I think he is misguided in arguing the answer to our future electricity service requirements is either the other Giga-Watt (GW) giant reactors being puished by Japanese reactor vendors Toshiba-Westinghouse and Hitachi or the untried prototype technology, the so-called Small Modular Reactor (SMR), of which there are currently around 50 different designs globally, some of which were showcased at the UK SMR Summit last October.
David Lowry’s Blog 7th March 2016 read more »
It’s no surprise Electricite de France SA is a very political company. The French state still owns 85 percent of the shares; its fleet of nuclear reactors, the world’s largest, is a centerpiece of 1970s government-directed economic policy; politicians help decide how much the company can charge customers; and it’s seen as a way to project French industrial prowess around the world. But even for a French veteran of the system that commingles politics and commerce, it all became too much last week. Finance chief Thomas Piquemal quit because of his chief executive officer’s insistence on pushing ahead with a financially questionable 18 billion-pound ($25.5 billion) project to build Britain’s largest power station. His decision followed a meeting between French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron, where they pledged support for Hinkley Point C. Investors are siding with Piquemal. EDF shares, down 90 percent from their 2007 peak, plunged as much as 9.6 percent after he resigned. “Alarm bells should be ringing deafeningly loudly in the offices of the French and U.K. governments,” Greenpeace Director John Sauven said in an e-mailed statement. “If the finance chief thinks the project will be a disaster, the optimism from both governments that the deal will be imminent is irrational.”
Bloomberg 7th March 2016 read more »
“The UK Government’s nuclear delusions are standing in the way of the West of England joining the energy revolution. In Europe alone some 6,500 towns, cities and regions are committed to localised, “sustainable” energy systems, and are increasingly planning for a future based on 100% renewable energy. Nuclear advocates can’t bring themselves to admit that smart, efficient and renewable energy systems are sounding the death-knell of nuclear power. It’s time that Somerset was given the opportunity to catch-up.”
Stop Hinkley 7th March 2016 read more »
The owner of Heysham Power Stations is reeling after its finance director quit ahead of a decision over its new £18bn power plant in Somerset.
The Visitor 7th March 2016 read more »
Stop Hinkley spokesman Roy Pumfrey Told The Breeze he believed today’s announcement shows bosses are committed to the project – so much so that the finance director felt he had ‘no other option but to quit’. Mr Pumfrey, who opposes the project on cost and technical grounds, believes the £18 billion project is now bigger than EDF’s worth and therefore a ‘financial risk’. Senior industry sources were reported – at the weekend – saying ‘EDF was determined to proceed with the scheme within weeks’. Following the resignation of Thomas Piquemal, EDF has provisionally appointed Xavier Girre as Group Senior Executive Vice President, Group Finance, with immediate effect. Jean-Bernard Levy, EDF Group CEO and Chairman, has today made what the company are calling ‘positive’ comments about Hinkley Point C and ‘the group’s commitment to the project’.
The Breeze 7th March 2016 read more »
The resignation of EDF’s chief financial officer is being seen in some quarters as providing yet more evidence that the Hinkley Point C nuclear project is doomed, however a leading economist believes the opposite may be the case. BBC Economics Editor believes the resignation to be a positive in terms of the project going ahead.
Power Engineering International 7th March 2016 read more »
Wylfa
Concerns about Hinkley Point made waves but Horizon is focused on making the new Wylfa plant a reality. The company behind the new nuclear power station planned for Anglesey restated its commitment to making it a reality as the industry was rocked by concerns about one of Britain’s planned new plants.
Wales Online 7th March 2016 read more »
EPRs
In a January meeting behind closed doors at the House of Commons, attended by the French energy company and stakeholders, the frustration in the room was tangible. Pro-nuclear groups labelled EDF’s delays “embarrassing” as tempers frayed over costs, deadlines and past failures. EDF’s nervousness follows a litany of failures at all three other recent attempts to build a European Pressurised Reactor (EPR), the design they hope to construct in Somerset. Hinkley Point supplier and EDF merger partner Areva is embroiled in complex legal action over the nuclear power plant owned by Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), the Finnish company with whom they partnered. The nuclear energy power plant was supposed to come online in 2010, but its earliest deadline is now 2018. Partly culpable for the delay is Areva’s dispute with TVO at the International Arbitration Court over increased costs, with TVO seeking compensations of 2.6 billion euros from the Areva-Siemens consortium, while Areva is counter-claiming 3.5 billion euros. At the APPG, EDF suggested mistakes were made in the contract with the signatory parties not understanding each other’s duties. EDF is now looking at a similar contract, this time with China’s CGN.
Energydesk 7th March 2016 read more »
Energy Policy
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released a list of ten ways it will stimulate investor confidence in the UK’s energy market in the wake of widespread criticism aimed at numerous abrupt policy amendments. 1) Reforming the Capacity market to protect clean energy sources and send a clear signal to investors that the UK is building energy infrastructure fit for the 21st century. 2) Commit to the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, which will power six million homes for 60 years and create 25,000 jobs in the UK. 3) Boost innovation funding to more than £500m which will include a £250m funding pot for nuclear innovation. 4) Support the 10GW capacity of new offshore wind projects scheduled for the 2020s, with a further three auctions scheduled if cost reduction conditions are met. 5) Close all unabated coal-fired power stations by 2025 if there is evidence that a shift to gas can compensate for the closures. 6) Allocate £295m to invest in energy efficient schools, hospitals and other public services through new designs and retrofitting. 7) Introduce a new five year energy efficiency supplier obligation set a £640m a year, which will help more than one million homes reduce carbon emissions. 8) Double the support given to households and businesses to decarbonise heating by raising support from £430m to £1.15bn. 9) Allocate more than £300m to deliver 200 heat networks which will raise more than £2bn through private investment alone. 10) Raise the UK’s climate finance commitment by 50% to £5.8bn over the next five years to help the world’s poorest countries adapt to climate change.
Edie 7th March 2016 read more »
Book Review: The Fall and Rise of Nuclear Power in Britain. In May 1965 Fred Lee, minister of power in Harold Wilson’s Labour government, announced that the next phase of Britain’s nuclear power programme would be based on the British-designed advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR), in preference to the water-cooled reactors that were available from the US. Britain, Lee said, had “hit the jackpot”, with a design that was clearly superior on economic and technical grounds to its American rivals. This judgment, like that of the officials in the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) who recommended the AGR, could not have been more wrong.
FT 7th March 2016 read more »
Chernobyl/Fukushima
This week sees the fifth anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. It will shortly be followed next month by the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. As the two worst disasters of the nuclear age, events are being held here in the UK and around the world to commemorate these anniversaries and seek solutions to go ‘beyond nuclear’. The Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) is involved in jointly organising important events in mid March to commemorate both disasters. This comes at a time when the final investment decision on building a new nuclear power station for Hinkley Point C is still being considered. Today, the Financial Director of EDF, Thomas Piquemal, dramatically resigned around his concerns that going ahead with the Hinkley project could jeopardise the entire company. NFLA believes Mr Piquemal’s resignation is honourable, and EDF and the UK and French Governments would be foolish to ignore his deep concerns.
NFLA 5th March 2016 read more »
The other report on Chernobyl 2016: FoE Austria has just published an (English) Update of Ian Fairlie’s “Other Report on Chernobyl”, updated to include relevant studies and reports of the last ten years. His findings in particular on Iodine-131 releases and Thyroid Cancer indicate that the Vienna region was hit heavily by Iodine and that 8–40 % of the excess thyroid cancer cases since 1990 can be attributed to the Chernobyl accident — more than 1000 kilometers away. Austria also received heavy caesium-137 fallout with 13 % of its surface contaminated above 40 kBq/m², making it the second most contaminated country after Belarus in relation to surface area contaminated.
Global 2000 – FoE Austria 7th March 2016 read more »
FoE also launched a petition demanding an end to IAEA downplaying of Chernobyl’s consequences.
Global 2000 – FoE Austria 7th March 2016
www.global2000.at/schluss-mit-werbung-für-atomkraft
Modern ghost towns, abandoned houses, and far stretching roads lined with plastic bags of radioactive garbage have replaced the once bustling neighborhoods and cities of the Fukushima Prefecture. Formerly home to thousands, the massive release of radiation has forced residents to evacuate their beautiful homeland, leaving the land they love behind without knowing whether or not they may ever return without putting their lives at risk. Join the Fairewinds Crew and ask yourself this: With 99 operating atomic power reactors generating electricity in the U.S., what’s so different about your home, your town, your state that what happened to Fukushima couldn’t happen to you and your family?
Fairwinds 7th March 2016 read more »
4 minute video message filmed with Mr Hasegawa Kenichi and Ms Muto Ruiko, two local leaders of Fukushima disaster victims who are calling on TEPCO and the government for an apology, full compensation, accountability, medical care, and measures to reduce radioactive risks. In the video they are sharing the current situation including in relation to decontamination, the government’s return policy of evacuees, compensation from TEPCO and so on.
Peace Boat 8th March 2016 read more »
France
French officials have announced plans to close Fessenheim power plant by the end of the year. The decision comes after an ongoing dispute with Switzerland and Germany over the plant’s safety.
Deutsche Welle 7th March 2016 read more »
Local Energy
Ex-Energy Minister Lord Greg Barker has called on the next London Mayor to deliver a greener capital by transforming the city’s West End into the ‘Silicon Valley’ of low-carbon technology and innovation. Speaking at an Aldersgate Group event in the capital last week, Barker outlined the steps that the new Mayor should be looking to implement after May’s elections, in order to turn London into a “genuine, resilient and sustainable city fit for the 21st century”.
Edie 7th March 2016 read more »
Renewables – solar Scotland
Since setting up barely 12 months ago, the Solar Trade Association Scotland has got off to a flying start – having secured a commitment to ensure solar power is fully included in the next Scottish government energy strategy. And STA Scotland is now due to celebrate its ‘first birthday party’ on 15 March in Edinburgh they it holds its conference – Solar in Scotland: The Future and the Opportunity – at Heriot Watt University. Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing MSP will present his vision for Scottish solar renewable power, while 15 industry speakers will outline the solar opportunities available to the sector.
Scottish Energy News 8th March 2016 read more »
Renewables – solar
A Glasgow firm of solar power experts has been chosen by Public Health England (PHE) to install a solar PV system to the roof of its Colindale Centre in London. The installation is the latest in a string of contract awards for Campbell & Kennedy – Scotland’s largest installers of solar PV.
Scottish Energy News 8th March 2016 read more »
Renewables – Island Energy
Scotland’s islands could enjoy a £725m boost to their economies over the next 25 years from renewables projects, according to a new report released yesterday by energy consultancy Baringa. The report, which was commissioned by the Scottish Government, found if investments were made in grid infrastructure and generating assets, the amount of renewable energy deployed on the islands could be growing rapidly by the early 2020s. At its peak, renewables deployment could provide an extra five per cent boost to local economic output on average across the islands, the report said. The economic benefits would include up to £225m in community benefits and revenues of up to £390m for community-owned island generation projects, according to the report, while up to 2,000 jobs would also be created in the peak development phase.
Business Green 8th March 2016 read more »
Herald 8th March 2016 read more »
Energy Voice 7th March 2016 read more »
Renewable Heat
After ten massive renewable energy cuts that are leaving the UK falling well short of EU renewable energy targets, an eleventh! The axe is now falling on solar heating, writes Oliver Tickell – even though it’s meant to be at the core of the government’s renewable energy strategy.
Ecologist 7th March 2016 read more »
Renewables
New data on either side of the Atlantic again highlights renewable energy’s growing dominance. New data from the US and Scotland has this week again highlighted the ability of the renewables industry to beat expectations, as clean energy again played a major role in meeting power demand on both sides of the Atlantic. Two new US federal reports confirmed renewables delivered all of the new energy capacity coming online in January, while overall renewable energy output rose two per cent last year, outstripping expectations. WWF Scotland today published its monthly analysis of renewable output figures from research firm WeatherEnergy revealing wind generated enough output to supply needs of 100 per cent or more of Scottish homes for 19 days in February. The campaign group said that overall wind power met 41 per cent of Scotland’s entire power demand over the month.
Business Green 8th March 2016 read more »
See Renewables 7th March 2016 read more »
Zero Carbon Homes
An innovative new housing prototype that incorporates roof-integrated solar photovoltaics and air-source heat pumps as an energy storage system has been unveiled, with the designers claiming that the building will make domestic energy bills ‘obsolete’. The Zero Bills home could provide enough energy to cover annual household bills in excess of £1300 while also contributing £1000 to annual car fuel costs. The prototype is aiming to be assessed under BRE’s new Home Quality Mark which provides a star rating system for the sustainability of new homes.
Edie 7th March 2016 read more »
