Plans to drill a deep geothermal well beneath the city of Aberdeen could deliver heating to thousands of nearby homes and an exhibition centre as Scotland looks to accelerate progress towards its goal of 11% non-electrical heat demand coming from renewable sources by 2020. A Government-funded report suggests that the new demonstration scheme, which would exploit geothermal energy through a pipe stretching almost 1.2 miles into the ground, could help position the region as a global energy hub and heighten the potential of this form of energy for the rest of the UK. Aberdeen City Council says it is “willing to support” a bid to fund the “fracking free” scheme which would provide a decarbonised heat supply to local dwellings and the proposed Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC). According to the latest figures from the Scottish Government, Scotland produced enough heat from renewable sources to meet between 3.7% and 3.8% of non-electrical heat demand in 2014 – up from 1% in 2009 but still a long way short of the 11% target set for 2020. Last summer, the Scottish Government released a new policy roadmap which set out its approach to decarbonising the heat system. The Heat Policy Statement outlined a number of new approaches to renewable heat, such as the designation of energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority, and the funding of feasibility studies into the potential for geothermal energy in Scotland.

Edie 29th March 2016 read more »

One thousand solar panels – capable of generating 0.2GWh of electricity per annum – have been installed by Scottish Water at its Marchbank water treatment works near Balerno. The treatment works currently produces 40 mega litres of water per day – enough to fill 16 Olympic swimming pools. This means that 17,000 properties in parts of western and southern Edinburgh and areas of West Lothian now receive drinking water which has been treated thanks to the power of the sun.

Scottish Energy News 29th March 2016 read more »

THE UK’s renewable energy industry could be harmed with the loss of incentives to develop a low-carbon economy if Britain leaves Europe, legal experts have warned. Law firm Pinsent Masons said a vote to leave Europe could remove legally binding carbon-free targets, which in turn could dilute the political will to deliver green power.

Herald 29th March 2016 read more »

A major new study has significantly lifted the potential of rooftop solar PV in the United States, saying rooftop solar alone could provide 40 per cent of all the electricity needs of the world’s biggest economy, and around half if module efficiencies continued to improve. The study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says the estimated potential from rooftop solar has been revised upwards by more than 80 per cent since the last study in 2008, mostly because of improvements of module efficiencies, building availability and solar modelling.

Renew Economy 29th March 2016 read more »

Developers of a new solar farm in Hampshire that reached completion this week have warned the site may be the last utility-scale solar park built in the UK for a long time, due to impending subsidy changes. Located in one of the sunniest parts of the UK, the 49MW installation was granted planning permission in July 2015 under the Renewables Obligation (RO) grace period rule and will shortly be accredited by the scheme which is set to be scrapped from start of next month.

Edie 28th March 2016 read more »

Policymakers worldwide are looking for ways to detect and solve public opposition. They offer financial stakes and try to play down impacts – but studies repeatedly find no empirical evidence, say, that placing wind turbines further from buildings increases acceptance. As that study puts it, “It’s not enough to want to win over residents by providing them with information early on. Instead, people need to be able to participate early on – and have real input.” Too often, policymakers and industry representatives assume that financial stakes are enough reward for the public. For instance, Denmark now requires various types of energy projects to offer 20 percent of the stakes to the public. But by the time those holdings are issued, the project is already well defined; citizens cannot shape the project’s design.

One Step Off the Grid 29th March 2016 read more »

PLANS to drill a deep geothermal well below Aberdeen to heat local homes and businesses would unlock massive quantities of pollution-free energy, campaigners claim. As government-funded report suggests that a demonstration scheme which would tap into high temperatures found miles underground could help position the area as a global energy hub, WWF Scotland has called all political parties to commit to plans to bring clean and affordable warmth to thousands of households and businesses. It has been claimed the “fracking free” plan to drill a deep geothermal well below the city also has the potential to cushion the economic blow from the crisis in the North Sea and highlight the potential from this form of energy for the rest of the UK. The proposal comes on the back of recent claims by Prime Minister David Cameron that Icelandic volcanoes could pipe power to homes across the UK via a a subsea cable.

Herald 27th March 2016 read more »

SCOTLAND’S coldest city could generate large amounts of heat from the earth. A “fracking free” plan to drill a deep geothermal well below Aberdeen has the potential to cushion the economic blow from the crisis in the North Sea. A government-funded report suggests that a demonstration scheme – tapping into high temperatures found miles underground to heat local homes and businesses – could help position the region as a global energy hub and highlight the potential from this form of energy for the rest of the UK. Report author Iain Stewart, professor of geoscience communication at Plymouth University, said Scotland could do more with the geothermal resources on its doorstep as part of a push for clean, renewable energy. Stewart’s study into the feasibility of installing a deep geothermal single well (DGSW) at the new site of the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), at a cost of £1.5m-£2.5m, concludes that it represents a unique opportunity. He said it would supply low-carbon heat to the AECC and nearby homes, be a catalyst for deep geothermal energy in Scotland by acting as a showcase project, work as an educational tool to raise public awareness, and help develop crossover skills with the oil and gas industry. The project does not require fracking and so it is more likely to be acceptable to the public than some other geothermal projects involving “stimulation techniques”. Aberdeen is one of five areas where geothermal feasibility studies have been backed by the Scottish government. The others are Guardbridge in Fife, Polkemmet in West Lothian, Hartwood in North Lanarkshire, and Hill of Banchory in Aberdeenshire. Heat is estimated to account for more than half of Scotland’s total energy use and to be responsible for nearly 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. The government believes that geothermal energy could cut the estimated £2.6bn a year spent on heating by householders and businesses.

Times 27th March 2016 read more »

This week’s Micro Power News: Premier Inns installs PV on 88 hotels; Government kills off Berwickshire solar housing solar scheme; Telford factory saving £50k per year with PV.

Microgen Scotland 25th March 2016 read more »

Global investment in renewable energy reached record levels in 2015, according to a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). More surprisingly, perhaps, the report shows that the $286bn poured into green energy was more than double the spending on coal- and gas-fired power. It also shows, for the first time, that more renewable power capacity was added than other sources and that renewable energy investment was mostly in developing countries. Carbon Brief runs through the key findings in seven charts.

Carbon Brief 24th March 2016 read more »

BBC 24th March 2016 read more »

Global investment in coal and gas-fired power generation plants fell to less than half that in renewable energy generation last year, in a record year for clean energy. It was the first time that renewable energy made up a majority of all the new electricity generation capacity under construction around the world, and the first year in which the financial investment by developing countries in renewables outstripped that of the developed world.

Guardian 24th March 2016 read more »