Three British companies have been awarded a share of over £1.3 million to spur on innovation in turning reeds and rushes from wetlands into bioenergy, Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker announced today.
Contracts have been awarded to AMW IBERS, Natural Synergies and AB Systems, as part of a Department of Energy and Climate Change competition to help entrepreneurs demonstrate new ways of turning plant-based material derived from harvesting wetlands into renewable heat and electricity.
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Dr Martin Read CBE has been appointed as Chair of the CFD Counterparty Company by Energy and Climate Change Secretary of State, Edward Davey.
The CFD Counterparty Company is a new Government-owned company being established as part of Government’s Electricity Market Reform.
Dr Martin Read will be supported in this three year role by Jim Keohane, as the Senior Independent Director (SID). The two appointees will also take on the Chair and SID positions of the Electricity Settlements Company when it is established.
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Launching the UK Government’s Energy Paper analysing the potential impact of independence on Scotland’s energy, Edward Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, made the positive case for the UK’s single energy market, showing how independence would increase people’s energy bills.
Speaking to a conference of energy industry stakeholders in Edinburgh, Edward Davey argued that because the single UK energy market is ten times the size of Scotland’s energy market, Scottish energy bills are lower. He listed a range of reasons, including the way investment in transmission and distribution networks are currently shared across the whole of the UK, to the way the subsidies for energy distribution in remote rural areas like the Scottish Highlands and Islands are currently paid for by all British consumers not just Scottish bill payers.
The UK Government’s analysis shows that energy bills in an independent Scotland would be higher by at least £38 a year and perhaps by up to £189, once the full cost of supporting renewables are included.
The domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) has been launched today, offering homeowners payments to offset the cost of installing low carbon systems.
The scheme is open to everyone – home owners, social and private landlords, and people who build their own homes – and is available to households both on and off the gas grid.
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The ‘big six’ UK energy suppliers have been referred to The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) by regulator Ofgem.
A report from Ofgem criticises an inadequate level of competition in the energy market with 95 percent of the UK’s energy supply currently accounted for by SSE, Scottish Power, Centrica, RWE Npower, E.ON and EDF.
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Nominations have opened for this year’s Energy Efficiency & Renewables Awards.
Celebrating the very best in industry, the search has now begun for a successful and innovative company, product or individual in 15 categories. Nominations will close on Monday 30 June.
Brought to you for the first time by Renewable Energy Installer and Energise, the annual awards will take place this autumn at a central London venue to be confirmed.
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Plans to turn the Government estate as well as factories, supermarkets and car parks into “solar hubs” have been outlined in a new strategy by Energy Minister Greg Barker today.
The Solar Strategy, the first of its kind in the UK, sets out the Governments ambition to see solar rolled out more widely and with it the potential to support tens of thousands of jobs.
Launching the Solar Strategy at SunSolar Energy in Birmingham, Energy Minister Greg Barker said:
“We have put ourselves among the world leaders on solar and this ambitious Strategy will place us right at the cutting edge.
“There is massive potential to turn our large buildings into power stations and we must seize the opportunity this offers to boost our economy as part of our long term economic plan.
“Solar not only benefits the environment, it will see British job creation and deliver the clean and reliable energy supplies that the country needs at the lowest possible cost to consumers.”
In a further initiative, the Department for Education is working on ways to improve energy efficiency across the 22,000 schools in England, to reduce their annual energy spend of £500 million. The initiative will encourage the deployment of PV on schools alongside promoting energy efficiency.
