PREDICTING THE POWER OF TIDAL ENERGY

 

Tidal and wave energy may be the largest untapped resources of renewable energy on the planet. But will they work?

By a quirk of geography, the Orkney Islands, located off the northern tip of Scotland, are unusually well-positioned to bear witness to the ocean’s might. On the archipelago’s western shores, waves crash relentlessly against the rocks. And within its numerous channels, the tides push an enormous volume of water from the North Atlantic to the North Sea and back again, twice every day, squeezing between and around the islands of Rousay, Westray, Eday, and a myriad of other ones.

No wonder the European Marine Energy Center, one of the world’s leading agencies for developing and testing wave and tidal power technologies, chose to set up shop here; the nonprofit agency hosts both wave and tidal power testing facilities on Orkney.

EMEC’s wave-energy testing site is at Billia Croo, located on the western shore of Orkney’s largest island. On a relatively calm day last spring, Lisa MacKenzie, EMEC’s marketing and communications manager, surveyed the gray waters from the Billia Croo site. “We get an average of 2-to-3-meter wave height,” she said, or roughly 6.5 to 10 feet. “But we’ve had waves of over 20 meters” — more than 65 feet — during “really extreme conditions over the winter.”

The surrounding landscape is windswept and nearly treeless. Were one to sail directly west from this spot, “the first bit of land that you would hit is Canada,” MacKenzie said.

EMEC was founded in 2003 following a recommendation by the U.K. House of Commons Science and Technology Committee (now known as the Science, Innovation, and Technology Committee). To date, it has received about $53 million in public investment; its funders include the European Union, the U.K. government, the Scottish government, and the Orkney Islands Council. More than 20 corporate clients have used EMEC’s facilities, and more ocean energy converters have been tested at the center than at any other site in the world.

The Billia Croo facility opened in 2004 on land rented from a local farmer. An array of transformers, housed in green bins, each the size of a compact car, lines the perimeter of the site’s small parking lot. A modest stone-wall hut, which blends into the landscape, houses the facility’s control center and is filled with electronic switching equipment. The testing berths are offshore, where EMEC’s clients can test all manner of wave-energy conversion devices, with cables running along the seabed to the control hut. Any electricity produced can also be fed directly into the U.K. national grid.

Waves, like the wind that produces them, are not a constant; both are inherently variable. And they are linked: Wind imparts energy to the ocean, which then dissipates as waves over a longer time scale. As MacKenzie puts it, waves are the aftermath of wind.

Harnessing the energy of waves is one way to draw power from the oceans; another is to exploit the energy of the tides. Of the two energy sources, tidal is more constant, given the tides’ regular-as-clockwork response to the push and pull of the moon and sun.

EMEC runs a grid-connected tidal energy test facility located off the southern tip of Eday. “We get a peak tidal flow over 4 meters per second, which is about 8 knots,” MacKenzie said. “So about half a billion tons of water passes through there, every hour, at peak tide.”

As MacKenzie puts it, waves are the aftermath of wind.

And that flow is comparatively predictable — far more so than, say, wind or solar, which are stymied by calm or cloudy conditions.

“We can predict the tides 200 years into the future,” MacKenzie said. “Which means that we can predict how much power can be derived from the tides, 200 years into the future.”

There is no question that the planet’s oceans contain enormous amounts of energy. According to a 2021 study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, tidal stream energy alone could provide the equivalent of 11 percent of the U.K.’s annual electricity needs. Power from the oceans is “the largest untapped resource of renewable energy on the planet right now,” said Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe, the world’s largest network of ocean energy professionals.

The question is, can that energy be harnessed economically — or is the idea of pulling watts from the water doomed to be a mere sideshow in the quest for green energy? After decades of testing at tidal energy facilities like EMEC and other smaller-scale facilities around the globe, only a handful of commercial wave and tidal power facilities are online, and they contribute a minuscule amount to the world’s energy production. Even in Orkney, a leader in the quest to extract energy from the ocean, wave and tidal power account for just a fraction of the islands’ energy consumption.

“We can predict how much power can be derived from the tides, 200 years into the future.”

Notably, wave and tidal lag behind other forms of renewable energy. “It’s fair to say that we’re nowhere near a wind or solar industry at this point,” says Carrie Schmaus, a marine energy technology manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office.

Still, for the technology’s supporters, the ocean is seen as a virtually limitless source of energy waiting to be tapped if only governments step up with the public investment needed to kick the industry into high gear. “There’s an energy resource there,” says Andrew Scott, CEO of Edinburgh-based Orbital Marine Power Ltd. “The question is, what are you prepared to pay to extract that energy?”

On paper, the power of the world’s oceans is indisputable: Tidal stream energy is estimated to represent a global resource of some 1,200 terawatt-hours (a terawatt is one trillion watts) per year, while wave power is even more abundant, adding up to almost 30,000 terawatt-hours per year — enough, in theory, to meet all of humanity’s energy needs 10 times over.

As promising as tidal and wave energy may seem, the list of obstacles to widespread adoption is significant: the formidable cost of scaling up the technology; bureaucratic hurdles; environmental concerns, including possible effects on fish and sea mammals; and, in the case of tidal power, geographical restrictions. There are also fears that rising sea levels could substantially alter ocean movements in a way that could impact current or planned tidal power facilities. In a 2022 paper published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Danial Khojasteh and his co-authors noted that “long-term management decisions associated with harnessing the potential of tidal energy schemes within estuaries should be made with caution.”

The question of cost is paramount. Even though the cost of tidal and wave energy may be dropping, the cost of wind and solar are dropping even faster, said Brian Polagye, a University of Washington mechanical engineer who studies marine renewable energy. That means tidal and wave energy can be seen as succeeding and failing at the same time.

“Until your price comes down to the point where you’re competitive with other forms of generation — either because you’re directly competitive, or you’re being subsidized until you get to that point — the technologies really can’t take off,” Polagye said. Nonetheless, he added, “I do feel these are technologies that have a long-term role to play in our energy systems.”

Schmaus, at the Water Power Technologies Office, describes wave and tidal power as a nascent industry (as did others interviewed for this story). By way of comparison, she pointed out that in the early days of the wind power industry, all manner of turbine designs were tested. “And then, at some point, that technology converged,” she said. “Now we have the three-bladed turbine we all know and love. Marine energy is still in that ideation kind of area. We have not had technology convergence yet.”

For the technology’s supporters, the ocean is seen as a virtually limitless source of energy waiting to be tapped.

One of her department’s goals, she says, is to learn from small-scale demonstration projects, scale up designs, and bring down costs. This scaling-up is just what Scott’s Orbital Marine is trying to achieve in Orkney. They’re the company behind the O2 tidal stream energy generator — the world’s most powerful such device — located in the Fall of Warness, south of Eday, and connected to the grid via EMEC’s tidal energy test site. (MacKenzie described the project as “one of our biggest success stories.”) The O2 is a 240-foot-long structure shaped like a submarine (though it stays on the surface), with two submerged arms, each supporting a twin-bladed turbine. In an interview in a cavernous exhibition hall at the annual All-Energy conference in Glasgow last spring, and later by email, Scott spoke of his vision for the company and the potential of tidal stream power. He said that Orbital Marine hopes to add another six turbines to the Fall of Warness site over the next few years and, in time, perhaps another dozen.

Scott acknowledges the forbidding technical challenges — especially the difficulty of designing machinery that can withstand seawater’s salt and grime for months or years on end. And he has seen his share of unrealistic proposals over the years. At times “it was a bit of a joke,” he recalled. People saw how much traction wind energy was getting, he says and figured wind’s success could be readily duplicated beneath the waves.

“People would say, ‘Just go and ‘marinize’ it, and it will be equally successful in the tidal application,” he continued. “It was as naïve as that.”

But many of those early challenges have been overcome, Scott said. He noted that O2 is currently providing about 10 percent of Orkney’s electricity, enough to power about 2,000 homes. Because the islands are sparsely populated and rich in wind energy, Orkney actually produces more energy than is needed locally, which means the islands are already a net contributor to the U.K. grid — and some of that energy comes from O2. Scott said he foresees Orbital Marine generating about $17.5 million from electricity sales per year over the turbine array’s projected 20-year life.

“We’re effectively at that critical stage where we start to grow commercial revenues and profits,” Scott said.

SOURCE: Inverse

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Olivine Minerals: Making Waves in Concrete

Olivine a primary component of the Earth’s upper mantle, it is a common mineral in Earth’s subsurface

In our ongoing quest for sustainability, innovative solutions like olivine-based cement are making waves in the construction industry. With a unique ability to transform traditional cement into an environmentally friendly material, the use of olivine not only opens a pathway to carbon-negative concrete but also presents a robust approach to global manufacturing and resource sustainability.

Impact of Traditional Cement Production

Before delving into the groundbreaking benefits of olivine in cement production, it’s crucial to grasp the environmental footprint of traditional cement manufacturing. Widely recognized as one of the significant contributors to global carbon dioxide emissions, traditional cement production involves two primary emission sources: burning fossil fuels to heat raw materials and calcinating limestone to produce clinker.

The conventional cement-making process releases substantial amounts of CO2 directly from the energy used in production and indirectly from the chemical processes involved. As global demand for construction materials escalates, the environmental impact of these processes becomes increasingly untenable.

Problems Arising from Traditional Cement Production

The environmental challenges traditional cement production presents are multifaceted, impacting the atmosphere and the broader ecological and human health domains.

Air Quality and Health Concerns

One of the immediate effects of traditional cement production is the degradation of air quality, which results from the release of particulate matter, CO2, and other greenhouse gases during the manufacturing process. These pollutants contribute to respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, and other health issues among populations living near cement plants.

Resource Depletion

Traditional cement production is resource-intensive, relying heavily on limestone and other finite natural resources. The extraction of these materials not only depletes natural reserves but also causes significant landscape disruption, biodiversity loss, and soil erosion.

Energy Consumption

Traditional methods of producing cement are energy-intensive, primarily due to the high temperatures required for calcining limestone to form clinker. This not only leads to substantial CO2 emissions but also places a heavy demand on energy resources, compounding the industry’s environmental footprint.

Each of these issues highlights the urgent need for innovations like olivine-based cement, which promises to address these environmental challenges by transforming how cement is produced and reducing its overall ecological impact.

Olivine for Carbon-Negative Concrete

Enter olivine, a naturally abundant mineral that might just hold the key to revolutionizing cement production. Researchers from Imperial College London have discovered that integrating products derived from olivine into cement mixtures can drastically reduce—and even reverse—the carbon footprint of concrete.

The Scientific Breakthrough

In a study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the team detailed a novel method where olivine is used to replace clinker, the traditional binder in cement. This substitution is not merely a direct swap; it’s a transformative upgrade. Olivine reacts with carbon dioxide to form nesquehonite during the cement’s curing process, effectively sequestering CO2 and potentially turning the cement mixture carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative.

Practical Applications and Strengths

The added benefits of olivine extend beyond its carbon capture capabilities. The resultant concrete is more durable and stronger than traditional formulations. This enhancement in strength and durability does not compromise the material’s integrity, making it a superior choice for various construction applications.

Olivine in Cement Production: A Path to Worldwide Change

The integration of olivine into global cement production holds promising potential for systemic change in construction practices, leading to significant environmental and structural benefits on a global scale.

Scaling Production and Technological Challenges

For olivine to become a cornerstone of global cement production, several technological and logistical hurdles must be overcome. First, the extraction and processing of olivine must be optimized to meet global demands without compromising the environmental benefits it offers. This involves developing more efficient methods of mining and processing olivine, ensuring that the environmental footprint of these activities is minimized.

Infrastructure Adaptation and Industrial Readiness

Introducing olivine into the cement production process on a global scale requires substantial adjustments in existing manufacturing infrastructures. Cement plants worldwide would need to adapt their operations to incorporate the olivine-based processes, which might include modifications in machinery, personnel training, and the development of new operational guidelines aimed at maximizing the efficiency and environmental benefits of olivine use.

Policy Framework and Incentivization

Governments and international bodies can play a critical role in facilitating the transition to olivine-based cement production through policy measures and incentives. These might include subsidies for research and development in green cement technologies, tax incentives for manufacturers to switch to environmentally friendly practices, and international agreements aimed at reducing carbon emissions from construction materials.

Global Impact and Environmental Benefits

By replacing clinker with olivine in cement production, the industry could significantly cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to global carbon sequestration efforts. This shift not only helps mitigate climate change but also promotes sustainability in one of the most resource-intensive industries. Additionally, the enhancement in the durability and strength of concrete made with olivine means longer-lasting construction projects, reduced maintenance costs, and lower resource consumption over time.

The successful global adoption of olivine-based cement could mark a pivotal shift towards sustainable development in construction, with profound implications for environmental conservation, economic development, and human well-being worldwide. As the concrete industry evolves, olivine stands out as a beacon of hope, promising a greener, more resilient future for global infrastructure.

China’s Cement and Carbon Neutrality

As the largest producer of cement worldwide, China plays a pivotal role in the potential global impact of olivine-based cement. A study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences documents the country’s significant stride towards carbon neutrality in cement production, highlighting advances in carbon capture within the cement industry.

Carbon Sink Potential

The research emphasizes the carbon sink ability of cement materials—alkaline compounds in the cement that absorb CO2 through mineral carbonation. From 1930 to 2021, China’s cement carbon sink capacity grew substantially, demonstrating a viable method of offsetting a portion of the emissions associated with cement production.

Quantifying China’s Contribution to Global Carbon Sequestration in Cement

Quantifying the impact of China’s contributions towards global cement carbon sequestration reveals that their efforts are significant and set benchmarks in environmental sustainability. According to a comprehensive study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences published in Science China Earth Sciences, from 1930 to 2021, China’s cement industry absorbed a remarkable amount of CO2, amounting to approximately 7.06 gigatons.

A Closer Look at the Numbers

This absorption rate translates to about 426.77 million tons of CO2 per year by 2021, which is equivalent to 2.51%–4.54% of the global terrestrial carbon sink. These figures underline a substantial contribution, considering the global pressures of carbon emissions from various industrial sectors. Furthermore, the cumulative carbon sequestration by China’s cement from historical and ongoing production measures has impressively offset about 50.7% of the total emissions produced by the cement industry over the years.

With such a large share of the global cement output originating from China, their progressive approach to carbon capturing in cement materials not only aids national environmental strategies but also contributes significantly to global efforts in reducing atmospheric CO2. This pivotal role showcases the potential impact that implementing similar measures on a global scale could have, underscoring the vital link between industrial processes and environmental stewardship.

Policy Implications and Future Directions

The integration of olivine into cement offers more than an industrial modification; it requires a strategic shift in both policy and practice. For industries to adopt this revolutionary product, supportive measures such as incentives for low-carbon technologies, enhancements in green production methods, and international cooperation in carbon accounting methodologies are imperative.

Driving Innovation and Sustainability

Encouraging the adoption of olivine-based cement through subsidies, tax incentives, or funding for research and development could accelerate its market entry and acceptance. Moreover, establishing international standards for carbon-negative building materials could facilitate more widespread adoption, propelling the construction industry toward a more sustainable future.

Olivine’s Future of Carbon-Negative Concrete

The advent of olivine in cement production represents a significant leap forward in the quest for environmental sustainability. By transforming one of the most carbon-intensive industries into a leader in carbon capture, this innovation not only promises a greener future but also sets a benchmark in the global shift towards sustainable manufacturing. As we continue to explore and implement these advanced materials, the potential for a truly sustainable construction industry becomes ever more tangible.

Exploring this technologically promising field further will continue to unravel more benefits and possibly pave the way for a global standard in durable and environmentally conscious building materials. As industries and policymakers alike aim for carbon neutrality, the role of innovative materials such as carbon-negative concrete will be crucial in shaping our world’s infrastructure without compromising the health of our planet.

 

Source: Intelligent Living

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Robotics: Standards For Future Homes

Robotics: Standards For Future Homes

AUAR’s automated micro-factories deliver homes based on a building block system.

As resistant as the housing industry has been to adopt new technology, some innovations are breaking through the barrier. From the actual home construction all the way to operations and user experience, every part of the home experience is being touched by technology and automation.

Through that technology and automation, housing can become productized and be delivered faster. Not only that, but homes can be delivered at a higher quality, with better performance, and with longer-term resiliency features.

These three innovative companies are bringing automation to the forefront and championing this new level of housing.

Speeding The Process With Robotics

The name of the game is speed to solve the current housing crisis. So, new approaches to automation and robotics are bringing new homes online faster than ever before.

Mollie Claypool, founder and CEO at Automated Architecture, or AUAR for short, has created a micro-factory for producing a programmable pixel building block that can produce 10 homes per month, and reduce labor costs by up to 60%.

AUAR’s patented design to manufacturing and assembly system programs robots to use one pixel in several different ways in the construction of timber homes.

“The building blocks of all automation is code, so we thought, why don’t we have a building system that is designed like a bit,” Claypool said. “AUAR’s building block sits at the core of our tech stack and can be best understood as a volumetric pixel or ‘voxel,’ or in layman’s terms, as a Lego. The building block can uniquely be used for floors, walls, and roofs. It is different because it is based on a computational reading of what building blocks need to be.”

An AUAR micro-factory has a single robotic cell that can build many types of the same building block and the complimentary tech stack can be licensed to partners like a contractor, home builder, offsite manufacturer, or developer. The micro-factory can fit into a shipping container-sized box, is priced at just $312,000 so it can provide a payback in 6 weeks if used at full capacity, and it can produce about 100 homes per year.

“It lowers the threshold for robotic adoption because typically it’s a long set up and a long pay off with big upfront capital investment,” she said. “We have one micro-factory operational now, and are currently onboarding three more in Belgium, the U.S., and the U.K.”

Source: Forbes

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Mayor of London First past the post with lowest ever share of vote

Mayor of London wins with lowest ever share of vote following switch to First Past the Post

Campaigners warn the move to the First Past the Post system has also seen Police and Crime Commissioners and a mayor elected on as low as a third of the vote

Sadiq Khan has been re-elected as the Mayor of London with the smallest mandate since the office was created 24 years ago, analysis from the Electoral Reform Society shows.

The Labour politician won 43.8% of the vote on Thursday, which was enough to secure him a third term under the new First Past the Post system. However, the result means that he is the mayor returning to City Hall with the lowest level of support among Londoners who voted when compared to results under the previous electoral system.

All prior London mayoral elections used the Supplementary Vote (SV) system, which allows voters to indicate a first and second preference for two candidates. Under SV, if no candidate gets over 50% of first preference votes, the top two candidates continue to a runoff where second preference votes from eliminated candidates are allocated – ensuring winning candidates have a broad base of support.

Analysis by the Electoral Reform Society shows that after the first and second preference votes of previous winning candidates are taken into account, Sadiq Khan’s current mandate is lower than any previous winner elected under SV. The mayor with lowest vote share under SV was Ken Livingstone, who received 44.4% of votes from voters giving him either their first preference vote or a transferred second preference vote in 2004.

Vote share of London Mayoral winners after first and second preferences are counted [1]:

  • 43.8% Sadiq Khan – 2024 (FPTP system used – no second preferences)
  • 44.4% Ken Livingstone – 2004
  • 45.3% Ken Livingstone – 2000
  • 47.6 Sadiq Khan – 2021
  • 47.8 Boris Johnson – 2012
  • 48.4% Boris Johnson 2008
  • 50.4% Sadiq Khan – 2016

Elsewhere, the switch to First Past the Post has seen Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and an elected mayor win on as low as or just over a third of the vote.

Analysis by the Electoral Reform Society showed that in the 2021 elections, where the Supplementary Vote was used, no winning PCC or mayor received less than 40% of the vote [2].

Reduced mandates – PPC and mayoral results:

  • In Wiltshire, Conservative Philip Wilkinson was returned as PCC with just 31.0% of the vote.
  • In Avon and Somerset Labour’s Clare Moody won the PCC role from the Conservatives on less than a third (32.3%) of the vote
  • In Gloucestershire the Conservative Chris Nelson was re-elected as PCC with 33.1% of the vote.
  • In West Mercia the Conservative John Campion was re-elected as PCC with 34.3% of the vote.
  • In Norfolk Labour’s Sarah Taylor beat the Conservative incumbent to become PCC on just 35.2% of the vote.
  • In the York and North Yorkshire mayoral race Labour’s David Skaith won on just 35.1% of the vote.

Thursday’s elections were the first time many mayoral and PCC elections used the First Past the Post system instead of the preferential Supplementary Vote (SV).

Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: 

“What we are seeing at these elections is the bar being lowered for politicians while being raised for voters. The move to First Past the Post has lowered the bar for politicians to get elected by taking choice away from voters. The result is we have seen a Mayor of London elected with the smallest mandate ever as well as PCCs and a mayor win their races on around a third of the vote.

“This is bad for voters, who now have mayors and PCCs the majority didn’t vote for; it is bad for elected politicians who have to do their jobs with less backing for their policies; and it is bad for trust in democracy.

“At the same time, we are seeing the bar to voting being raised for voters as this was the first time millions had to show ID to cast their ballot. We know that voter ID has already prevented at least 14,000 people [3] from voting at last year’s local elections and this year we have again heard of voters – including a decorated ex-serviceman [4] – being barred from exercising their fundamental democratic right due to not having an accepted form of ID.

“Our politics is headed in the wrong direction when we are making it harder for people to vote but easier for politicians to get elected by reducing voter choice at the ballot box. We need to set our democracy on a better course by scraping voter ID and improving access to voting, but also by moving to proportional and preferential voting systems that better represent how people voted.”

Thursday’s local elections also saw First Past the Post producing a host of disproportionate results in councils, with some parties picking up as much as 90% of the available seats on less than half of the vote share.

Analysis by the Electoral Reform Society has identified a series of results where voter choices have been ‘distorted’ by England’s winner-takes-all First Past the Post system. Full stats available on request.

Warped results – ERS analysis:

  • In Watford the Liberal Democrats took a whopping 91.7% of the seats up for election with just 48.2% of the vote. Labour came second winning 8.3% of the seats on 29.1% of the vote, and the Conservatives received no seats for their 15.5% of the vote
  • In Ipswich Labour gained the vast majority of the seats up for election (81%) despite securing just 45.3% of the votes cast. The Conservatives received just 12.5% of the seats for their 29.6% of the vote. Meanwhile, the Greens received no seats despite winning 11.3% of the vote, while the Lib Dems secured 6.3% of the seats with 11.1% of the votes
  • In Broxbourne, the Conservatives swept up 90% of the seats up for election on just over half the vote (50.5%), while Labour received just 10% of the seats for its 30.5% of the vote. The third largest party, the Greens on 9.8% of the vote, received no seats.
  • In Sunderland Labour picked up 72% of the seats up for election on just 45.5% of the vote. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats’ 15.4% of the vote yielded them 16% of the seats, but Reform received no seats for their 14.5% of the vote.
  • In Winchester the Lib Dems gained 78.6% of the seats up for election, with just 47.7% of the vote, compared to the Conservatives, who won just 14.3% of the seats after winning 31.3% of the vote.

Dr Jess Garland, Director of Research and Policy for the Electoral Reform Society, said: 

“These local elections have again seen a raft of highly disproportionate results under First Past the Post, leading to council chambers that don’t accurately reflect voters’ choices. In some cases, parties have taken over 90% of the seats on less than half the vote, while other parties received no seats despite winning sizable vote shares.

“There is a clear alternative to the unfair results we have seen in England. Both Scotland and Northern Ireland use a fairer proportional voting system [5], avoiding the distorted and random results produced by First Past the Post. 

“Proportional representation would mean fairer results at local elections and would create council chambers that better reflect the way people voted.”

 

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LEGAL VICTORY IN NET ZERO CASE

CGI of proposed Salt Cross Garden Village (Image: West Oxfordshire District Council)

Oxfordshire legal victory in garden village net zero case

 

By Miranda Norris Senior reporter at the Oxford Mail

Campaigners have hailed a High Court victory for West Oxfordshire District Council’s net zero targets for a proposed new garden village.

Rights and climate collective, Rights Community Action, challenged the Government’s planning inspector’s decision not to require the new homes at Salt Cross Garden Village to be built to net-zero standards.

The judgment in the Salt Cross Garden Village Net Zero case was handed down earlier this year.

The ruling from Mrs Justice Lieven rejected the arguments made by Levelling Up minister Michael Gove’s legal team which were supported by the village’s developer Grosvenor Developments, owned by the Duke of Westminster.

Salt Cross Garden Village off the A40 near Eynsham would include more than 2,000 new homes, a new science business park and its own facilities, schools and community resources.

West Oxfordshire District Council’s plans for the development were that it be carbon net-zero and 100 per cent powered by on-site renewables.

It listed specifications for building fabric and energy efficiency, as well as measures to address risks of overheating in the village.

However in a report in March 2023, planning inspectors stated that the ambitions of the project were too high and ‘prescriptive’, and conflicted with national energy efficiency policy outlined in a 2015 ministerial statement.

Rights Community Action – a climate collective that specialises in addressing the climate crisis through the planning system and local area plans – called the decision ‘baffling’ and said it created a ‘confusing precedent’.

They said it conflicted with the approach taken by Government planning inspectors in other areas, including in Bath & North East Somerset in 2022 and Cornwall in early 2023, where inspectors considered the ministerial statement to have been overtaken by events.

The Government argued the inspector’s recommendation was not actually a decision that could be challenged, and it said Rights Community Action had no ‘legitimate concern’ or ‘sufficient interest’ to bring a legal challenge about the planning process in this local development.

Mrs Justice Lieven dismissed both arguments, agreeing that the inspector’s interpretation of national policy didn’t make sense and that Rights Community Action “is an NGO established and operating in precisely” this field and “that is an issue of enormous public concern”.

After the hearing in November, before the judgment was handed down, the Secretary of State withdrew the 2015 ministerial statement.

Leigh Day planning law specialist, solicitor Ricardo Gama said:

“The case is a frustrating example of a local authority trying to take ambitious action on climate change and being hamstrung by confusion in central government and so it’s welcome that the judge has clarified the legal position.

“The government updated its policy in between the High Court hearing and the judgment, and the lawfulness of that policy is also being examined by our client.”

Sarah Couch, leader of sustainability group GreenTEA (Transition Eynsham Area), said:

 “We were appalled when the Planning Inspectorate rejected the net zero policy, despite overwhelming community support.

“A home built to net zero standards would be resource efficient and could generate its own clean energy – it would be cheaper to run. So, it makes no sense to prevent councils and their communities from expecting homes fit for the future.

“If the Inspector’s recommendation were adopted, we could have the ridiculous situation of a large showpiece development that is not required to produce its own annual energy demand but with Europe’s largest groundmount solar farm on more farmland right up to its boundary.

 

Source: Oxford Mail

 

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PLANNING: Rogue Developers Will be Held to Account

New planning powers come have come into effect, giving local councils greater tools to hold rogue developers to account as part of the government’s landmark Levelling-up and Regeneration Act.

Council planners can use stronger enforcement measures to take on landowners who repeatedly break planning rules.

This includes those who carry out works without approval or act in bad faith on developments with planning consent.

These changes will make it harder for rulebreakers to seek future planning permission and will give councils the ability to issue unlimited fines against those failing to build in the right places.

The wide-ranging measures include:

  • increasing enforcement limits from four to 10 years so councils have more time to stop developments without planning approval
  • introducing unlimited fines against developers who fail to comply with planning permission or refusing to deal with rundown properties and overgrown fields
  • doubling the length of temporary stop notices to 56 days to suspend all works if a council suspects building has gone ahead despite permission has not been granted
  • strengthening the planning inspectorate to dismiss appeals against developers trying to delay the process, including the refusal of site visits and access

Minister for housing and planning, Lee Rowley, said:

“Today marks another important step forward in our mission to deliver a faster and less bureaucratic planning system, making sure councils have greater powers at their disposal to take robust action against developers who do not play by the rules.

“We are clamping down on planning loopholes, allowing councils to issue unlimited fines, and strengthening local decisions that communities want to see.

“This builds on our long-term plan for housing to deliver more homes and infrastructure that is beautiful, affordable, and built in the right places.”

Source: Development Finance Today

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The Great Grid – Connecting Green Energy

  • National Grid launches pioneering ‘enterprise model’ as response to UK supply chain and skills shortage, announcing the first seven supply chain partners to form the Great Grid Partnership.  
  • The Partnership, which will initially focus on the network design and construction work required by the end of the decade for nine major infrastructure projects across England and Wales, forms part of a £9bn supply chain framework which will also support infrastructure projects beyond 2030. 
  • The Partnership will support supply chain capacity and foster collaboration across best practice and skills, delivering benefits for consumers and the wider UK economy. 
  • This investment further underlines National Grid’s commitment to the people, jobs and skills required to help deliver the energy transition. 
  • Investment in the UK’s electricity network industry will contribute an average of £18.4bn to GDP and support around 220,000 jobs each year between 2024 and 2035.

In a major boost to the UK supply chain, National Grid has today launched the Great Grid Partnership. The company, which sits at the heart of the UK energy transition, has named the seven partners who will support the delivery of an initial nine Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) projects.

The ASTI projects form a key part of The Great Grid Upgrade, which is building the significant new electricity network infrastructure required to reduce the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels by connecting 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.

This new ‘enterprise model’ is a collaborative partnership, bringing together National Grid’s supply chain partners. Two design and consenting service partners [AECOM Arup (JV); WSP], and five construction partners [Laing O’Rourke; Morgan Sindall Infrastructure; Morrison Energy Services; Murphy; Omexom / Taylor Woodrow (OTW)] are joining National Grid in the newly formed Great Grid Partnership.

Designed to speed up the delivery of much needed national electricity infrastructure by taking a fresh approach to UK supply chain and skills issues. The partnership aims to coordinate the planning and execution of projects, allowing each supplier and National Grid to pool their resources, skills, insights, and experience to deliver faster and more economically – driving value for money and benefits for both consumers and local communities.

By creating these long-term strategic contractual relationships, our partners will work collectively as an enterprise to drive value and innovation and secure delivery. Once established, this pioneering model will also deliver significant opportunities and benefits beyond the initial ASTI framework.

The partnership comes as the demand for products, services and skills continues to rise on a global scale as countries ramp up investment in the energy transition. It represents a huge challenge but also a great opportunity if industry works together to take advantage of the opportunity.

Carl Trowell, President, Strategic Infrastructure, National Grid said:

“Today’s announcement is another significant and exciting milestone in the delivery of The Great Grid Upgrade – the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in decades. The scale and pace of this upgrade requires us to unite as an industry and to think and act differently.

“This Great Grid Partnership is a ground-breaking initiative from National Grid that places our supply chain partners at the heart of our infrastructure upgrade programme. All our chosen partners have an established history of successful collaboration in delivering major projects and enabling innovation to thrive.

“By sharing best practice and collaborating across nine of our critical major ASTI infrastructure projects, we will set the gold-standard for future infrastructure projects in terms of driving innovation, shoring up capacity across the skills base, operating responsibly and sustainably and ultimately in getting the best value for consumers.”

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Introducing Sustainable Development to the next Generation

Renowned architect and TV presenter George Clarke’s education charity MOBIE – Ministry of Building Innovation and Education – is launching free workshops in home design, sustainable development and green skills to primary and secondary schools in South and West Wales.

 

Part of securing a greener future for Wales rests with how well we design, construct and then manage our buildings. 40% of carbon emissions come from the built environment – 11% from how we build them and 28% from how we heat and power them – so it is critical that buildings of the future use less energy, less raw materials and create less waste.

The workshops, offered through the Swansea Bay City Deal ‘Homes as Power Stations’ project, provide an opportunity for young people to think about how we can deliver our future housing needs whilst protecting our planet.

They use practical design exercises to help students appreciate key design principles and emphasise the importance of homes and buildings in helping us to address climate change and other environmental challenges. They can introduce young people to the range of roles in housing, the built environment and green industries and technologies that we need to deliver the homes, other buildings and communities of tomorrow.

The presenter of Channel 4 programmes George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, Remarkable Renovations and Old House, New Home and founder of MOBIE said:

“Home is the most important piece of architecture in our lives. It crafts the way we live, and how we grow as families and communities.

“The built environment accounts for 40% of our carbon emissions and we have around 27 million homes in the UK that need to be retrofitted by 2050 if we are to achieve our net zero obligations and avoid 1.5 degrees of warming. We must make buildings, new and old, more energy efficient for people and the planet.  This requires new thinking and new skills.

“MOBIE’s workshops are a great way to introduce sustainable development – through home we can inform young people about our environmental challenges and explore design solutions that can help us live more sustainably in the future. The workshops have been well received in England and Scotland so I am really excited that they are now coming to Wales.” 

Wyn Prichard, Sustainability and Net Zero Consultant and chair of the WJEC Qualification group, said

“We are really pleased to be working with MOBIE on their first project in Wales. The materials that have been jointly created for these sustainability and green skills workshops will engage and inspire pupils, students and staff about our green challenges and stimulate thinking and designs for ‘Homes as Power Stations’ and what the Welsh homes of the future should look like. The workshops complement the ‘Sustainability in Action’ qualification that was recently launched by the WJEC.”

Jayne Jones, Head of Business Development at NPTC Group of Colleges said

“With MOBIE as a key partner of our Net Zero Skills Academy, we look forward to supporting the workshops and developing further programmes with George, the MOBIE team and our other partners in the Academy to help inspire and train the workforce of the future to deliver low carbon housing, buildings and communities.”

Nicola Pearce, Director of Environment and Regeneration for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and Senior Responsible Officer for HAPS said

“one of the objectives of HAPS is to increase the skills associated with the

technologies needed to create homes that are cleaner, greener and that reduce fuel poverty. It’s essential we engage and support learning of all ages from school age up to the diversification of the current workforce. Funding from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MSC) has enabled us to begin this exciting journey and we look forward to working with MOBIE and our partners to progress this work and make a positive impact”.

 

The workshops support STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) learning and other curriculum.  They help to promote awareness and understanding of the environmental and societal issues that face young people and their future lives and lifestyles, including the UN Sustainable Development Global Goals.

The workshops cover topics including what is a home, climate change, zero carbon homes, housing innovation and technology, sustainable building materials and renewable energy. By participating, learners can develop skills in teamwork and team building, design, communication and presentation.

The workshops complement the ‘Sustainability in Action’ qualification, launched by the WJEC in April 2024, which was developed in collaboration with the office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, to support the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015 and net zero jobs of the next generation of workers.

They are open to primary and secondary schools in the Swansea Bay City Deal area, which comprises Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot,

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£45m investment and jobs boost for sustainability industry

 

£45m investment and jobs boost for sustainability industry in East of England

Assan Panel, a major affiliate of Kibar Holding, a renowned name in Turkey’s industrial sector, has confirmed its plans to locate its first UK manufacturing facility at Gateway 14, part of Freeport East.

The firm produces sustainable building materials and is one of the world’s market leaders in this sector. The move to Gateway 14 will create around 100 highly skilled jobs in Stowmarket and bring an investment of up to £45m.

The announcement comes at a time when the UK and Turkey are discussing an enhanced Free Trade Agreement.  Both Freeport East and Assan Panel are keen to ensure the investment acts as a positive signal to other companies looking to strengthen trade connections between the two countries.

Contingent upon securing required approvals, İhsan Tolga Akar, Managing Director of Assan Panel, mentioned that the goal is to have the new plant operational by Autumn 2025.

As part of its investment, Assan Panel, which exports to 85 countries from Turkey, is planning to establish a new office in Ipswich to cater the UK market.

A skilled workforce will be required at the new multi-million-pound facility, which will manufacture sandwich panels filled with Polyisocyanurate (PIR), mineral wool, or polyurethane – critical components in constructing sustainable and eco-friendly buildings.

Steve Beel, Chief Executive of Freeport East, comments:

“This announcement represents a real milestone in strengthening the presence of green industry in and around the Stowmarket and wider Freeport East area. As well as direct job creation, the investment will provide opportunities to build strong local R&D relationships with universities and drive the development of the skills and innovation cluster at Gateway 14.

“With close proximity to the Port of Felixstowe and the flexibility of the freeport customs model, locating in Freeport East provides Assan Panel with the ideal base from which to serve both UK and European markets. We are confident this is a model that will encourage other international manufacturers to consider Freeport East as a future strategic location.”

Haluk Kayabaşı, CEO of Kibar Holding, made a statement regarding the new facility investment:

“Kibar Holding, one of the leading groups of the Turkish industry, under which Assan Panel operates, is taking firm steps forward on its globalization journey with its unabated investment moves. We aim to further strengthen our presence in the European market with the new facility investment of Assan Panel in the UK, which has previously increased its presence abroad with the investments it has realized in Jordan and Azerbaijan. By making a difference with the innovative, pioneering, sustainable, energy-efficient products we offer, we serve for the transition in European sandwich panel market for sustainable solutions, and now with more concentration in the UK.”

Minister for Investment in the Department for Business and Trade, Lord Dominic Johnson, said:

“Assan Panel’s investment underscores Freeport East’s outstanding offer to businesses operating in green industries, and will create new, skilled jobs in the region. UK Freeports are perfect places for businesses to innovate, collaborate and grow. This news highlights Freeport East’s exceptional opportunities which underpin their vision of a global hub for trade and investment into advanced manufacturing and green energy.”

The Minister for Levelling Up, Jacob Young, said:

“This significant commitment by Assan Panel, made possible by the government’s Freeports programme, not only brings high-skilled jobs and investment to the east of England but also strengthens the UK’s important trading relationship with Turkey.”

Councillor Richard Smith MVO, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Skills, Transport Strategy and Waste, said: “

It is excellent news that Assan Panel will manufacture its panels here in Suffolk. This is a substantial investment which will create many new local jobs and be a significant boost for Suffolk’s manufacturing sect

or, and I would like to commend the joint inward investment and Freeport East teams for their important role in securing it.”

 

Gateway 14, led by Mid Suffolk District Council-owned Gateway 14 Ltd with development partner, Jaynic, is next to the A14 at Stowmarket.  It is East Anglia’s largest business park, providing 2.36 million sq. ft. of accommodation and as part of Freeport East, the site offers tax reliefs and simplified customs arrangements and is fast becoming a hub for manufacturing, logistics, and R&D firms.

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Adapting to Heatwaves: Government response a missed opportunity

 

The Environmental Audit Committee expects the Government to provide more detail on its plans to adapt the UK to climate change, as it publishes the Government’s response to its report on Heat Resilience and Sustainable Cooling.

In its report, the Committee cited findings that heat-related deaths could rise to 10,000 every year without concerted actions to adapt to the warming climate. It found that while the UK population spends on average 90% of its time indoors, the country’s housing stock is not designed to cope with excessive heat, and millions of UK homes experience summertime overheating.

With four out of five homes set to exist by 2050 having already been built, and the UK having some of the oldest housing stock in the world, the Committee recommended launching an ambitious and comprehensive national retrofit programme to adapt the UK’s houses for the demands of net zero. It recommended this be delivered via local authorities, be underpinned by long-term funding and prioritise vulnerable households.

In response, the Government falls short of committing to a retrofit programme on this scale. Ministers say that the Heat and Buildings Strategy, published in 2021, sets out the Government’s actions to reduce emissions from buildings, and point to recent announcements extending support in this area. The Government also says that it has made progress improving energy efficiency in homes, indicating that 48% of homes in England have now achieved an Energy Performance Certificate C level.

Meanwhile the Committee recommended that standards covering overheating in new buildings – Part O of the Building Regulations 2010 – should be extended to cover not just material changes of use but also refurbishment of existing properties. In its report, it recommended that Ministers set out whether the Government would pursue this, or if not, explain how the UK would achieve its commitments on global cooling.

The Government does not say whether it plans to extend these regulations. Ministers plan to use a call for evidence currently running to understand any potential problems with the Part O regulations, and to determine future updates.

Another of the Committee’s recommendations centered on nature-based solutions to climate change in urban areas, such as trees, parks and bodies of water, which have cooling effects alongside a host of co-benefits. In its 2023 Adaptation Progress Report, the Climate Change Committee also found that there was “no requirement for local authorities to protect or provide green space”, and that funding commitments were required to maintain parks and green spaces.

The Committee welcomed Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework (GIF), which is intended to help planners improve green space in urban areas, as a “welcome step forward”. It called for the Government to take action to expand urban green spaces, including by mandating local authorities to use the GIF and introducing a statutory requirement to protect green space.

However, the Government says local authorities are responsible for delivering new green areas and says it is currently not planning to mandate local authorities in urban areas to use the Green Infrastructure Framework, as the Committee had recommended.

In its report, the Committee had criticised the level of joint working across Government, but said that the new cross-government Climate Resilience Board could represent an important step forward. In response, the Government outlines the range of Government departments involved, with membership extending to “all climate risk-owning departments”.

Chair’s comment

Environmental Audit Committee Chair, Philip Dunne MP, said:

“Extreme heat is already affecting health and livelihoods in the UK. While there is much to welcome in this response, there are still serious unanswered questions about how the Government plans to respond to a rapidly warming UK climate. This is frankly a missed opportunity.

“I am cheered to read further details of the Climate Resilience Board, which demonstrates exactly the kind of collaborative work across Government likely to be crucial in meeting the net zero challenge – a key theme in our committee’s work over the course of this Parliament.

“However, the Government has made no further commitment towards a national retrofit programme aimed at reducing the risks of overheating and improving energy efficiency. It has not for example added cooling measures to current programmes such as the Home Upgrade Grant scheme.

“Equally, Ministers have not answered our questions on whether building regulations on overheating will be extended to cover refurbishments. In my letter to the Secretary of State, I press the Government to provide more detailed information on its plans.

“Also lacking clarity at present is the Government’s approach towards protecting and enhancing green spaces. The Government insists that local authorities are responsible for this; however, as the Climate Change Committee has highlighted, serious funding pressures and the lack of a legal requirement for councils to take action mean that in reality, green infrastructure projects are unlikely to get off the ground.

“While this response falls short of what the Committee was seeking, these issues are of direct interest to colleagues across the House. I look forward to working with colleagues to secure further answers from the Government.”

Dr Radhika Khosla, Associate Professor at the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, University of Oxford, who acted as Specialist Adviser for the EAC’s inquiry, said:

“The Government’s response is a positive start – it demonstrates a recognition of the threat of extreme heat and details the existing steps in place to mitigate it. However, the levels of coordination, knowledge, and capacity building required for a rigorous National Heat Resilience and Sustainable Cooling Strategy are not yet in place. The proposed “cooling outlook document” provides a baseline but will require an integrated and strategic roadmap that is implementable. Looking ahead and recognising the threat of extreme heat and the existing measures that can help are important first steps, but there remains a lack of urgency and commitment to further action.

“Two gaps that require immediate attention are the need to hone in on overheating in existing buildings and retrofits, and the push to make the protection of green spaces, vital for passive cooling, a statutory requirement for local authorities. The Government notes that voters can take action “at the ballot box” if they feel their local authority is not doing enough in this regard. But, as the heatwave of 2022 demonstrated, extreme heat will not wait for electoral processes to complete before it has a devastating impact on population health and productivity. The Government’s response is an important first step, and hopefully one that leads to a sustainable and actionable heat resilience strategy for all.”

Source: UK Parliament Debates

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