A revolutionary project aiming to fund a portfolio of community solar initiatives has been launched. Community Energy Together (CET) has launched a series of share offers involving five community solar projects around England and Wales. The share offers will allow the community to own solar farms.
Blog
Why oil companies taking over offshore wind may be very bad news
On the surface the announcement that there are ”BP Plans for subsidy free offshore windfarms‘ sounds like great news. But in practice it could herald a future where instead of making ginormous profits out of selling us oil and gas the oil companies will be controlling wind power licenses for their benefit rather than that of the consumers or the planet.
Nine really cheap net zero measures that the Government is ignoring amongst all the ULEZ fuss
Anti-green Conservatives are wringing their hands about cutting back on ‘net zero’ commitments after the so-called ULEZ election in Uxbridge. This by-election produced a swing of nearly 7 per cent to Labour – which at a General Election all over the country would put Labour in Government. And the brown Tories think they are on to a winner attacking green policies! In reality, there are a lot of measures that are really cheap and won’t make anybody out of pocket but which the Government aren’t doing.
Government announces fantasy small modular reactor programme as a cover for Sizewelll C failure
What is really most significant about the Government’s new announcement for £137 million funding for research into so-called small modular reactors (SMRs), is the failure to move forward with plans to finance Sizewell C. This latest nonsense about SMRs can best be seen as a cover for this lack of movement.
Call made for agrivoltaics to be allowed without the need for planning consent
At a recent Conference on nature and solar farms Jonathon Scurlock from the NFU called for agrivoltaic systems to be treated as a standard farming practice that does not need planning consent. In planning language this means that agrivoltaics – that means combining agriculture with solar pv farms – would be a ‘permitted’ development’ ie would not need planning consent. This could be most easily applied to smaller and medium-sized solar farms under 50 MW (where local authorities are the principal planning authority).
Government says renewables ‘cannot ensure security of supply’ – we tell them they are wrong!
In an answer to a Parliamentary Question posed by Caroline Lucas MP the Government has said that the reason it has not modeled a ‘renewable only scenario (e.g. wind, solar, and tidal) as this cannot ensure security of supply’.
This arrogant dismissal of the possibilities for 100 percent renewables is contrary to an increasing number of studies, including our own, published earlier this year. In fact, our own study, prepared for us by modelers from LUT University in Finland, said that a renewables-only pathway for the UK will save over £100 billion compared to the Government’s own preferred pathway.
Why the Government’s targets for solar power and wind power are totally inadequate
The Government’s targets for solar pv and wind power need to be dramatically increased if net zero targets (by 2050) are to be reached. We need at least 100 GW of wind power by 2035 and 180 GW of solar pv, also by 2035, to stay on track with the 2050 target.
The short Government phrase that condemns UK decarbonisation strategy to failure
The Government has no clear plans to phase out gas in favour of electricity. That is what the Government is effectively saying in its declaration that there will be no bias towards electricity in its energy security bill proposals. Rather, it seems, the UK will waste years trying to protect the fossil fuel industry with failing initiatives to promote hydrogen for heating and power stations with carbon capture and storage.
Heat pumps will save more energy than insulation says top Energy Efficiency Expert
Professor Nick Eyre, speaking at the 100%renewableuk seminar on April 22nd (see recording HERE), has said that pro-insulation protestors should think of campaigning for heat pumps rather than insulation. Eyre heads the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS). He talked about how electrification through electric vehicles and heat pumps ushers in a new area with a very large potential for reductions in energy use.
Government to pump billions of subisidies to fossil fuel industry to support failed technology
In what is called an ‘energy security day’ on March 30th the Government will be highlighting how it is pouring billions into a failed technology that would not help defend the UK’s energy security even it worked.
Why UK Government’s nuclear power plans will not and cannot balance fluctuating renewables
Government plans for nuclear power will do surprisingly little to balance fluctuating renewable energy. Government plans (to achieve net zero by 2050) issued in 2020 say that 20% of electricity generation should come from nuclear power, something which is very unlikely to be achieved in 2050 anyway.
Why storing renewables as synthetic green methane is much cheaper and efficient than using green hydrogen
If there’s ever an example of mistaken groupthink then the case of working out the task of finding the cheapest and most efficient way of long-term storage of renewable energy could well be one of the most shining examples. Hydrogen is the default choice it seems, but defaults can be wrong!
New report shows £100bn savings with 100% renewable energy Net Zero plan
A new report concludes that a 100% renewable energy mix for the UK would save well over £100bn in achieving net zero by 2050, compared to the UK Government’s current strategy. It would also mean more than 20% lower cumulative carbon emissions in the process. The study, carried out by renowned energy modelling academics at LUT University in Finland, involves hour-by-hour simulation of different scenarios for reaching net zero for UK energy systems.
Exaggerated fusion breakthrough is for military purposes
The claims for a breakthrough in fusion power are not only exaggerated but in reality concerned principally with military objectives.
This test, carried out by the National Ignition Facility at US Government’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), was mainly to facilitate the testing of nuclear weapons. This fact was missed in almost all the hyperbole surrounding the test.
Twice as many people support onshore wind compared to nuclear power according to UK Government survey
Renewable energy of all sorts is at least twice as popular with the British public compared to nuclear power according to the newly released ‘BEIS Public Opinion Tracker Autumn 2022‘. Solar power was supported or strongly supported by 89% of respondents, offshore wind by 85% and onshore wind by 79%. This was compared to only 37% for nuclear power, 25% for fracking and 44% for carbon capture and storage. The survey recorded that just 29% of people believe that nuclear energy ‘provides a safe source of energy in the UK’.
83% of people were ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about climate change. The most popular change in behaviour favored by the public to deal with climate change is ‘to choose to walk or cycle instead of using a car’.
Academics have received a boost by the results which say that 86% of the public trust ‘a great deal’ or ‘to some extent’ scientists at universities. This compares to just 15% for social media, 41% for newspapers and 47% for the UK Government.
The results of the surveys clash heavily with Government priorities. Onshore wind is still (despite recent claimed changes) highly restricted compared to other energy generation technologies. Onshore wind schemes must demonstrate that they have the support of the local community.
On the other hand in the case of nuclear power, when it is proved that local people do not want a nuclear power station, they are simply overruled by the Government. Earlier this year the Planning Inspectorate ruled that the application for planning consent for Sizewell C nuclear power plant should be rejected. However, this was overruled by the then BEIS Secretary Kwasi Kwateng, who approved the project.
By David Toke
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