Energy & Environmental Management articles from March 2004

Energy & Environmental Management archives from March 2004

Energy White Paper--where do we go from here? Professor Martin Fry, chairman of ESTA and vice-president of the Energy Institute, considers UK energy strategy and the Energy White Paper--one year on. He talks to Graham Sprigg.(Energy)(Energy Systems Trade Association)(Interview)
March 1, 2004... What is your overall impression of the Energy White Paper? The White Paper was criticised as soon as it came out; primarily because it provided a framework for moving forward but didn't provide any solid detail. The country had been kept...

Carbon Management pioneers.(Energy)
March 1, 2004... The Carbon Trust has joined forces with Severn Trent, Scottish & Southern Energy, Teesside Power, Thames Water and other major businesses as part of a pioneering Carbon Management scheme. The leading utilities companies are among 16 FTSE...

Lowest prices in Europe.(Energy)(Climate Change Levy )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Climate Change Levy (CCL) has increased the average prices of fuels to industry by around 13% for coal, 8% for electricity and 7% for gas. However, average industrial gas prices were 0.5% lower excluding the CCL and 1% lower including CCL,...

6m [pounds sterling] for community heat.(Energy)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Eight projects for community heating in England, Scotland and Wales will share 6million [pounds sterling] in the latest round of Community Energy grants. They include 13,991 [pounds sterling] for a Buckinghamshire Environmental Education Centre...

Kickstart efficiency.(Energy)(investment funding for energy efficiency)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A 4million [pounds sterling] investment scheme now exists to help finance eight to 10 "invest to save" energy efficiency funds. Selected local authorities will get up to 500,000 [pounds sterling] in the form of loans to finance energy...

Collins on board.(Energy)(Sir John Collins to chair Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A new Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board will help deliver the Government's Energy White Paper. It will be chaired by Sir John Collins, chairman of Dixons, non-executive director of N M Rothschild & Sons and P & O.

Ken's solar homes.(Renewables)(London mayor Ken Livingstone)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Ken Livingstone wants all new homes built in London to have solar panels. London's Mayor was at the launch of the London Energy Partnership, a new body for planners, developers, energy suppliers and local government cooperating to deliver...

Wood fuels gets ROC aid.(Renewables)(Renewable Obligation Certificate)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Co-firing under the Renewables Obligation is to be extended to allow longer for an energy crop market to develop. Furthermore, existing caps on co-firing will be adjusted downwards to ensure that co-fired ROCs do not flood the ROC market. ...

Growing in global power.(Renewables)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Nearly a fifth of all global power is generated by renewable energy sources. according to a new book published by the OECD/IEA. Renewables for Power Generation: status and prospects claims that renewables are the second largest power source...

More jobs on way.(renewable energy industries hiring)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Renewable energy industries today employ 8,000 people in the UK, but by 2020, this could rise to 17,000-35,000. That's the verdict of The Renewables Supply Chain Gap Analysis. This report assesses the current status of the industry and assesses...

Which tariff?(Green Energy Guide)
March 1, 2004... Friends of the Earth has published a new edition of its Which renewable electricity tariff? survey, the Green Energy Guide. It recommends suppliers who go beyond the legal minimum, generating energy from renewable sources and using green...

Innogy's backers.(KWE Innogy )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... First Islamic Investment Bank and private equity fund Englefield Capital have acquired a one-third stake in KWE Innogy, Britain's biggest wind farm operator. This enables Innogy to invest in 430MW of further turbines over the next three years.

Shell's solar plant.(Shell Solar Energy and Geosol)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Shell Solar and Geosol are to build the largest solar power station in Germany. Built on a former lignite mine ash deposit near Espenhain, some 33,500 solar modules will generate 5MW and be ready in July.

Chemicals beyond reach?(Waste News)(European Union chemicals policy)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Humans and wildlife are being contaminated by a host of commonly-used chemicals in food packaging and furniture, according to the WWF and European Union. The WWF is calling for the speedy adoption of REACH, the EU chemicals policy. This...

20m [pounds sterling] catch-up cash.(Waste News)(finance for recycling)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Defra is giving 20million [pounds sterling] extra to help local authorities meet their recycling targets for 2004/05. The benefiting authorities will then not have to make cuts elsewhere in order to meet the targets, especially the Statutory...

Constructive approach.(Waste News)(state-of-the-art recycling centre)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A 1.9million [pounds sterling] state-of-the-art recycling centre for construction, demolition and excavation waste has opened in Rotherham. It can process enough material to fill a football stadium every year. Picture shows the opening by John...

Contaminated land 'is waste'.(Waste News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Contaminated land should be classified as waste, according to legal advice at the European court of justice. Therefore its owner would be legally required to remove it once it is unfit for use, under the rules of the Landfill Directive. The...

Swatting flytippers.(Waste News)(introduction of internet based system )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Environment Agency is attempting to 'tip the balance on flytipping'. It is setting up an internet based system to collate information from local authorities in England and Wales. Currently, data sharing in this area is poor. It's hoped...

Recycled name.(UK Market Development Network now Remade Network UK)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The UK Market Development Network has changed its name to Remade Network UK. It represents regional programmes that aim to develop markets for recyclable materials. These are: Clean Merseyside Centre; Enviros; Hampshire County Council; London...

Rotten standard.(Waste News)(compostable packaging)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Much packaging is made of materials whose biological composition is unclear, inevitably consigning it to eventual landfill. But from now on it will be easier for manufacturers to make compostable packaging. This is due to a new...

Down the tube.(waste management of cathode ray tubes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Four applications with the potential to use significant amounts of waste CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) glass have been identified by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme). CRT's funnel glass and mixed CRT glass contain lead, but the research,...

Attack on carbon policy.(Environment)(criticism about Government's commitment to renewable energy)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The 2003 annual report of the Environmental Audit Committee criticises the Government's commitment to renewable energy on a number of fronts. It says: "Combating climate change remains the single most urgent priority facing mankind, and we have...

A drop of the clean stuff.(Environment)(Drinking Water Regulations )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The new Drinking Water Regulations came into force on January 1 in England and Wales, requiring companies to monitor for substances like bromate and benzene, while setting tighter standards for lead, arsenic and nickel. Similar regulations are...

Exxon answer critics.(Environment)(ExxonMobil)(Friends of the Earth International)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) has charged ExxonMobil with emitting three times as much COL as the current annual emissions from fossil fuels worldwide, and being responsible for 5% of global C[O.sub.2] emissions over the last 120...

Chemicals strategy.(Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Government is proposing a UK Chemicals Strategy to counter the slow progress of REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals), the EC's initiative for tackling the 30,000 unquantified chemicals sloshing around in the...

Retail therapy.(Envirowise urges suppliers to cut waste)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Boots, Manchester United, Jaguar, Centre Pares and Halfords, to name but a few, are among companies whose suppliers saved over 2.1million [pounds sterling] in 2003--all with help from Envirowise. The link between environmental awareness of...

Ceramics focus.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... In its quest to cut pollution to the best advantage of all, Delta is focusing again on the ceramics sector. Whiteware manufacturers are being consulted in the IPPC guidance. All other ceramics manufacturers were consulted in September 2003....

30m [pounds sterling] technology fund on offer.(biodegradable municipal waste )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Applications are now invited for a Defra funding programme designed to release 30million [pounds sterling] to encourage the take-up of new and emerging technologies to deal with biodegradable municipal waste (BMW). The demonstration...

The great carbon share-out.(reduction in C[O.sub.2] emissions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Eleven refineries and 1,500 installations--accounting for about half of all UK C[O.sub.2] emissions--are being told to cut their emissions by an average of 16.3%. The share-out is in the Goverment's draft National Allocation Plan, part of...

Best of British for Euro awards.(News)(ranking of companies )
March 1, 2004... Ten UK business are hoping for success in the European Awards for the Environment 2004. The candidates have been selected from the winners of National Awards schemes. The winners will be announced during the EC's Green Week event in June. ...

Biodiversity's extra cash.(News)(Environmental Action Fund )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Fifty seven projects from voluntary groups in England are sharing 4million [pounds sterling] from Defra's Environmental Action Fund for biodiversity and education work. Announcing the grants, Environment Minister Elliot Morley said: "Making...

Carbon Rationing reaches the City.(News)(awareness about EU Emissions Trading Scheme )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The majority of UK institutional investors are unaware of the impact that the imminent EU Emissions Trading Scheme will have on their portfolios. The Carbon Trust has responded by launching Carbon Rationing--an initiative to raise investor...

Home advice.(News)
March 1, 2004... TV's Relocation experts Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer (pictured left) are teaming up with the Energy Saving Trust for a new campaign to equip homebuyers with the vital information to ensure they purchase a highly efficient, low maintenance...

Greener buildings bill.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A bill to make buildings of all sorts 'greener' and 'safer' passed its second reading in the Commons on January 30. The Sustainable and Secure Buildings Bill wants to toughen the rules on new, extended and altered buildings to require...

Planning--it's only natural.(investments in energy sector )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A new 200,000 [pounds sterling] campaign--'It's Only Natural'--will inform planners and investors of the potential and benefits of renewable energy. The South West is to be the first target, as well as the financial community, highlighting...

Fraud inquiries.(investigations of packaging waste reprocessors)(Packaging Waste Recovery Notes)(Packaging Waste Export Recovery Notes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Environment Minister Elliot Morley says Defra and other regulators are continuing investigations into allegations of "inappropriate" issuing of Packaging Waste Recovery Notes (PRNs) and Packaging Waste Export Recovery Notes (PERNs) by some...

Solar pv funds.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Housing, educational and commercial buildings are among those set to benefit from 5million [pounds sterling] of new Government funding for solar electric power installations and will enable a further three rounds of the first phase of the Major...

Action plan for technologies.(EU News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The European Commission has adopted an ambitious Action Plan to improve the development and wider use of environmental technologies such as recycling systems for waste water in industrial processes, energy-saving car engines and soil...

Renewables policy to be left to the market.(EU News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... National policies on renewables will not be harmonised in the EU in the near future. Mechtild Rothe, European parliamentarian and president of Eufores, the European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources, said: "First countries have to orientate on...

Polluters in dock.(EU News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Nine EU states are being taken to court for failing to take measures to fight air pollution. Belgium, Italy, Greece, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria and Spain all missed a 2002 deadline to implement EU laws on air...

Accused over waste.(EU News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The European Commission is putting France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom in the dock for failing to comply with EU laws on general waste management, hazardous waste, waste oils, landfills and polychlorinated biphenyls...

New states given opt-out.(EU News)(new European Union members allowed energy tax exemption)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The EC has proposed a change in the Energy Tax Directive, which came into force on January 1. This would allow the new Member States to temporarily grant exemptions for energy taxes or apply lower rates than the minimum ones required by the...

A priority for action: this July the practice of co-disposing hazardous and non-hazardous waste will be banned by the EU Landfill Directive. Will we be ready? Is Government waste policy in disarray? MPs from the Environmental Audit Committee cross-examined Margaret Beckett in December to try and find out.(focus on waste & recycling)
March 1, 2004... "We regard waste as one of our priorities for action... partly because of how much we still feel we have to do in order to achieve the breakthrough on waste that we are all looking for." The words belong to Environment Secretary Margaret...

The right basis for trust: new chief sets out WRAP's stall for markets with ... Phillip Ward, WRAP's newly appointed chief operating officer, looks back to the organisation's roots, its achievements so far, and the challenges remaining to develop markets for recycled resources.(Waste and Resources Action Programme)
March 1, 2004... Returning to waste after three years gives an interesting perspective on the current challenges, and it is tentatively positive. The mountain to be climbed is not smaller, but a band of sherpas are in the foothills and a route map is starting...

Cutting waste makes a real difference to profits: Dr Martin Gibson, Programme Director of Envirowise, says many SMEs are missing opportunities to realize the substantial financial savings they can make by minimising waste.(focus on waste & recycling)(Small and Medium-sized Enterprise )
March 1, 2004... At a time when gaining and maintaining a competitive edge is vital, a survey last year revealed that only 44% of companies believed that environmental improvements could lead to significant cost benefits. Somewhat alarmingly, it also showed...

Edward makes a point with recycled cups.(focus on waste & recycling)(Edward Douglas Miller of Remarkable Recycled Ltd.)
March 1, 2004... What are we doing with all our waste? Every week more than six million polystyrene cups are collected in the UK--just part of the massive 100 million tonnes of waste generated by Britain's homes and businesses each year. It's a problem which...

The state of waste management.(focus on waste & recycling)
March 1, 2004... The avalanche of new legislation means that specialist advice and training are essential in order to understand and comply with it. Waste management regulation has come a long way from the first Act--the Deposit of Poisonous Waste Act, 1972. In...

Foundation for the future: WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) has been working hard to reduce demand for virgin aggregates by encouraging the production and market uptake of recycled and secondary alternatives.(focus on waste & recycling)
March 1, 2004... The opening of a 1.9million [pounds sterling] aggregates recycling centre, near Rotherham, marked a high point for WRAP's Aggregates Programme. It will take take construction, demolition and excavation waste and turn it into recycled aggregate,...

Benefiting from waste.(focus on waste & recycling)(Bedfordshire Waste Exchange)
March 1, 2004... Every year the UK produces over 400 million tonnes of waste, the majority of which is disposed of in landfill sites. Landfill is an unsustainable waste management option given the lack of space for new sites, its use of valuable land, the...

A question of balance: understanding how the materials and energy we use flow through our economic activities gives us a 'mass balance'. It is the subject of a research programme supported by Biffaward aimed at helping us do more with less.(focus on waste & recycling)
March 1, 2004... Carbon management is a new science, and we are all carbon managers now. Understanding how to be a successful carbon manager requires careful balancing of a wide range of knowledge. For example, one recent discovery is that 3% of the UK's...

Fulleon, their switch and the wardrobe.(focus on waste & recycling)
March 1, 2004... Industry is being subjected to more stringent environmental legislation. The focus of the End of Life Vehicle Directive, IPP, WEEE and ROHS is to get companies to examine the environmental impact of their company and their products, throughout...

Changing times in contaminated land.(focus on waste & recycling)
March 1, 2004... Contaminated land issues are now a consideration in the majority of development and construction projects in UK. This has arisen from an increase in awareness of the hazards arising from former industrial or other polluting use; the...

How to recycle blood, sweat and tears: the aim of the Biffaward Awards is to recognise and reward the environmental achievements of projects funded, or part-funded by Biffaward with Landfill Tax Credits, with the winners of each category providing a model for others to follow.(focus on waste & recycling)
March 1, 2004... Biffaward Awards has itself been awarded accreditation by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). In the future only schemes that have been accredited by the RSA will be eligible for consideration as...

Look what we've started ... champions of savings and better service; with the success of the Energy Efficiency Commitment for gas and electricity suppliers, Andrew Warren, director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, sees real potential in a new European directive.
March 1, 2004... It is not a question of needing to wrap myself in the Union Jack at every opportunity. But I can't help feeling at any rate a rather warm glow of patriotism when a concept which is pioneered in the UK is set to be copied everywhere else in...

Danish lessons on district heating.
March 1, 2004... District Heating (DH), also known as Community Heating can be a key factor to achieve energy savings, reduce C[O.sub.2] emissions and at the same time provide consumers with a high quality heat supply at a competitive price. Pernille M Overbye,...

Putting standards into practice.(sustainability standards)
March 1, 2004... The Market Transformation Programme is a Defra-funded programme supporting development of environmental 'product' policies. Its information is used by policy makers and is publicly available at www.mtprog.com. This article continues the outline...

Investing in sustainable health: Jonathon Porritt, chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, examines some of the benefits that will move sustainable development up the nation's health agenda.
March 1, 2004... The NHS needs to refocus its efforts from treating illness to promoting health, if it is to remain viable in the medium to long term. With an annual budget of 65.4billion [pounds sterling]--11billion [pounds sterling] of which is spent on...

EVOLVE--taking the first step to a cleaner world: the future of recycled paper has never looked so promising and EVOLVE Paper is at the forefront--100% recycled and 100% UK made from 100% UK recovered paper.(Sustainability)
March 1, 2004... Recycled paper has overcome numerous obstacles to become a viable alternative to virgin business papers, and no product has succeeded in this better than EVOLVE. Produced by M-real, at its New Thames Mill in Sittingbourne, Kent, the EVOLVE...

Solutions for the mainstream: Tony McNally is seeking a 'mass weapon of reconstruction' for climate change.(Climate Change)(agreement for research of new environmental technologies and services)
March 1, 2004... Prime Minister Tony Blair's agreement with President George Bush for an international partnership to tackle climate change, announced at a joint press conference on November 20, should be welcomed. It is all the more significant in light...

Addressing agenda 21.(Environment)
March 1, 2004... Some people think that the nineteen sixties, for all the flower power and colour, represented the worst architecture of the last century. Certainly the designs tended to be "boxy" and the materials often used weathered badly but the designers...

Enhanced capital allowances for water technologies: the surf's up for water efficient products with the launch of the latest Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme for water.(ECA's)
March 1, 2004... A cashflow boost is always welcome in any business and that's exactly what the ECA scheme for water is designed to deliver. By investing in products that encourage sustainable water use from the Water Technology List (WTL), businesses can...

Next steps to sustainable products.(ECA's)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Independent advisers say the Government has made good progress in helping to reduce the environmental impacts of consumer goods and services, but big challenges lie ahead. A new report by the Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the...

Events diary.(Resources)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... 17 March: Water Framework Directive--so far, so good? English Heritage Lecture Theatre, London; Lis Whitehair, T. 01787 249 290; email: lis@lavenhamgroup.co.uk. 22-23 March: Local Noise Control Workshop, Berkshire, NSCA; fax: 01273 606...

Removing barriers to sustainable building.(Resources)
March 1, 2004... Six key barriers to the development of sustainable homes have been identified by a nine month consultation process involving more than 350 stakeholders in the homebuilding field, led by WWF. These are: * a lack of fiscal incentives *...

Links to deprivation.(Resources)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... More evidence has emerged of the link between social deprivation and environmental problems. It points to the need for a joined-up approach to addressing environmental alongside social and economic problems in deprived areas, says the...

GHG register.(Resources)(global greenhouse gas )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched a global greenhouse gas register to encourage companies to disclose and manage their emissions. The idea is to support voluntary corporate climate action by creating a common standard for the...

Flow analysis.(Resources)
March 1, 2004... For those interested in Materials Flow Analysis--making more out of less--the results of a conference on the topic organised by ConAccount, the Wuppertal Institute and the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) are available via...

Impact report.(Resources)
March 1, 2004... The East of England report on adapting to the impacts of climate change in the region will be launched on Tuesday March 9 at Downing College, Cambridge. More: vtilling.go-east@go-regions.gsi.gov.uk.

Degree days--December 2003 & January 2004.(Resources)(Illustration)
March 1, 2004... Degree Days--December 2003 & January 2004 Thames South Southern South Severn Valley Eastern Western Valley 20 yr. avg 294 318 304 252 ...

More events.(Resources)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... 31 March: Non-Invasive Investigation and Monitoring of Waste Sites; ERI, University of Birmingham; for local authorities, consultants and landfill operators; www.cert.bham.ac.uk/ training/shortcourses.htm. 1-3 April: Berlin, Rotes Rathaus...

Arc Energy delivers record number of Hydro-Brake[R] Flow Controls.(Products & Services)
March 1, 2004... Arc Energy Resources, a specialist in fabrication and weld overlay cladding, has manufactured a record number of Hydro-Brake[R] Flow Controls for Hydro International Arc Energy project manager Neil Cook says: "Hydro-Brake[R]'s harness the...

Peterborough City Council teams up with Bankit to launch recycling awareness campaign.(Products & Services)
March 1, 2004... Peterborough City Council is launching a new campaign to encourage people in the city to compost more of their garden waste. It is using pre-designed public awareness materials from Bankit, the innovative new resource for local authorities and...

ECAs for all: save money and save on tax.(Products & Services)
March 1, 2004... Northern Design is pleased to announce that all its Meters, Data Loggers and Portable Power Analysers are now approved under the Government's Enhanced Capital Allowances scheme. Purchasers can now claim 100% of capital cost against tax in the...

Thermal Technology.(Products & Services)
March 1, 2004... In a majority of air handling applications, air to air energy recovery is an essential requirement. Not only is it possible co reduce the sizes of heater batteries and cooling coils by taking into consideration some or all of the energy saved,...

More sustainable builders.(Products & Services)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A survey of 13 of the UK's largest house-builders shows that each recognises the growing importance of sustainability issues to their business. Two companies, Countryside Properties and the Berkeley Group, lead the pack, each scoring more than...

Conference blues.(Products & Services)
March 1, 2004... Now it can be revealed how much C[O.sub.2] you release into the atmosphere whenever you fly to a business conference. Researchers from Halifax, Canada, have estimated that on average everyone who attends conferences like the United Nations...