Relaxnews
Saturday, 22 January 2011
The latest smart grid solutions and related products will be on display at energy exhibition Enertec (January 25-27); the show will also attract exhibitors in the field of renewable energy generation and distribution. The show comes less than a month before the Renewable Energy Exhibition in France, which is expected to host around 600 exhibitors of renewable energy technology.
Enertec
January 25-27
Leipzig Exhibition Center
Leipzig, Germany
This international trade fair occurring once every two years is dedicated to all aspects of energy generation and distribution, particularly renewable energies. In 2009 Enertec attracted 237 exhibitors from 11 countries and over 10,000 visitors from 49 countries around the world. One of the foremost topics at Enertec 2011 will be the role of the smart gird in energy distribution and storage, with particular focus on southeastern Europe. The fair is open to trade professionals and members of the public interested in energy distribution.
http://www.enertec-leipzig.com/
Renewable Energy Exhibition
February 15-18
Lyon, France
Approximately 600 exhibitors of renewable energy technologies will attend the renewable energy exhibition in France. The exhibition covers the production of renewable energies, renewable energies in building and the development of integrated renewable energies. The event runs in conjunction with several other energy events including the Salon des énergies, du confort climatique et de l'eau - a professional trade show focusing on energy saving methods with temperature control, water and other domestic power demands. In 2009 these events attracted a combined total of 38,000 visitors. Unlike Enertec, which focuses on the smart grid, the Renewable Energy Exhibition covers the entire spectrum of renewable energy technologies.
http://www.energie-ren.com/2011/
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Green heat industry hits out at renewable heat incentive delay
BusinessGreen: Government warned hold-up will cool interest in ground source heat pumps
Will Nichols for BusinessGreen guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011 14.17 GMT
Climate change minister Greg Barker yesterday refused to reveal when the long-awaited Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will be introduced, despite the designers of Europe's largest ground-source heat pump claiming the scheme cannot come fast enough.
The RHI was originally expected to be introduced in April this year, but it has subsequently been delayed until June, and speaking yesterday Barker would only confirm that the incentives would be delivered "later this year".
Speaking at the inauguration of a £4m heat pump at London shopping centre One New Change, Karl Draye, operations director of Geothermal International, questioned the government's repeated delay of the RHI and warned it could damage the industry.
The incentive survived the Comprehensive Spending Review but has been dogged by speculation since Chris Huhne admitted to forgetting about the RHI when writing the coalition agreement.
Draye told BusinessGreen that a speedy introduction of the RHI was vital to lowering the risk of installing ground or air source heat pumps by shortening payback times, making the technology far more attractive to small businesses and social housing providers.
Current renewable heat systems account for around one per cent of the heat generated in the UK, which is well short of the government's target of generating 12 per cent of heat from renewable sources by 2020.
Draye insisted heat pumps could increase the sector's impact on the mandatory EU renewable energy targets while providing a valuable source of jobs. "This technology is real, it is possible, and it can make a contribution," he said. "The whole industry is waiting with whatever is greater than bated breath for the RHI."
Geothermal International is part-owned by utility company SSE, whose chief executive, Ian Marchant, told BusinessGreen that the delay of the RHI had left a company heat pump project in Scotland "on a knife edge".
He also said ground source heat pumps could become "the technology of choice for all large buildings" with the right incentive structure and warned that without an RHI, companies would pursue electricity projects instead.
"The RHI does two things: it shortens the payback, which is important psychologically, but more importantly it [moves us towards our] target for energy," he said. "We have incentives for electricity, but not heat and we're in danger of doing too much electricity at a high cost and not enough heat. The RHI shifts the question from 'should I or shan't I?' to 'why won't I?'."
But when these concerns were put to Greg Barker, the climate change minister could only reiterate that the government was continuing to work on the details of how the RHI will operate.
"We're making good progress but I can't disclose any details until later this year," he told BusinessGreen.
Will Nichols for BusinessGreen guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011 14.17 GMT
Climate change minister Greg Barker yesterday refused to reveal when the long-awaited Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will be introduced, despite the designers of Europe's largest ground-source heat pump claiming the scheme cannot come fast enough.
The RHI was originally expected to be introduced in April this year, but it has subsequently been delayed until June, and speaking yesterday Barker would only confirm that the incentives would be delivered "later this year".
Speaking at the inauguration of a £4m heat pump at London shopping centre One New Change, Karl Draye, operations director of Geothermal International, questioned the government's repeated delay of the RHI and warned it could damage the industry.
The incentive survived the Comprehensive Spending Review but has been dogged by speculation since Chris Huhne admitted to forgetting about the RHI when writing the coalition agreement.
Draye told BusinessGreen that a speedy introduction of the RHI was vital to lowering the risk of installing ground or air source heat pumps by shortening payback times, making the technology far more attractive to small businesses and social housing providers.
Current renewable heat systems account for around one per cent of the heat generated in the UK, which is well short of the government's target of generating 12 per cent of heat from renewable sources by 2020.
Draye insisted heat pumps could increase the sector's impact on the mandatory EU renewable energy targets while providing a valuable source of jobs. "This technology is real, it is possible, and it can make a contribution," he said. "The whole industry is waiting with whatever is greater than bated breath for the RHI."
Geothermal International is part-owned by utility company SSE, whose chief executive, Ian Marchant, told BusinessGreen that the delay of the RHI had left a company heat pump project in Scotland "on a knife edge".
He also said ground source heat pumps could become "the technology of choice for all large buildings" with the right incentive structure and warned that without an RHI, companies would pursue electricity projects instead.
"The RHI does two things: it shortens the payback, which is important psychologically, but more importantly it [moves us towards our] target for energy," he said. "We have incentives for electricity, but not heat and we're in danger of doing too much electricity at a high cost and not enough heat. The RHI shifts the question from 'should I or shan't I?' to 'why won't I?'."
But when these concerns were put to Greg Barker, the climate change minister could only reiterate that the government was continuing to work on the details of how the RHI will operate.
"We're making good progress but I can't disclose any details until later this year," he told BusinessGreen.
Carbon fraud may force longer closure of EU emissions trading
EU emissions trading scheme may remain suspended as governments struggle to beef up security
Terry Macalister and Tim Webb guardian.co.uk, Sunday 23 January 2011 19.08 GMT
Hopes that a key tool in the fight against climate change can be brought back into full operation on Wednesday were fading as national governments struggled to beef up security after a huge carbon fraud was uncovered in Europe's pioneering emissions trading scheme (ETS).
But the British government said it was confident the UK side of the market was highly secure and there was little risk of local users being vulnerable.
The European commission stepped in to ban "spot" trading in carbon on any local exchanges last Wednesday after a £28m cyber attack on the Czech, Austrian and other national markets and was hoping to lift the restriction this week but there are growing fears that new security will not be in place on time in all locations.
Market experts are now calling for victims of carbon trading fraud to be compensated by the European Union to prevent the latest in a series of scandals turning traders off the ETS, which was meant to provide a blueprint for national carbon reduction schemes to be introduced in America and further afield.
More than half of the 27 countries around Europe engaged in the "cap and trade" ETS scheme, under which polluting companies are forced to buy carbon certificates if they do not keep their CO2 output below their agreed quota, were said by the EU to have inadequate security systems in place.
Carbon market experts expressed doubt that everything could be sorted out by Wednesday. "I am not banking on any of this being sorted in a hurry," said one. "The EU's record on IT issues is not good. It took them a year and a half longer than they said to link the CITL (Community Independent Transaction Log) with the UN's ITL (International Transaction Log) and even then they refused to take any responsibility for the delay," he added.
There have already been predictions that the level of losses to those traders or small industrial companies unable to use the full market would be £60m even if the market did open for full business again on Wednesday. The EC itself admitted that the Wednesday deadline could not be guaranteed.
There has been widespread condemnation of the slow speed with which the EU has acted after a series of fraud attacks on the ETS market in the past few years.
Connie Hildegaard, the EC climate commissioner, claimed that the scheme was a victim of its own success. "Over the last years, the market has reached a size which makes it a potential target of fraudulent practices.
"Therefore, as the market matures and grows further, it is critical that it continues to be subject to appropriate and effective regulatory oversight."
The Department of Energy and Climate Change said at the weekend that it supported the moves to tighten systems around Europe. "The security of the carbon market is very important and this period of time will allow registry administrators to address the security of their registry. The UK Registry Administrator, the Environment Agency, has assessed the risk to UK account holders and concluded that because of the security systems used in the UK Registry successful attacks are unlikely.
But the EC has further enraged sections of the carbon market by botching an announcement late last week on new "offset" procedures whereby companies in the developing world can claim carbon credits for building "green" industrial schemes designed to take carbon out of the atmosphere.
One senior banker said Brussels "career" civil servants running the EU emissions trading scheme should hand over control to a new independent financial body. On Friday, their latest gaffe was to botch a key announcement, causing the price of carbon to gyrate. "These foibles used to be faintly amusing, but now they're becoming threatening," he said.
Meanwhile Andrew Hedge, a partner from Norton Rose law firm, said that more companies involved in carbon trading are calling for an EU backed insurance fund to be set up to cover any such losses. He warned that no system could ever be 100% fraud proof, despite promises by the commission to tighten software security in the light of the growing problem with fraud.
"The Commission is now pushing for stronger security and has taken welcome action to insist national registries are secure. But you can never have 100% security - there will always potentially be a corrupt individual or a more sophisticated cyber attack. It's incumbent on the EC and member states to protect participants in the market. Many players would like some sort of insurance mechanism set up so that if they unwittingly buy stolen allowances, there is a mechanism by which they can return these to the authorities in exchange for replacement allowances."
The senior banker, talking to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, also called on the European commission to issue a directive ruling that stolen allowances, once they are traded in the market, are not declared void if uncovered. "Unpicking transactions of stolen allowances which involves many people becomes very difficult. You can't have an effective market if everyone is looking over their shoulders all the time." Any innocent originator of the stolen allowance should instead be compensated for the loss, he said.
Terry Macalister and Tim Webb guardian.co.uk, Sunday 23 January 2011 19.08 GMT
Hopes that a key tool in the fight against climate change can be brought back into full operation on Wednesday were fading as national governments struggled to beef up security after a huge carbon fraud was uncovered in Europe's pioneering emissions trading scheme (ETS).
But the British government said it was confident the UK side of the market was highly secure and there was little risk of local users being vulnerable.
The European commission stepped in to ban "spot" trading in carbon on any local exchanges last Wednesday after a £28m cyber attack on the Czech, Austrian and other national markets and was hoping to lift the restriction this week but there are growing fears that new security will not be in place on time in all locations.
Market experts are now calling for victims of carbon trading fraud to be compensated by the European Union to prevent the latest in a series of scandals turning traders off the ETS, which was meant to provide a blueprint for national carbon reduction schemes to be introduced in America and further afield.
More than half of the 27 countries around Europe engaged in the "cap and trade" ETS scheme, under which polluting companies are forced to buy carbon certificates if they do not keep their CO2 output below their agreed quota, were said by the EU to have inadequate security systems in place.
Carbon market experts expressed doubt that everything could be sorted out by Wednesday. "I am not banking on any of this being sorted in a hurry," said one. "The EU's record on IT issues is not good. It took them a year and a half longer than they said to link the CITL (Community Independent Transaction Log) with the UN's ITL (International Transaction Log) and even then they refused to take any responsibility for the delay," he added.
There have already been predictions that the level of losses to those traders or small industrial companies unable to use the full market would be £60m even if the market did open for full business again on Wednesday. The EC itself admitted that the Wednesday deadline could not be guaranteed.
There has been widespread condemnation of the slow speed with which the EU has acted after a series of fraud attacks on the ETS market in the past few years.
Connie Hildegaard, the EC climate commissioner, claimed that the scheme was a victim of its own success. "Over the last years, the market has reached a size which makes it a potential target of fraudulent practices.
"Therefore, as the market matures and grows further, it is critical that it continues to be subject to appropriate and effective regulatory oversight."
The Department of Energy and Climate Change said at the weekend that it supported the moves to tighten systems around Europe. "The security of the carbon market is very important and this period of time will allow registry administrators to address the security of their registry. The UK Registry Administrator, the Environment Agency, has assessed the risk to UK account holders and concluded that because of the security systems used in the UK Registry successful attacks are unlikely.
But the EC has further enraged sections of the carbon market by botching an announcement late last week on new "offset" procedures whereby companies in the developing world can claim carbon credits for building "green" industrial schemes designed to take carbon out of the atmosphere.
One senior banker said Brussels "career" civil servants running the EU emissions trading scheme should hand over control to a new independent financial body. On Friday, their latest gaffe was to botch a key announcement, causing the price of carbon to gyrate. "These foibles used to be faintly amusing, but now they're becoming threatening," he said.
Meanwhile Andrew Hedge, a partner from Norton Rose law firm, said that more companies involved in carbon trading are calling for an EU backed insurance fund to be set up to cover any such losses. He warned that no system could ever be 100% fraud proof, despite promises by the commission to tighten software security in the light of the growing problem with fraud.
"The Commission is now pushing for stronger security and has taken welcome action to insist national registries are secure. But you can never have 100% security - there will always potentially be a corrupt individual or a more sophisticated cyber attack. It's incumbent on the EC and member states to protect participants in the market. Many players would like some sort of insurance mechanism set up so that if they unwittingly buy stolen allowances, there is a mechanism by which they can return these to the authorities in exchange for replacement allowances."
The senior banker, talking to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, also called on the European commission to issue a directive ruling that stolen allowances, once they are traded in the market, are not declared void if uncovered. "Unpicking transactions of stolen allowances which involves many people becomes very difficult. You can't have an effective market if everyone is looking over their shoulders all the time." Any innocent originator of the stolen allowance should instead be compensated for the loss, he said.
Energy Saving Trust funding cut by half
Department of Energy and Climate Change halves 2011-12 funding for energy-saving consumer body
Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011 16.49 GMT
The government has slashed by half its funding of the Energy Saving Trust (EST), the Guardian has learned.
The EST provides grants and free advice to the public to help them reduce their energy use, bills and greenhouse gas emissions. The government has previously said that energy efficiency measures are the cheapest way of tackling energy and climate change.
Chris Huhne, the secretary of state for energy and climate change, said last year: "We must take action on energy saving. For too long, the debate around energy has focused on supply."
In a separate statement he added: "There is quite a big part of our agenda where clearly the expertise that exists in ... the Energy Saving Trust will be very important."
But the EST confirmed today that the funding it receives from the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) is to be halved in 2011-12. It is likely to lose one-third of its 300-strong workforce, mainly in London.
"While we are disappointed with the settlement, it does not come as a surprise," said an EST statement. "With the green deal [programme of home insulation] on the horizon the private sector will have a huge role to play."
A Decc spokesman said: "Energy efficiency is a top priority for this department. The coalition's green deal is the most ambitious energy efficiency programme ever envisaged, and a bill is already before parliament to put it in place. The EST has a role to play as we move towards this, and is being funded accordingly next year."
The budget cut was condemned by campaigners. "In a time of recession and rising fuel prices, slashing the EST's budget makes no sense and is a complete false economy. The government is reducing its own energy use by 10% this year and should be doing everything it can to help householders do the same," said Ben Margolis, director of the 10:10 climate change campaign.
Meg Hillier, the shadow minister for energy and climate change, said it was "crazy" to make such big cuts to the EST when the proposed green deal was unproven and would not be implemented until March 2012 at the earliest. "There are lots of concerns about consumer protection in relation to the green deal, where private contractors will come into people's homes, and people need the independent advice the EST provide," she said.
Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP said: "Cutting a key green service at a time of rising energy bills, growing fuel poverty and dangerous climate change makes a mockery of this government's energy and climate change policy."
In 2009-10, the EST received £62m from Decc, representing two-thirds of its total funding, and 87% of the the department's total grant funding. The grants were awarded to schemes for the scrapping of inefficient old boilers and for energy efficiency improvements for homes. The remainder of the EST funding comes largely from the Scottish government (24%) and the Department for Transport, neither of which have finalised their funding for the EST for the next financial year.
In October, Huhne said: "We are committed to taking 33% out of [Decc] administration costs and that includes the EST." But the final cut imposed on the EST by Decc was much greater, at 50%.
Speaking to the Conferderation of British Industry in November, Huhne said: "Energy saving is the cheapest way of closing the gap between demand and supply."
Days after becoming prime minister, David Cameron told Decc officials that he wanted his administration to be the "greenest government ever."
Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011 16.49 GMT
The government has slashed by half its funding of the Energy Saving Trust (EST), the Guardian has learned.
The EST provides grants and free advice to the public to help them reduce their energy use, bills and greenhouse gas emissions. The government has previously said that energy efficiency measures are the cheapest way of tackling energy and climate change.
Chris Huhne, the secretary of state for energy and climate change, said last year: "We must take action on energy saving. For too long, the debate around energy has focused on supply."
In a separate statement he added: "There is quite a big part of our agenda where clearly the expertise that exists in ... the Energy Saving Trust will be very important."
But the EST confirmed today that the funding it receives from the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) is to be halved in 2011-12. It is likely to lose one-third of its 300-strong workforce, mainly in London.
"While we are disappointed with the settlement, it does not come as a surprise," said an EST statement. "With the green deal [programme of home insulation] on the horizon the private sector will have a huge role to play."
A Decc spokesman said: "Energy efficiency is a top priority for this department. The coalition's green deal is the most ambitious energy efficiency programme ever envisaged, and a bill is already before parliament to put it in place. The EST has a role to play as we move towards this, and is being funded accordingly next year."
The budget cut was condemned by campaigners. "In a time of recession and rising fuel prices, slashing the EST's budget makes no sense and is a complete false economy. The government is reducing its own energy use by 10% this year and should be doing everything it can to help householders do the same," said Ben Margolis, director of the 10:10 climate change campaign.
Meg Hillier, the shadow minister for energy and climate change, said it was "crazy" to make such big cuts to the EST when the proposed green deal was unproven and would not be implemented until March 2012 at the earliest. "There are lots of concerns about consumer protection in relation to the green deal, where private contractors will come into people's homes, and people need the independent advice the EST provide," she said.
Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP said: "Cutting a key green service at a time of rising energy bills, growing fuel poverty and dangerous climate change makes a mockery of this government's energy and climate change policy."
In 2009-10, the EST received £62m from Decc, representing two-thirds of its total funding, and 87% of the the department's total grant funding. The grants were awarded to schemes for the scrapping of inefficient old boilers and for energy efficiency improvements for homes. The remainder of the EST funding comes largely from the Scottish government (24%) and the Department for Transport, neither of which have finalised their funding for the EST for the next financial year.
In October, Huhne said: "We are committed to taking 33% out of [Decc] administration costs and that includes the EST." But the final cut imposed on the EST by Decc was much greater, at 50%.
Speaking to the Conferderation of British Industry in November, Huhne said: "Energy saving is the cheapest way of closing the gap between demand and supply."
Days after becoming prime minister, David Cameron told Decc officials that he wanted his administration to be the "greenest government ever."