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Scotland’s success in renewable energy and energy efficiency

Scotland Cheers Record-Breaking Renewables Year Earth Techling,   by Lauren Craig, January 1st, 2012 There have been several big renewable energy news stories to come out of Scotland this year. The country commissioned its first grid-tied commercial scale tidal turbine; signed lease agreements for five new offshore wind farms; and dedicated £35 million ($54 million) to support the marine and tidal industry over the next three years. Since setting an ambitious goal to meet 100 percent of the country’s electricity needs with renewable energy by 2020, the Scottish government is keeping a close eye on the numbers. And, if things keep going the way they have been going, 2011 will be a record year for renewable electricity production in Scotland.

New figures recently released by the Scottish Department for Energy and Climate Change show that in the first nine months of 2011 Scotland had already generated 94 percent of the amount of renewable energy produced in 2010, and 83 percent of that produced during the old record year of 2009. The percentage of renewable electricity production had decreased from 27.4 percent in 2009 to 24.1 percent in 2010, but the figures indicate Scotland will bounce back in 2011 and produce enough renewable generation capacity to meet its 2011 interim target of 31 percent.

Part of the increase can be attributed to falling energy consumption. The figures show that energy consumption fell by 7.4 percent compared to 2008, and that Scotland is on track to meet its energy reduction target of 12 percent by 2020.

“These figures show that [2011] is on course to be truly the best year yet,” said Energy Minister Fergus Ewing. “This year projects were switched on representing £750 million of investment in renewables, and a staggering £46 billion of investment is in the pipeline. But most importantly, we have taken real steps to ensure that communities all over Scotland will benefit from the renewable energy generated in their area, with a community benefit register [and] loan projects to help them develop renewable energy projects of their own.”  http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/01/scotland-cheers-record-breaking-renewables-year/

January 2, 2012 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

UK government’s secret decisions on nuclear warheads

the debate remains stifled. Trident was excluded from last year’s strategic defence and security review. As part of the coalition agreement, the Lib Dems were offered a Trident “value for money” review. It is little more than a fig leaf…..

Britain, meanwhile, is also collaborating with the US on plans to replace nuclear warhead components.

How many ministers are questioning the plan to replace Trident? Guardian UK,  ,  31 Dec 11, Two-thirds of Thatcher’s cabinet were reportedly against buying Trident. Thirty years on, debate about its replacement is stifled. In 1981, two-thirds of the cabinet were opposed to Britain buying the US Trident nuclear missile system, according to the defence secretary at the time, John Nott.

The prime minister went ahead anyway, without any proper debate.

Disclosures in hitherto secret papers released at the National Archives under the 30-year rule are extraordinarily pertinent now. Continue reading →

December 31, 2011 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

Growth in UK jobs with steep increase in renewable energy

UK renewables climb steeply delivering jobs renews Europe, 29 December 2011 Renewable energy consumption in the UK increased 27% in the three years to end-2010 with plans announced in 2011 for £2.5bn of investment to continue the capacity build.

The government today published an update on progress to source 15% of all energy from renewable sources by 2020. A report to the European Commission showed that the UK achieved a 27% increase in renewable energy consumption from 42.6TWh in 2008 to 54TWh
in 2010 – representing 3.3% of total energy consumed.

Wind generation increased by 46% from 7TWh in 2008 to 10.2TWh in 2010 and in 2010 achieved 5GW of offshore and onshore wind capacity. There was a threefold increase in the use of biofuels in transport from 1% of total road transport fuel supply in 2007/8 to 3.33% in 2010.

Latest research from DECC shows that so far this financial year, companies have announced plans for almost £2.5billion worth of investment in renewable energy projects in the UK, with the potential to create almost 12,000 jobs across the country, DECC said.

Energy secretary Chris Huhne   said there was mounting evidence of the economic benefits of renewable energy: “Renewable energy is not just helping us increase our energy security and reduce our emissions. It is supporting jobs and growth across the country, and giving traditional industrial heartlands the opportunity to thrive again…. http://renews.biz/story.php?page_id=74&news_id=1171

December 30, 2011 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

UK’s legacy of radiation from World War 2

Former RAF base at Little Rissington named by MoD as contaminated Cotswold Journal,  29th December 2011 THE former Red Arrows site at Little Rissington has been revealed by the MoD as one of 15 places in the UK to be contaminated by radioactivity from the Second World War.

A dozen such sites, which have not been made public by the ministry before, were revealed after a parliamentary question was asked of MP Andrew Robathan earlier this month…… Building work has already started on a raft of other amenities including a primary school, health centre and shops, and leisure facilities are planned for the site.

Lionel Teague, chairman of the Little Rissington Parish Council, said the council was unaware of the contamination…… The contamination comes from radium used to coat the dials of aircraft and other equipment to illuminate them in the dark. The radium comes from scrap
that was burned and dumped in the 1940s and 50s….. http://www.cotswoldjournal.co.uk/news/9441673.Ex_RAF_base_radiation_alert/

December 30, 2011 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

UK’s nuclear industry not viable: taxpayers will cop the bill

Greenpeace said the latest cost overrun proved that the nuclear power industry’s financial viability was fundamentally flawed. Doug Parr, chief scientific officer at Greenpeace, said: “For all the claims of the government that it will be the power giants like EDF that will foot the cost of the next generation of nuclear, the reality yet again is that the hard-pressed taxpayer will end up footing the bill.”
UK taxpayers face extra £250m bill for nuclear waste clean-up Nuclear Decommissioning Authority faces 17.5% fall in income after asset sales drop by £150m and spending rises by £80m , guardian.co.uk,   25 December 2011  Sellafield nuclear power station in Cumbria –  The site’s mixed-oxide reprocessing plant, which will shut after Japan decided to end its atomic programme, has cost upwards of £1.2bn so far

The taxpayer will have to stump up almost £250m more to bail out the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in the next financial year after falling asset sales and rising expenditure cut its income by 17.5%. Continue reading →

December 26, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, UK | Leave a comment

Scottish renewable energy’s record successes

‘Scottish renewable electricity on track for ‘record year  Figures reveal country is likely to produce its highest ever levels of electricity from renewable sources,     Guardian UK, 23 Dec 11 Scotland is set to generate a third of its electricity from renewable sources in 2011. Scotland looks set for its highest ever renewables output, and could produce almost a third of its electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2011.The latest Energy Statistics (PDF) from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that, over the first three quarters of 2011, Scotland delivered 94 per cent of last year’s totals and 83 per cent of the previous record year.

The Scottish government said that, if the trend continues over the fourth quarter, 2011 will be a record year for renewable electricity in Scotland.

It added that the country’s goal of 100 per cent green energy by 2020 is also on track, as the statistics reveal sufficient capacity in Scotland to meet its interim target of 31 per cent of electricity demand from renewables in 2011. Installed capacity reached a record high of 4.3GW over the year, while Scotland continued to be a net exporter of electricity in 2010, exporting 21 per cent of electricity generated.

Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing said that £750m worth of renewables projects were switched on in 2011, while another £46bn worth are in the pipeline.

“2011 has been an exceptional year for renewable energy in Scotland,”
he said in a statement. “These figures show that it is on course to be truly the best year yet.”….

December 26, 2011 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

MRI scans better and safer than radiation methods for heart checks

MRI scans ‘are better for heart checks’, experts say, BBC News, 23 Dec 11 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans should be used to assess patients with suspected heart disease, rather than standard checks, experts say.

A University of Leeds study of 750 people found MRI was better at detecting the condition, and of ruling it out in unaffected patients.

MRI was also non-invasive and did not use radiation, unlike the usual tests. A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation, which backed the study, said MRI should be used more widely…… Patients with suspected angina are currently most likely to have either an angiogram – an invasive test where dye is injected directly into the heart’s arteries
– or a non-invasive imaging test called SPECT.

Angiograms and SPECT tests both involve ionising radiation…… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16305278

December 23, 2011 Posted by | health, UK | 1 Comment

Despite media coverage against renewable energy, British public supports it

Over at BusinessGreen, James Murray describes the survey results as “explosive”, especially given that they “follow months during which the right-wing press has waged an increasingly virulent campaign against climate change, wind farms, renewable energy, and the greenlevies that pay for it”. 

British public strongly support renewable energy, survey says, The Guardian, 14 Dec 11 56% of UK population wants to see more investment in wind power, finds a YouGov survey
Does the UK have a “silent majority” in support of further investment in renewables? You wouldn’t necessarily think so if you listen to the very vocal, media-driven opposition against, say, wind power, but a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the Sunday Times suggests the true picture might be a little different.

The Sunday Times itself chose not to report the YouGov findings related to renewables (you can draw your own conclusions as to why), but if you look beyond the headline polling about the 1,696 respondents’ political leanings you start to reach some rather intriguing environmentally themed results ….

But the real point of interest can be found on page nine, which asks: “Thinking about the country’s future energy provision, do you think the government should be looking to use more or less of the following?”
Solar power
More than at present – 74%
Less than at present – 6%
Maintain current levels – 12%
Not sure – 9%

Wind farms
More than at present – 56%
Less than at present – 19%
Maintain current levels – 15%
Not sure – 9%… Continue reading →

December 15, 2011 Posted by | media, renewable, UK | Leave a comment

Four radioactively contaminated Minstry of Defence sites in Scotland

the MoD had offered the site to the Scottish Government for £1. The offer was refused, largely because of serious impediments related to the site, all of which had significant
financial implications. 

The MoD is institutionally incapable of transparency for security reasons – but that has invaded its corporate culture and it is now constitutionally incapable of honesty..

Four new MoD sites identified with radiation contamination – including Machrihanis ForArgyll.com,  December 12, 2011 Four new sites in Scotland  – all owned by the Ministry of Defence, have been identified as radiation contaminated, with an immediate call from MSPs for urgent action to ensure public safety. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by | environment, secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

UK’s Ministry of Defence evasive about radiation contamination

Time for MoD to come clean on radiation clear-up, Herald Scotland  4 Dec 2011 The Ministry of Defence is turning prevarication into an art form. There are, it seems, few tricks, evasions and deceits that it won’t deploy to try to avoid responsibility for cleaning up the radioactive mess it has made at Dalgety Bay in Fife.

As we reveal today, its monitoring of the contaminated foreshore in September missed more than 400 radioactive hotspots.Like Admiral Nelson back in 1801, the MoD’s modern-day commanders turned a blind eye in the hope that the problem would disappear….. http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/herald-view/time-for-mod-to-come-clean-on-radiation-clear-up-1.1138013

December 5, 2011 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

UK government and its crazy economics of a plutonium Mox nuclear plant

“This is crazynomics – the reality is that the nuclear fairytale is a nuclear nightmare. Having announced the closure of a Mox plant because it was colossally inefficient and because there was no market for its service, the government now wants to build another one that will fast become a hugely expensive white elephant.

Mox plant U-turn by coalition stuns anti-nuclear campaigners, Guardian UK, Terry Macalister, 2 Dec 11 Having closed down a massively loss-making mixed-oxide fuel
reprocessing plant at Sellafield, the government amazes Greenpeace by proposing to build a new one

The government has astonished the anti-nuclear lobby by outlining plans to spend £3bn of public money building a new mixed-oxide fuel (Mox) plant – months after announcing the closure of a similar facility that lost taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds….. Continue reading →

December 3, 2011 Posted by | - plutonium, politics, UK | Leave a comment

Britain’s nuclear power program delayed even further

The Coalition’s plans for building eight to 10 nuclear plants over the next decade were described last week as “simply lacking credibility” by peers in the House of Lords.  

EDF Energy, the company building the first plant, has refused to give a “firm and final completion date” for nuclear power. 

Setback to nuclear power plans Britain’s plans for a new generation of nuclear power stations have suffered another setback after being delayed by at least a year. By Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent TELEGRAPH 02 Dec 2011 The first of the new plants will not be built until 2019 because of extra safety checks following Japan’s atomic disaster.

Ministers originally hoped to get the first nuclear power station built by 2017, before revising this to 2018. Now there has been a further slippage, after an updated timetable showed the first station in Somerset is not expected until nearer the end of the decade.. Continue reading →

December 3, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, UK | Leave a comment

British Ministry of Defence’s secrecy on nuclear weapons spending

Details of the MoD’s investments have been unveiled for the first time. 

The figures have been released by the defence minister Peter Luff inanswer to a parliamentary question by the Green MP Caroline Lucas. Although a few were known from freedom of information requests or other sources, the bulk had previously been kept confidential.

 “By spending billions of pounds now, the MoD is trying to force the hands of future governments into developing a new nuclear warhead, regardless of whether it will be necessary or affordable,”

MoD spends £2bn on nuclear weapons ahead of Trident renewal decision  Ministry accused of pre-empting parliament’s decision on Trident and attempting to force the hand of future governments  Rob Edwards, guardian.co.uk,  27 November 2011

The Ministry of Defence is spending £2bn on new nuclear weaponsplants before a formal decision has been taken over whether to replaceTrident warheads, according to ministers. The revelation has prompted fierce attacks on the MoD for making “a complete mockery” of the democratic process by pre-empting a decision and so attempting to force the hands of future governments. Continue reading →

November 28, 2011 Posted by | UK, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Endangering, sorry, I mean protecting, London’s Olympic Games

Opening ceremony ticket holder Sharon James was delighted at the announcement, telling us, “If I’m going to be vapourised in an instant, I sure as hell want it to be at the hands of my own government, not because of some Johnny Foreigner on the look out for some after-life poontang.”

Nuclear warheads to protect Olympic village, claims Hammond, News Thump  (satire) 14 November 2011,  Defence Secretary Philip Hammond this afternoon confirmed that the Olympic games in London next summer will be protected from terrorist attack by a series of strategically placed nuclear devices.

In his first appearance at Defence Questions since taking over from Liam Fox, Hammond told MPs that the use of nuclear weapons in London would be a last resort in the face of a terrorist threat.

“We are prepared for every eventuality, and I want to make it clear that we would only destroy everything in and around London when all other options had been exhausted.” Continue reading →

November 15, 2011 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear missiles as security for London’s Olympic Games

Philip Hammond: missiles may be part of Olympic defence Defence Secretary makes extraordinary claim after US concerns emerge over anti-terror measures THE INDEPENDENT   PAUL PEACHEY 15 NOVEMBER 2011 The Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, said yesterday that surface-to-air missiles could be in place to protect the 2012 Olympics, as the Government insisted its plans could cope with the country’s biggest security operation for decades. Continue reading →

November 15, 2011 Posted by | UK, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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