Green Energy Blog

UK makes the Top 10 Solar suppliers.....

Even with all the uncertainty surrounding the feed-in tariff High Court decisions, it’s not all bad news for solar energy in the UK.

For the first time ever the UK’s solar industry has forced its way into the worlds top 10. This is believed to be at least partly due to the Government incentives which have managed to give a real push to solar panel sales as more and more people try to take advantage of the generous feed-in tariff rate.   

Even with the uncertainty facing the scheme at the moment – the UK is still producing massive amount of solar energy and contributing to the combined worldwide total of 23.8GW. 2011 was a big year for solar with a 1,273% increase in solar installations compared to 2010, this was made up of nearly 700MW of smaller sized installations completed along with around 200MW of large-scale developments greater than 50kW.

That data gathered by specialist research company HIS, the actual league table for ‘photovoltaics’ has Italy in the number 1 spot and Germany in number 2. Germany has seen a 20% reduction in solar installs since they reduced their feed-in tariff last year.

 

In 3^rd place is the United States, followed by China, Japan and France. In a respectable 7^th place the UK has entered the table with total generation into 800MW.

The US completes the top three, followed by China, Japan and France. With a total well into 800MW, the UK moves into seventh spot globally.

It is great news for the UK to be getting recognised for their support of solar power and hopefully it will inspire even more countries to do the same. After all with the current feed-in tariffs solar power offers a lot of benefits to businesses and homeowners, not to mention the fact it’s doing a great job of reducing our dependency upon fossil fuels.

 

Renewable energy scheme to help Welsh businesses

The Renewable Energy for Business Growth (REBG) scheme is aiming to help over 220 small companies in Ceredigion understand and utilise renewable energy solutions and generate further revenue for their business.

The REBG scheme has contacted 3,500 businesses offering them an independent energy survey to assess where renewable energy could be most appropriately applied.

The scheme has been underway for over a month now and has been a great way to show the benefits that can be gained from renewable energy in Wales.

You can read the full story @ Green Wise Business

Protect your Pipes

The recent cold snap across the UK has brought it sharply into focus just how important it is to make sure that your central heating installation and the whole system of pipes in your home has to be kept up to a high standard. I personally had a very lucky escape when my water stopped working, however I [just] got away with it as it soon started working again. Mind you it was exceptionally cold.

No it was just laziness on my part, and I should have been checking that everything as soon as the weather turned, but I was too busy trying to stay in my bed for that entire week, but I failed. After all we all have to get out and do things eventually. The press are now carrying items stating that it is due to get even colder around Christmas time, so preparations are in order.

It's quites simple you just makes sure that there is plenty of lagging around your pipes, or if you feel you need it you could call out an engineer to make sure your entire system is fully functioning, but at this time of year they are sure to be busy, after all if you haven't noticed yet it is quite cold outside, Wrap up.

Whoooooosh

No, that's not the sound of an aeroplane going over your head - it's the sound of wind. And profits. Ah, if you could only go back in time and tell your ancestors that one day they'd make a profit out of fresh air...

11 wind turbines on the Western Isles have been connected to the national grid and are xpected to make £2.5million a year.

I think every time from now on when the weather is stormy, rather than grumble people should celebrate, after all it's good for the energy industry as well as the umbrella industry.

2050: energy outlook

If the rise of green energy seems unstoppable, then the chances are that it is unstoppable. And in the midst of all this bad news about the oil spill in the gulf of Mexico, many will welcome any shift towards it.

This report suggests that the world could generate an incredible 95 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2050. But just as there's a long time until 2050, it will take massive investment to get there - since renewables will be more labour intensive at the outset.

But I for one think the planet is worth it. Green energy is where it's at!

Everything's going green. What earth could look like in 2050?

Gulf Disaster calls for less dependence on Oil

Hard lessons are going to be learned from the current events in the Gulf of Mexico. What with so many risks being taken trying to suck all the available oil out of the ground at as low a cost as possible just to make a greater profit, you know that mistakes will occasionally take place.

But this has not ever put the companies off drilling in the most sensitive of places just in order to make a quick buck, And when something goes wrong [and it seems this is inevitable] it's never them who have to suffer the consequences.

I was glad to see that Sweden has announced that it is attempting to become the first developed oil-free nation, instead relying on renewable energy such as wave and wind power. The rest of the Northern Europeans clearly need to learn from this lead and go the same way, there is plenty of potential in renewable energy in the North Sea and the Atlantic, so we do not have to become dependent upon that relatively small numbers of countries who supply most of the world's oil.

Boiler Scrappage Scheme To Start In Scotland

Time For Scotland To Receive The Boiler Scrappage Scheme

After the boiler scrappage scheme being introduced to England it looks like it's finally time for Scotland to get a chance of a new boiler and not before time I say!

Scottish gas prices are high enough without seeing our neighbours south of the border benefiting from the scrappage scheme while we miss out. The way it works is if you need a new boiler the scheme will give you £400 towards a new one which to be honest I wouldn't mind getting my self!

It's said that this doesn't only benefit the customers but plumbers as well, as you can imagine it will make their job a lot easier. Reports say that as much as 12,000 homes could benefit from the deal.

Anyway let me know what you think about this and wither you plan to try and be the one of the 12,000 trying to get on the scheme.

Yes Or No To Wind Farms

Wind Farms Ruining The Scenery?

For those of you who either stay in Wales or have at least visited this special looking country then you will know that it has fantastic scenery with hills and mountains going for miles basically it’s post card perfect.

 

What I would like to know is due to the sharp rise in wind farms being stuck in every hill all over Britain and spoiling this beautiful scenery would you rather it’s not there at all and a pay a little extra in energy bills or would you be happy for energy companies to cover your countryside with massive wind generators?

 

I would like to hear from everyone on this issue even if you’re not in Wales and its effecting you in places like England or Scotland then don’t hesitate to leave a comment and say what you feel.

Choosing a Green Energy Supplier

It's  difficult task when you have an eco-friendly view of the world to choose between the many different suppliers of energy out there. For some it's not just about the price, there are those who try to sell the cheapest electricity, others go completely on a green angle, but we are not all so well paid.

The simple fact is that in this choice, like most in life we have to strike a balance between the best and the cheapest options.

But how do you check the green credentials of the different companies.Some advertise their eco credentials, for others you have to dig a bit.

I don't know the real answer but I know there are forums out their where this is discussed.

Wind Turbines Sinking?

Just came across this report from that respected scientific journal The Daily Mail, reporting that a fault in the concrete used to fuse Dong Energy wind turbines to their steel housing has become warped and is causing them to sink into the sea!  This strikes me as most odd, surely the concrete should be of a standard that would last longer than this?