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Posts Tagged ‘climate change’

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A little Tuesday polar bear action…

Posted by ericww on January 25, 2011

Polar Bear (Sow And Cub), Arctic National Wild...

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JUST spotted this story on the BBC website… really amazing!… A polar bear swam continuously for over nine days, covering 687km (426 miles), a new study has revealed.  Scientists studying bears around the Beaufort sea, north of Alaska, claim this endurance feat could be a result of climate change.

Polar bears are known to swim between land and sea ice floes to hunt seals.  But the researchers say that increased sea ice melts push polar bears to swim greater distances, risking their own health and future generations.

If you want to read more, you’ll need to visit the source of this story here … sadly, my limited ‘editorial’ budget doesn’t cover such journalistic forays :-)

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Steely determination leads to first ever Climate Week

Posted by ericww on January 18, 2011

David and Victoria Beckham in Silverston Circu...

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Not before time, 2011 sees the first ever Climate Week and its associated Climate Week Awards.  The week itself runs from 21 to 27 March and the main driving force behind getting this event going is Kevin Steele.

Steele is a consummate and entrepreneurial social and environmental campaigner with an impressive track record and CV.  He was the first CEO of Enterprise Insight (now Enterprise UK), which brought together the Institute of Directors (IoD), the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Federation of Small Business (FSB) around one Board table, and spearheaded initiatives such as Make Your Mark and Global Entrepreneurship Week.  Other credits to his name include co-founding National Family Week and conceiving the Trade Justice Movement.

And, when it comes to reeling big brands and corporate partners into the equation, Steele is a tenacious deal maker.  Case in point for Climate Week is Tesco, which is the week’s headline partner (other supporting brands are: Aviva, EDF Energy, Kelloggs and RBS).

So what’s on offer?  Pleasingly, the Week has begun to embrace the idea of pulling ‘green’ topics into the consumer mainstream (see a multitude of Home Zero Home posts passim for various blathering on this approach to taking eco messages to the masses).

Among the first shots in Climate Week’s communications activity is research that identifies the iconic personalities who are most likely to inspire people to do greener things.

According to the research, undertaken by Millward Brown to mark the launch of the Climate Week Awards, David Beckham is more likely to inspire us to save the planet than green fan Leonardo DiCaprio.

The research found a strong correlation between familiarity and green influence, showing that celebrities who are not actively ‘green’, like Beckham, still have tremendous potential to wade in on environmental issues. This also explains why, amongst female celebrities, X Factor judge Cheryl Cole beat known environmentalist Gwyneth Paltrow to be the woman most likely to make people more eco-friendly.

The Climate Week Awards will celebrate inspiring achievements by the greenest businesses, communities and people in the UK. Everyone will have the chance to influence the way society combats climate change by running an event for Climate Week, entering for an award or voting for their own Climate Week Hero

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Posted in Eco business, Environment, Media | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Gaviotas: Colombia’s eco-village is a lesson for the world

Posted by ericww on October 1, 2010

A FEW weeks ago, HRH Prince Charles conducted a one-week tour of Britain’s finest examples of sustainable living and sustainability in action.  The tour was the focal point activity of the Prince’s START initiative, which aims to help people across the country lead more sustainable lives and to show what a more energy efficient, cleaner and healthier future could look like.

One of the stops on the tour was the former mill town of Todmorden in the Pennines.  Over the past few years, Todmorden has been hailed as Britain’s greenest town.  It’s a great example of how the community has come together and transformed local food production and translated wider global environmental issues into a meaningful agenda that is relevant to the community.

It’s great to shine a big spotlight on this kind of ground-up, community-based activity and there are definitely good green lessons for us all in the story of Todmorden.  And, thankfully, it’s not an isolated example of sustainable living.  There is now a growing movement gathering real traction that is inspiring more and more people and communities in Britain to do their own green thing.

But, while we celebrate positive action on our doorstep, it’s vital we look further afield to see what can be learnt from other countries.  Whereas Todmorden can justifiably lay claim to being Britain’s Greenest Town, the Colombian village of Gaviotas is a very worthy candidate for Green Capital of the World.  It’s a big shout if you’ve never heard of the place. And I only ‘discovered’ it myself recently thanks to a great Colombian friend of mine, Sebastian Franco.

In a nutshell, Gaviotas was founded in 1971 by a visionary eco-pioneer Paolo Lugari who assembled a group of engineers and scientists in an attempt to create a mode of sustainable living in one of the least hospitable political and geographical climates in South America.

Sustainable living is in the DNA of Gaviotas, which generates its own energy from a variety of renewable sources, has tackled local food production and distribution at prices the local community can afford, and has also successfully identified and tapped natural water resources.  Everything is part of, and contributing to, a big ecological plan; even the children’s roundabouts in playgrounds are used to generate power that in turn helps pump the town’s water supplies.

Fortunately, thanks to Google and Google Earth, Gaviotas is accessible to anyone interested in finding out more, and I hope this post prompts you to take a look!  It’s a fascinating story that has captured the attention of many, including the American author, professor and journalist Alan H. Weisman, who wrote about it first in 1995 and than again in 1999 in his book “Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World” (still in print and available on Amazon, published by Chelsea Green Publishing).

Gaviotas and Todmorden are of course not isolated examples of communities working together to tackle big global environmental challenges.  There are scores if not hundreds.  The common thread running through all the best examples, however, is the power of the  community itself.  To achieve real lasting impact, it is at a community level where the good work is achieved.  What a shame then that all these ‘dots’ of great action can’t be somehow joined up on a big, green global map, so that ideas can be shared and inspiration found?  Maybe we should encourage communities to identify and build links with their Eco-Twin Town?…

A long time ago in a previous job I was lucky enough to be involved in something called the Twin Town Awards, run by a now defunct Government quango called the Local Government Information Bureau (LGIB).  I was working for the Royal Mail at the time and my employer was the main sponsor of the annual event.  The Twin Town Awards celebrated the best examples of  communities in Britain that ‘twinned’ with their counterparts in other countries, built good links and had jointly done something worthy of recognition.  It gave a context to the road signs outside most towns and and cities in Britain such as: “Welcome to Northampton… Twinned with…Poitiers, France and Marberg Germany” etc.

It was a good scheme, designed in the post-war era, to foster good relations between nations and encourage education and community interaction.  Perhaps we could blow off the dust from something like this and encourage towns, villages and cities all over the world to identify and build links with their ecological ‘twin’ and in so doing spread and share the best practice that was happening in Gaviotas 40 year ago much more quickly.  Todmorden and Gaviotas would be an ideal first match.

Posted in Environment, Travel and Transport | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Prince of solar power is simply delighted about sustainability

Posted by ericww on September 4, 2010

Charles, Prince of Wales outside the White Hou...

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HRH The Prince of Wales, who recently came out of the solar power closet in favour of installing renewable energy sources at his London Clarence House residence, is scheduled to go on a five-day tour of Britain next week to highlight examples of communities and individuals starting to live more sustainably.

Part of the START initiative, the Royal Tour will include visits to a community-run city farm in Newcastle, a town-wide ‘grow your own’ project in Yorkshire, and an energy savings company in Nottingham as well as three national START festivals, two START Living Shops and a civic dinner in Manchester. The tour will begin in Glasgow on 6 September, before heading to Edinburgh, Carmarthen, Bristol, Newcastle, Todmorden, Manchester, Nottingham, and Birmingham, finishing in London on 10 September.

The Prince will be travelling on the Royal Train, which runs on bio-fuel, and he will host a series of meetings and receptions between station stops. The Duchess of Cornwall will join the tour for the Bristol and London visits.

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“£1 billion” free solar offer comes with buyout option

Posted by ericww on August 23, 2010

AMID all the current interest in obtaining free installation of solar PV panels IF you have a suitable south-facing roof on your home, another company has entered the fray with a compelling offer to consumers.

HomeSun, the free power company, is looking for 100,000 homes to install solar panels for free over the next 3 years, 2000 of which will be in the next 12 months, it says.

This offer, announced on 5 August, has produced a staggering response – with more than 40,000 customer enquiries flooding into the company, 80 per cent via the HomeSun website, where a simple tool helps people identify whether their home is suitable for the free offer or an alternate paid-for system.

HomeSun is one of a number of companies making similar free offers to homeowners – but its simple buyout scheme allows customers anytime within the 25-year contract term to pay for the cost of the equipment, based on monthly residual valuation model.

Bill Sneyd, HomeSun’s Chief Operating Officer told Home Zero Home: “We make it very simple for our customers and we are very upfront about explaining that it is simple to pay for the equipment at anytime during the contract should they wish, or if their financial circumstances change to make this possible.

“The buyout price is determined with a starting retail cost of the equipment, which for the larger 3.5kWp system in our free offer averages out at around £15,000, so using that as the day one valuation, the cost to buyout is this figure less £50 per month for each month the contract has been in force.”

Mr Sneyd gave Home Zero Home this example:

  • Customer A’s solar PV equipment is installed by HomeSun at their home on a south-facing, unshaded roof.  They benefit from cheaper electricity immediately and feel good about being a  ‘green’ energy early adopter.
  • The retail cost of the equipment on day one of the 25 year contract (300 months) is £15,000.
  • After ten years (120 months), Customer A decides they would like to take up HomeSun’s option to buy the equipment, and in turn get the benefit of the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) revenue directly.
  • HomeSun establishes the buyout price of the equipment to be £15,000 minus £50 X 120 months (£6,000) = £9,000 and communicates this to Customer A.
  • Customers A pays £9,000 to HomeSun and the contract is terminated.

HomeSun operates on an increasingly familiar business model (becoming known as the ‘rent a roof’ model) whereby they install the solar PV kit for free and then maintain it for 25 years as part of a contract with the homeowner.  Costs for solar PV equipment (typically a 3kwh system) vary and Home Zero Home has been quoted prices from £11,000 to £16,000 but prices should decrease in time.

In turn, over the contract term, the companies recoup the initial investment in the equipment and generate an ongoing revenue from the UK’s generous Feed-in-Tariff (FiT), which was introduced in April this year.

The Feed-in-Tariff is enshrined in law and ensures that electricity companies pay a fee per unit of electricity for the energy generated in homes from renewable sources, such as solar.  Such tariffs are commonplace in other countries, such as Germany where they were introduced in 2000, and are used as an incentive to encourage take-up and use of renewable energy technologies and in turn decrease carbon emissions.

The benefits to homeowners who take up offers such as HomeSun’s are: the chance to be an early adopter in the green energy revolution; zero upfront cost outlay on the equipment; and cheaper electricity bills – approximately a 30 per cent plus decrease depending on particular usage factors and the quality of your home insulation.  Indeed, Home Zero Home would highly recommend that you survey and improve your home’s insulation at the same time as installing any renewable energy source.  That way, you will maximise energy efficiency and utility savings.

HomeSun’s contract, like those offered by Isis Solar and A Shade Greener, transfer with ownership should you move home within the 25-year term, passing to the new owner once a sale is completed – and a solar powered home is potentially a positive factor in making a property attractive to a purchaser.

Daniel Green, CEO at HomeSun, said at the time of launch of HomeSun’s offer: “Solar power is natural, free and clean – and it’s the price which has slowed widespread take-up.  We are changing that – today is the beginning of a new era as HomeSun takes solar power out into the mainstream. As oil becomes the new tobacco, more and more people are looking for a clean & renewable solution – but it has to be a head and heart decision.   Finally, with HomeSun, solar makes sense both financially and environmentally.”

To find whether you qualify for free installation contact a HomeSun consultant on 0844 770 9922 or visit www.homesun.com


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Everyone’s ‘talking’ about solar power

Posted by ericww on August 6, 2010

SUDDENLY it’s difficult to avoid news stories in the Press and on TV and radio about solar power.  The recent boom in media interest kicked off in The Times on 28 July, 2010, which reported the launch of a new company, Isis Solar, which is offering to fit solar panels to 18,000 homes in the UK for free.

Another company, HomeSun, waded in this week with a similar offer, reported on Sky News and in the Daily Express.  And that follows previous offers from companies such as A Shade Greener.  Here, we have captured and linked the main news items discussing these various offers and the companies behind them.

When Home Zero Home launched last year (one year ago this month in fact) we felt we were pretty late to the party with regards looking at green issues, and in particular steps people can take in the home to become ‘greener,’ save energy and perhaps save money as well.  But, even then, you wouldn’t find too many major news outlets covering stories about solar power… not in a positive way anyway.

So, it’s good to see that solar power has made it to the top of the news agenda at last.  Here’s our pick of the latest stories, in case you missed them or need to catch up:

Sky News (05 August, 2010)… HomeSun wants to enable people to produce their own power by offering their system in return for a share of the savings they make on their electricity bills

Media kick-off: The Times reported "free solar power" for the people on 28 July, 210

Daily Express (05 August, 2010)… BLAZING relentlessly in the heavens, 93 million miles above the surface of the Earth, it’s our greatest untapped resource

Bloomberg (05 August, 2010)… The U.K., known for rain and gray skies, enjoyed record installations of solar panels in July after the government guaranteed prices for electricity from renewable energy up to 10 times market rates

Solar Power Portal (05 August, 2010)… Joining the likes of ‘A Shade Greener,’ renewable energy provider ISIS Solar has revealed that it will install an initial 18,000 solar systems, for FREE in the south of the UK. Many more companies are expected to follow suit as the year progresses, taking advantage of the UK’s generous feed-in tariff, while providing free renewable electricity for the homes it selects.

PV-tech.org (05 August, 2010)… Taking advantage of the UK’s feed-in tariff, Oxford-based ISIS Solar said it will install 18,000 rooftop solar systems, free of charge. The company will begin by installing the systems in the south of the country, but will move north as the year progresses, reports PV-Tech’s UK-based sister site.

The Sunday Times (31 July, 2010)… bills could jump sharply this year. Isis Solar, an alternative-energy firm…outweigh the upfront costs. The Isis Solar deal came as British Gas announced…fed back to the national grid. Isis saidsolar panels generally produce enough to cover…

Mail on Sunday (31 July, 2010)… British Gas customers and consumer groups have reacted angrily after the utilities giant’s profits almost doubled while millions of people struggle to pay bills.  Customers are being urged to take action by switching to a cheaper fuel deal before winter

Daily Mail (28 July, 2010)… Thousands of homeowners are being offered the chance to loan their roofs to a solar power firm in return for cheaper electricity bills.  Householders who agree to having the panels installed free of charge will see their bills fall by up to two thirds

The Times (28 July, 2010)… the chance to rent their roofs to a solar power company in exchange for cheaper electricity bills. The company, Isis Solar, will pay for solar panels to be…average household electricity bill. Isis Solar, which plans to install a 3.3…


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Posted in Media, Solar power | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Energy statistics show solar power is a very slow burn for British energy consumers

Posted by ericww on August 4, 2010

LATEST Government statistics just released on energy generation and energy use in Britain have revealed that electricity generated from solar power is lagging way behind other renewable sources.

The data, published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, comes at an interesting time – when consumer interest in solar power is at its highest due to a rush of new companies offering free solar power to Britain’s householders.

In 2009, biomass accounted for 80.7% of renewable energy sources used, with most of the remainder coming from large-scale hydro and wind generation.   In the same year, the proportion of UK electricity generated from renewables was 6.7 per cent of the total energy generated.

Domestic energy consumption increased by 7 per cent between 1990 and 2009.  However, as a result of the 5.2 per cent decrease (2.8 million tonnes of oil equivalent) between 2008 and 2009, domestic energy consumption has fallen to its lowest level since 1995, 10 per cent lower than the peak seen in 2004.

For context, since 1990, the number of households in the UK increased by 18 per cent, the population by 8 per cent and total household disposable income by 58 per cent in real terms.

In 2008, space heating accounted for 58 per cent of all energy consumed in the domestic sector, water heating a further 24 per cent, with lighting and appliances and cooking responsible for 16 and 3 per cent.

According to DECC’s information: “It is estimated that had the savings through insulation and heating efficiency improvements from 1970 onwards not been made, then energy consumption in homes would be around twice current levels.”

The Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2010 is available from the Stationery Office at a cost of £54 (ISBN 9780115155260) and on the Internet at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/dukes/dukes.aspx

UK Energy in Brief included with this year’s Digest, is a booklet summarising the main figures in the publication.  UK Energy in Brief is also available on the Internet at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/brief/brief.aspx

The 2009 Energy Flow Chart included with this year’s Digest, is a chart showing the UK energy flows of primary fuels from home production and imports to their eventual final uses. The 2009 Energy Flow Chart is also available on the Internet at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/flow/flow.aspx

UK Energy in Brief and the 2009 Energy Flowchart are available on request from DECC, 0300 068 5056.


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Posted in Eco business, Solar power, Technology | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

FAQ: Isis Solar’s “free power” offer explained…

Posted by ericww on August 1, 2010

FREE solar power for your home is a tempting offer – especially as it promises to potentially cut energy bills by up to two thirds.  But as exciting as that sounds, it does raise many questions… So Home Zero Home decided to put some of these questions to Lawrence Buckley, Managing Director of Isis Solar Limited.  Here’s what he had to say about his company’s offer:

How does this free solar PV offer work?

LB: “If you own a house with a clear south-facing roof that is un-shaded you may be eligible for ISIS solar’s offer of free solar power.  ISIS solar will install, operate and maintain a 3kW solar system on your roof. You can use all of the electricity it generates and never have to pay us anything.”

How much will it cost?

LB: “Nothing. ISIS own the system and there is no charge to you ever. ISIS makes its money from the Governments new Feed in Tariff.  The Feed in Tariff was introduced by the government to encourage the renewable generation of electricity. The scheme guarantees a minimum payment for renewable electricity generated and exported for 25 years. These payments are made in addition to the electricity generated by the solar installation.”

Find out more about Feed in Tariffs here

How much will I save?

LB: “It depends on how much you currently pay and when you use electricity but we think £300 a year would be typical. Our consultants will be happy to provide you with a personalised quote.” www.isis-solar.com

Is England sunny enough?

LB: “Yes. England has about the same amount of sunshine as Germany, a country with 10,000 MegaWatts of solar panels installed.  The system will produce more electricity in the summer than winter but even on the darkest days it will work.”

Will I notice a difference?

LB: “Only to your bills. Your lights will glow just as bright, your shower just as hot. Your energy supply will remain the same quality and power as it is today.”

What happens if I sell my home?

LB: “The solar panels remain on the property. We think a house with its own free, clean electricity supply is an attractive prospect for a buyer.”

Can I just buy a system instead?

LB: “If you prefer, ISIS Solar is happy to sell you a system to meet your needs. Please contact our consultants to receive a quote. You can call us on: 0800 112 31 00″

If you have any more questions not answered here, leave a reply and HZH will find out the answers for you!


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Posted in Eco business, Solar power | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments »

Climate change is ‘gravest threat’ in the new Coalition agenda

Posted by ericww on May 21, 2010

THE NEW Coalition Government fleshed out its plans for policy-making from Westminster yesterday following the publication of “The Coalition: our programme for government.”  In it, the new Prime Minister David Cameron and his Deputy PM Nick Clegg set out their joint agenda that promises “freedom, fairness and responsibility.”  It states that the Government believes that climate change is one of the gravest threats this country faces, and that urgent action at home and abroad is required.

Among a number of commitments, covering education, business, civil liberties and many other policy areas, the Coalition makes the following promises on climate change:

                       ” We will push for the EU to demonstrate leadership in tackling international climate change, including by supporting an increase in the EU emission reduction target to 30% by 2020.

                        “We will seek to increase the target for energy from renewable sources, subject to the advice of the Climate Change Committee.

                        “We will continue public sector investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology for four coal-fired power stations.

                        “We will establish a smart grid and roll out smart meters.”

The document, which is genuinely refreshing to read in tone and style, is a broadly positive glimpse into the new Coalition engine room, but – and it’s a big but – it makes no attempt to explain exactly how any of these commitments will become a reality.  I guess we shall have to wait for the second installment!

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It’s the end of the world show!

Posted by ericww on December 7, 2009

US President Obama will pitch up in Copenhagen towards the end of the UN Climate Change summit

Apparently, we have just 11 days to save the planet from global warming.  At least, that’s what the telegraph online has informed me this morning.  Steady on chaps, I nearly choked on my Special K Red Berries!

Trust me, it’s difficult enough to get a major UK TV broadcaster to commission a television programme that loosely features climate change as a subject (try not to use the word “green” if at all possible and consider how it affects people with disabilities, seems to be the advice).  But this end of the world element surely makes the whole subject interesting, right?!

I could maybe quickly obtain the world-wide TV rights to the big end of the world event.  Although, thinking about it, maybe it will be just too derivative of existing formats, specifically the big disaster flick, “2012.” And I guess there wouldn’t be much call for a second season.

It’s funny the way the climate change story plays out in the media.  It really is all or nothing.  It’s either nought miles per hour or 200mph, no gentle acceleration through the gears to enable us to get our collective heads around the actual issues.

The Daily Telegraph either reports nothing or says the end of the world is nigh!  And it’s not just the Telegraph, even those smiling sofa bunnies at GMTV have jumped on the bandwagon today – but at least they have put some top tips for saving the planet on their website so viewers need not be too alarmed.

And then we have the faked global warming data allegations levelled at those boffins at the University of East Anglia.  I assume this will eventually win the tag “climategate” if it rumbles on and on (even as I write I know I’m too late with this prediction!).  This is just the kind of dark, sinister and mysterious activity that is guaranteed to have everyone focussed on anything but the real point of it all.

So, what of the key event that’s driving much of the current media flotsam and jetsam about global warming?  The world’s leaders are gathering at The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Honestly, I don’t hold out much hope for genuinely focused outputs from this high-level banter. The biggest problem seems to be to me all about encouraging mass engagement of everyone around a set of consistent messages that show a simple set of steps anyone can take to make a difference in a realistic way.

We can’t tell consumers to change to energy efficient light bulbs in one breath, and then tell them world’s going to end in the next. And, on the “climategate” point, it’s terrible that some official boffins may have tampered with some evidence, but surely we are past the point of relying on scientists to still be dishing out and qualifying the cause and effect information?

The longer we wait for and rely upon governments and world leaders to sort things out, it really will be too late.  The power, on this and many other issues in the world today, is literally with the people.

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