UK company Forth Energy urged to drop plans

A UK company has been urged to drop the controversial plans for a biomass power station at Leith, after a new report in which campaigners claimed cast fresh doubts on the viability of the proposed plant. Environmental group Friends of the Earth said Forth Energy should scrap the proposed development in the wake of the report by the influential UK Committee on Climate Change, which recommended that large-scale biomass power stations should no longer be eligible for public subsidies. Read more ...

United Kingdom will meet bioenergy target

Government Committee on Climate Change (CCC) published its first Bioenergy Review, Enagri and has said the the UK will meet its target of 10 percent of its primary energy from biomass as the report recommended. Published at the end of November, the UK Biomass Directory 2012 lists every announced and operational power plant using biomass feed stocks in the UK. Enagri’s data shows that by 2020 these could produce around 130 TWh of electricity, compared with the CCC’s recommendation that bioenergy produce 200 TWh of primary energy by 2050. Read more ...

Australia government help farmers to go green

In Australia the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry senator Joe Ludwig announced the plan for action on the ground program, designed to help farmers cash in on Australia clean energy future. Action on the Ground is funding to help farmers over the next six years to trial and demonstrate on-farm practices and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as methane and nitrous oxide or increase soil carbon. “Action on the Ground will provide farmers with support to develop the tools to mitigate the impact of climate change and help Australia meet its emission reduction targets,” Minister Ludwig said. “The first funding round of competitive grants will commit up to AU$25 million (€19.043 million) between now and 2015.” Read more ...

UK renewable heat incentives open for applications

The worlds first Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is open for applications from businesses and communities across the UK. The incentive will provide payments for heat generated from renewable technologies including biomass boilers, solar thermal equipment, heat pumps that have been installed since July 15, 2009. Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “The RHI will usher in a new era in clean green heat technology. It’s a world first and has the potential to put the UK at the forefront of a vibrant new green technology sector". Read more ...

Africa's has major potential for renewable energy

The potential for renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa is massive according to a new report carried out by Christian Aid. This potential could lift millions of people out of poverty without exacerbating climate change. One of the key issues with the sub-Saharan Africa countries is their limited access to energy consumption between them. The lack of power has severely restricted development in these regions. As a whole they produce less electricity than New York State. The lack of power has also hampered Africa's efforts to meet the UN-agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Read more ...

UK Government threatened with legal action by FOE

Friends of the Earth has come out and threatened the UK government over the decision to slash financial incentives to those who wish to install solar schemes. The environmental group has said that it will start legal proceedings against the UK Government unless the Government agrees to amend its proposals by 4pm on Friday November 11. Friends of the Earth's Policy and Campaigns Director Craig Bennett said: "The Government is breaking the law with its plans to fast-track a solar industry kill-off as well as jeopardising thousands of jobs and countless clean energy projects across the country. Read more ...

Scottish and UK ministers meet for Biomass rethink

The Scottish minister for energy, enterprise and tourism Fergus Ewing met the UK governments minister for Energy and Climate Change Charles Hendry and hosted a meeting on bioenergy stakeholders. Earlier in the month the Scottish government proposed removing all subsidies for large scale biomass electricity plants. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: "I have grave concerns about the UK Government's ambition for biomass electricity. Large-scale woody biomass used for electricity generation is much less efficient than smaller scale neighbourhood plants". Read more ...

EIB loans €500 million for climate change mitigation projects

The European Investment Bank has provided a €500 million (US$674.825) loan to the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) of Brazil for projects in the renewable energy sector supporting climate change mitigation. The objective of this operation is to support investments that generate environmental benefits with respect to combating climate change. Read more ...

Green heat scheme delayed in the UK

The green heat scheme will be launched by the end of November, one month after it was due to begin. The delay comes from complaints by the European commission (EC) that subsidies were too high for large biomass technology. A spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said "the EC are concerned that the tariff setting methodology used for the large scale biomass tariff differed from that applied for other technology bands, resulting in too high a tariff being set." Read more ...