Ikea stops selling solar panels in UK as government signals cut in solar subsidies

UK householders seeking solar panels now need to look beyond Ikea, as the Swedish furniture-maker has stopped selling them after the government announced a cut in solar subsidies. The move comes two years after Ikea had a media-friendly national launch of the product.

Post a successful test run at its Lakeside store in Essex, Ikea decided to sell solar panels across all of its 17 stores in the UK in 2013-14, to tap growth in the then heavily-subsidised green energy market. At the time, its UK head of sustainability had said, “We know that our customers want to live more sustainably and we hope working with Hanergy [Ikea’s technology partner] to make solar panels affordable and easily available helps them do just that.”

However in November 2015, the furniture maker did not renew its contract with Hanergy – its Hong Kong-headquartered solar panel supplier. While the world’s largest furniture-maker did not cite any particular reason for the move – that came two months after the UK government announced it would reduce solar subsidies dramatically – an Ikea spokeswoman said that it would resume selling these panels by the end of 2016.

She stated, “Based on the successful roll-out [of solar] and to ensure Ikea Group has a growth plan in place for the future, we have evaluated our business model, starting in the UK. A new business model has been decided upon, which included the decision not to renew the contract with Hanergy Solar UK when their current contract ended on 1 November 2015.”

According to Solar Power Portal, UK’s leading news portal that covers the solar industry, many Chinese companies had expressed interest in supplying solar panels to Ikea. Some of the Swedish company’s initiatives to promote green energy include selling only energy-saving LED bulbs at its stores, its foundation pledging €1bn (£777m, $1.12bn) towards climate change and renewable energy, apart from installing sizeable solar systems in some of its UK stores.

As part of the government’s move to reduce subsidy, the incentive scheme for household solar power, the feed-in tariff, was closed to new applicants for the past three weeks. The scheme, however, reopened on 8 February, with 65% lower rates and a new cap on installations.

Despite the lower incentives, which has resulted in the payback period extending by another six years, the industry maintains that solar is still a good option for householders, according to The Guardian.

Ikea stops selling solar panels in UK as government signals cut in solar subsidies

Bernie Sanders Signs Global Warming Pledge -- Created By A Billionaire Hedge Fund Manager

Sanders have even specifically targeted hedge fund managers’ salaries to highlight U.S. income inequality. During his presidential run, Sanders proposed paying for jobs program for young people by “ending the carried interest loophole that allows billionaire hedge fund managers to pay a lower tax rate than nurses and truck drivers.”

Steyer, however, is no longer managing his hedge fund, and is now spending his money on environmental activism. During 2012, he gained notoriety by bankrolling opposition to the Keystone XL oil pipeline — despite potential conflicts of interests surrounding the issue.

Even though Sanders could argue Steyer is no long in finance, the liberal billionaire has spent more than $75 million of his own money promoting Democrats and backing liberal initiatives in the 2014 midterm elections.

Sanders opposes the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision for allowing wealthy individuals to “purchase the U.S. Government.” Sanders has said “billions of dollars from the wealthiest people in this country are already flooding the political process,” referring to the current election cycle.

What’s interesting is that Steyer alone outspent both the Koch brothers, Charles and David, in the 2014 elections by nearly 10 to 1. Steyer spent more than $75 million that election cycle, while the Kochs together spent more than $7.8 million. In fact, Steyer was the largest single donor in the 2014 election cycle, according to data from the Center For Responsive Politics.

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Bernie Sanders Signs Global Warming Pledge -- Created By A Billionaire Hedge Fund Manager

City to install solar panels at Carmel Valley Recreation Center

The Carmel Valley Recreation Center will soon play a part in helping the city reach its renewable energy goals as outlined in San Diego’s recently-approved Climate Action Plan as the facility on Townsgate Drive has been tapped for the installation of rooftop and parking lot solar panels.The project has been approved by the Carmel Valley Recreation Council and came before the Carmel Valley Community Planning Board as an informational item on Jan. 28.San Diego City Council adopted its Climate Action Plan in December, which mandates reducing greenhouse gases 50 percent by 2035, more ambitious than Governor Jerry Brown’s goal of 40 percent by 2030.The plan includes five main strategies to reach the reduction of greenhouse gas targets: energy and water efficient buildings, clean and renewable energy, bicycling, walking and transit, zero waste and climate resiliency.James Chen, from San Diego’s environmental services department, said in 2014, the city completed a solar assessment of over 200 city facilities and identified the top 25 sites where solar could be installed to generate approximately 6.6 megawatts. Among the top sites was the Carmel Valley Recreation Center.Chen said the systems will be developed, financed, installed and maintained through a third party power purchase agreement. The city will sign a 20-year agreement with the third party to provide energy at a price lower than SDG&E.The Carmel Valley project includes carport canopies ranging in size from 70 to 100 feet in width over parking lot spaces, as well as 13.2 square feet of roof-mounted panels atop the recreation center building. The system’s 280 kilowatts of solar energy generated will be used to offset 75 percent of the recreation center and pool’s energy usage, Chen said, noting the city will also be looking for ways to be more energy efficient with lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades.“The project will cut down on greenhouse gases and help the city achieve its Climate Action Plan goals to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2035,” Chen said.The proposed project is anticipated to start in spring 2016 and be completed by fall.

City to install solar panels at Carmel Valley Recreation Center

Niagara Sustainability Initiative Energy Summit Talks Solutions

Niagara Sustainability Initiative Energy Summit Talks Solutions

February 5, 2016– Living roofs and walls can help save environment, cut energy costs, summit told.

Not only do “green” of living roofs and walls have economic benefits that can help businesses and municipalities save money, they look pretty darned nice, too.

So said Nate Smelle, executive director of Greening Niagara, a non-profit organization based in St. Catharines that promotes environmental stewardship and education among other activities.

“They become tourist attractions,” Smelle said of walls covered in vegetation.

Smelle was speaking at Niagara Sustainability Initiative’s Energy Summit at Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. The event brought together green industry stakeholders and business leaders who are looking for ways to cut down on energy costs and consumption. The event featured a wide array of vendors promoting green energy products, including a solar powered golf cart as well as a roster of speakers from across the sector.

It’s the same when green roof projects get underway.

“It’s amazing to watch as neighbours flock to the site and check out these structures.”

But despite all their decorative glory, green roofs and walls serve a purpose — they are good for the environment and can save businesses money on energy costs.

For example, installation of a green roof can reduce heat loss by 37 per cent in the winter and reduce heat gain in the summer by an astounding 87 per cent.

That is because of the layered approach taken when creating a green roof. Heat is absorbed by the layers, and air temperatures of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit are cooled to 72 degrees as air passes through.

Read the full article here.

Niagara Sustainability Initiative Energy Summit Talks Solutions

MidAmerican Energy completes wind farms

Brings total capacity to nearly 3,500 megawatts

Feb 3, 2016 at 2:01 pm | Print View

MidAmerican Energy on Wednesday said it has completed two major wind energy installations in Iowa, adding more than 1,200 megawatts of electric generation.

The Highland wind farm in O’Brien County, which began providing electricity on Dec. 3, 2015, is the fifth and final piece of MidAmerican Energy’s Wind VIII project — the Des Moines utility’s largest wind energy project to date.

On Jan. 30, MidAmerican completed its Wind IX project when the Adams wind farm in Adams County began providing electricity.

The two wind energy projects bring MidAmerican’s total generation from the renewable energy source to almost 3,500 megawatts, an amount that represents about 42 percent of the company’s installed generation capacity.

In a news release, Mike Gehringer, MidAmerican vice president, renewable energy, said completion of the two projects marks a major milestone for the company, which owns and operates more wind turbines than any utility in the nation.

“Slightly more than 10 years ago, MidAmerican Energy did not own any wind energy generation,” Gehringer said. “Today, wind makes up the largest share of our generation portfolio. We project that by 2017, we will generate an amount equal to 57 percent of our total retail load.”

MidAmerican plans to begin construction in the spring on the Ida Grove and O’Brien wind farms, which will add up to 552 megawatts of wind generation capacity to the existing fleet. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Plans call for approximately 134 turbines and up to 301 megawatts of generation capacity at the Ida Grove wind farm, and approximately 104 turbines and 250 megawatts of additional generation capacity at the new O’Brien wind farm.

Over the next 30 years, MidAmerican estimates that the company’s wind projects will generate more than $1.5 billion in lease payments to landowners and property tax payments to schools, cities and counties.

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MidAmerican Energy completes wind farms

France is lining 600 miles of road with sticky solar panels

How can a European city create its own unique identity in the 21^st century? After all, there are so many places – London, Paris, Rome – which can distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack with an array of monuments and attractions. But what if you’re the capital city of a relatively new country?

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is an excellent place to visit: a city with a pretty castle at its heart that’s been present in some form for almost 900 years. This year, it’s trying to make its mark on the map by flaunting its credentials as Europe’s Green Capital for 2016, a title awarded by the European Commission.

Of course, the place and the people who live in it have existed for centuries, but Slovenia itself is a relatively new feature of the international scene, first coming into existence when it broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991. In 2004, it became a member of the EU and NATO; in 2007 joined the Eurozone, the first ex-communist country to do so.

The capital has undergone numerous environmental changes in recent years to shape up its green credentials. It’s introduced underground car parking facilities, to get vehicles off the roads. It’s also limited the roads on which cars can travel within the city.  All this has helped the city to decrease traffic by 12 per cent since 2011.

Ljubljana’s bike scheme. Image: TAS/Flickr/creative commons.

It’s hoping to double the share of journeys taken by bike, too. The city’s own bike hire scheme, BicikeLJ, costs just €3 per year, with unlimited free rides if they last under an hour. Anything above that starts at €1, but you can simply swap bikes at the nearest station before the time’s up, making it an insanely cheap travel option.

If you’re running out of steam, the city centre hosts Kavalir electric cars, which look like golf carts and can accommodate up to five passengers and roam around the city all day with a simple hop-on, hop-off system for free. The system runs through major inner city routes which are free from other vehicles and personal cars.

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Ljubljana’s city authority has also set a range of goals to deal with energy and waste management for the next few years. The city wants renewables to provide a quarter of its energy supply by 2020; it’s aiming to cut CO₂ emissions by 20 per cent by the same date, too. And, thanks to separate waste bins throughout the city, the population was already recycling two-thirds of their waste by 2014.

Sure, the Slovenian capital is smaller than many of the large cities in the UK, home to just under 300,000 people. But its small size is what makes it a great place to experiment with new ideas of social renewal which can be a model for other larger cities. Here’s hoping Britain can follow many of these lessons.

France is lining 600 miles of road with sticky solar panels

Recycling Technologies awarded for plastics innovation

Recycling Technologies, Swindon, United Kingdom, has been named the winner of three awards at the Rushlight Awards 2015-16 ceremony in late January 2016 in London. The Rushlight Awards, organized by Eventure Media and several energy and waste associations, focus on technology and innovation achievements made by British and Irish organizations and companies involved in efforts pertaining to sustainability and reducing carbon emissions.

Recycling Technologies was named winner of the Resource Recycling Award and the Resource Innovation Award in those two group categories as well as winning the broader Rushlight Award, presented to the overall winner of the night, deemed to have “demonstrated a substantial contribution to addressing environmental issues.”

“We are delighted to have won these awards and to have been recognized for our work transforming end of life plastic waste into a valuable hydrocarbon material,” says Adrian Griffiths, CEO of Recycling Technologies. “At Recycling Technologies, we are hugely proud of our process and genuinely believe that our work is a key innovation in the field of recycling plastic, creating a highly commercial, distributed solution for a global problem.”

Says Clive Hall of the Rushlight organization, “Innovation is a key driver for growth across our green economy and beyond, helping us find new ways to manage our environmental footprint, reduce costs and help put our businesses on a more sustainable footing. It’s great to see so many organizations stepping up to this challenge, and I would like to congratulate the winners of the Rushlight Awards on their exciting new ventures.”

Recycling Technologies was formed in 2011 to commercialize the development of a plastic scrap energy conversion technique established originally by the University of Warwick in the U.K. The company’s flagship machine, the RT7000, converts unsorted residual plastic waste into what it calls a valuable low-sulphur hydrocarbon fuel oil known as Plaxx.
 

Recycling Technologies awarded for plastics innovation