News review
In brief
Sustainable Energy
U-turn over
RHI eligibility
Condensing biomass boilers will
now be eligible for the domestic
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI),
when it launches in spring. The
Government has performed a
U-turn over the technology, which
was not part of the RHI policy
when it was released in July 2013
because of fears over pollutants
discharged from such boilers.
The concerns surrounded
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) – categorised as priority
hazardous substances by the EU –
and their impact on water quality.
But research by Defra has shown
that although PAHs are released
in condensate from condensing
biomass boilers, the levels are too
low to pose a signi?cant threat to
the environment, and water
treatment ensures that the risk of
aquatic PAH pollution is minimal.
Sustainable Energy
Siemens makes
bold statement
for future of wind
“We want to reduce the
levelised cost of energy for
offshore wind power by up to
40% before the end of the
decade”, Siemens Wind Power
CTO Henrik Stiesdal told the
EWEA Offshore 2013 trade
fair and conference in
Frankfurt this week. “This
means that starting as early
as 2020, we will offer our
customers technologies that
allows offshore wind power to
be produced for less than 10
euro cents per kilowatt hour.”
Sustainable Policy
UK puts brakes on funding
for coal-?red power stations
Ed Davey announces new policy and help for poorest countries
By Stuart Qualtrough
A ll nations at this week’s
international climate
change talks must leave
Warsaw with a clear political
understanding that a new global
climate deal will be agreed in
2015, Energy Secretary Ed Davey
told the conference this week.
“We must make sure that when
we arrive in Paris in 2015 we are
ready to strike a deal,” Mr Davey
said. “The UK will be working as
part of the EU, to gain momentum
for a deal with a push for 50%
reduction in European emissions.
But we will need to see similar
ambitions and commitment from
other developed and emerging
partners before we can sign.”
Mr Davey also announced that
the UK will join the US in ending
support for public ?nancing of new
coal-?red power plants overseas,
except in rare circumstances where
there is no feasible alternative. The
governments will work together to
encourage other countries and
Multilateral Development Banks to
adopt similar policies.
Mr Davey said: “It is completely
illogical for countries like the UK
and the US to be decarbonising our
own energy sectors while paying for
coal-?red power plants to be built in
other countries. It undermines
Worcester, Bosch Group has
opened a state-of-the-art
training facility in Normanton,
near Wake?eld. It will offer an
entire suite of Worcester training
courses for heating engineers
and service technicians across
all of its core product ranges,
including solar thermal panels
and a wide variety of heat
pump technologies.
8 GreenWeek Nov 22, 2013
global efforts to prevent dangerous
climate change and stores up a
future ?nancial time bomb for
those countries who would have to
undo their reliance on coal-?red
generation in the decades ahead,
as we are having to do today.
“Like the US, the UK recognises
that there will be exceptions. We
need to take account of new
technologies such as CCS and the
very poorest countries where there
are no alternatives. But many
developing countries will soon ?nd
solar and similar energy technologies
will become cheaper not just cleaner”.
Recognising the growing impact
of climate change on the world’s
poorest countries, Mr Davey has
also pledged £50m from the UK’s
International Climate Fund to help
more than 860,000 people adapt.
He said: “Our challenge is both to
help prevent further damaging
climate change, but also to help
protect the poorest people from the
effects of climate change that is
already happening. This funding is
to help people adapt to our harsher
climate conditions and this is a vital
part of tackling poverty worldwide”.
The money will help vulnerable
communities to improve water
management, irrigation and
supply, invest in ?ood protection
and drought-resistant crops, and
develop better weather forecasting
and early warning systems.
Overheard
Sustainable Industry
Up-to-the-minute
training facility
UK and US call an end to funding for coal-?red energy generation
“We’ve got to
get rid of this
green crap”
What Prime Minister
David Cameron is
accused of telling
decision-makers
“He is undermining
thousands of jobs in
the green energy sector
and threatens future
investment. Now that
really is crap”
Joss Garman, Deputy Political
Director at Greenpeace