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A new world record for tidal power generation
Posted by Louisa Clarke on 11 September 2017 at 10:30 am
As many of you will know, we love keeping up to date with advances in renewable energy. At the end of August, the Pentland Firth tidal project in Scotland broke the world record for monthly electricity production by tidal power. The MeyGen project developed by the marine power generators ‘A…
How green is Hydroelectricity?
Posted by Alex Barrett on 5 May 2017 at 4:24 pm
Large hydropower schemes account for the majority of the world’s renewable energy supply. Unlike wind and solar, hydroelectricity can provide a constant stream of renewable power, regardless of the weather or the time of year. Hydroelectric dams can be used to store power, and can quickly b…
Can we generate 100% of our energy from renewables?
Posted by Alex Barrett on 11 November 2016 at 11:46 am
In early May of 2016 Portugal covered all of its electricity demand for four days using only renewable sources, energy prices in Germany briefly turned negative, as renewables met almost all of the demand for a day, and the UK didn't use any coal fired power stations at all during several low…
Feed-in tariffs on rocky ground
Posted by Helena Ripley on 3 September 2015 at 10:50 am
The department for energy and climate change (DECC) has started a consultation on the future of feed-in tariffs (FiTs). The government is looking at phasing out the subsidy by 2018/19 but if the scheme can’t be put on an “affordable or sustainable footing” then payments of the g…
How does degression work with FiTs?
Posted by Sharon Russell-Verma on 24 July 2015 at 2:25 pm
If you have installed a renewable energy technology or low carbon technology in the past few years and you are receiving Feed-in Tariff (FiT) payments then you may have come across the term degression. But what exactly is a degression, what is its purpose and how does it work? What is degress…
Abstraction licence fees rise for small scale hydroelectric schemes
Posted by Tasha Kosviner on 23 March 2015 at 4:30 pm
I was chatting with Peter Downs from Itteringham Mill about his hydroelectric project when the matter of abstraction licences came up. An abstraction licence is a legal requirement for anyone who removes more than 20 cubic metres of water from a public source per day. This covers pretty much …
Using the new Ace community energy projects support tool
Posted by Alex Steeland on 16 March 2015 at 11:45 am
If you’re thinking of setting up a community energy project, the Ace for Communities online tool is designed to help. This new tool, developed by the National Energy Foundation, provides detailed ideas, tips and real life case study examples on a wide range of community engagement activitie…
Heat pumps and hydro electricity: how to get your energy from a river
Posted by Tasha Kosviner on 12 March 2015 at 12:25 pm
When a river runs right past your house, as in Liz and Peter Downs’s case, it makes sense to use that water to heat and power your home. The Downs bought Itteringham Mill, a 1778 Norfolk watermill in 2004 with the intention of turning it into a bed and breakfast with holiday cottages a…
How do I set up a community energy project?
Posted by Tasha Kosviner on 4 March 2015 at 9:20 am
First things first: the fact that you’re even asking this shows you’re ambitious and that is good. You are embarking on a thorny and complicated journey and there will be many challenges along the way. But take heart! It is a journey many others have successfully trodden before and he…
MCS strengthens procedures - but will it kill the cowboys?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 17 November 2014 at 12:10 pm
Knowing that your installer (and the product they are installing) is going to do a good job is always important. In a new industry, with unfamiliar products and taxpayers money available to support it, it's even more important. This is exactly what the Microgeneration Certification …
How do I calculate the feed-in tariff for a hydropower project?
Posted by Tasha Kosviner on 5 March 2014 at 10:46 am
Q I am considering creating a new hydropower scheme. Can you please explain how to calculate the feed-in tariff for a small hydropower project? A Under the government’s new community energy strategy, greater financial incentives have become available for groups looking to generate power…
Feed-in tariff rates from 1 April announced
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20 February 2014 at 9:50 am
The new feed-in tariffs from 1 April 2014 are now available. For new applicants after that date the rate will degress (reduce) for the first time since July last year. New installations of 4kW or less will get 14.38p per kWh. Existing recipients of the feed-in tariff will get their annual cost of…
Community groups 'disappointed' with government's energy strategy
Posted by Tasha Kosviner on 7 February 2014 at 9:19 am
The government’s new community energy strategy has been given a lukewarm welcome by groups who have already developed their own community energy schemes. Kevin Frea, part of the Halton Lune community hydro project and a director of LESS CIC, an energy saving community interest…
Community hydro power project close to realisation
Posted by Tasha Kosviner on 5 November 2013 at 12:20 pm
The water that is regularly let out of the Dove Stone reservoir used to tumble, unchecked, into the River Tame. The so-called compensation flow was simply part of United Utilities obligations in maintaining the reservoir and was of scant interest to local residents so long as the water …
The UK's most energy-efficient period properties throw open their doors
Posted by Tasha Kosviner on 11 September 2013 at 11:01 am
If you’re considering refurbishing your energy-guzzling period property to make it run more efficiently then here’s a chance to see how others have done it first. SuperHomes Open Days is a countrywide open house scheme where owners of 54 older, retrofitted homes throw open their d…
Otter and Kingfisher are regular visitors to hydro system
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16 March 2012 at 12:05 pm
The range of wildlife species has increased at Devon Wildlife Trust's (DWT) new offices at Cricklepit Mill, Exeter, since it installed a hydro electricity system. The impact on fish is often one of the greatest concerns for hydro installations - and one o…
Hydro turbine generates nearly a third of Devon Wildlife Trust's power
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 2 March 2012 at 9:14 am
When Devon Wildlife Trust moved into historic Cricklepit Mill in Exeter, it decided to use the Anglo Saxon mill leat to generate electricity. In 2010 it installed a an Ecowave cross flow micro-hydro turbine, manufactured in nearby Crewkerne. There have been watermills on the spot since 12…
Feed-in tariff accreditation for micro-hydro to be reviewed
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 9 September 2011 at 9:05 am
Micro hydro and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) have had a rocky start. The MCS is designed to protect domestic consumers and covers small scale installations. Access to government incentives such as the feed-in tariff and the renewable heat incentive (RHI) are subject to both the ins…
Strict enforcement of G83/1 restricts installation of 4kWp solar PV
Posted by Chris Rudge on 30 August 2011 at 9:54 am
Many installers may have already encountered the newly enforced grid connected inverter G83/1 requirements recently. In simple terms, all the District Network Operators (DNO's) have finally got together and are now insisting that all installations should completely comply with G83/1 requireme…
Beware: receiving grants from public funds may make you ineligible for feed-in tariffs
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 18 August 2011 at 8:52 am
The feed-in tariff is intended to replace grants from public funds as the main way of incentivising microgeneration. So anyone awarded a public grant to install or buy generating equipment is in danger of not being eligible for the feed-in tariff (unless they repay the grant). There are some exem…
