Faversham House Group, the organiser of Sustainabilitylive!, has opened The Environment and Energy Awards 2009 for entries, with two awards specifically aimed at the renewables industry. {pagebreak} The Renewable Energy Project of the Year Award is new for 2009 and will focus on the development or improvement of large scale renewable energy projects and initiatives… Read more »
Prior to the recent European Summit, the Austrian Government seemed to question the Austrian national objective of 34 % of renewable energy share in final energy consumption by 2020 and put at question the agreement on the RES Directive reached by the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission. {pagebreak} As one of the… Read more »
The EESC – the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee of the European Parliament – has called for a massive reduction of oil demand in Europe year by year over the next 40 years. The objective is to reduce demand by more than 50% by 2050. {pagebreak} “The two critical factors which will shape the… Read more »
A surge in investment in the renewable energy sector is expected to help Scotland through the economic difficulties expected in 2009, according to the Scottish Government. Over the past 18 months, around £1bn worth of projects have been announced, with 17 projects since May 2007. Another 31 are currently under consideration, including seven new hydro… Read more »
Sulzemoos, 13 January 2009 / Phoenix Solar Energy Investments AG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Phoenix Solar AG (ISIN DE000A0BVU93), has today acquired all the shares in Scarlatti Srl., a company headquartered in Eppan an der Weinstraße, Italy, with immediate effect. Scarlatti holds the shares in four project companies under the condition precedent of achieving… Read more »
Aberdeen-based Subocean Ltd is poised to make waves with the announcement that its renewable energy contracts awards topped £100 million in 2008. This makes the company one of the largest providers to the marine renewable sector in Scotland. These contract wins confirm that Subocean has successfully transferred its oil and gas and subsea construction expertise… Read more »
Upgrading the current European electricity grid with smarter technologies is key to overcoming the infrastructure challenges presented by the EU’s energy and climate package, a foremost supplier of power generation technologies has recently announced. In Brussels last week, GE Energy’s Keith Redfearn (responsible for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India) {pagebreak} explained that the… Read more »
Time to stop haggling and agree on carbon ‘Fair share’. Global research results released last week by the HSBC Climate Partnership reveal that consumers want governments to stop haggling on carbon concessions and act. The economic situation has not dampened enthusiasm for government action. Forty three per cent of people chose climate change ahead of… Read more »
Stanley Fink, the driver behind Man Group’s growth to become the world’s largest hedge fund group, has announced the formation of Earth Capital Partners LLP (ECP), a new business with a specialist focus on environmental investment. “Our objective will be to deliver attractive returns by investing in projects, {pagebreak} companies and financial instruments, which address… Read more »
European Union leaders have reached a deal on a package of measures to fight global warming. The plan, agreed at the recent Brussels summit, sets out how 27 member-countries will cut carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, compared with 1990 levels. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the summit chairman, announced that “quite historic” had happened in… Read more »
Over the past year, DEGERenergie GmbH, Schopfloch, has set standards and established itself as global market leader with the technical finesse, innovative ideas and ongoing developments of its patented DEGERconecter controlled tracking systems. {pagebreak} The 20,000th DEGERtraker tracking system was delivered in June 2008 and turnover for 2008 is estimated at about 40 million Euros…. Read more »
Biel, 12 December 2008. On 28 November the Spanish company Vasolar 2006 S.L. and its Portuguese business partner Cavalum SGPS, S.A. inaugurated four solar parks delivering a total output of eight megawatts in the autonomous region of Extremadura. The tracking systems produce on average 26 gigawatt-hours of energy per year, covering the requirements of about… Read more »
The UK government’s latest approach to tackling climate change has been welcomed by the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA). In a report, the government’s Committee on Climate Change recommends the rapid development of carbon capture and storage technology as one of the cornerstones of meeting the target for an 80 per cent reduction in… Read more »
UK Trade Minister Gareth Thomas has encouraged low-carbon tech business leaders to spark new waves of investment opportunities in China. The Minister has endorsing the ideas coming out of China for the creation of Low Carbon Development Zones; Chinese cities and regions acting as pilots for policies to invigorate the large scale economic transformation required… Read more »
The EU has agreed to adopt the Declaration of Budapest which will address wide ranging plans for renewable energy. The 8th Inter-Parliamentary Meeting (IPM8) organised by EUFORES – the European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources – {pagebreak} brought together more than 60 European and national Parliamentarians from 19 EU Member States. Parliamentarians discussed the negotiation… Read more »
Trina Solar Limited, a leading integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, founded in 1997, announced that it has chosen the City of San Francisco as the location for its North America offices. {pagebreak} “This is an important step in our continuing… Read more »
The renewables industry in the UK has welcomed new legislation included in the Energy Bill to introduce a feed-in-tariff. In the House of Commons debate MPs also agreed to introduce a Renewable Heat Incentive, although no clear timetable was agreed. Biogas received a boost from the heat incentive clause, as it entitles producers of renewable… Read more »
The global growth rates for the PV market are showing excellent health, according to a new study by Bank Sarasin. The report forecasts average global growth rates of 48 per cent for the sector up to 2012, with the global market volume of newly installed PV systems rising from 4 gigawatts in 2008 to 125… Read more »
Former US vice-president turned environmental guru Al Gore says Barack Obama should set drastic targets to force the US to switch to renewable energy in an effort to slow down climate change. Gore said that one of Obama’s first acts as US president should be to demand a move to 100 per cent renewable energy… Read more »
The UK government must massively increase its investment in low-carbon technologies if it wants the county to meet its climate change goals, according to business leaders. In a report, the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) argues that there is a “lack of ambition in the UK” for the new technology and that an increased focus… Read more »
The EU Commissioner for Energy has said that its proposed climate and energy legislative package should be moved forward despite the current global financial crisis. Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Energy, told attendees at the Cercle Royal Gaulois energy conference in Brussels that it is ‘completely irresponsible’ for politicians to postpone adopting the package since… Read more »
Calculation notes on using Hydraulic bolt tensioning tools. Formula to use:Residual Bolt Load = Bolt Stress x Bolt Tensile Stress AreaUnits:Residual Bolt Load = (N or Tons)Bolt Tensile Stress Area = (mm2 or In2) {pagebreak} Below are tables of standard ISO Metric and Imperial Thread forms along with applicable tensile stress area’s.Step1: Determining required bolt… Read more »
The Chinese government has warned of the difficulty of curbing growing greenhouse gas emissions in the foreseeable future. Beijing has said it wants to combat climate change yet ensure China’s economic take-off is unimpeded, and a recent government white paper on climate change reflects the uneasy fit between those imperatives. {pagebreak} China faces shrinking crops,… Read more »
Insurance premiums for renewable energy projects look set to rise by up to 10 per cent over the next two years, as a direct result of the current economic crisis. Specialist renewable energy insurer GCube has announced that it has secured an increased underwriting capacity to cover business up to a value of $800 million… Read more »
A commitment to Britain’s climate change agenda has been made despite fears of a severe downturn in the world economy. The UK’s new energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, said many of the new jobs of the future will be green jobs, {pagebreak} adding that the cost to taxpayers of failing to fix the… Read more »
Euro MPs have dealt a blow to plans for a new generation of coal-fired power stations after voting for tough curbs to reduce their emissions. The MEPs want to force energy companies to fit expensive equipment to trap the emissions, the limit of which is the same as that set by California – 500 grams… Read more »
An end to the use of fossil fuels needs to happen in the UK within 20 years, the government’s climate change watchdog has warned. The independent Climate Change Committee also says the government should set a 2050 target of cutting all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent – including those from aviation… Read more »
Almost all businesses in the UK are unaware of an incentive scheme to help improve energy efficiency, according to new industry research. The survey involving 1,300 businesses across offices, retail and leisure, conducted by Daikin UK, revealed that 92 per cent companies are currently unaware of the Government’s Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme set up… Read more »
A senior Chinese climate change advisor has broken ranks to criticise his country’s stance on global warming as its economy develops. Hu Angang, a public policy professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, has urged China to act on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, even as the government says it should not assume international obligations to curb… Read more »
Search engine leader Google has outlined a plan for the United States to cut its reliance on fossil fuels by 2030. The California-based company has called for a big push in wind, solar and geothermal power to largely replace fossil fuels. Hybrid and electric cars would also get a major boost. {pagebreak} Eric Schmidt, Google’s… Read more »
The World Bank Group’s funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency programmes has increased by a massive 87% in the last year, it has recently been revealed. A statement by the Bank said $2.7b was used to fund renewable energy and energy efficiency commitments for the year ending 30 June 2008. {pagebreak} The funding includes… Read more »
Senior bankers have warned the renewable energy sector of a €21 billion shortfall in debt finance by 2020 following the credit crisis and a brake on lending. European wind and solar power projects drew 18 billion euros investment in 2007 and needed about 85 billion euros annually by 2020 to meet EU targets, said Tanja… Read more »
Only central government commitment to renewable energy adoption will prevent a UK-wide energy crisis, a top managements consultant has said. David Hughes, utilities practice director at ABeam Consulting, said the skyrocketing price of oil means it is ‘not feasible’ to rely on fossil fuels in the long term. {pagebreak} “Global warming makes matters worse, pushing… Read more »
Despite calls for more investment in renewables and clean energy, UK business minister John Hutton has pledged ‘maximum support’ for new nuclear power stations in the UK. At the first meeting of the Government’s new Nuclear Development Forum Mr Hutton said that energy from new nuclear generators is indispensable for keeping the UK’s lights on,… Read more »