March 8th, 2010
Surely the announcement of a £1billion investment in wind farm off the coast of Dorset is a matter of civic pride and not a threat. That’s the hope which Guy Madgwick, Director of Business at Eneco, the company hoping to undertake the project, expressed in the Bournemouth Echo.
Not only could the construction create up to 2,300 jobs, but the site itself could generate power for approximately 587,000 homes.
The area being considered for the new wind farm is roughly 25km out to sea and stretches from south of the Needles on the Isle of Wight to the Purbecks. It will only be visible in the distance on clear days so could not be considered an eyesore.
The UK is apparently the windiest country in Europe and with wind generated power currently the most developed and effective of alternative energy sources, the project seems to present an exciting win-win situation.
Posted in Sustainable Energy, renewable energy
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January 25th, 2010
The University of Bath is undergoing a project to find environmentally friendly building materials that can be used as an alternative to the current products used within the construction industry.
A straw house came up as a viable option. Straw is not only a renewable resource, but also a farming by-product, which made it a popular choice for the researchers. It can be locally grown and absorbs carbon monoxide, therefore buildings made from straw have zero or even a negative carbon footprint. It can potentially provide such good insulation that normal heating may not be necessary, keeping running costs low and minimising environmental impact.
The construction itself has been built using prefabricated panels, consisting of wooden frames filled with straw or hemp, then rendered with a breathable lime based system.
Research into alternative building materials is important as cement contributes up to 10% of all carbon dioxide emissions. Hopefully this project, which over the year is to be monitored, will prove that straw is a sustainable building material. Let’s just hope it can withstand all the wolves huffing and puffing and trying to blow the house down!
Tags: Balehouse, Carbon Footprint, Construction, farming, renewable resource, Straw | Posted in Climate Change, Recycling, Self sufficiency, Sustainability, environment, renewable energy
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September 24th, 2009
Climate change activists, such as: Camp for Climate Action, Plane Stupid, Climate Rush, Rising Tide and others have joined forces and as the result of an on-line public vote, have organised a mega pubic get together to close one of the UK’s biggest coal fired power stations: E.ON’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottingham
In the run up to Copenhagen, there is a mounting feeling of tension, which is spilling over into impressive calls for action. Growing numbers of people are feeling that it’s time to take action into their own hands as they become increasingly frustrated not to mention embarrassed by the extreme level of foot dragging going on in the UK over climate change – namely by the government and leading corporations.
The Great Climate Swoop openly recognizes the vital role coal has played in our nation’s past, however now it is time to take responsibility for our future. Burning coal is now the biggest single source of carbon emissions in the UK.
Although Drax is Europe’s biggest coal power station, and the UK’s largest source of carbon emissions, with a nod to the reality TV voting systems, the power station selected by thousands of interested parties for ‘Direct Action’ is Ratcliffe-on-Soar – the UK’s 3rd largest source of carbon emissions, with plans to build a controversial new coal plant at Kingsnorth.
The ‘Great Climate Swoop’ is planned for 17th and 18th October and will operate on the same basis as the G20 camp, which was deemed massively successful due to the fact that the protestors managed to set up camp completely avoiding police surveillance!
To find out more or get involved visit: The Great Climate Swoop!
Tags: Camp for Climate Action, Climate Change, Climate Rush, coal, emissions, plane stupid, power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Rising Tide | Posted in Climate Change, Events, Protest Marches, renewable energy
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September 8th, 2009
Vestas is considered to be number 1 in modern energy, with 20% of market share and more than 38,000 wind turbines worldwide. So why did our government allow the closure of Vestas in the Isle of Wight, our only UK turbine manufacturer? What happened to their ‘green promise’ that supported the installation of 10,000 wind turbines in the UK by 2020?
To add insult to injury the government managed to find £340m to bail out Airbus, the company who likes to promote itself as an ‘environmentally benign organisation’. Currently Airbus are advertising their plan to cut fuel emissions by 2%.
2% in a rapidly growing industry, about to be responsible for potentially catastrophic fuel emissions is of what use exactly? In addition to this and very interestingly, Airbus’s Chief Executive claimed a government bail-out was not necessary and what was actually required was a ‘functioning financial system’ to be set in place.
Tags: Airbus, fuel emissions, government money, green promise, Vestas, Wind Turbines | Posted in Climate Change, Sustainable Energy, renewable energy
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