About 4% of the UK’s electricity is now provided by wind farms – enough to power all the homes in Scotland – 436 wind turbines operate across 13 sites off the coast – the UK is already the biggest producer of offshore electricity, generating more than the rest of the world combined.
Chiefs on the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) have predicted that wind power will surpass 400GW of capacity by 2014.
Additionally, the industry body has said that the cost of offshore wind farms could drop by 25 per cent by 2025. By the end of this year, it is expected that installed wind power capacity across the world will reach 200GW.
In the latest projections published yesterday by the GWEC, it was revealed that 40GW of new capacity is being added in 2010, which will ensure that three per cent of globally energy capacity is now provided via wind power.
According to Steve Sawyer, secretary general for the global trade association, in spite of a fall in orders during the recession in the US last year, it was still expected that the wind power industry will double its capacity by 2014. He added that overall wind energy continues to be an emerging market and has weathered the economic downturn better than many analysts predicted.
Furthermore, Mr Sawyer added that the biggest growths have been seen in China and Europe, but said that South America and North Africa will also begin to play an increasingly vital role in the expansion of the sector.
Citing the increasing competition in wind power, he said that half of the growth in wind energy was being seen from developing countries in Latin America including Brazil, Chile and Mexico.
Thames Water has announced plans for a super sewer which it hopes will cut the 39million tonnes of raw sewage poured into the River Thames every year.
London’s sewage system was built in the Victorian era and while, it still works well, increased pressure means untreated human waste flowing into the Thames on a weekly basis.
There are 57 overflow points along the river, which were built as a safety feature to prevent the sewers – which capture both sewage and rainfall – from backing up into streets and gardens when full.
Read full article: http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=18690&src=tw
A new GBP1.5 MILLION green energy scheme will turn a Cumbrian stream into a mini power station and be the biggest hydro-electric project in the Lake District.
The renewable energy scheme will provide electricity for hundreds of homes from a small weir on a mountain stream. It involves a 60cm buried pipe running 1km downhill, and a small stone and slate barn housing the water turbine and other generating equipment.
Located at Logan Gill, a tributary of the River Duddon, near Broughton in Furness, the hydro-electric project will provide enough energy to cater annually for 1,000 people, equivalent to the size of the village of Grasmere, and will save 1,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
It is one of the first renewable energy schemes in UK to benefit from the governments new ‘Clean Energy Cashback’ initiative, a scheme that allows energy suppliers make regular payments to householders and communities who generate their own electricity from renewable or low carbon sources.
Read more: http://ecofriendlytip.com/2010/09/09/biggest-hydro-electric-project-in-the-lake-district-launched/
File this one under “holy crap,” but scientists at MIT have discovered molecules that spontaneously assemble themselves into a pattern that can turn light into electricity — essentially a self-creating solar panel. In a petri dish.
The researchers set out to create a synthetic process that imitates photosynthesis. Certain molecules respond to light by releasing electrons; the trick was discovering a substance that sticks them together in a consistent structure. Phospholipids do just that, and they also attach themselves to carbon nanotubes, which conduct electricity. With the nanotubes holding the phospholipids in a uniform alignment, the photoreactive molecules are all exposed to light at once, and the tube acts as a wire that then collects the resulting electrical current.
Read full article: http://dvice.com/archives/2010/09/scientists-disc.php
Welsh manufacturers could be poised to receive nearly £50,000 to increase their recycled material use under a new scheme that was launched today by WRAP Cymru.
According to research from WRAP, 78 per cent of manufacturing businesses in the small to medium enterprise sector believe that direct financial aid would help the initial costs of smaller firms transitioning to using recycled content. WRAP Cymru has responded by launching their own funding scheme.
WRAP will now give away grants to funding applicants that can be used to equip existing facilities with new technology for recycled material use or be used to build new production and packaging plants. The grant money can also be applied to any promotional costs needed to relaunch the newly packaged product.
Read more: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2597000.html
As local authorities across the country step up their recycling efforts, new figures revealed that waste battery recycling rates have risen more than five per cent in a three month period.
Scientists at the Environment Agency learned that 16.15 per cent of all waste batteries had been sent to recycling during 2010’s second quarter. This is in comparison to the 9.15 per cent that was recycled during the first three months of this year.
The increase in battery recycling is partially being attributed to a new scheme that requires retail outlets that sell large quantities of batteries to provide in-store recycling bins for their customers. The scheme was introduced back in February and has since boosted battery recycling in the second quarter by nearly 6 per cent.
At present, the UK is on course to reach its Batteries Regulations targets, which call for at least 10 per cent of all batteries to be recycled by the end of the year. This year so far, 2,320.265 tonnes of batteries have been recycled putting the UK at a recycling rate for the past six months of 12.58 per cent. Should this rate continue, the UK will surpass the goals outlined in the Batteries Regulations literature.
Battery recycling has been highlighted as one of the major overhauls that needs to take place in the recycling industry. With the rise in electronic equipment use and the growing e-waste issue, batteries have become a growing rubbish problem as often people just chuck them out with the rest of the garbage. In an effort to curb this practice, local authorities, organisations and electronic suppliers have begun to encourage battery recycling across the country.
Did you know that an Ann Arbor couple ‘greened’ up their wedding ceremony and you could do it too?
It was in August 2010, the Ann Arbor couple (Engel and Dyer) were married in a “green” outdoor ceremony and reception near the Huron River fit to pay homage to their shared passion of the planet and the outdoors.
The trend toward green weddings certainly isn’t new, but researchers say it has evolved to allow couples to incorporate their own personal preferences and still afford their marriage.
Most people are interested in a green wedding and when they hear about what it really entails, they turn out going a different route. Our heroes Engel and Dyer decided they wouldn’t be able to keep everything completely green, but were going to try their hardest. And the most essential element was to make the day educational as well as fun for guests.
They planned the ceremony at a science and nature center where tours were offered to guests in the hour before they walked down the aisle. The tour featured different water and energy conservation solutions used at the center like the solar-panel arrays for electricity, solar-powered heating and water heater systems and no-flush compost toilets.
Read full article here: http://www.eventplanningcareers.net/7_Easy_Ideas_to_Green_Up_Your_Wedding_110.doc
UK Corporations are starting to realise the environmental and monetary benefits of recycling old company mobile phones.
It has been estimated that over 3 million firms in the UK will give out company or company-paid mobiles as part of upgrades or new handouts this year. With the large excess of redundant phones in the corporate sector, businesses are beginning to appreciate the value of recycling phones that employees exchange for new ones. Actions being taken by these firms include setting up recycling drives in building lobbies or forming partnerships with online recyclers.
Not only do corporations receive environmental accolades for responsibly recycling, but they are also saving money by redeeming rewards or cash-based incentives from the recycling schemes. Many partners, sponsors and customers are keen to work with companies touting green credentials, which can also be a perk for firms that are avidly and openly promoting recycling.
Read full article: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2575000.html
EcoSquid is now offering a new website that can help consumers locate the best options for recycling or selling their used electronics.
The solution, which comes in the wake of many regulators, manufacturers and environmentalists beginning to stress the need for better electronic waste management, will help householders recycle old electronics in a more sustainable manner. The EcoSquid website is part of a larger ‘eCycling’ website ring sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The company has said that at present just 20 per cent of all e-waste is recycled each year. A majority of the e-waste that goes unrecycled is sitting in drawers and garages in UK households across the country.
Read more: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2519000.html
