German EU Presidency: 'Climate and energy biggest challenges'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that climate and energy are the “two biggest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century”, when she presented the programme for Germany’s EU presidency. During its EU presidency, Germany will try to reach an agreement on the official EU position on global climate policy post-2012. Merkel stated that the EU therefore needs to encourage the USA and other countries in the world to cooperate on energy and climate politics more closely than so far.

Conflict on reducing CO2 emissions from cars

The publication of a policy paper by the European Commission on reducing CO2 emissions from new cars, which was due this Wednesday, has been postponed. The paper contains a mandatory limit of 120 grammes of CO2 per kilometre by 2012 fro new cars. This call for binding legislation on carmakers comes from Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, who has had strong resistance on this from the car industry and EU Enterprise Commissioner Günter Verheugen. The car makers say that the target is not realistic for many car models. President of the European Commission José Manuel Barrosso therefore postponed the adoption of the policy paper by a week or even a few weeks. Barrosso said the extra time is needed to reach a compromise on how the target should be achieved.

Bush announces 20% cut in gasoline usage of cars by 2017

During yesterday’s State of the Union, President Bush of the United States announced a 20% cut in gasoline usage of cars in 10 years, by 2017. The fuel measures are the most important policy combating climate change and the US ‘addiction to oil’.

UK and France want to cooperate on energy efficiency

France and the UK are exploring the possibilities to cooperate on energy efficiency in the residential sector. In a recently held seminar French and British head men discussed national measures to improve housing design and to change consumer behaviour. According to French industry minister François Loos, France can learn from the experience in the UK in terms of energy certificates for buildings. The implementation of energy certificates for buildings is expected to be introduced under EU law in June this year however France has postponed the implementation of energy certificates till 2009.

World-leading hydrogen office project in Scotland

Scotland has plans for a Hydrogen Office Project in the Scottish seaport town Methil. The project will contain a 1200 square metre energy efficient office building to house the Hydrogen Office Demonstration Centre, an incubation centre for small businesses, and flexible office accommodation.

The office will use hydrogen fuel cell technology and will work towards meeting the Scottish renewable energy targets of 18% by 2012. The centre will demonstrate solar and wind power and geothermal heat pumps. Hydrogen will be generated using electrolysis - passing an electric current through water to break it down into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen energy will be stored until it is needed to supplement wind power at times of low wind and high energy demand. The project will cost € 4.23 million and is expected to be completed at the end of 2008.

UK grants permission for world’s largest offshore wind farm

The UK Government granted planning consent for two major offshore wind farms, both to be built in the Thames Estuary. These are the first wind farms to be granted planning consent under the second round of offshore wind development in the UK.

The London Array and Thanet wind farms together will make up 1,300 MW of renewable electricity capacity, which is equivalent to over 1% of UK electricity supplies and estimated to be enough to power one third of London's households.

The London Array will be made up of 341 wind turbines, each with a generating capacity between 3 and 7 MW. The wind farm will be located 20 km off the Kent and Essex coasts and will occupy 232 square kilometres, stretching between Margate and Clacton. Development will take place in two phases, whereby bird impact monitoring results from the first phase will be assessed before giving confirmation of the second phase of the development.

The £500 million Thanet wind farm will occupy around 35 square kilometres and is planned to be located approximately 11.3 km from North Foreland, on the Kent coast. The 100 turbine development is being led by developer Warwick Energy and is being fast-tracked for delivery in 2008.

The UK is at the forefront of the offshore wind industry, with 8,700 MW of offshore wind projects at various stages of development. According to the British Wind Energy Association the UK is set to overtake Denmark as the leader in installed offshore wind generating capacity in 2008.

UK wind industry broke records in 2006

The UK wind industry broke all records last year, making 2006 the most productive and successful year for the sector since the country’s first commercial wind farm started generating 15 years ago, according to a review of the year by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA).

A record breaking 630 MW of new wind power capacity was commissioned in the UK in 2006: an increase of 50% on 2005, which in turn saw a 100% increase on capacity commissioned in 2004. The new wind capacity was made up of one new offshore wind farm and 21 new onshore projects, which included Hadyard Hill onshore wind farm, the first UK wind farm to have over 100 MW in generating capacity. With a further 625 MW wind power currently under construction in the UK, and consents granted for a further 2,120 MW, the BWEA says that the “UK wind sector is undoubtedly leading the way in providing clean new generation, and meeting Government targets for securing future energy supplies and tackling climate change.”

Wind power is the fastest growing energy source worldwide, with an average annual growth rate of 23% over the last 15 years, and the UK hosts one of the best wind resources in the world. Offshore, the UK holds particularly strong potential, with potentially 8,700 MW of offshore wind projects at various stages of development. Wind power will be the single greatest contributor to the UK Government’s 10% in 2010 renewable electricity target.

Read more in UK Wind Energy Database (BWEA)

Green Olympics in London 2012

Organisers said that the 2012 Olympics in London will be ‘the greenest games ever’. The Olympics will use renewable energy to heat the swimming pools. Solar panels, wind turbines, mini hydroelectric schemes and woodchip-fuelled boilers will be used to make the Olympics green. According to the Olympic Delivery Authority, this will lead to emissions reductions of 50%.

Some of the building in the Stratford Olympic Park will have thermal-mass walls. The swimming pools will have a combined cooling, heating and power plant to supply them. This will be supplemented by a biomass boiler, which heats water using organic matter.

About 90% of the demolition materials will be reused or recycled, and half of the construction materials needed will be transported to the site by rail and water.