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£290 million boost for clean energy in Britain

Renewable energy developers will compete for £290m worth of contracts to support the growth of clean energy in Britain, as the second Contracts for Difference auction launches.

Contracts for Difference are won through a competitive process which drives down energy costs for consumers and guarantees companies a certain price for the low-carbon electricity they produce over 15 years. This gives them the support and certainty they need to attract investment and get projects off the ground.

The contracts made available today represent the first part of the Government’s commitment to provide up to £730m of annual support for renewable electricity projects over the course of this parliament. They support a key pillar of the Industrial Strategy by ensuring a cleaner, more flexible energy supply.

Energy Minister Jesse Norman said “This auction underlines that Britain is open for business to companies seeking to invest in low carbon energy.

“It is designed to deliver clean power to a million homes, create jobs in the energy industry and provide new supply chain opportunities, while reducing carbon emissions by some 2.5 million tonnes per year.”

The scheme is funded through a levy which forms a part of energy bills and only projects that offer the best value for money will win contracts. There is no cost on energy bills until projects are up and running and generating low-carbon energy.

The auction process started yesterday (3rd April) and will continue over the coming months. It is expected to draw to a close by the autumn, when the winners of the auction and final clearing prices will be announced.

There has been £52bn of investment in renewable energy in the UK since 2010, and for the first time ever exactly half of the UK’s electricity came from low carbon sources in the third quarter of 2016. The latest contracts will help the UK build on this success.

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Offshore wind sector reaches record high

Activity in the offshore windfarm sector reached a record high in 2016, as the total construction value for projects reached £4.1 billion, increasing from £2.45 billion in 2015.

According to the latest data from construction industry analysts Barbour ABI, offshore windfarms alone accounted for 42 per cent of UK construction contract value in the utilities and power sector and 21 per cent of the entire infrastructure sector. This trend is likely to continue with the pipeline for future offshore wind developments looking healthy, with Barbour ABI reporting that £23.2 billion pounds worth of construction contract value is in planning.

Offshore

Three major projects that made a significant difference to the increase in construction contract value for offshore wind farms in 2016 were the Beatrice, Galloper and East Anglia one offshore wind farm projects, together worth a combined £3 billion pounds, which once constructed will produce over 1,600 MW of renewable energy per hour.

Commenting on the figures, Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said: “Back in 2013 offshore windfarms accounted for only 7.5 per cent of the annual construction value for the utilities and power sector, which increased to 42 per cent in 2016, on the back of significant investment in this type of project.

“With reports showing that the cost of producing electricity in this way have fallen significantly, the increase in construction value makes sense.”

“We have also seen a large uptake in the planning pipeline for future offshore windfarms with £23.2 billion worth of construction planned over the coming years, suggesting this burgeoning sector will continue to expand in 2017 and beyond.

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Parliament calls for greater sustainability in transport infrastructure

Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has published a report calling for greater sustainability from the Department for Transport in future infrastructure projects.

According to the report (which can be read here), The Department for Transport needs a clear strategy to increase the use of ultra-low emission vehicles, reduce air pollution and deal with the VW cheat device scandal so that it can meet decarbonisation and air quality targets.

The Environmental Audit Committee highlights that the Department for Transport has planning and investment responsibilities for the UK’s road, rail, maritime, aviation and bus service sectors. The Department’s total spending is set to increase during this Parliament: although its resource spending is due to go down, its capital budgets will rise, with £73.4 billion of transport-related capital investment between 2015–16 and 2020–21, including £34.5 billion for Network Rail and £15.2 billion for its Roads Investment Strategy. In 2014–15 the Department allocated 50% of its gross expenditure to its roads, traffic and local responsibilities; almost 40% to its rail executive responsibilities; and 3% to its international, security and environment responsibilities.

Whilst Parliament acknowledge that many positive steps have been made towards better sustainability within the transport sector, the report focuses on those areas where the Department for Transport might go further to tackle climate change.

This has been welcomed by Campaign for Better Transport who will be writing to the Department demanding further reduction of their carbon footprint.

Sustainable Transport Campaigner, Bridget Fox commented: “The report shows that the Government is not doing enough to decarbonise transport and avoid building damaging infrastructure projects. Stronger action to clean up polluting vehicles is welcome but ultimately the answer lies in reducing car dependency, getting more freight onto rail and investing in good quality public transport alternatives. The call today from Team GB’s Olympic cycling champions for investment in everyday cycling is part of this solution. We’ll be writing to the Department for Transport Permanent Secretary demanding action on this report.”

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Costa Rica running on renewables for 121 days and counting!

Costa Rica is setting the precedent for other nations looking to utilise green energy and reduce their carbon footprint.

The small Central American nation has generated 100% of its electricity from renewable sources for the past 121 days, and the run isn’t over yet. The country, which draws clean energy from a variety of renewable sources, still has its sights on a full year without fossil fuels.

With a 121-day stretch of 100% renewable energy under its belt and several months left in the year, Costa Rica appears to be edging closer to its admirable target. Costa Rica could be on track to match the record set with its renewable energy production last year, which accounted for 99% of the country’s electricity. That included 285 days powered completely by renewable sources, according to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute.

Costa Rica is able to take advantage of a multitude of renewable energy sources because of its unique climate and terrain. Most of the nation’s renewable energy comes from hydropower, due to its large river system and heavy tropical rainfalls. Solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy also play key roles.

Green ambitions

Costa Rica have shown great ambition in the field of renewable energy over the past few years and according to the government they are aiming to be entirely free from fossil fuels by 2021. However, with large sums of money currently being invested in geothermal energy projects, it is anticipated that this impressive target could indeed be met much sooner than originally expected.

In comparison, some countries (ourselves included) could be perceived as simply not doing enough to tackle climate change and improve our energy habits. Costa Rica achieving 99% renewable energy usage this year sends a stark message to the rest of the world of what is possible when a country unites to make a concerted effort to fight global warming using sustainable energy sources and technologies already at our disposal.

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May wrong to “cut green crap”, says FMB

Theresa May’s decision to scrap the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is alarming as it signals that improving the energy efficiency of our existing buildings has been pushed ever-further down the list of Government priorities, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said “Three years ago Cameron told his officials to “cut the green crap” and May has taken this further still by dissolving DECC. This means that there will be no Cabinet-level Minister championing climate change issues at the highest level of Government, which is bound to result in less emphasis and less action. Andrea Leadsom’s appointment as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides little solace when you consider that she has regularly voted against measures to tackle climate change in the past. This matters because for May’s newly-formed Government to side-line its green policies, would be to sacrifice their numerous economic benefits.

“May should make improving our existing buildings an infrastructure investment priority as the knock-on benefits for jobs and growth are enormous. A programme to make British buildings more energy efficient would generate £8.7 billion of net benefits. This is comparable to the benefits delivered by the first phase of HS2, Crossrail, smart meter roll out, or investment in new roads. And unlike these large infrastructure projects, work to improve our existing buildings is not at the mercy of the lengthy and protracted planning process – work could start tomorrow.

“We welcome the appointment of Justine Greening as Secretary of State for Education with responsibility for skills and apprentices, which previously came under the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. We hope that she continues the good work of Nick Boles in improving the quality of apprenticeships, which will in turn help elevate their status so that they are recognised by society as of equal worth to university degrees. Greening has a solid background in transport and treasury briefs which will no doubt help her understand the importance of having a properly skilled construction workforce. As we face the prospect of Brexit, combating the construction skills crisis has never been more important.”

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CO2: Don’t be neutral, be negative!

It is common knowledge that in order to effectively combat global warming caused by CO2, we need to make conscious efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. Given that buildings are accountable for 37% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions (according to the Committee on Climate Change) we have a duty as specifiers, architects and construction professionals to lower this alarming figure. Joe Bradbury of www.buildingspecifier.com investigates.

Going neutral isn’t enough

Whenever CO2 reduction is discussed, we often talk about becoming carbon neutral, i.e. designing or retrofitting our building to use only as much atmospheric CO2 as it emits, leaving existing levels intact. However, approximately 30 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide is pumped into the Earth’s atmosphere from power plants, vehicles and various other industrial sources which are intensively fuelled from the burning fossil fuels. So, whilst going neutral can certainly help the problem, it’s a mere drop in the ocean in terms of fighting climate change.

We therefore need to not only focus on reducing how much CO2 we produce, but also on how we can physically remove it from the air.

Capturing CO2

Allison Dring, head of start-up Elegant Embellishments, has designed a smog-eating façade that is a perfect example of how a building can go a step further and actually become carbon negative. Described on the BBC, “The façade is coated with a special paint made from titanium dioxide, a pollution-fighting technology that is activated by daylight. It absorbs the fumes generated from traffic and converts them first into nitric acid and then into calcium nitrate, which is harmless.”

The facade has currently been fitted on the side of a hospital in Mexico City, where pollution is a massive issue. Since being added to the building, the innovative façade has allegedly reduced pollution of around 1,000 cars per day, perhaps resulting in less people needing to visit the hospital in the first place!

Allison is a staunch advocate of the idea that the materials we build with should actively give something back to the environment – and so am I.

Watch the below video to see more:

Putting it to good use

Becoming carbon negative is a two stage process; consuming the CO2 is only the first part of the solution. What do you do with the CO2 once it has been captured from the air? Turning it into usable materials or less harmful gasses is the key to becoming truly carbon negative and actually being an asset to the environment.

Atmospheric CO2 is one of the biggest issues of the 21st century… however, as the old adage “one man’s waste is another man’s treasure” implies, it is also a precious resource! We can use the CO2 taken from the air and convert it into useful carbon-based products, such as building materials, pharmaceuticals, fuels and plastics.

Not only do these products help us as an industry, but the very creation of them absorbs more CO2 than we emit, ergo reducing CO2 in the atmosphere. Now THAT is a solution.
So in short, when it comes to tackling climate change in the built environment, be negative!

What materials or technologies are you using in your building to reduce CO2 emissions? We’d love to hear from you – let us know in the comments section below.

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World’s largest offshore wind farm to be built in the UK

DONG Energy confirms a positive Final Investment Decision for Hornsea One offshore wind farm off the coast of Grimsby in Northern England.

This morning, Wednesday 3 February, the board of directors at DONG Energy confirmed a positive Final Investment Decision for Hornsea One offshore wind farm off the coast of Grimsby in Northern England, meaning that construction can now go ahead.

Located 75 miles off the Yorkshire coast and capable of powering over one million UK homes with a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts, Hornsea One will be – by a considerable margin – the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

The project has the potential to create around 2,000 jobs during its construction, with up to 300 additional jobs supported throughout its 20-25 year operational phase. A new Siemens blade factory in Hull, due to be built by the end of this year, will support the project, boosting a Northern and UK wide supply chain.

Hornsea One is expected to be fully operational in 2020.

Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said “Thanks to Government support the UK is the world leader in offshore wind energy and this success story is going from strength to strength. Dong Energy’s investment shows that we are open for business and is a vote of confidence in the UK and in our plan to tackle the legacy of under-investment and build an energy infrastructure fit for the 21st century.”

“This project means secure, clean energy for the country, jobs and financial security for working people and their families, and more skills and growth boosting the Northern Powerhouse.”

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Evinox Energy to Exhibit at Ecobuild in the District Energy Pavilion

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Evinox Energy will be exhibiting in the District Energy Pavilion at Ecobuild, taking place from the 8th to the 10th March at the ExCeL London. Ecobuild is the leading exhibition and conference for the UK construction and energy market, attracting over 40,000 industry professionals from across the entire supply chain. This year’s event is set to be bigger and better than ever, focusing on market priorities such as housing, infrastructure, technology and innovation.

The District Energy Pavilion will provide visitors with the opportunity to meet with a selection of suppliers and industry experts all in one area, and includes a comprehensive, informative seminar programme, featuring the latest information about efficient heat networks.

We specialise in communal & district heating systems, and manufacture our own range of modern heat interface units (HIU’s), designed with efficiency and end user comfort in mind. We will also be presenting a seminar in the District Energy Pavilion at the exhibition, where we will be discussing efficient heat network design and management.

Visit us on stand E4280 to find out more about our metering & billing solutions for communal & district systems, and smart control technology. Our systems combine effective HIU control with excellent after-sales end-user support and flexible metering and billing services, ensuring the building owner has a hassle-free, efficient development and residents enjoy a comfortable and relaxed place to live.

We look forward to welcoming you at the event. You can register now to attend the exhibition for free by visiting www.ecobuild.co.uk.

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‘IVY’ got a good feeling about this…

With more and more emphasis on ‘urban greening’, towns and cities are becoming eco-friendlier, even down to having ‘green elements’ specified for planning permission and architect’s drawings, in some situations this has created issues, our Cash & Carry facility for Ivy Green Screens, provides an ideal solution to many problems faced by smaller landscapers and domestic clients, holding stock within our nursery now allows customers to buy smaller quantities and for various different projects, from installing an instant green hedge, covering unsightly walls and fences to ‘greening up’ a concrete back garden!

RHS trained with over 30 years’ horticultural experience, with a nationwide service of design, installation and after care for all our products.

As approved suppliers and installers of Ivy screens we are approached by many architects to help complete their larger projects, this provides us with the ideal platform to demonstrate the many different uses that our products can provide, this is very well received and has provided us with new contacts, on which to discuss forthcoming projects and listen to issues they were experiencing for finding ‘urban greening solutions’.

We have worked on many projects from domestic gardens providing an extra bit of privacy from overlook neighbours, to Trinity Square in Gateshead where we installed over 200 Green Screens! Our recent installations include coverage of an unsightly flood defence in Cardiff which is now an attractive aesthetically pleasing, ivy focal point pleasing the local residents.

One of our more unusual products is an attractive floral wall system which creates a living wall made up of cassettes, fitted together suitable for an external or internal wall, and can host a huge range of interesting plant species enhancing any interior or exterior living space – why not have your company logo designed in the plants, it’s all possible with the right plant choice which we will help design.

Various other products we can install such as, soil stabilization matting, sedum roofs and acoustic walling are on our website, www.hederascreens.co.uk.

Please call us on 0845 504 8211 to see how we can help with your project.

Follow us on social media for regular updates, Twitter @HEDERASCREENS / LinkedIn hederascreens.

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Proposed resi tower to be a beacon for green development!

Plans for a 16-storey residential and office development have been submitted by developer Corona Properties that intends to dramatically improve the Hemel Hempstead landscape.

Called ‘The Beacon,’ the mixed-use tower will house both residential property and office space and has been designed to be the first building of its kind to achieve an ECP A+ rating.

The tower plans also feature:

  • 208 apartments
  • Over 9,000 sq ft of office spacing
  • Gym and leisure facilities
  • Coffee shop
  • Roof garden
  • Internal arboretum
  • Projector room/party room
  • Underground parking for 228 cars.

The innovative building design is ultra-efficient, using 50-60% less energy than other similar projects and, coupled with on-site renewable energy generation, the building emission free.

Corona Properties suggest that the Beacon will improve the overall “character” of Hemel Hempstead town centre.

See the plans in the below video:

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