Green Energy Blog

Solar Power Plans in Turmoil?

An ambitious plan to have 15 per cent of Europe’s energy supply come from solar plants in North Africa has run into some trouble. 

The project had hoped to deliver an electricity generation network to Europe from the African continent via a network of underground cables from completely renewable sources.  Unfortunately the Desertec initiative has hit a snag because two large industrial backers have pulled investment out as well as the Spanish government have hesitated in signing an agreement with Morocco in order to have the solar “farms” built.

Desertec was initially founded in 2009 and its projected budget was approximately 400 billion euro and was set up so that the massive possibilities of renewable energies such as solar and wind could be tapped into.  The focus of the project was to have generated around 125 gigawatts of electric power by the year 2050. 

Not only would this meet all the local needs for power but would also ensure that there was sufficient electricity to export to Europe via high voltage current cables under the Mediterranean Sea.

However the project has little to show for the efforts that were so promising three years ago.  Two partners, Bosch and Siemens, have decided to abort the continued partnership and will no longer be part of the initiative.  This is obviously not good news and this view has been echoed by Dr Daniel Ayuk Mbi Egbe, who is an expert in the field of African solar resources at Linz University in Austria, and thinks the project will struggle without these two partners due to their enormity.

A declaration of intent was due to be signed in the near future for forthcoming solar plants that were due to be built in Morocco.  However, Spain has since reneged on this as they feel they would have difficulty in finding the subsidies required for the project, further casting the project into doubt.

Desertec have responded by stating that all these ‘small’ issues would be resolved and that the project is still due to commence forthwith.  What do you think will happen with the Desertec project?  Will it be a success?  Leave your thoughts below!

Morocco are moving towards a renewable energy future...

I caught this interesting piece in the Guardian about how Morocco is looking towards renewable energy in order to break their current dependence on fossil fuels. The article claims that the Morocco are aiming to be operating at around 42% renewable energy by as early as 2020 with solar energy powering around 14% of homes by 2014.

It's good to see countries being ambitious with their renewable energy goals and hopefully once their are some true success stories some of the late adopters will pick up on the benefits.

Source: Guardian Environment

Is renewable energy right for your home?

Green energy technologies like solar panels, biomass heaters and wind turbines can offer an excellent alternative to the more common fossil fuels and can help reduce your homes CO₂ output.

Investing in a renewable energy system these days, is essentially buying energy at current prices in order to protect from future increases. So if fuel prices rise, your outlay would be recouped even sooner.

Now before you rush out and invest in one of these systems, it’s a good idea to find out your current energy usage and do as much as you can to reduce it. As a lower energy requirement means a smaller and therefore cheaper renewable/low carbon energy system would be sufficient.

Green energy technology can supply our homes with power for lighting, electronic devices and even the pumps in our heating systems.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology:

Solar modules work by converting sunlight into electricity for use in the home or to export to the national grid. Basic domestic solar units are around 2.2 kW in size, and can provide approximately 1,850 kWh a year. This is over 40% of the electricity used by an average household. This technology is one of the easiest to install, has no actual moving parts and the government Feed-in Tariff payments actually help to make it a reasonable investment.

Wind turbines

Small-scale wind turbines can be either integrated into the local electricity grid or operate as an off-grid device, charging batteries when excess electricity is generated. Location is paramount, on a good site domestic wind turbines are an excellent option in terms of actual energy output. Ideally the site should have a minimum average yearly wind speed of at least 5 metres per second with a clear flow of wind.

Wood fuelled heating

A wood fuelled system is a strong option to consider if you have no available access to natural gas as a fuel but you do have plenty of space for both the boiler and fuel storage. Recently more people have been choosing to replace oil or coal based heating systems with a wood fuelled system.

Choosing the right option

In order to choose the most suitable renewable energy technology for your requirements, you need to check your energy bills to find out how much you are actually using.  It’s also worth finding out how much you are paying per unit (kWh) of electricity and heating fuel you use. This information will make it easier for you to calculate the savings you can expect by installing a renewable energy system.

carbon offsetting and the green electric life

 

Do you carbon offset?

Personally, I don't. I can't even remember the last time I was on an aeroplane* and I don't own a car. Anyway that's enough use of the first person proniun for one blog post - what about you?

There are various ways to get a picture of your carbon footprint, and it's always worth having a look as it gets you thinking about this stuff in a more involved and personal way.

If your carbon output is heavier than you'd like it to be you can then think about ways to reduce. But it's not a game of piety or guilt - it's about everyone doing their bit. If your job involves a lot of travel, then it's hardly your fault if your carbon footprint is wider. However, if you leave your television on standby instead of switching it off - there's something you can do right there!

* As for aeroplanes, the question that there's no answer to is this - if you go on a plane, then however much CO2 is arguably what you're responsible for, right? Well, what if you don't go on the plane, and as it passes above, contrail white against the blue sky, NOBODY'S IN THE SEAT? Every single unoccupied aeroplane seat is therefore a waste. And how do we apportion the carbon for the seat occupied for nobody?

Anyway, 3 ways to reduce your carbon footprint

Don't leave the telly on standby instead of switching it off

Find an energy company who can provide you with a smart monitor

Start cheking out the carbon reduction and green websites for tips. Some of these can save a bit of dosh as well as the environmentt, so it's all good.

 

 

 

Energy futures

The recent events in Japan have naturally opened up a debate in the broadsheets about nuclear power and whether the benefits (cheap, no carbon) are outweighed by the potential for accidents like Chernobyl, which happened almost exactly 25 years ago.

There are no easy answers, of course. Climate change from burning stuff or the worry about acts of God like what's been in the news this weekend.

My guess has always been that nuclear is a transitional technology, and that when humankind has learnt to fully harness solar, wind and sea power, then we'll look back at nuclear as well as coal burning like carthorses in the age of engines.

Until then, hopefully we can continue to learn to make nuclear as safe as possible for everyone concerned.

Localism bill - good green energy news?

 

Report over at the Guardian's environment section about the the government's localism bill. 

Despite some controversy elsewhere, the Guardian report is fairly positive, citing Swedish success along similar lines:

"In the new districts of Stockholm the public realm is being equipped with the infrastructure required to promote and sustain smart behaviour. There is a clear vision of a greener, smarter future and an all-agency approach to delivery.

 Integrated networks of district heating and cooling, power, communication and data, vacuum recycling and public transport all flow along and beneath city streets serving attractive, diverse communities and places which are genuinely accessible in every meaning of the word"

Maybe we should follow the words of Winston Churchill: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty". 

Is Your Central Heating up to this Winter

Well as you will have no doubt noticed by now it is starting to get very cold and very dark outside, it is getting more and more difficult to leave for work in the morning, and we are rushing home quickly at night. Home is the haven away from all that wind & rain & sleet & soon snow as well, but is your current central heating up to the horror that is the british winter, especially in January and February, they always seem the worst months.

So if you need some central heating installation services you had better get round to it sharpish as it will not be long until it is at its most needed, and then the boiler people will be at their busiest, and you might have to wait a bit, or worse pay more that usual. It's always handy to be ahead of the game with these things.

But don't worry it will be May in ohhhh, six months time, better get the blankies out!

Green news roundup.

Oh dear.' Lake District identified as prime site for the burial of nuclear waste,' says The Guardian

Hurray. '£70 million fund to power up offshore wind sector' reports The Press & Journal. Scottish First Minister says it will result in creation of 28000 jobs and seven billion for the economy. Sounds fantastic to me!

Hmm... 'Offshore wind could clash with oil and gas projects' says Reuters.  'Wind farm site leases could be cancelled if project's deemed to interfere with exploration'. 

And over at Business Green: Nissan reveals 27000 pre-orders for electric Leaf. Cool car!

 

 

 

Cheap electric car alert

If there are two things that have made me ever so slightly impatient with Mistuibishi's forthcoming electric car, it's the name and the price. Luckily though, the iMiEV has recently come down in price by an incredible ten grand. Yup, that's ten thousand pounds in price reduction. Unfortunately it's still called iMiEV, but hey - you can't have everything.

Despite the vehicle's unwieldy name - derived from the phase Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (according to a famous internet encyclopedia) - it is a very, very smart looking motor, and one that's bound to sell well once it is finally released, what with its shrunken price tag.

It will be interesting to see what secondary effects the release of this car will have. I wonder if there will be special deals offered at the electricity charging stations or whether people will just plug the car into the home electricity supply? Electricity suppliers will no doubt be preparing to gauge the effect all these electric cars will have on the national grid.

My prediction is that electric cars will be a great success. I can't wait to start seeing them on the streets.

Central Heating

If you live in Northern Europe it's a simple fact that Central Heating is a necessity. During the winter (and also oftentimes during the spring, summer and autumn) it can get pretty cold. I've seen snow falling in August, and have known winter to dip well below zero.

Central heating systems have been in operation since ancient times: and as every schoolkid once got taught: even the Romans had their own version. The Romans' ingenious underfloor central heating, the hypocaust, didn't make it as far as this part of the UK, being that the Romans never quite got this far. For why, I don't know - maybe the weather was just a bit too miserable for them ;)

But some of us still have central heating that might as well have been installed by the Romans or maybe even their less technologically sophisticated ancestors - things have moved on a lot since the 1970s - and the Roman era.

Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but if you are thinking about central heating installation in readiness for the coming winter, now is the time - more than ever the suppliers are crying out for business, when it's at its hottest [well relatively speaking anyway], and nobody else is thinking about getting a new boiler fitted.

Yes, you'll notice the difference not just in the efficiency of the new system once it's installed, but in the lighter fuel bills - well, I did at any rate. I think it's because the newer type of radiators convect as well as radiate, meaning that they spread heat so much better that they don't need left on at as a high a setting or for as long a period of time.