Briefing
Carbon Finance. The report said that on a wind farm, is paying for energy-
>> Environment slips in public’s priorities
while the declining economy was responsi- efficiency improvements in the village
ble for some of the emissions reduction, the of Fintry. It generates 8,000 megawatt
ETS had also achieved its goal of reducing hours (MWh) of electricity a year and
company emissions. While the amount of the profit from selling the energy to the
electricity generated in 2008 rose 0.3 per grid is used to pay off its construction
cent, CO2 emissions from the power sec- and administration as well as to fund
tor decreased by two per cent to 1.5Gt. community energy measures. The Fin-
try Development Trust has already used
Waste meat used to generate electricity some of the funds to insulate about half
F
ood recycling company PDM is us- of the 330 homes in the community.
ing out-of-date meat from Tesco to Energy consumption in the village has
generate renewable energy, sufficient to fallen as a result from 13,000MWh to
power more than 600 homes for a year. 10,000MWh.
The initiative is part of the supermar-
ket’s aim to divert 95 per cent of its waste Britain’s waterway network to pro-
from landfill by the end of this year. Sion vide power
Stanfield, head of waste & recycling at
Tesco said: “As renewable energy tech- B
ritish Waterways announced an
agreement with The Small Hydro
nologies now become mainstream, there Company Ltd to generate 210,000MWh
is no excuse for sending waste to land- of renewable energy per year using the
© Galdzer | Dreamstime.com
fill that could actually be put to positive public corporation’s 2,200 mile waterway
use.” Each week, PDM collects 5,000 network. The initiative will invest around
Questioned about issues of importance to Scotland, three times
as many people cited the economy as the environment. The
tonnes of meat waste from Tesco’s 11 £120 million of private capital over the
Scottish Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours Survey ques-
regional recycling service units. next three years; develop approximately
tioned more than 3,000 people. Other main findings included
25 small-scale hydro electricity schemes
greener behaviours, such as the use of energy-saving light bulbs
Community reaps rewards from generating enough power for around and recycling, were increasing but a significant minority don’t
owning turbine 40,000 homes; create 150 construction
think they could make a difference, with a third of respondents
jobs; and save an annual 110,000 tonnes
saying they thought their own behaviour and lifestyle did not
A
community-owned wind turbine,
which stands alongside 14 others of CO2.
contribute to climate change.
HM
| www.holyrood.com | Special report: Environment | 23 March 2009 |
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