Eleven leading renewable energy trade associations, representing over 600 companies engaged in the renewables sector, today joined forces and published an eight point action plan to rapidly expand the use of renewables in the UK to provide a quarter of our total energy needs by 2025. The action plan will be sent to all political parties ahead of the forthcoming general election. This recommendation is in line with that made recently by the Climate Change Task Force, headed by Stephen Byers, which called on the G8 countries to deliver a quarter of their power from renewable sources over the next twenty years.

The plan sets out how the UK can take full advantage of our vast renewable energy resources as we take action to reduce carbon emissions and increase our energy security. At the heart of the plan is an urgent call to develop renewables across all energy sectors so that the good progress being made in developing renewable electricity, especially wind power, is expanded for all renewable technologies. This will mean the Government setting targets and introducing financial support measures to create new markets for renewable heat and transport fuels.

The action plan also calls for measures to dramatically expand the use of small scale renewables for use on and in our homes and offices. The rapidly expanding renewable industry is also calling for the creation of a new Cabinet level post with specific responsibility for the delivery of the UK’s Climate Change Programme within a new Department of Energy and Environment.

Marcus Rand, Chief Executive of the British Wind Energy Association:

“The UK is blessed with a vast renewable energy resource and we have made good progress recently in developing a market for renewable electricity, especially through the development of wind power. However, this is just the tip of the renewable iceberg. We now need to bring new renewable technologies, like wave and tidal, to commercial take off, while at the same time intervening to drive new markets for renewable heat and transport fuels. Renewables are essential for us to meet our climate and energy security goals. As we enter a new era for energy policy they make environmental and economic sense and must be made a key political priority.”

Gareth Ellis, Chief Executive of the Solar Trade Association:

“The solar thermal industry in the UK lags way behind other northern European Countries. This is largely because of political neglect of this technology and a general lack of awareness of its potential. Solar water heating can make a huge contribution to CO2 reduction in housing. The equipment is well developed and works well in our climate. What the industry needs is support to develop the UK market, improve standards and train installers.”

Dave Sowden, Chief Executive of The Micropower Council:

“It is becoming increasingly clear that reductions in CO2 emissions are falling considerably short of the Government�s targets. Only a strong restatement of these targets in the form of a statutory duty to meet predefined levels of reductions will drive out the new policies needed to get the UK back on track. We welcome the development this year of the government’s Microgeneration Strategy, and the Renewable Energy Manifesto includes some of the specific policy measures needed to support an important new sector. Microgeneration has great potential in delivery of direct CO2 reductions, but also in engaging consumers in how their everyday activity has a direct impact on climate change.”

David Green, Director of the Combined Heat and Power Association:

“The Government�s persistent failure to deal with the crisis it has created in the CHP industry can only damage confidence in its commitment to renewables. We need to move beyond such a lacklustre approach, and ensure that through the use of the heat that many renewables are based on we not only achieve the Government’s CHP target, but also the much wider use of renewables.”

Gaynor Hartnell, Director of Policy, Renewable Power Association:

“We need to move whole scale to a more sustainable and secure energy system. Other renewable electricity technologies need assistance, so that they too can share in wind�s success. Renewable heat and transport fuels can play a major part in emissions reductions. Government needs to act to bring renewables, together with energy efficiency, into the mainstream. The 25% energy target is ambitious, but Government needs to show ambition in addressing climate change.”

Maf Smith, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables:

“Scotland has a significant opportunity from embracing the renewables revolution. Our resources are second to none, and we have the potential to be a world-leader in developing all forms of renewable energy, and making a significant contribution to the GB economy. This election is a chance for candidates to nail their colours to the renewable mast and sign up to meeting 25% of all of Scotland and the UK’s energy needs from renewable sources.”

Peter Billins, Chief Executive, British Biogen:

“So far policy has been focussed on electricity but renewables have a significant role to play across all sectors, electricity, heat and transport fuels. This is especially true of bio-energy which can make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions across all the energy sectors. Renewable transport fuels such as bio-diesel and bio-ethanol are available today and biomass heating is now increasingly seen as a possible alternative at all scales. The radical approach set out in the manifesto can realise this potential and bring jobs to the countryside and to UK manufacturing. The future of the renewable energy industry is a broad mix of technologies and resources working together to deliver safe and clean affordable power, heat and fuels for all.”

Renewable Energy Industry Action Plan:

Creation of a Cabinet level post with specific responsibility for delivery of the UK’s climate change programme

This ministerial position should be at the head of a new department of energy and environment, which would streamline the delivery of the UK’s renewable programme as well as bringing together climate responsibilities that are currently spread across several departments.

Extension of renewable electricity targets

The current targets for renewable electricity should be extended on an annual basis so that we secure at least 25% of our power from renewables by 2025, in line with the recent recommendation made to G8 nations by the International Climate Change Task Force.

Introduction of new policies that promote renewable energy in sectors other than electricity generation

This will require the setting of targets for renewable heat and transport fuels, which should be ramped up so that 25% of all Britain’s energy needs are met by renewables in 2025. If non-electricity renewables cannot be boosted to provide 25% of the demand in their sectors by 2025, the target for power should be raised so that the overall energy goal is met. Policies that can implement the heat and transport goals are already available: the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation was enabled by the Energy Act 2004, and a Renewable Heat Obligation Bill is currently before Parliament.

Additional revenue support for power generation technologies that are near to commercialisation under the Renewables Obligation

Some extra help will be crucial if biomass, offshore wind, microgeneration and other resources are to play their role in meeting the 10% by 2010 target. Such support could take the form of an output-related ‘top-up’ payment, different for each technology and reflecting the level of extra help required. A precedent has been set by the recently-announced plan for the early-stage wave and tidal stream technologies, which will benefit from a £100/megawatt hour (MWh) premium on top of income available under the Renewables Obligation. Other technologies will require less, reflecting their relative commercial maturity.

New tax incentives

Tax breaks and the reform of some tax levels to promote investment in renewables and remove anomalies that militate against renewable energy are required. In the immediate term, the recent proposal to increase rates for renewable power generators should be reversed. Beyond this, enhanced capital allowances should be given to all renewable energy investments excluding onshore wind and landfill gas and stamp duty rebates applied for domestic customers that install microgeneration within a defined period after moving home. Anomalies in the VAT system can also be usefully eliminated, such as the imposition of 17.5% VAT on renewable energy equipment while domestic energy is taxed at only 5%. Duty levels on biofuels also need to be further lowered to provide sufficient incentive for investors to put money into biofuel production facilities.

Measures to support micropower technologies

A package of measures to support the long term development of micropower technologies should be introduced. While we welcome the development of a Microgeneration Strategy, it is important that this contains meaningful, new policies for the sector, and is not simply a restatement of existing policies. In particular, the strategy should contain measurable targets for the sector. Policy should also be extended to small-scale renewables other than those producing electricity. Measures should be aimed not just at households but also at small businesses and other non-domestic buildings. The Government has made a good start in this area with the successful Clear Skies scheme, which should be retained and extended. The prospective new Part L of Building Regulations also represents a small yet promising step forward, as do VAT reductions for ground source heat pumps and microCHP. The �green building� programme that is intended to replace existing solar power programmes must be implemented quickly in order to reduce uncertainty for companies in this area and to stimulate building developers� transition to the use of renewable energy technologies. To support policy in the area of small-scale renewables, standards, competence and accreditation systems must be developed in order to sustain customer confidence in these new sectors. If microgenerators are to be properly supported, then two-way metering must be mandated as a necessary preparatory step.

A proactive planning framework for the implementation of renewable energy projects

With the recent implementation of PPS22 in England and TAN8 in Wales, the UK finally has a system that recognises that renewable energy is a national priority. The extent to which the new guidance improves the planning prospects for renewable development should be carefully monitored, with a view to strengthening it, if necessary, and ensuring it is proportionate to the scale of development.

A strategic plan for grid development and reinforcement

The electricity grid will need to be adapted to accommodate increasing levels of renewable capacity. This will require that the cost of extending the grid to where the renewable resources are located is not placed entirely on generators.

This was a statement by the renewable energy trade associations of the UK:
British Biogen, British Hydropower Association, British Pellet Club, British Photovoltaic Association, British Wind Energy Association, Combined Heat and Power Association, Ground Source Heat Pump Club, The Micropower Council, Renewable Power Association, Scottish Renewables Forum, Solar Trade Association

Original press release: Renewable energy industry calls for a quarter of UK energy to come from renewables by 2025 (BWEA)

When residents of New York’s Manhattan Island ran out of real estate for new construction, they expanded vertically - using multi-story buildings to get more living space on their compact island.

Scientists at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) hope to follow their example, but on a nanometer scale - building carbon nanotube towers atop photovoltaic cells to extract more power from the sun.

The nanometer-scale scale towers, which would be coated by the special p-type and n-type semiconductor (p/n) junction materials used to generate electrical current, would increase the surface area available to produce electricity.

Reflections off the Gothamesque towers would provide more opportunity for each photon of sunlight to interact with the p/n junction of the cell. That would increase the power output from PV cells of a given size, or allow cells to be made smaller while producing the same amount of power.

For soldiers operating in the field, especially in desert areas that receive lots of sunlight, the new ’solar tube’ cells could provide an alternate power source for the growing number of electronic devices they use. Without the need for trucking in fuel, compact PV cells could directly power certain applications or be used to recharge batteries in soldiers’ equipment.

“You will typically get low voltages from the sun, but it generates a steady state supply - like a fuel cell - but without the need for a consumable fuel,” explained Jud Ready, a research engineer in GTRI’s Electro-Optics, Environment and Materials Laboratory (EOEML) who is the project’s principal investigator. “It would certainly be viable for recharging and for supplying power to a base where people are stationed long-term. This could have significant benefits from a supply logistics standpoint.”

The three-dimensional cells could also be useful in space applications, where power is in constant demand and launch weight is critical. Ultimately, they also could be used in developing nations where low-cost electrical power is vital to expanding economies.

The researchers have already developed techniques for precisely growing carbon nanotube bundles atop silicon wafers that have been treated with catalysts to produce geometries that resemble three-dimensional nano-models of Manhattan.

The next step will be to work with collaborators at GTRI and the Georgia Tech Schools of Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering to apply the n-type and p-type coatings whose junction produces current.

Because their cells will be more efficient, Ready believes they can use older and more mature p/n-type material technologies and less costly silicon wafers to hold down costs and rapidly advance the project into products that can be used in the field.

Challenges ahead include materials compatibility and long-term durability issues. Ultimately, the carbon nanotubes - which are themselves semiconducting at times - could be integrated to replace one or more of the p/n-type layers.

Original press release: Tiny Towers: Carbon Nanotube Structures Could Provide More Efficient Solar Power for Soldiers (Georgia Tech Research News)

Nairobi, 24 February 2005 - Plans to harness the power of the mighty Congo River to generate electricity are being drawn up by one of Africa’s biggest energy companies, it was announced at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today.

The scheme, which will initially focus on the Inga Rapids, aims to eventually generate more than enough electricity to power Africa’s industrialisation.

Surplus electricity can be sold to places like Spain and Italy in southern Europe via an inter-connector under the Mediterranean Sea.

The plan was announced by Reuel Khoza, chairman of the South African-based power company Eskom Holdings.

He is among a delegation of business leaders attending ‘Africa Business and Sustainable Development’ meeting taking place at UNEP headquarters where environment minister from across the globe have gathered for UNEP’s 23rd Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum.

Mr Khoza said: “Africa urgently needs energy to lift its people out of poverty and deliver sustainable development. The Congo River offers enormous opportunities for doing this. We calculate that hydro electricity from the Congo could generate more than 40,000 meggawatts, enough to power Africa’s industrialisation with the possibility of selling the surplus to southern Europe.”

He said the idea had been suggested in the past, but that it was now gaining real political momentum under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

The prospects of peace in the region were also concentrating minds, said Mr Khoza.

He said the plans envisaged engineering works that would siphon off the river, divert it through electricity-generating turbines, before funneling the water back into the Congo.

At least half if not more of the electricity can be generated in this way which, according to Eskom, makes the project environmentally-friendly.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, which came into force last week, developed countries can off set some of their emissions at home by clean energy schemes in developing countries.

Mr Khoza said it had been agreed that the Congo project would qualify for such carbon offset projects which are run under the Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism.

Co-organised by UNEP with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Energy Council (WEC), the meeting examined how the provision of water and energy underpins the sustainable development needs of Africa and can contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

Today, only 64 % of Africa’s population has access to a reliable clean water supply. An estimated 526 million people in Africa do not have access to electricity.

The situation in rural areas is expected become even worse over the next two decades if current patterns continue. According to the ministers and business leaders attending the meeting, this water and energy crisis threatening much of Africa will only be solved if there is greater investment in relevant infrastructure and services by the private sector.

From building boreholes for water to the development of solar power in remote villages, business must play a key role in working with local entrepreneurs, public authorities and financing institutions in Africa, concluded participants.

They also recognised the critical role business can play in technology development and implementation as well as in strengthening local management capacity to complement the still dominant role played by public sector funding in water and energy service provision in Africa.

Gerald Doucet, Secretary-General of WEC, who highlighted that WEC, ICC and WBCSD are about to launch the Business Action for Energy (BAE) initiative at the next session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in New York.

This will prepare the business contribution to UNCSD discussions on energy in 2006 and 2007.

Mr Doucet welcomed the opportunity to meet with environment ministers as well as ministers with other portfolios.

Representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Global Environment Facility (GEF), The Commonwealth Secretariat and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) also attended the event. Discussions were facilitated by Mohamed El-Ashry, Senior Fellow with the United Nations Foundation and former Chief Executive of the GEF.

Original press release: Congo River to Power Africa Out of Poverty (UNEP)

Berlin - The wind energy sector adopted the DENA grid study yesterday evening. This means that nothing now stands in the way of further integration of wind energy into the German electricity grid. Together with grid operators and the Federal Office for Economic Development, the wind energy sector has drawn up a timetable for the further expansion of wind energy. “Despite differences of opinion and indiscretions, we still completed the study”, summarises Peter Ahmels, the President of the National Wind Energy Association: “All the prejudices and disaster scenarios have been disproved. To guarantee decentralized energy supply, the grid operators will have to expand the high-voltage grid by just five per cent. The network operators could only charge consumers a few hundredths of a cent per kilowatt/hour for that.”

- In total, 850 km of new high-voltage grid will be required by 2015. Costs per year would be 110 million euro. By way of comparison: the grid operators invest two billion euro every year in their whole 1.6 million km-long grid.

- Grid charges could increase due to the expansion of the network by 2.5 hundredths of a cent per kilowatt/hour in 2015. That is less than one euro per year per household.

- Until 2003, grid operators required that wind turbines be isolated from the grid in the event of short-circuits. This increased the hypothetical risk of greater breaks in supply. However, more recent wind power installations could remain on the grid even in the event of undervoltage. Older plant will be upgraded over time, and phase-shifters (synchronous generators to control power flow) ensure grid stability, says the DENA study.

- Due to the expansion of wind energy, conventional power stations with output of approximately 2,000 MW could be replaced. That is equivalent to three large coal-fired stations.

- No additional power stations need to be built for balancing energy generation. The additional 5.6 TWh minutes and hours reserve required per year can be supplied by the existing normal power stations. The impact on electricity prices will only amount to six to eight hundredths of a cent per kWh in 2015, which is between two and three euros per year per household.

- The costs of the network expansion, balancing and reserve energy amount to about 0.1 cent/kWh in 2015. “But,” says Ahmels, “the study also has many serious deficiencies, such as the assumptions about future fuel prices or Renewable Energy Act grants.”

- According to the basic scenario of the study, real prices (compared with 2003) of lignite and coal will remain constant until 2015 and those for natural gas and oil will even fall. Deutsche Bank Research, DIW and other research institutes are assuming rising fuel prices for coming years. However, due to the improbable scenario, the study comes up with costs for further integration of wind energy of 0.36-0.45 cent/kWh. For the average household using 3,500 kWh per year, the differential costs would be 12.6 to 15.8 euro per year. That is calculated too high.

- Furthermore, the study requires that the existing tax exemption for lignite and coal in comparison with natural gas and oil will be maintained.

- According to Offshore-WEA - contrary to the current Renewable Energy Act - there will be an increased grant even after 2010. For the other renewable energy sources, the rates of REA grant that apply today will be subject to sliding-scale reductions. Particularly in the fields of biomass and geothermal energy, sharp cutbacks in grants can be expected.

- The annual rate of inflation is assumed to be 1.5%. In the event of higher inflation - which is probable with higher oil prices - of 2% for example, the real rates of grant (REA grants are set in absolute figures) will decline.

- According to the study, CO2 certificate prices will only rise to 12.5 euro/tonne. In the light of the target of a 40% cut in CO2 emissions by 2020 which is necessary for climate protection reasons, this appears rather unrealistic. This assumption reduces the contribution of wind energy to climate protection. In addition, wind energy has other positive environmental effects.

Ahmels: “We have accepted the study despite a large number of criticisms. However, a continuation is absolutely essential.” Network optimization and temperature monitoring have not been taken into account yet. Part II of the Grid Study will have to explain how optimal power transport can be organized within the country, how the connection can be made to the Scandinavian electricity market and load flows can be organized with neighbouring countries. An adaptation of the UCTE rules to reflect alterations in electricity generation would also be necessary. How can wind power be incorporated into the balancing energy market? “All these questions,” says Ahmels, “have yet to be resolved.”

Original press release: Timetable Given for Expansion of Wind Energy (Federal Wind Energy Association)

The City of Cambridge and MIT will collaborate to significantly reduce diesel pollution from their respective vehicle fleets over the next two years, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Feb. 23. The grant is one of 18 awarded nationwide from a pool of 83 applicants.

Through the Clean Diesel Collaborative for a Healthy Cambridge, MIT and the city will retrofit 34 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles with advanced pollution control equipment (including catalyzing equipment and filters). The goal is to reduce emissions per vehicle 40 to nearly 70 percent for some pollutants.

Like many cities, Cambridge has a large population of people who are especially vulnerable to air pollution, particularly diesel emissions. Exposure to diesel pollution has been linked to numerous health conditions, including asthma, heart disease and cancer. The Cambridge Health Alliance identified childhood asthma as a priority health concern in its 2004 Cambridge Public Health Assessment.

“Partnering with the City of Cambridge in EPA’s voluntary diesel retrofit program is one way that MIT is demonstrating its strong commitment to excellence in environmental stewardship,” said Jamie Lewis Keith, MIT’s senior counsel and managing director for Environmental Programs and Risk Management.

“This initiative offers an innovative approach to realizing measurable reductions in air pollutants, strengthening collaborative ties, and demonstrating new technologies that drive excellent environmental performance on campus and throughout the city. MIT is extremely grateful to the EPA for selecting our joint proposal with the city,” Keith said.

“We intend to use this collaborative project not only to make significant reductions in our own emissions, but also to share our experience and demonstrate to others the feasibility of the technology so that it can be more widely adopted,” said Steven Lanou of MIT’s Environmental Programs Office, who is spearheading the effort for MIT. “The more we can diffuse the technology across diesel fleets, the greater the environmental benefits we can achieve.”

Laxmi Rao and Norm Magnusson of MIT’s Department of Facilities are leading the implementation. They worked with Lanou to develop MIT’s proposal.

The EPA grant of $83,467 through the agency’s Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Grant Program will launch the new initiative and cover the implementation costs. The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) also received a grant through this program.

The new collaborative marks the second major phase of the City of Cambridge’s effort to reduce emissions from its working vehicles. Last fall, as part of the first phase, the city adopted the use of biodiesel–a clean-burning alternative fuel produced from domestic sources–for the majority of its large vehicle fleet. Now more than 80 city-owned vehicles, including garbage trucks, construction vehicles, and about a dozen city-owned school buses, run on biodiesel.

The collaborative marks an expansion of MIT’s efforts to improve the environmental performance of its vehicles; through the program, MIT will introduce biodiesel for the first time into its diesel vehicles.

The Clean Diesel Collaborative for a Healthy Cambridge is a joint effort with MIT’s Environmental Programs Office and Department of Facilities, and Cambridge’s Departments of Public Works and Community Development.

Original press release: Cambridge, MIT win EPA grant to cut diesel emissions (MIT)

Nairobi - At a time when the environment agenda has greater demands made upon it and faces increasing challenges, IUCN and UNEP are reviewing their strategic partnership agreement.

“It is urgent that we work closely together in helping to re-position the conservation and environment agendas as a key response to addressing the Millenium Development Goals and the poverty eradication agenda. By strengthening our collaboration we believe that we can help our respective communities and constituencies to make a difference” said Achim Steiner, Director General of IUCN.

“IUCN- The World Conservation Union is an organization with members at grass roots as well as in governments across the world. By joining forces we can together take the important step - mainstreaming biodiversity and other environmental concerns into the development agenda,” says Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP.

IUCN, the World Conservation Union and UNEP have enjoyed a long history of collaboration which goes back to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme in 1972 and has resulted in landmark results - such as the World Conservation Strategy (1982), which provided a new paradigm for the environmental community at that time, and the development of the main environmental agreements (MEAs) now in place at global and regional levels. UNEP and IUCN have also collaborated in bringing together and making available key information on protected areas and environmental law and in developing capacities in most regions of the world.

Both institutions agreed to revise their 1995 Framework Agreement to respond to the challenges of today and especially to those resulting from the Millenium Assembly, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Doha Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation and the International Conference on Financing and Development.

This strengthened collaboration has been reflected by the UNEP-IUCN joint work carried out in response to the tsunami disaster. This has shown how the two organizations have built on their competencies and constituencies to provide a rapid response to one of the most challenging situations the world has seen in the last decades.

The signing of this MoU marks a new commitment to a more strategic collaboration and will provide a clear signal to advance the environmental agenda.

Original press release: UNEP & IUCN: A New Strategic Partnership for the Environment (UNEP)