23.08.10 UK's largest solar panel unveiled
Last week saw the unveiling of the UK’s largest solar panel, an event that many hope will lead to a renewed focus on solar power as a renewable energy source.
Costing £50,000 to build, the 10x5m array consists of 44 silicon cells and is expected to produce 7,500 units of electricity to power the Ecotech Centre, with any additional power generated sold to the national grid.
The structure is expected to be 30% more efficient than the majority of solar panels as it has been designed to include a device which allows the panel to undertake tilts in order to follow the arc of the sun.
Speaking at the unveiling of the panel, Ecotech manager, Stuart Weaver, was looking to the future, suggesting “there is certainly room for growth in solar technology in this country, especially when you compare our daylight hours with a country like Germany, which has 3,000 of these units compared to the UK's three.”
With the UK government currently focusing on the use of wind power as the main source of renewable energy in Britain, proponents of solar power will be hoping that the news coverage generated by the launch of the panel will bring a renewed interest in that kind of energy from the UK government.
As well as using the panel to generate electricity and renew interest in solar power, Ecotech are hoping to attract a large number of educational visits to the site. If the UK is to undergo an energy revolution by moving towards sole use of renewable energy sources, then the success of projects like these in persuading children of the necessity to combat climate change is vital.
13.08.10 SSE and Mitsubishi to work on low-carbon technology
SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy) and Mitsubishi have joined together for a new project that is aimed at looking into new green energy initiatives. The main areas the two companies will be looking into include improving offshore wind farms and producing electric cars.
The new initiative will be developed over the next five years, and will provide over 1,000 jobs in that period.
The work will take place at the Centre of Engineering Excellence in Renewable Energy. SSE developed the centre last year along with Strathclyde University for the express purpose of developing improved ways of generating low-carbon energy.
Scotland is performing especially well in the green energy sector, better than the other areas in the UK. The Scottish government has an ambitious target of 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, and if new initiatives like this one continue to appear it could well meet its target.
As well as offshore wind farms, the scheme will also involve looking into the better carbon capture and storage, increasing power production and improving electricity grids.
Colin Hood, SSE’s chief operating officer, said that the agreement “represents one of the most significant industrial partnerships to be established in Scotland since the heyday of North Sea oil”.
The ultimate aim is for the two companies to establish new investments in the green-energy sector and to launch joint development programmes.
With Scotland leading the way in the production of low-carbon energy, this latest news will help it to keep on track to deliver its renewable-energy target. Schemes like this are great news for the country and perhaps the success of the country’s green energy sector might help to inspire other countries to follow its lead.
05.08.10 British company claims to have produced the world’s first zero emissions 4x4
British company, Liberty Electric Cars, has developed an all-electric Range Rover, the world’s first zero emissions 4x4. Having spent June testing a prototype, Liberty Electric Cars says it will soon be ready to bring its all-electric 4x4 technology to the market, starting in the UK with its ‘E-range’ all-electric Range Rover.
With energy storage provided by a lithium polymer battery pack, believed to have a 13-year or 300,000-mile lifespan, the car boasts zero tailpipe emissions and has running costs of 3.92p per mile, compared with 18.58p per mile for its petrol equivalent. Despite the low running costs of the vehicle, the E-range is expected to cost almost double the price of a current top of the range supercharged V8 Range Rover, although Liberty Electric Cars expect the price to fall as demand for zero emission vehicles increases.
The E-Range maintains its 4x4 performance as it is driven by 4 electric motors (one for each wheel). By doing this, designers have been able to ensure that the vehicle maintains its four-wheel drive traction. Motor enthusiasts will be impressed by the car's performance, which is hugely impressive for an all-electric vehicle, with the E-range boasting a sub 7 second 0-60mph time and an 85mph top speed.
With plans to have the E-range commercially available before the end of the year, Liberty Electric Cars are already looking to improve the technology developed for the E-range in order to create a range of other vehicles.
The E-range will be constructed in Newcastle, with funds from UK government supporting production costs as part of a national plan to turn the North East into a centre of excellence for electric vehicle development.
05.08.10 Religious buildings could save millions through solar panels
Religious buildings in the UK could save millions of pounds a year in expenses by producing their own green electricity through the use of solar panels.
The news comes after British Gas carried out research for its Green Streets programme. It claims that if all of the religious buildings in the country installed solar panels they could save up to 42,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions – equal to that released by 500 transatlantic flights.
This would also lead to the generation of £29 million every year for the religious buildings through selling the electricity to the grid through Feed-In Tariffs, on top of a further £5 million savings from not having to purchase their own power.
Churches alone would make an estimated £17.3 million a year through selling green electricity that they generated, and would save an extra £2.7 million on energy bills.
The managing director of British Gas, Phil Bentley, said that the potential savings give religious buildings “the opportunity to lead their communities in tackling climate change and helping Britain move towards a low-carbon society”.
He highlighted the fact that religious buildings are well suited to generating power through solar panels as they have large south-facing roofs. He also confirmed that British Gas is committed to helping everyone to make the most of the Feed-In Tariff so that they can save on the amount of CO2 they release and earn money at the same time.
So as the UK starts to get more clued up about the generation of green energy, it looks as though it could be churches and other religious buildings that lead the green revolution.
28.07.10 Councils to be allowed to sell green power
Chris Huhne, the Climate Change Secretary, has announced that a ban on the selling of green electricity by councils will be overturned in the near future. He has confirmed that he wants local councils to be able to produce their own green electricity and to sell it to the National Grid.
The original ban came into force under the 1976 Local Government Act. Huhne wants to see the ban overturned so that councils can start to produce electricity through green technology such as wind power and anaerobic digestion. He is hoping that that ban will be overturned within six months.
It could lead to a huge increase in small-scale energy generation by local councils, which would help the government to reach its green energy targets.
Huhne said that it is “ridiculous that the 1976 Local Government Act prevents councils from selling electricity”. Once the ban is repealed he expects to see local authorities generate revenue to keep Council Tax down and to help local services.
New data on council emissions has also been released which shows the amount of CO2 that was produced by councils in the 2008/09 financial year.
The councils with the lowest emissions were East Cambridgeshire with 574 tonnes, East Northamptonshire with 606 tonnes and Broadland with 806 tonnes.
The worst performers were Birmingham with 177,360 tonnes, Hertfordshire with 168,570 tonnes and Lancashire with 157,890 tonnes
In all, a total of 8.3 million tonnes of CO2 was released by local councils, making up 1.6% of the total emissions for the UK.
