UK faces worst cuts since World War II says IFS
So the emergency budget came and went and where has it left us? According to the IFS the UK faces the "longest, deepest, sustained period of cuts to public services spending at least since World War II".Read more
Shipham, Winscombe - Public Exhibition (Updated)
As part of the pre-application planning process for the Shipham community project we are hosting a public exhibition this Wednesday, June 16th at Shipham Village Hall between 6.30 and 9.30pm with presentation/Q&A sessions at 7pm and 8pm.Read more
Castle Farm, East Farleigh - Public Exhibition
As part of the pre-application planning process for the Castle Farm community project we are arranging a number of public exhibitions during July 2010. DistGen staff will be on-hand to explain both the physical elements of the turbine and the community investment opportunities:Read more
Wednesday Nights "The One Show" on BBC1
Like many people watching BBC1's "The One Show" on Wednesday we were horrified by the case of a giant wind turbine (80m hub height, 125m to blade tip) sighted less than 70m from a residential property. The report quite rightly highlighted problems caused by noise, shadow flicker and even large chunks of ice falling from blades during winter.Read more
A new twist on the polluter pays?
Wired.com is reporting that nations most effected by climate change are now thinking the unthinkable - starting legal action against those countries deemed to have caused the damaging pollution:Read more
Labour, Conservative & Lib Dem Energy Policy
With a General Election now just weeks away here are the policy documents from each of the major parties - if you can stay awake long enough!
Labour, Ed Miliband, Climate Change and Clean Energy (weblink)
Conservatives, Greg Clark, Rebuilding Security, Conservative energy policy for an uncertain world (PDF)
Lib Dem, Simon Hughes, Climate Change and Energy Policy Briefing (PDF)
Boat + Kite = Hydrogen... Lots of Hydrogen!
wired.com reports a new Korean idea to use huge kites (or parafoils) to tow a vessel and in-turn generate electricity to power the the production of Hydrogen fuel from seawater.
As wacky as it might sound there are numerous groups already developing "sky sails" who reckon fuel consumption of ocean shipping can be reduced by 35%.
Since windspeed increases drastically with altitude a 6.5 million sq-ft sail 1 mile in the sky would capture a lot of energy!
Monbiot is wrong - had to happen!
In his latest article, George Monbiot heavily criticises the UK Feed In Tariff scheme for being a "rip off" and a "pricey conceit with little benefit".
We disagree.
While its true that FITs will be paid in part by all bill paying electricity consumers, the amounts are small and the benefits of de-centralised, local generation at the point of consumption are real and valid. Moreover, on the same day the Government announced the "pay as you save" scheme to allow lower income households to have micro-generation technologies installed without paying a penny - so Monbiots other claim that only middle class households could afford to install PV and the like would also seem to be false.
FITs may prove to be far from perfect and the laws of unforeseen consequence might one day prove it was folly. But right now its what we've got and it could be a step in the right direction to a lower dependence on fossil fuels.
What's going on at Dungeness nuclear power station?
BBC News in the south-east reported last night that neither of the two nuclear reactors at Dungeness in Kent had been operational for months - one since summer 2009, forcing EDF to buy in electricity to meet their contract with National Grid. It is estimated this could be costing them somewhere around £2M a week to provide power for the 1.5 million homes in the area.
Rather cryptically they quoted EDF as saying they could not reveal any details as it might adversely effect the UK electricity market. EDF did say they expected both reactors to be working again "soon".
Unfortunately this story has not appeared on the BBC News website so no link.
This yet again highlights the precarious situation the UK electricity market is in, with many nuclear reactors nearing (or already at) the end of their working lives.
Yet more warnings over UK energy supply
Today OFGEM is warning of "reasonable doubt" about whether the UK's energy market would be able to deliver sustainable supplies in the coming decade. In addition it suggested that average household annual gas and electricity bills would rise by up to 25% to £2,000 or so by 2020.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "The government is confident that Britain will meet its security of supply needs in the years ahead."
Only time will tell who is right.