The book, Sustainable Energy-without the hot air by David JC MacKay has brought an insightful look into how everyone can make efforts to use sustainable energy and energy sources.
To read this intuitive and informative book you can go online and read each section or download pages from the contents table.
Many have endorsed and reviewed the book, from scientists, economists and engineers to environmentalists and politicians. Robert Sansom, EDF Energy commented ’ At last a book that comprehensively reveals the true facts about sustainable energy in a form that is both highly readable and entertaining.’
Peter Ainsworth, MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs mentioned ’ “Sustainable Energy-without the hot air” is engagingly written, packed with useful information and refreshingly factual. Those, like, me of a non-technical bent will find the Technical Chapters at the end daunting ; but we don’t have to read them to get the message.’
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There has been a lot of press recently concerning the UK wind farms and the need for more wind turbines in the aim to tackle global warming and to increase the use of green energy.
Harnessing the winds power can and does ganerate a huge amount of useable energy. However, it has now been reported that there could be an overload of energy onto the National Grid if it gets too windy.
Too windy? Surely, this would be a good condition considering how unstable and infrequent the weather can be. To store up lots of wind-generate electricity cant harm us can it? Apparently, according to those at the National grid, too much wind and too much wind-generated electricity is not a good thing.
Owners of wind farms are now going to be awarded a payment to switch off thier turbines if it does become ‘too windy’. This seems all well and good in the grand scheme of helping the country to use more sustainable energy sources but this payment to the wind farm owners is going to come from the tax payers.
The National Grid is constantly working to match the need for electricity with supply and this can often be determined by weather predictions and TV schedules. Plant failures and erratic weather changes are also a factor when the National Grid juggles electricity use across the nation. They feel that the balance between using the wind famrs and deciding to turn them off in adverse weather conditions will prevent the network from being overloaded.
It has been released in a new report that China have pushed their way to the top of the leader board for renewable energy, replacing the U. S as the number country investing the most towards renewable technology. Moving into the top spot, China is being named as a new clean tech superpower.
For the first time the United States have been replaced at the top spot and have moved down the table below the UK, Germany and France. The new report put together by the non-profit organisation The Pew Charitable Trusts was published recently and is a detailed league table of investments in low-carbon energy among the G-20.
The table, cataloging 2009 clean energy data, shows China investing almost twice as much as the U. S. However, the U. S are still leading the way in energy capacity, and dont rule out the UK! We, as a nation are right up there on podium, showing that we can contribute with the larger countries to really make a difference. The UK are 3rd in the overall results for clean energy investments, 4th in the 5 year clean energy investment growth rate and 5th in the percentage of total power it receives from clean energy sources ahead of France, China and the United States.
This report shows that not only the big guns are really trying to put something back and help towards finding some new and renewable solutions.
This month saw David Kidney MP, Under secretary for energy and climate change speak at the Renewable UK Conference in Westminster. The topic of the talk was on the growing productivity of wave and tidal energy in the UK. He commented “Harnessing electricity from our wave and tidal resources not only plays a crucial part in meeting our climate change target; but also presents a significant economic opportunity for the UK.”
Wind power is now the top renewable source, due to the expansion of offshore wind farms and this is an encouraging move towards harnessing weather elements. David Kidney has pledged to support the wave and tidal power projects and it is now said that the UK are seen as the leaders in marine energy technology.
In April 2008, the world’s first commercial tidal current power system with a capacity of 1.2MW was put into action in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland. With the tide flowing at over 7.4 knots it was an ideal location to place this world’s first.
The SeaGen tidal turbine was installed by MCT (Marine Current Turbines Ltd) and is the largest grid-connected marine renewable system in the world. Similar to the wind turbines it is a modular technology and works on generating low carbon energy.
Strangford Lough’s turbine has recently reached the milestone marker of 1000 operational hours, being the first and only tidal turbine to have done so. This world’s largest ever tidal current device generates clean and sustainable electricity for 1000 homes and has so far delivered over 800MW into the Northern Ireland grid. With expectations being exceeded for this system it is leading the way in technology of this type and will shape the future of tidal current power. Martin Wright MCT’s MD reflected “We will build on the success ofSeaGen to develop a commercial tidal farm of up to 10MW in UK waters within three years.”
After recently being granted the lease, MCT are going to deploy the award-winning SeaGenturbines off Brough Ness, on the southernmost tip of the Orkney Islands and north east of John O’Groats. By 2017, 66 SeaGen tidal turbines are going to be placed in three phases with a total generating capacity of 99MW. That’s enough power for almost 100,000 homes.
March 3rd, US President Barack Obama urged congress to consider his Homestar Program to promote greener homes in the US.
Now being nicknamed “Cash for Caulkers”, the Homestar program outlines plans for a government rebate to US businesses and homeowners who refit their homes to become more energy efficient. This includes replacing windows, doors, insulation and using other resourceful materials from an approved list.
Obama believes this initiative is going to revitalise the US construction industry, creating more jobs and lowering household energy bills. It could cost $6 billion to put into place but will pay back rebates to some 3 million homeowners direct from hardware stores or contractors. The incentives are attracting attention already with promised instant payouts of up to $1500 for an upgrade and up to $3000 for a home refit.
However, this is still being discussed by congress and has not yet been passed as law, but the Homestar Coalition have put in to place some strategies to help senators and congressional representatives to see the light.
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.
A-list US celebrities gathered together by proactive environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, initiated a serious Green campaign on January 29th geared towards mobilizing Americans to get involved with forcing the hand of US environmental policy. A selection of the USA’s best-known celebrities including, Edward Norton, Jason Bateman, Felicity Huffman and Forest Whitaker, along with rising stars Chace Crawford, Emmy Rossum and Justin Long, are leading the This is Our Moment campaign to bring the need for clean energy to the fore in Washington.
Whereas here in the UK, following what some see and the complete failure of the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, there is a sense that our leaders are not prepared to listen to us or act upon important green issues. People who feel strongly about green issues in the UK are starting to turn away from politicians for help and look to take positive action on a grassroots, local community level.
However in the US political system, mass lobbying has always had significant sway over US policy. Supported by mainstreaming celebrities, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the very latest viral and public forum technologies, the This is our Moment movement is designed to help Americans contact their senators, flood their email boxes, make videos and generally get interactive in pushing for an American clean energy bill. Given the negative global press generated by the Bush administrations restrictive environmental attitudes, this new campaign breathes fresh air into the environmental struggle not just in America, but the world at large.
Ensus is building Europe’s largest wheat refinery at Wilton in Teesside, intending to meet one third of the UK’s bioethanol demand.
Biofuels help combat climate change because the crops from which they are produced absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. Carbon dioxide is released as they are burned, but absorbed by new crops again, making a complete cycle.
There will undeniably be a huge impact on the UK’s wheat producing farmers and concern about how they will cope in years of poor harvest. Even environmental campaigners, Friends of the Earth are claiming that the potential deforestation to produce new farmland is just not worth it. Ensus insists however that the wheat supply will be provided by EU countries only and will also contribute to animal feed, therefore reducing the need for soya meal which comes from areas of deforestation.
So are biofuels worthwhile? On the positive side, they massively reduce carbon emissions and are cheap to the consumer. On the negative side they could result in deforestation and the destruction of animal habitats. In addition to this, biofuel production is not yet energy efficient.
Do we need to look at the bigger picture and regard biofuels as a work in progress, living in hope that this is a step in the right direction?
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.
This is brilliant! Finally an environmental grassroots movement that gets everyone involved, engaged and empowered to actually do something, no matter how small, to effect climate change and make a difference. Finally a reasonable time scale, not some distant date 10:10 and finally, some Action!
It’s a shame that the people are having to lead the government by the nose on an issue as critical as climate change, especially when they are supposed to have our best interests at heart, but perhaps I am being naive. Ken Livingstone phrased it neatly when he reflected that many of the Labour party “are afraid of losing a Daily Mail reader in Chipping Sodbury.”
10:10 is all about individuals and institutions making a difference by making a personal vow to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2010, be it turning down the heating, eating less mass produced meat, using the car less and the bike more, whatever it takes. I personally take my hat off to Franny Armstrong and everyone involved in getting this campaign off the ground.
Join up now and add your voice to the thousands calling for change!
