Scotland and Norway may be divided by 500 miles of wild and unpredictable North Sea, but the countries have a shared relationship that has endured over hundreds of years – and continues to reinvent itself through the ages. Joint ventures and successful working arrangements have benefited both countries; from shipbuilding to fisheries, it is little wonder that Scots and Norwegians feel such strong social, cultural, and economic ties. And now there is a new chapter on the verge of being opened which will not just provide a boost for the two countries but could lead the charge in addressing a global crisis.

Scotsman 31st July 2021 read more »

Installations of solar PV under the Local Authority Delivery of the Green Homes Grant have risen, although the technology still represents just 5% of total installations. Data released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) detailing low carbon installations made as part of the Green Homes Grant up until the end of May 2021 show that there were 109 installations of solar PV, up from the four as of the end of March. This represents just 5% of the total low carbon technology installations however, with a total of 2,418 installations made. Additionally, a further 11,664 households have been identified for funding under the Local Authority Delivery Phase One – split into 1A and 1B – and are therefore expected to receive an installation. Solar thermal has also seen low installation numbers under the scheme, with 24 installations, or 1%. Installations of low carbon heating as a whole came in at 274, or 11%.

Solar Portal 30th July 2021 read more »

A roof mount solar photovoltaic (PV) project for the UK government’s Ministry of Justice department has been completed. The centrally funded £1.1m project saw the delivery of roof-mounted solar to seven courts and three prisons in the Midlands region. Ameresco, a US cleantech integrator specialising in energy efficiency and renewable energy, worked with Ministry of Justice project managers throughout the installation process to ensure that there was no disruption to the court buildings’ day-to-day.

Smart Cities World 30th July 2021 read more »

The challenge for hydrogen is how to source, finance, distribute and above all scale low-carbon hydrogen production in time to meet global ambitious climate goals? To address this issue, Reuters Events held a two-day digital conference and exhibition on hydrogen in May 2021, featuring more than 50 speakers across some 20 sessions. This paper summarises the key points of the event.

Reuters 30th July 2021 read more »

The Crown Estate has progressed three floating wind projects forward to the next stage of assessment in its leasing process, marking another major step forward in scaling up the nascent renewable power technology. Together the projects – which are earmarked for sites in the Celtic Sea off the coasts of Devon, Cornwall and Wales – amount to a potential 300MW of power capacity from wind turbines which, rather than being fixed to the seabed, effectively float on the water, enabling their installation further out in deeper seas where winds are higher. The Crown Estate announced on Tuesday that each project has now met initial test and demonstration criteria as part of its wind leasing opportunity, which is one of the world’s largest offshore leasing programmes geared towards supporting the development of innovative energy technologies.

Business Green 29th July 2021 read more »

The big opportunity to make offshore wind energy even cleaner. Some forward-thinking businesses – both in the offshore wind industry and other verticals – are already trying to aggressively reduce emissions through green steel production, recycling old turbines, and reducing the impact in other parts of the supply chain. But what they may not realize is that a sizable opportunity also exists to make the marine service segment supporting the offshore wind industry with vessels during installation and maintenance much cleaner today. Their activities are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions from wind power, at around ~10 g CO2-eq./kWh, or over one quarter of total emissions generated by offshore wind.

NS Energy 30th July 2021 read more »

Chancellor Rishi Sunak visits Methil to see turbine. The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak MP, visited Methil on Thursday to see the 7MW Levenmouth Demonstration Offshore Wind Turbine off the coast of Fife.

Fife Today 30th July 2021 read more »

MAINSTREAM Renewable Power, the global wind and solar company, and Siemens have partnered to bid for licences in the new ScotWind offshore leasing round. The consortium including Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Siemens Energy will work with Mainstream and Siemens Financial Services (SFS).

Herald 31st July 2021 read more »

Sky’s offices, retail stores and journalism hubs across the world are now powered solely by clean power, with the media giant today announcing it has reached its 100 per cent renewable electricity target. Sky, which has a target to become a net zero business by 2030, said delivering on the renewable power goal for 2020 had cut its Scope 1 and 2 greenhoues gas emissions by 22.7 per cent from its 2018 baseline under its Science-Based Targets initiative- approved climate strategy.

Business Green 30th July 2021 read more »

Why extreme weather is putting renewable systems in the spotlight. Aiming for 100% renewable energy systems is the Holy Grail, but in the shorter term we might have to accept that some form of fossil fuel back-up remains necessary for periods of extreme weather. At one end of the scale is what the Germans call the kalte Dunkelflaute, when it is cold, dark and cloudy with virtually no wind. The UK, where renewables provide nearly a third of all power, half of this generated by wind energy, suffered a similar situation this month, except it was very hot. In both cases, reliance on high amounts of wind energy can become problematic. “Those working on power system decarbonisation are well aware of this issue, although fossil fuel industry representatives often make it look as if they don’t understand what is happening,” says Jan Rosenow from the Regulatory Assistance Project, a non-profit aimed at enabling the energy transition. “It is a challenge, but one that can be addressed.” Building out huge amounts of batteries, where energy can be stored, is often touted as important to solving this issue, but batteries are, at best, only part of the solution.

Energy Monitor 29th July 2021 read more »

Wolverhampton Council’s dated and pollution-pumping vehicles will be dumped in favour of electric, environmentally-friendly alternatives. Bosses will also ramp up the switch to sustainable electricity and heating which has seen it cut back on energy use over the last two years. The changes form part of the council’s bid to become carbon neutral by 2028, as part of a national push to cut local authority emissions. Cabinet members have signed off on the plan which will involve significant investment initially by the city council. However, as well as helping the climate, bosses said the council would reap the benefits financially further down the line.

Express & Star 29th July 2021 read more »

Installation of over 1,542 solar panels on 11 council buildings in Salford is underway, with the solar to be operational by the autumn. Greater Manchester-based company NPS Solar is installing the solar panels, which are expected to generate 477,390kWh each year. They are to contribute to the Greater Manchester target of installing 45MW of renewable power. Salford City Council is to spend £647,828 on the rollout, with this coming from a £5 million pot of government funding it is to receive through public body Salix Finance to upgrade the energy efficiency of the city’s public buildings. This funding is part of £78 million for Greater Manchester to support energy efficiency upgrades to over 150 public buildings

Solar Power Portal 28th July 2021 read more »

A tidal-powered turbine, which its makers say is the most powerful in the world, has started to generate electricity via the grid in Orkney. The Orbital O2 has the capacity to meet the annual electricity demand of 2,000 homes for the next 15 years. In May, it was sailed out of Dundee, where it was assembled over 18 months. The 680-tonne turbine is now anchored in the Fall of Warness where a subsea cable connects the 2MW offshore unit to the local onshore electricity network. Orbital Marine Power said its first commercial turbine, which will be powered by the fast-flowing waters, is a “major milestone”.

BBC 28th July 2021 read more »

Business Green 29th July 2021 read more »

The National 28th July 2021 read more »

Daily Mail 28th July 2021 read more »

Scotsman 28th July 2021 read more »

STV 28th July 2021 read more »