Friday, March 16, 2012

Gas plants survive UK carbon limit

UK to keep carbon limit high enough for gas plants | Reuters

LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - Britain's energy minister promised on Saturday to keep the limit on power plants' carbon emissions high enough until 2045 to ensure that modern gas-fired stations can continue to operate. The government will submit its full proposals to reform Britain's electricity market to Parliament in May, marking the first step to enshrine the deepest overhaul of the market in 30 years into law.

New Mexico regulators pull the plug on cap and trade

NM regulators scrap carbon emissions rules | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WTW) — New Mexico regulators pulled the plug Friday on the state's effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions among coal-fired power plants, refineries and other large polluters.

Are windfarms worth the eyesore?

Scotland's spectacular scenery 'being wrecked by windfarm vultures' | Environment | The Guardian

Critics say turbines are scarring beautiful, unspoilt country and multi-millionaires are benefiting most from the developments.

A worker at a windfarm near Peebles in Tweeddale, which consists of 24 wind turbines, each 75 metres high. Scotland's spectacular mountain scenery is being wrecked by "windfarm vultures" making millions on the back of government subsidies, an environmental group says. The warning follows a decision by the Scottish government to approve a 59-turbine windfarm on the Glenfiddich estate on Speyside, south of Dufftown. The estate is owned by Christopher Moran, a multi-millionaire London financier whose insurance and property business is said to be worth more than £200m.

Palestinian solar panel lifeline to be destroyed by Israel

Palestinians prepare to lose the solar panels that provide a lifeline | Global development | guardian.co.uk

Two large solar panels jut out of the barren landscape near Imneizil in the Hebron hills. The hi-tech structures sit incongruously alongside the tents and rough stone buildings of the Palestinian village, but they are fundamental to life here: they provide electricity. Imneizil is not connected to the national electricity grid. Nor are the vast majority of Palestinian communities in Area C, the 62% of the West Bank controlled by Israel. The solar energy has replaced expensive and clunky oil-powered generators.

Sir Richard Branson's letter in full signed by public figures bemoaning lack of clarity over support for low-carbon energy sources

Richard Branson letter to David Cameron on renewable energy

The letter in full from Dale Vince, Juliet Davenport and Caroline Lucas and other signatories backing green power, in response to a recent letter in which 101 Conservative backbenchers rubbished wind power

Dear David Cameron,

As entrepreneurs, investors, economists, scientists, engineers, energy providers, community builders and Members of Parliament, we are increasingly concerned about the lack of clarity around the future of government support for land based renewables, such as solar, wind and biogas.
In wind alone, the UK has more than 40% of Europe's renewable energy resources - enough to power up our economy 3 to 4 times over, generate exports, and provide the tools for communities and entrepreneurs to do their job.

Bringing energy supply and demand together, a decentralised energy market can make real efficiencies in costs associated with our antiquated infrastructure and transmission loss, deliver savings for tax payers and provide frustrated investors with new opportunities.

In the on-going review of renewable energy support, we ask that the Government recognises the importance of simple and accessible Feed-in Tariff policies, to guarantee the broadest possible ownership of the UK's next generation of energy infrastructure.

The new National Planning Policy Framework, in its current form, does not recognise the huge value of this approach that has been proven successful year-on-year by Germany, where community and large scale energy farms have delivered a 25% cost reduction, taking electricity bills down to 2008 levels.

A planning system that does recognise the value of a move to local energy is badly overdue and must be preferred to ripping up a system and leaving all sides uncertain.
We urge you to ensure that planning inspectors know that the future of the low carbon economy is at stake and our collective needs, both local and national, must be taken into account.

Yours sincerely,

Robin Smith Founder HOST Universal
House Of Sound Thinking London W1F 0LB 0044 (0)20 7849 4500 www.hostuniversal.com
Sir Richard Branson
Dr. Michael Stein CEO, Trillion Fund Ben Goldsmith Founding Partner, WHEB Group Neil O'Doherty Owner and Implementation Specialist, Eagle Peak Simon Roberts OBE Chief Executive, Centre for Sustainable Energy James Vaccaro Director, Triodos Bank
Dale Vince OBE
Caroline Lucas, MP Founder, Ecotricity
Leader of the Green Party
Howard Johns
Alan Simpson
Chair, Solar Trade Association
Architect of the Feed In Tariff
Juliet Davenport
Alan Whitehead
Founder CEO, Good Energy
Chair, PRASEG
Jeremy Leggett Founder, SolarCentury
Colin Challen Former MP and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Adam Twine
Climate Change Group Energy Farmer, Westmill
Peter Ainsworth Chris Hopkins
Founder Member Founder, Ploughcroft
Robertsbridge Group
Mike Zeidler Association of Sustainability Practitioners Nick Pyatt Director, Flow International Tamara Giltsoff Sustainable Business Strategy, Innovation & Venturing Trillion Fund Peter Holbrook CEO, Social Enterprise UK Helen Browning OBE Chief Executive, Soil Association Joel Benjamin Occupy LSX Energy, Equity and Environment Group Bill Dunster OBE Principle, The ZEDfactory Ltd Nicko Williamson Managing Director Climate Cars Ltd Dawn Muspratt Director The Renewable Power Exchange Robin Gifford Director, IEC Connect Ltd Keith Richardson Chair Community Renewable Energy John Elkington Co-founder & Executive Chairman Volans Dr Doug Parr Chief Scientist, Greenpeace Steve Trent Executive Director Environmental Justice Foundation Barbara Hammond Chair, Low Carbon Hub Wendy Twist Director, Low Carbon Hub David Hampton The Carbon Coach Duncan Law Chair, TTB (Transition Town Brixton) Alan Bailey Hon MSc Chairman Low Carbon South West CIC Ramsay Dunning Independent Renewables & Environment Robin Smith Founder, HOST Universal
Robin Nicholson CBE Senior Partner Edward Cullinan Architects Andrew MacLellan Director, ENER-G plc Professor Piers Forster Professor of Physical Climate Change, Leeds University Adrian Smith Senior Researcher, SPRU (Science & Technology Policy Research) University of Sussex Peter Reason Professor Emeritus School of Management Bath University Dr Lucy Gilliam, BSc Phd MIBiol FRSA Environmental Consultant & New Dawn Trader Professor Gordon Walker Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University Nick Storer, FRSA Chief Executive, Envirolink Nick Reeves OBE Executive Director Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management Sunand Prasad PPRIBA Senior Partner Penoyre & Prasad LLP Philip Mossop CEO, Carbon Guerrilla Andy Middleton Director, TYF Group Mark Griffiths Partner, SecondNature Vicky Grinnell-Wright VKG Consulting Community Power David Hunter Consultant (Charity & Social Enterprise Dept) Bates Wells & Braithwaite Christine Bone International Relations Coordinator School of Management Jane M. Wernick, FREng Jane Wernick Associates Peter Martin Research Director, CarbonSense
John Malone Director, Energy4All Craig Miller Owner, Ongen Merlin Hyman Chief Executive, Regen SW Toby Darbyshire Chief Executive, Engensa Hugo Schonbeck Repowering South London Peter Edwards Director, Windelectric Professor Stephen Frankel Founder/Chairman, WREN Alban Thurston Director, Juice from Your Roof Chris Church Chairman Low Carbon Community Network Rod Wood Managing Director Community Windpower Mark Luntley Chair Westmill Windfarm Cooperative Damian Tow Brighton Energy Co-Op Mary Walsh Founder, London Community Energy Project Peter Lefort Project Officer CAG / Resource Futures Andrew Mercer CEO, 2oc Tom Black PEDAL Portobello Transition Town Claire Morris Wind Energy DTC David Edwards Head of Business Development Solarcentury Toby Ferenczi CTO, Engensa Tom Pakenham Founder, Green Tomato Cars Michael Chesshire Director, Evergreen Gas Chas Warlow MD, Ham Hydro CIC
Peter Madden Chief Executive Forum for the Future Hugh Knowles Principal Sustainability Advisor Forum for the Future Tony Juniper Sustainability & Environment Advisor Jonathon Porritt Founder/Director Forum for the Future John Sauven Executive Director, Greenpeace Lord Hunt Lab Lord Tyler Lab Lord Whitty Lab Mary Glindon, MP Lab Alex Cunningham, MP Lab Martin Horwood, MP Lib Dem Meg Hillier, MP Lab Helen Goodman, MP Lab Joan Walley, MP Lab Bill Esterson, MP Lab Mark Lazarowicz, MP Lab Kelvin Hopkins, MP Lab Martin Caton, MP Lab Mike Weir, MP SNP Chris Williamson, MP Lab Naomi Long, MP Deputy Leader, Alliance Party Dr Julian Huppert, MP Lib Dem Danny Chivers Author, No-Nonsense Guide to Climate Change Rachel Johnson Editor-in-Chief, The Lady

Wadebridge, the UK's first solar-powered town

Wadebridge, the UK's first solar-powered town - video | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Wadebridge in Cornwall aims to become the first town in the country to run significantly on renewable energy sources. This film documents a local activist group's efforts to convince the rest of the community that solar panels and wind turbines are the way forward

White out conditions for post-2020 energy targets

Renewables industry calls for clarity on post-2020 energy targets | Environment | guardian.co.uk

The renewables energy industry has again called on the government to urgently clarify its plans for low-carbon energy development after 2020, following the release of a controversial submission to the EU, which argues the bloc should abandon specific renewable energy targets post-2020.

British Airways, climate change and a ton of garbage

British Airways, climate change and a load of rubbish | Damian Carrington | Environment | guardian.co.uk

The aviation industry has often appeared to be in denial on the subject of climate change, lobbying relentlessly in the UK for a third runway at Heathrow and attacking the European Union's gentle curbing of their emissions. But British Airways is pushing ahead with a plant that aims to turn half a million tonnes of Londoner's household rubbish into 50,000 tonnes a year of jet fuel. I'll let you decide if this is greenwash or not: here's some of the details.

Pushing sustainability with convergence

How BofA, MGM Resorts, EDF & ASU push sustainability with convergence | GreenBiz.com

There are plenty of examples of how things go awry in the world of business and buildings when it comes to growth and environmental impacts -- those problems help fuel the sustainability solutions industry.

U.S. Sides with China Against Airlines Emissions Tax

U.S. Sides with China Against Airlines Emissions Tax - HispanicBusiness.com

The European Union's plan to impose a tax on international airlines for their carbon emissions has run into fierce head winds, with the Obama administration joining China, India and other powers in a growing global drive to force the EU to back down.

Carbon dispute shaking things up for aviation body

UPDATE 2-UN aviation body hit by carbon emissions dispute

March 15 (Reuters) - The question of what role developing countries should play in reducing carbon emissions threatened to derail discussions at a top-level meeting of the United Nations body that oversees civil aviation, according to one official who attended Wednesday's meeting.

March 13, 2012 Current Commitments of Traders Charts

Current Commitments of Traders Charts

Based on CFTC weekly report.
(Weekly as of October 2000.)
15 Mar 11 - 13 Mar 12

MEPs back 2050 low-carbon roadmap, tightening carbon market

Environmental Finance | News | MEPs back 2050 low-carbon roadmap, tightening carbon market

Europe’s elected officials have strongly endorsed the low-carbon ‘roadmap’ to 2050 that was rejected by Poland last this week, and called on the European Commission to shore up the bloc’s emissions trading system (ETS). Sitting in Strasbourg yesterday, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted by a large majority on a resolution supporting the Commission’s roadmap, which sets the framework to reach the agreed goal of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 80-95% by 2050, against 1990 levels.