NEWS In Brief
CALL FOR MORE ENERGY EFFICIENCY Keeping a global temperature rise below 2C by 2020 is theoretically possible, according to a study by the UN Environment Programme, if measures such as improving energy efficiency are followed. The report recommends an accelerated take-up of renewable energy, fuel switching and increased energy efficiency, as well as greater use of public transport.
www.unep.org/newscentre
CARBON CAPTURE TEST Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has launched a test programme for carbon capture and storage. The £20m project is a partnership between industry partners Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), and Doosan Power Systems and Vattenfall. The equivalent of 100 tonnes of carbon emissions a day will be captured from SSE’s Ferrybridge coal-fired power station.
SHALE GAS USE ROW Pursuing domestic shale gas would see the UK miss its environmental targets, says a new report from the Co-operative. Extracting and burning the gas from UK reserves would use up too much of Britain’s allowances for carbon emissions, not least because evidence is emerging that gas derived from shale may have a significantly greater carbon footprint than previously thought.
CO2 REDUCTION RECOGNISED Six companies have been named as global leaders in reducing carbon emissions. The best-in-class winners of the Gigaton Awards were Tesco, Philips, Schneider Electric, Swisscom and Centrica – while the top prize went to the Chinese solar panel manufacturer Suntech. The winners were announced as part of the United Nations climate summit in Durban, South Africa, in December.
www.gigaton-awards.com
Industry leaders lambast low carbon policies
l Letter says government is ‘disincentivising’ take-up of energy efficiency initiatives
CIBSE and several other leading institutions have accused the government of potentially undermining its legal commitment to cutting carbon emissions. They have also attacked Chancellor George
Osborne for claiming that regulations relating to the environment are a ‘burden’ on business. The comments were made in a letter to the Daily
Telegraph from industry thinktank, the Edge. The online version is signed by 25 individuals including CIBSE president Andy Ford, RIBA president Angela Brady and IStructE president Roger Plank. The letter cites government policies, including omitting commercial Display Energy Certificates from the 2011 Energy Act and the abrupt reduction in feed-in tariff payments, as being ‘disincentives’ to investment in low carbon solutions. ‘Such decisions damage businesses gearing up to deliver low carbon buildings… and undermine industry confidence in the longevity of future carbon-reduction programmes,’ the correspondents write. They also claim that, contrary to Osborne’s statements, ‘well-targeted environmental regulation helps British businesses to find … cost reductions [and] develop expertise with export potential.’ The letter concludes: ‘The government must
‘ Government must deliver credible and integrated policies’
demonstrate its Durban commitments by delivering consistent, credible and integrated policies to make a low-carbon economy a reality.’ Other signatories of the letter include Edge convenor and architect Robin Nicholson, former RIBA president Sunand Prasad, consultants Bill Bordass and Paddy Conaghan, and Professor Bill Gething.
Angela Brady of RIBA and Andy Ford of CIBSE were among 24 signatories of the letter
For more information visit:
www.telegraph.co.uk
RHI scheme faces meter challenge Medium and larger installations
Concerns have been expressed by the energy regulator, Ofgem, over the metering arrangements for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which has been in place since the end of November. Commercial heat pump,
biomass and solar systems installed since July 15 2009 are now eligible for payments of up to 8.5p per kWh for solar thermal, 7.9p per kWh for biomass boilers and up to 4.5p per kWh for heat pumps through the scheme.
10 CIBSE Journal January 2012
will receive lower rates of 4.9p per kWh and 1p per kWh respectively for biomass boilers and 3.2p per kWh for large heat pumps. All RHI-eligible systems – such
as heat pumps and biomass – must be attached to a heat meter in order for Ofgem, which administers the scheme, to assess the amount of tariff the user should receive. ‘Heat meters are the key, but currently they are quite
expensive,’ said Ofgem’s Jacqueline Balian at a recent CIBSE seminar. ‘Hopefully the cost will start to come down as more are installed. ‘They are quite difficult to install
properly and we also have some concerns about how often they are calibrated. Currently, calibration is only required every 10 years, but that will almost certainly have to change in order to get the accuracy of readings that the scheme demands.’
www.cibsejournal.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68