Green Energy Republic

Hydro power on the river Avon

 
Wiltshire Council is looking into installing a new hydro-electric plant on the river Avon just down the road from our offices. The £1m scheme could provide half the power needed for the nearby council buildings, according to this report from the BBC.

Tapping into local resources to generate more homegrown renewable energy is a great idea, one that will help us to reach our goal of providing 100% renewable energy to the UK by 2050. Hydropower is a constant, reliable and long-lasting technology and comprised 17% of Good Energy’s 100% renewable energy mix last year thanks to generators like the one at Docker Nook in the Lake District pictured above.

Weekly News Digest

To help you keep up to date with this week’s events we’ve gathered together some of the top energy related news stories. You can follow us on Twitter too.

Green vehicles provide the solution to rising fuel prices
As all car-drivers are aware, fuel prices have soared lately. The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership has predicted that one result of this is that 2011 will be a booming year for the electric car market. However, it is too early to see whether the government’s Plug-In Car scheme offering £5000 off the cost of low carbon vehicles has been effective. Of course, for the highest possible carbon savings electric cars need to be charged with 100% renewable electricity.

                                             Paul Martin Eldridge

Community renewables could end rural fuel poverty
The icy winter has highlighted the problem of rural fuel poverty. A new report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England earmarks community renewable energy as a possible solution.

Government should avoid ‘dash for gas’
Government energy reforms could create a ‘dash for gas’ which has the potential to jeopardise investment in renewable energy, according to a report released by the Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee. This comes just days after energy minister Charles Hendry approved plans to build a new gas fired power station in Kent.

FIT capacity increases by 50%
The Feed-in Tariff has increased capacitry by over half in Q4 of 2010 compared with Q3. The majority of the 68MW was made up of solar PV installers, with the first two anaerobic digestion plants also taking advantage of the FIT scheme.

This is great news and we hope that the FIT continues to boost the growth of renewables around the country – and that the government will recognize the benefits and leave FIT intact.

Homing in on household energy use
A full scale terraced house has been built inside a chamber for a one off study to examine ways in which we as a nation could cut our energy use.

This is in response to research indicating our homes are responsible for 25% of the country’s CO2 emissions. It is imperative that this figure is reduced if the UK is to hit its binding target of cutting emissions by 80% by 2050.

Weekly News Digest

To help you keep up to date with this week’s events we’ve gathered together some of the top energy related news stories. You can follow us on Twitter too.


Greenpeace: renewables could account for 99.5% of EU power by 2050

A new Greenpeace report suggests that renewables could supply 99.5% of EU electricity needs by 2050  if nuclear is not granted priority to distribution networks. Current practice is that wind farms are stopped from generating in peak production phases in order to give priority to nuclear and coal fired power stations. This fits in with Good Energy’s own pathway to achieving 100% renewable for the UK by 2050.

Hot hot hot for 2010

More data out proving that despite Europe’s cold winter, 2010 was a hot year globally, according to Britain’s Climatic Research Unit whose data showed that 2010 was officially the second hottest year on record. It came second to 1998. The data also revealed that the last decade were among the ten warmest on record bar one.

Time to ration energy?

 

This week a group of MPs proposed an energy rationing scheme designed to keep the UK’s carbon reduction targets on course. ‘Tradable Energy Quotas’ (TEQ’s) would allocate each adult member of the population the same amount of energy units, with deductions each time the individual buys gas and electricity, or fills the car at the petrol station. Unused quotas could be traded so this should reduce overall energy consumption. We like this idea, as long as 100% renewable electricity is not given a grid average rating for carbon.

‘Windmade’ label coming to a shop near you

A ‘windmade’ label  is to appear on products that have used wind power in their manufacture, following a campaign led by Vestas and WWF. The label is to be launched in order to promote greener shopping habits, like other ethical consumer labels such as Fair Trade which was first used 23 years ago.
Let’s hope ‘windmade’ is mets with an equally positive response.

Is this the answer to storing excess wind energy?

Scotland has unveiled a hydrogen fuel-cell test centre set up to investigate how to store surplus electricity created by wind power. The £4.7m centre could be one solution to the issue of intermittent wind energy generation.

Weekly News Digest

To help you keep up to date with this week’s events we’ve gathered together some of the top energy related news stories. You can follow us on Twitter too.

2010 a good year for green energy investments
Green energy investments had their strongest year so far in 2010, according to figures published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. It reports that $243 billion (£155.3 billion) was invested in this sector, more than double figures from 2006. Advances in offshore wind power and solar in Europe were partially responsible for this boost to investment.

Let’s hope 2011 will prove to be even better.

Are media not interested in climate change?
This week NASA and US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released data confirming 2010 (tied with 2005) to be the warmest year since records began. This interesting Guardian blog notes that the UK media all but ignored it. A useful counterclaim to the skeptics who maintain that the UK’s recent cold snap indicates that global warming is not an issue.

Five year low for UK gas supplies

 

Gas stocks in the UK are at their lowest for five years. National Grid reports that the gas storage facilities are already more than half empty thanks to the hardest-hitting winter since 1890. Already the UK imports the majority of our gas supplies from overseas – for Good Energy this highlights how vulnerable our energy security is and the importance of establishing a network of homegrown renewable energy supplies to decrease our reliance on fossil fuel.

UK and China to partner up to develop low carbon technology
Secretary of State for Environment and Climate Change, Chris Huhne, has confirmed a ‘knowledge sharing’ deal with China has been agreed to allow both countries to further grow in clean technologies. This deal emerges as it is revealed that China invests twice as much on clean technology than the U.S.

And finally …

Swedes use body heat to warm buildings
A real estate company in Stockholm has developed a way to harvest commuters body heat rushing through Stockholm’s Central Station and use it to warm a neighboring building. Heat exchangers fitted in the stations ventilation system allow for expended body heat to be converted into hot water.

What a brilliant concept – an idea for London Paddington maybe?

Weekly News Digest

To help you keep up to date with this week’s events we’ve gathered together some of the top energy related news stories. You can follow us on Twitter too.

Huhne promises green energy speed up

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne has promised that Britain will increase the amount of renewably sourced energy over the next decade, outstripping the rest of Europe. This comes as oil prices this week hit their highest in over two years. 

To see just how well the ‘greenest government ever’ is doing, take a look at The Guardians green-o-meter.

Wind Power provides push to hit EU renewable energy targets

The EU is on track to supersede its 2020 target of 20% of generated energy to come from renewable sources, according to a report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) published this week. A great way to start 2011, we now need to raise the bar even higher so we can be 100% renewable by 2050. 

Solar gold rush begins for Cornwall

Cornwall Council has approved a 5MW solar farm on the Lanhydrock Estate near Bodmin. This comes at a time when Feed-in Tariff payments are under threat for larger solar projects. The solar farm is to supply the neighboring water treatment works, and the developer, Cornwall Power, expects to have it generating electricity by the autumn 2011.



Marine renewables could create 5000 South West jobs

A report issued by the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) has predicted 5000 jobs could be created within the marine renewable sector. This will be led by offshore wind turbines and is likely to offer a £4.8 billion boost to the economy.

Good Energy’s pathway to a 100% renewable future for the UK sees offshore wind playing an increasingly large role, and this forecast highlights the economic importance of continuing investment into the renewable industry.

Scotland to power ahead with renewables says WWF

The WWF Scotland suggests the country should be aiming high and heading for 100% renewably sourced energy by 2020. This is ahead of the UK as a whole which is obliged to meet 15% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020 under EU Renewable Energy Directive, a bold ambition in line with Good Energy’s 100% renewable by 2050 pathway, and one we applaud.

And finally …

One of the world’s most iconic buildings, the Empire State Building in New York, has signed a deal to purchase more than 100 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of wind energy over the next two years – more than twice as much as any other commercial building in the city. We’d like to see other iconic buildings around the world following suit … from St. Paul’s Cathedral to the Sydney Opera House.

 

Weekly News Digest

To help you keep up to date with this week’s events we’ve gathered together some of the top energy related news stories. You can follow us on Twitter too.

 

Climate secretary Chris Huhne unveils plans for reform of UK energy market

Proposals for the largest shake-up of the UK energy sector since privatisation in the 80s should be good news for the renewables industry. Under the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) consultation announced yesterday, which Huhne referred to as leading to a “seismic shift” towards cleaner energy, low-carbon technologies such as renewables are planned to be the "dominant" form of energy generation by 2030.

Read our CEO Juliet Davenport’s blog on “The true cost of greening UK energy” here.

Read more on the Electricity Market Reforms here.

 

UK must shake off the dominance of the energy giants

Just before the Electricity Market Reforms consultation was announced, Catherine Mitchell, professor of energy policy at the University of Exeter, wrote this piece about why a move to a sustainable future is going to be difficult as it goes against the interests of the Big 6 energy companies to deliver better energy efficiency and greener power. It’s something we’re all too aware of at Good Energy and we’ll be including similar ideas as we participate in the EMR consultation.

 

Localism bill promises planning revolution, raises fresh Nimby fears

The Electricity Market Reforms weren’t the only shake-ups to affect the renewable energy industry this week. The Localism Bill, published by the Government on Monday, will result in the biggest modifications in UK planning law since the 1950s, presenting fresh challenges and opportunities to the fast-expanding sector.

The bill gives councils, communities and individuals a much greater say in planning decisions. However, our CEO Juliet Davenport said she was confident the regulations, if implemented rationally, would not pose problems for new wind farms.

"Good Energy is reassured that this bill will not cause any additional planning complications for renewable projects, so long as communities are kept properly informed and decisions are based on sensible, intelligent information, not made-up science," she said. Throughout the course of the development project at the Good Energy wind farm in Delabole, North Cornwall, ensuring the local community is kept well-informed has been a priority. Discover more about how we have done this here.

 

Britain could be running on 100% renewable energy by 2050

Our CEO Juliet Davenport laid out a pathway to a 100% renewable future for Britain on the Guardian’s Sustainable Business blog this week.

 

Climate change calculations put millions at risk, says a new report from our partner Friends of the Earth

The report, accuses governments of gambling recklessly with human lives by wilfully underestimating the depth of the emission cuts they must make in the next 40 years. Calculations for cutting emissions have so far been based on only a 50:50 chance of holding temperature rises to 2C, the point that many scientists consider to be the threshold for catastrophic climate change which, once passed, will leave millions exposed to drought, hunger and flooding.

But, say Friends of the Earth, to have any reasonable chance – 70% rather than 50% – of avoiding dangerous climate change, emissions will need to fall 16% by 2030 worldwide, based on 1990 levels. According to the report, if the remaining "carbon budget" was shared out equally on the basis of average populations between now and 2050, the US would need to slash its emissions by as much as 95% by 2030, the EU by 83%, and the UK by 80%. Just a week ago, the Government's climate advisers said the UK should aim for a 60% cut by 2030.

 

And finally...

This week the Government announced the first nine electric cars for which drivers will be eligible for a 25% Whitehall-paid grant. A significant step towards electrification of the transport system – vital if the country is to achieve a 100% renewable future – requiring more investment in renewables to meet increased electricity demand.

Weekly News Digest

To help you keep up to date with this week’s events we’ve gathered together some of the top energy related news stories. You can follow us on Twitter too.

Reform needed in the UK power industry

The Climate Change Committee has confirmed the need for the UK’s power industry to revolutionise if it is to meet with climate change laws. The free market system currently in place is said to be insufficient for future needs, prompting the proposal for a new hybrid system. It also recommends an ambitious new target for cutting emissions by 60% (from 1990 base levels) by 2030.

Green Deal progress

The new Energy Security and Green Economy Bill was this week introduced to parliament. It is set to form part of the anticipated Green Deal focussing on energy efficiency measures in homes and businesses, whilst placing a legal obligation on energy suppliers to limit greenhouse gas emissions in their customers’ properties.

Renewable energy gets the thumbs up from Britain’s youth

Government research has revealed young people openly support the renewables industry. The report by the Youth Advisory Panel confirmed that 81% of the sample said that more onshore wind energy should be encouraged, whilst 94% said that they supported solar power.

This bodes well the future of the UK’s renewable industry and Good Energy’s pathway to leading the UK to be 100% renewable by 2050.

Cancun concludes

As the Cancun Climate Talks end this week, we take a look back at the highs and the lows. The talks have been overwhelmed with negative reports throughout, highlighted by the UN Secretary General, Ban ki Moon delivering a warning that governments are failing to tackle climate change effectively. The latest onslaught of revelations by WikiLeaks, claims that EU President Herman Van Rompuy predicted the failure of the climate talks. In more positive news, China has given permission for its emission reduction pledges to be independently assessed. Whilst Japan has announced the introduction of a new environment tax on fossil fuels, despite the country being subject to criticism at the beginning of the conference. Still global targets for greenhouse emissions have not been agreed with focus shifting to smaller scale agreements such as forest protection.

 

Sail power for the future

Commercial sailing is set to make a comeback after Britain’s B9 Energy have announced the launch of a fleet of hi-tech, carbon neutral wind powered ships. With the global shipping industry reportedly accounting for 4% of global carbon emissions it’s good to see wind power being embraced in a new and innovative way.

Transparency in the energy market

Consumer focus, Britain’s consumer supporter has announced that electricity tariffs cannot be listed on broker sites classified as ‘green’ unless certified by Green Energy Supply Certification Scheme.

This is great news for us at Good Energy as it is a cause that we have been campaigning for over a long period of time. Read our blog for more details

Weekly News Digest

To help you keep up to date with this week’s events we’ve gathered together some of the top energy related news stories. You can follow us on Twitter too.

Good Energy winter price freeze

Good Energy has announced a winter price freeze on both gas and electricity, highlighting our commitment to making green energy more accessible. This comes at a time when three of the ‘Big 6’ have announced price increases.

Juliet Davenport, Good Energy’s CEO, said: “This decision, made possible by the hard work of the Good Energy team to improve efficiency of our energy trading, is great news for existing and potential customers as it reduces the gap between the cost of renewable and fossil fuel energy, meaning more people than ever will be able to switch Good Energy.”

Cancun Highlights


 

As an eventful first week at the Cancun Climate Talks draws to a close, we take a look back on the highlights.

Day one saw David Cameron refuse to attend the talks despite pleas from the Mexican Chair of Conference. The big shock was Japan’s opposition to extending the Kyoto agreement, saying that if China and the U.S. do not comply with Kyoto protocol then Japan will not extend its pledges. The U.S. has reiterated its desire for a ‘balanced package’ from the summit. Island states have also pleaded with leaders not to be forgotten. The week has ended on a positive note with an Indian proposal for an agreement between rich and poor countries where both will simply report actions they are engaging in to tackle climate change, which could win support from the U.S.
 
UK Government reveals its carbon footprint

The UK Government has calculated its carbon footprint at 1.2bn tonnes of greenhouse emissions produced between 1990 and 2008. This figure has been compiled from emissions from buildings, vehicles and ‘embedded emissions’ generated from goods and services bought by the government.

Could the UK be powered by renewables by 2030?

The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) has claimed that the UK could be completely powered by renewables by 2030. CAT has also suggested that energy targets should be much more ambitious. This comes after a report by the Committee of Public Accounts was released claiming progress towards renewable energy targets in the UK are ‘unacceptably slow’.

Here at Good Energy we’ve developed a pathway which clearly maps out how the rest of the energy market can join us to provide 100% renewable energy to the UK by 2050. So we applaud CAT’s prescription for achieving this by 2030 as being even better!

Daylight savings bill gets the vote

The government will vote today on a bill that could lead to lighter evenings and will oblige the government to launch an inquiry into the effects of moving the clocks forward an hour throughout the year. As well as benefits to health and road safety, this should lead to reduced electricity usage and therefore big carbon savings. Read more on our blog.

Stop the daylight robbery

 
As a general rule, most of us like to be awake when it’s light and asleep when it’s dark right? Right. Then it’s interesting to ponder why every year the country sets its clocks so that we spend more time sleeping in the light and less time living in it.

Headed up by our friends at 10.10, the Lighter Later campaign is calling for a three-year trial of a new timekeeping model where Britain’s clocks are moved forward by one hour throughout the year. But setting Britain’s clocks to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) +1 hour in winter and GMT +2 hours in summer is about far more than reducing the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

More natural light during the day would reduce the need for polluting electric lights, which according to Lighter Later would cut at least 447,000 tonnes of CO2 pollution – the equivalent to more than 50,000 cars driving all the way around the world – each year. It would also lower electricity bills and reduce peak power demand.

But there are also a host of social benefits. Lighter Later claims that the move would save 100 lives each year and prevent hundreds of serious injuries by making the roads safer. This in turn would save the NHS around £138 million a year through reducing road casualties. It would also reduce crime and the fear of crime, help make people healthier and tackle obesity by giving people more time to exercise and play sport outside in the evening, improve quality of life for older people, and create 60-80,000 new jobs in leisure and tourism, bringing an extra £2.5 - £3.5 billion into the economy each year.

With all the potential benefits it could bring Good Energy thinks it sounds like a no-brainer, and 10.10 say it’s the best proof yet that cutting carbon and making life better can and should go hand in hand.

The Daylight Saving Bill, is being presented as a Private Members Bill later today and it will be the first chance for the Government to decide whether they will back the proposal or not. It would seem that lots of MPs are planning to vote in favour, but the decision is really in the hands of the ministers, so the support of Vince Cable and Ed Davey in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is vital.

You can register your support for Lighter Later here, but we’ll keep you posted on how it goes in Parliament today.

Stay warm with renewables - our gas and electricity prices are frozen for the winter

 
It's not just the weather outside that's freezing - we're freezing our prices for winter too.

Good Energy is delighted to announce we'll be holding both gas and electricity prices steady during winter.

This comes amid the recent controversy over energy pricing sparked by an investigation by energy regulator Ofgem and announcements of price rises by many other energy suppliers.

The move to hold prices down demonstrates our unwavering commitment to ensuring that green energy is more accessible. We hope that reducing the price differential between renewable and many fossil-fuel-based suppliers will encourage more consumers to switch to a green energy tariff, bringing the country closer to a 100% renewable future.

But also integral to the Good Energy mission is reducing energy consumption - we want people to become more aware of their energy use and consequently do more to become energy efficient. This will not only bring down bills but will have a positive impact on the environment, particularly important during the current cold snap that has hit the country as people are likely to be using significantly more energy to heat their homes.

Our Customer Care team have been trained to a new Energy Saving Trust endorsed advice standard, so customers wanting tips about how to stay warm and save energy too should give them a call on 0845 601 1410.

Our CEO Juliet Davenport had this to say about the good news.

"This decision, made possible by the hard work of the Good Energy team to improve the efficiency of our energy trading, is great news for existing and potential customers as it reduces the gap between the cost of renewable and fossil fuel energy, meaning more people than ever will be able to switch to Good Energy.

"Price increases of recent years are in part due to the pressures on supply of traditionally sourced energy. Good Energy believes it is possible to have a 100% renewable energy mix in the UK by 2050. We've developed a pathway that sets out how we can achieve this, involving changes to UK energy at every stage of the process, from grid management to investment, and from R&D to transport."