The business case for installing renewable energy technologies is now stronger than ever, according to new research that revealed average returns of 11 to 12 per cent on investments made in onsite renewable energy systems. With energy bills expected to rise 37 per cent by 2020 the financial case for investing in renewable energy technologies such as solar panels or small scale wind turbines is getting stronger.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Businesses earn up to 12 per cent on renewable energy
Five green things we’ve learnt this week
The price of complying with aviation emissions trading scheme is the same as half a chocolate bar – and other lessons from the week
Investment title in clean energy crown goes back to US
Global clean energy investment reached a record $260bn in 2011 as the US usurped China to become the world's largest investor, analysts Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) confirmed yesterday. Global investment in the sector rose five per cent compared to 2010, ensuring that investment levels have now risen almost five-fold since 2004.
Every little bit helps
It may have just seen £4bn wiped off its value following worse than expected results over the Christmas period, but supermarket giant Tesco has one cause to celebrate this week after the company opened its first "zero-carbon store" in Ireland (pictured).
Chinese prepare for carbon trading
Seven Chinese cities and provinces have been ordered to cut emissions in preparation for the country's pilot carbon markets. A note issued today by China's state planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, demands the cities and provinces set "overall emissions control targets".
EU Stand on Airline Emissions Raises Spectre of a Trade War
BRUSSELS — The European Commission said on Thursday that airlines that did not follow a new European law requiring them to account for their emissions of greenhouse gases could face being banned from European airports.
EU Stance on Airline Emissions Raises Spectre of a Trade War
Europe Stands Firm on Airline Emissions, Raising Fears of a Trade Conflict - NYTimes.com
BRUSSELS — The European Commission said on Thursday that airlines that did not follow a new European law requiring them to account for their emissions of greenhouse gases could face being banned from European airports.
FAA concludes EU carbon law could give a boost to US airlines
Reuters) - U.S. airlines could boost their profits by more than $2.5 billion by 2020 thanks to their inclusion in the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, a new study part-funded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has concluded.
Record low carbon prices lead to high volatility
LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Carbon markets across the world were valued at 96 billion euros ($122.28 billion) last year, up 4 percent on 2010, helped by a surge in trading activity as record low carbon prices stoked volatility, an analyst report said on Tuesday.
Some airlines generating demand for CO2 permits
(Reuters) - Several big airlines are taking advantage of European carbon law by snapping up emission allowances at bargain prices, tuning out an outcry against the scheme by many non-EU airlines and shoring up demand in a market that saw prices cut in half last year.
California Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Blocked
Last week, Judge Lawrence O’Neill of the U.S. District Court in Fresno issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), a regulation requiring a 10% reduction in the carbon content of motor fuels sold in the state by 2020. O’Neill concluded that the LCFS violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution because it discriminates against out-of-state economic interests and attempts to control conduct outside the state’s jurisdiction.
California Cap-and-Trade; A Bonehead Move?
Since the late 1970s, California has prided itself as being a laboratory for progressive environmental policy. Not coincidentally, since the late 1970s, California’s once-mighty manufacturing sector has left the State. I could care less about the California’s self-inflicted wounds, although I would find them humorous, all else being equal. Alas, I am forced to care, because the state’s massive Congressional delegation is adept at enacting federal laws that nationalize California’s boneheaded environmental standards. This is no laughing matter.
Funding for Tanzanian REDD projects put on hold
Dar es Salaam. Funding for a carbon trading system known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) has been suspended until further negotiations between poor countries and powerful industrial nations. In the first phase of REDD project between 2008 and 2010 Tanzania received about $100 million (Sh170 billion). The main beneficiaries of the funds were Non Governmental Organisations comprising TaTEDO, Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania (WCST) and Tanzania Forests Conservation Groups (TFCG). But at a recent Durban conference on Climate Change further funding was suspended as no consensus was reached on funds disbursement.
Businesses call California cap-and-trade a back-door tax hike
Jerry Brown aims to spend $1 billion from the auction of greenhouse gas emission credits to help shrink the budget shortfall. Industry groups call that a back-door tax hike.
Buying opportunity in EUA credits
Just before Christmas, in a move that went unnoticed by UK investors, EU politicians backed a proposal that would prop up carbon prices by withholding 1.4 billion permits from the third phase of its Emissions Trading Scheme. This immediately sent prices some 20% higher, and I believe should mark the bottom for carbon credit prices.
Green investment fund closes at $22M
EcoEnterprises Capital Management has raised $22 million into its second fund, having convinced a number of institutions to invest in a biodiversity-focused fund for the first time. The US fund manager’s EcoEnterprises Fund II aims to make a commercial return while making a positive impact on biodiversity. It will invest in 10-12 small and medium-sized enterprises in South and Central America involved in sustainable farming, forestry and ecotourism, and aims to return 11% a year, net of fees and expenses.
EIB report underwhelms emissions traders and analysts
Carbon market participants have shrugged off an eagerly awaited report by the European Investment Bank (EIB) into the first month of its 300 million EU allowance (EUA) sale programme, which many had feared had contributed to collapsing carbon prices. The report, published last night, showed that, from 5-29 December, the EIB sold 12 million EUAs for the 2013-20 phase of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), as part of its NER 300 programme.
How Companies Can Meet LEED's New Green Cleaning Requirements
There have been great strides in the effort to make buildings more sustainable -- not the least of which are proposed improvements (PDF) to the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification standards. One significant change to the indoor environmental quality section of the LEED rating system (PDF) is that implementing a green cleaning policy is to be a mandatory prerequisite for certification and also re-certification.
Québec to join California in cap-and-trade market
On December 15th, 2011 the Canadian Province of Québec announced the adoption of cap-and-trade regulations for greenhouse gases, becoming the second major political jurisdiction to do so in North America after California. The rules will come into full effect on January 1st, 2013 following a one-year transition period.
JCI, Turner and Gensler Firms Have The Most LEED Pros | GreenBiz.com
Last week, we reported that Jones Lang LaSalle surpassed its goal of having 1,000 certified sustainability professionals on its books. The U.S. Green Building Council has since told us which companies have the most LEED Accredited Professionals on their payrolls.
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