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UK ‘Clear Skies’ grants
NEWS
Solar escapes premiums The Spanish economy ministry has submitted a proposal to the Spanish electricity regulator (CNE) recommending a 1.5% increase in electricity prices next year. This is part of a new system for determining prices until 2010, which includes an annual increase of 1.5% The government believes the increase will give the power companies sufficient profits, recover some operating deficits and cover combined-cycle power investments. At the same time government has bowed to power company pressure, lowering the premiums paid for renewables. Those for wind power fall by 8.04 %; hydraulic and geothermal energy drop 1.95 % and solar power remain unchanged, while biomass will increases by 19.23%. The Spanish Renewable Energy Producers’ Association (APPA) said there was no justification for lowering the tariffs for renewable energy. For more information contact: C/ Paris, 205 ES08008, Barcelona , Spain. Tel: +34 93 4142277. Web: www.appa.es
UK ‘Clear Skies’ grants A £10m campaign is to encourage UK home owners, schools and communities to take the initiative in developing and installing their own renewable energy schemes. The ‘Clear Skies’ initiative will distribute grants to residents in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and will accredit installers across the UK. ‘Renewable energy can be about thinking small as well as big. The ‘Clear Skies’ initiative is an excellent opportunity for community groups and home owners to bring forward useful projects,’ said Energy Minister Brian Wilson. Grants will be supplemented with measures designed to increase the uptake of renewable energy technologies and create a better understanding of the range of benefits they can deliver. The initiative will also provide training and accreditation for professional installers to ensure that people can trust the products. For more information contact: Tel: 0870 2430 930. Web: www.clear-skies.org
Scotland’s parallel plans While Edinburg residents eye their new solar parking meter units and wonder what affect graffiti paint will have on the panels, a
February 2003
parallel £3.7m plan over the next three years under the Scottish Community Renewable Initiative has been unveiled by Environment Minister Ross Finnie who announced grants designed to help community groups and householders develop renewable energy projects. Advisers will help groups apply for up to £100,000 to build micro wind, hydro, solar, wave, geothermal and biomass technologies. Support will extend to projects using renewable energy to produce heat, electricity or both. Finnie wants to see more renewable energy. ‘We recognise the growing interest in renewable energy among communities and householders. This new funding will enable communities and householders across Scotland to benefit,’ he said. ‘It will reinforce the message that renewable energy is a practical, environmentally responsible solution in both rural and urban areas.’ The executive is contributing nearly £1m to the SCRI advisory service over three years, supported by its partners the Energy Saving Trust and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Algeria to export solar New Energy Algeria (NEAL) has joined the International Energy Agency’s solar power programme, SolarPACES. Algeria aims to increase solar power to 5% of its electricity by 2010, and hopes to establish a partnership with the EU to supply electricity from Algerian solar plants. Plans are underway for two undersea cables with capacity of 1.2GW each from Algeria to Spain and Italy.
New Mexico utility balks at alternatives plan The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission unanimously passed a policy requiring utilities to use renewable energy when they sell electricity. The policy demands that utilities selling electricity in New Mexico get 10% of that electricity from renewables by 2011. Only a dozen other states have passed this mandate. PNM Resources is the energy holding company in Albuquerque, parent company to Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), and Reliadigm Inc. It has contracted to buy all the power from the New Mexico Wind Energy Centre, a wind-power ‘farm’ to be built in the eastern plains of Quay and DeBaca counties. When built, this can provide PNM with about 200MW. Now PNM is asking state regulators for another hearing on the alternative energy plan.
IN BRIEF Combined efforts not consensus Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, in its State of the World 2003 report, indicates that recent technological and social changes provide grounds for optimism about the world’s capacity to respond to environmental threats. The use of solar energy and wind power have grown by more than 30% annually over the past five years (compared to 1–2% annual growth for fossil fuels) in countries such as Germany, Japan and Spain thanks to policies that have encouraged their use. A concerted global effort to reduce the use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has led to an 81% decline in production during the 1990s, and a marked slowing in the growth of the Antarctic ozone hole, expected to begin healing soon. The World Health Organisation’s Global Polio Eradication initiative has reduced polio cases globally from some 350,000 in 1988 to 480 in 2001. The report also goes on to point out serious global threats still undermining societies and ecosystems around the world (among them malaria, bird extinctions, polluted food, air and water, and the growing global rate of ice melt). And, in what looks like a suspicious dig at the Kyoto Protocol, the report concludes that it seems more likely that sustainable economic growth will emerge from the combined efforts of businesses, citizens’ groups and local governments, rather than from consensusbased global agreements.
Canada Earth energy systems displace the emission of at least 200,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, according to an analysis to be released by the Earth Energy Society of Canada. The current installed capacity of 33,000 units reduces electricity demand by 577m kWh for space conditioning and water heating applications. The environmental benefits are higher if SO2 and NOx emissions are included, says the EESC. A coalition of electric utilities will soon launch a national marketing programme to promote the renewable energy technology.
Moving supplier means UK savings An enormous savings potential for UK households have been identified by Britain’s Energywatch organisation. It has done its sums and come up with the staggering finding that estimates the country’s consumers could save up to a total of £1.1bn yearly by just switching their electricity suppliers. Energywatch has accused the regional electricity suppliers of charging less out of their home region than within it.
Photovoltaics Bulletin
3
Solar escapes premiums The Spanish economy ministry has submitted a proposal to the Spanish electricity regulator (CNE) recommending a 1.5% increase in electricity prices next year. This is part of a new system for determining prices until 2010, which includes an annual increase of 1.5% The government believes the increase will give the power companies sufficient profits, recover some operating deficits and cover combined-cycle power investments. At the same time government has bowed to power company pressure, lowering the premiums paid for renewables. Those for wind power fall by 8.04 %; hydraulic and geothermal energy drop 1.95 % and solar power remain unchanged, while biomass will increases by 19.23%. The Spanish Renewable Energy Producers’ Association (APPA) said there was no justification for lowering the tariffs for renewable energy. For more information contact: C/ Paris, 205 ES08008, Barcelona , Spain. Tel: +34 93 4142277. Web: www.appa.es
UK ‘Clear Skies’ grants A £10m campaign is to encourage UK home owners, schools and communities to take the initiative in developing and installing their own renewable energy schemes. The ‘Clear Skies’ initiative will distribute grants to residents in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and will accredit installers across the UK. ‘Renewable energy can be about thinking small as well as big. The ‘Clear Skies’ initiative is an excellent opportunity for community groups and home owners to bring forward useful projects,’ said Energy Minister Brian Wilson. Grants will be supplemented with measures designed to increase the uptake of renewable energy technologies and create a better understanding of the range of benefits they can deliver. The initiative will also provide training and accreditation for professional installers to ensure that people can trust the products. For more information contact: Tel: 0870 2430 930. Web: www.clear-skies.org
Scotland’s parallel plans While Edinburg residents eye their new solar parking meter units and wonder what affect graffiti paint will have on the panels, a
February 2003
parallel £3.7m plan over the next three years under the Scottish Community Renewable Initiative has been unveiled by Environment Minister Ross Finnie who announced grants designed to help community groups and householders develop renewable energy projects. Advisers will help groups apply for up to £100,000 to build micro wind, hydro, solar, wave, geothermal and biomass technologies. Support will extend to projects using renewable energy to produce heat, electricity or both. Finnie wants to see more renewable energy. ‘We recognise the growing interest in renewable energy among communities and householders. This new funding will enable communities and householders across Scotland to benefit,’ he said. ‘It will reinforce the message that renewable energy is a practical, environmentally responsible solution in both rural and urban areas.’ The executive is contributing nearly £1m to the SCRI advisory service over three years, supported by its partners the Energy Saving Trust and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Algeria to export solar New Energy Algeria (NEAL) has joined the International Energy Agency’s solar power programme, SolarPACES. Algeria aims to increase solar power to 5% of its electricity by 2010, and hopes to establish a partnership with the EU to supply electricity from Algerian solar plants. Plans are underway for two undersea cables with capacity of 1.2GW each from Algeria to Spain and Italy.
New Mexico utility balks at alternatives plan The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission unanimously passed a policy requiring utilities to use renewable energy when they sell electricity. The policy demands that utilities selling electricity in New Mexico get 10% of that electricity from renewables by 2011. Only a dozen other states have passed this mandate. PNM Resources is the energy holding company in Albuquerque, parent company to Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), and Reliadigm Inc. It has contracted to buy all the power from the New Mexico Wind Energy Centre, a wind-power ‘farm’ to be built in the eastern plains of Quay and DeBaca counties. When built, this can provide PNM with about 200MW. Now PNM is asking state regulators for another hearing on the alternative energy plan.
IN BRIEF Combined efforts not consensus Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, in its State of the World 2003 report, indicates that recent technological and social changes provide grounds for optimism about the world’s capacity to respond to environmental threats. The use of solar energy and wind power have grown by more than 30% annually over the past five years (compared to 1–2% annual growth for fossil fuels) in countries such as Germany, Japan and Spain thanks to policies that have encouraged their use. A concerted global effort to reduce the use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has led to an 81% decline in production during the 1990s, and a marked slowing in the growth of the Antarctic ozone hole, expected to begin healing soon. The World Health Organisation’s Global Polio Eradication initiative has reduced polio cases globally from some 350,000 in 1988 to 480 in 2001. The report also goes on to point out serious global threats still undermining societies and ecosystems around the world (among them malaria, bird extinctions, polluted food, air and water, and the growing global rate of ice melt). And, in what looks like a suspicious dig at the Kyoto Protocol, the report concludes that it seems more likely that sustainable economic growth will emerge from the combined efforts of businesses, citizens’ groups and local governments, rather than from consensusbased global agreements.
Canada Earth energy systems displace the emission of at least 200,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, according to an analysis to be released by the Earth Energy Society of Canada. The current installed capacity of 33,000 units reduces electricity demand by 577m kWh for space conditioning and water heating applications. The environmental benefits are higher if SO2 and NOx emissions are included, says the EESC. A coalition of electric utilities will soon launch a national marketing programme to promote the renewable energy technology.
Moving supplier means UK savings An enormous savings potential for UK households have been identified by Britain’s Energywatch organisation. It has done its sums and come up with the staggering finding that estimates the country’s consumers could save up to a total of £1.1bn yearly by just switching their electricity suppliers. Energywatch has accused the regional electricity suppliers of charging less out of their home region than within it.
Photovoltaics Bulletin
3