Keen On Green
Together We Can Stop Climate Change.
Renewable Energy
Solar Heated Community in Canada!?
Jul 31st
Think Alberta in Canada and you’ll probably think “COLD”! Well you’d be right… in fact, we’re talking -33°C in the Winter style cold! The likes of which most of us here in the UK will never experience. However, a new community in Alberta is managing to produce 90% of it’s annual heating demand from Solar Energy alone.
The development of 52 houses at an average size of 147m² have been insulated to a level 30% above the average home in Canada in order to keep the energy needs low. Around 800 solar panels have been fitted to the roof of each house and completely covering all of the garages in the development enabling them to collect 1.5MW of solar energy in a heat storage fluid. This glycol based fluid is then transferred to a central energy centre where it is stored.
Solar Energy Efficiency Boosted by Special Dye
Jul 11th
A team of American Scientists claim that the efficiency of solar panels could increase tenfold with a new method of capturing the energy from the Sun.
The technique involves ‘painting’ glass with a mix of transparent, organic dyes which collect the income light and transport it towards the frame of the glass where photovoltaic cells convert it electricity. Any light that makes it through the glass can be picked up by another set of solar cells behind the glass.
UK to Slow the Adoption of Biofuels
Jul 8th
The UK will continue to expand the use of biofuels in petrol and diesel for transport, but at a slower rate amid fears they raise food prices and harm the environment, the transport secretary has said.
Ruth Kelly told the Commons that Britain needed to press ahead with biofuels because the technology could still prove beneficial. But she said the government would slow down their introduction.
Orange Test Dance-Powered Mobile Charger at Glastonbury
Jul 3rd
Glastonbury Festival really seems to be the place for Orange to test their latest designs. Having teamed up with Got Wind again, and following on from the wind and solar-powered phone charging tent also trialled at Glastonbury, Orange have been testing their dance powered (kinetic) mobile phone charger.
The Chancellor and the Climate…
Mar 12th
Ok, so the Chancellor’s delivered his first Budget today, but the big question is, was it a Green Budget or not?
Well we’ve outlined the main Climate related points of the Budget for you below:
- On the back of record oil prices, the planned 2p per litre increase in fuel duty has been postponed until October. However, for environmental reasons, duty on fuel will rise by 0.5p in real terms by 2010.
- Road pricing could fight congestion, so new funding committed to its development.
- From 2009 there will be new bands of road tax for the most polluting vehicles. From 2010, lowest emission cars will pay no tax in first year.
- Target to reduce carbon emissions by 60% may be extended to 80% by 2050.
- Legislation to come into force in 2009 to impose a charge on single-use carrier bags if progress is not made on a voluntary basis.
- £26 million next year to help homes cut their carbon footprint and energy consumption.
- New non-domestic buildings zero carbon by 2019.
- First carbon budget pledged alongside next year’s Budget.
So all-in-all I don’t see that as too bad for the Climate. Obviously there’s always more that could be done but it’s good to see that things are moving in the right direction!
The one really exciting point of this for me is next year’s “Carbon Budget”. I’ll try and find out some more about what exactly this will consist of but it sounds as though it could mean big things for this Country’s commitment to the Environment and the fight against Climate Change.