COMMUNITY ENERGY SUCCESS IN SOUTH WALES
Good news from Swansea, where Swansea Community Energy and Enterprise, or SCEES for short, is enjoying a very successful community share offer for a new solar PV scheme based in deprived parts of the city. As well as bringing clean energy to local community buildings, providing jobs and training is at the centre of thinking behind the plans. At the time of writing, the scheme had raised £380,000 – 89 percent of its target – so when you read this, it will probably have reached
UK ‘MUST INSULATE 25 MILLION HOMES’
More than one home every minute will need to be refurbished in the UK between now and 2050, experts say. The authors of a report to Parliament say 25 million existing homes will not meet the insulation standards required by mid-century. The UK needs to cut carbon emissions by 80% by then – and a third of those emissions come from heating draughty buildings. The government said it would devise policies as soon as possible. But critics say ministers have been far too slow to im
A TALE OF TWO HOMES: HOW WARM HOUSES CHANGE LIVES
John Flynn from Hartlepool is 72. He’s paying £180 a month to keep warm this winter in his north-facing end-terraced house. Les Fawcett from nearby Middlesbrough is 76. He’s paying just £45 a month to keep his home cosy. What separates the two is not a greedy energy supplier – it’s four inches of wall insulation. Both men are owner-occupiers living on pensions. Les had his solid walls clad with the help of a subsidy from the Government, but the public money ran out before Joh
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT NEEDED TO UNLOCK BILLIONS IN GREEN BUSINESS, SAYS INDUSTRY
The UK could be a green business powerhouse in the next three decades, but only if given proper support by government, a group representing more than 30 low-carbon companies has said. The low-carbon economy in the UK employs at least 432,000 people, with a turnover of more than £77bn in 2015. This is larger than industries such as car-making and steelmaking, which are frequently given the spotlight when politicians discuss industry and jobs. Growth in green business is also e
CONSUMPTION DOWN, RENEWABLES UP – BUT CAN ENERGY PROGRESS BE SUSTAINED?
– ENERGY EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLES - CHECKED EMISSIONS – PROGRESS IN COMING YEARS NOT GUARANTEED – MORE AMBITION AND INVESTMENT NEEDED Despite some political uncertainties, there have been some distinctly positive recent points of note for the clean energy sector. Firstly, global CO2 emissions have not grown in the last three years, even though economies have. Energy efficiency and renewables are clearly making an impact, but the International Energy Agency (IEA), which publishe
