Energy efficiency: Kingspan – fuel poverty and telemetry
Friday, February 10th, 2012Kingspan Environmental is a division of Kingspan Group PLC that offers affordable environmental solutions for off-mains drainage, rainwater harvesting systems, fuel storage and intelligent telemetry solutions to meet the needs of sustainable building projects. Kingspan Telemetry Solutions Kingspan Environmental is the market leader in oil measurement technologies. The Kingspan Telemetry portfolio comprises of the SonicSignalman which is an easily installed one piece unit that uses technology to...
Offshore energy: The Crown Estate and renewables
Friday, February 10th, 2012Dermott Grimson discusses the Crown Estate’s role in renewables with Peter Cheney. “A property company” is the best way to sum up the Crown Estate, according to Dermott Grimson. As Head of External Affairs for a unique organisation, he is increasingly involved in preparing the seabed for renewable development. The Glaswegian explains that “like any other property owner, we want to invest in our property in order to make the most of our assets and help others make something of the asset too.”...
Regulation: Renewable planning
Friday, February 10th, 2012Planning reform could help to increase electricity generated from renewables to 40 per cent by 2020. agendaNi reports. PPS18 was released in 2009 in order to prepare for an increase in renewable energy applications stemming from the European Union’s 2020 targets (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent on 1990 levels, to generate 20 per cent of energy from renewables and increase energy efficiency by 20 per cent.) The Strategic Energy Framework’s target to generate 40 per cent of electricity...
Energy in transport: Translink – new Antrim station
Friday, February 10th, 2012Translink’s leading the way in energy efficiency with new state-of-the-art station. Sustainability is a key priority for Translink. Most recently, the 2010-2011 Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme ranked Translink as the highest scoring organisation in Northern Ireland and the highest ranking transport organisation in the UK. A mandatory scheme run by the UK Government’s Environment Agency, it encourages large private and public sector organisations to reduce their carbon...
Energy from waste: Veridis – energy from waste
Friday, February 10th, 2012An overview of plans for Northern Ireland’s first major energy from waste project. Veridis Energy believes that its proposed energy from waste (EfW) plant on the outskirts of Belfast provides a ‘win-win’ solution for diverting waste from landfill. Despite encountering many obstacles, Jim Lynas and Harry McCourt have remained committed to their vision of creating Northern Ireland’s first major EfW designed to accept the residual fraction of municipal, commercial and industrial wastes which...
Natural gas: Future gas scenarios
Friday, February 10th, 2012Gas will play a significant role going forward, according to energy consultant James Greenleaf. “Given the uncertainty around technological developments and alternative energy, keeping the high gas future option open is relatively cheap compared to everything else,” James Greenleaf tells agendaNi. Greenleaf is a senior energy consultant at Redpoint which conducted a study examining four scenarios ranging from gas being used at levels similar to today, to its elimination from the energy mix by...
Energy in transport: Electric vehicles update
Friday, February 10th, 2012Electrification of vehicles presents opportunities and risks, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ Director Michael Hurwitz told the Northern Ireland Energy Forum. The sales of electric and hybrid cars has been slow in the UK, with only 1,289 ultra-low emissions vehicles registered from January 2010 to June 2011 compared to 3.1 million petrol and diesel cars in the same timeframe. This is mainly due to the cost, but with technological advances and proper incentives for motorists and manufacturers,...
Energy policy: Global trends
Friday, February 10th, 2012Oil and gas consumption is increasing due to new shale discoveries, but governments will have to make a trade-off between environmental protection and economic growth, Ross McCracken told the Northern Ireland Energy Forum. Meadhbh Monahan reports. We are “pretty much hooked” on oil and gas, particularly for transport, Editor of Platts’ Energy Economist Ross McCracken told agendaNi. Political unrest during the Arab Spring and the continued uncertainty in countries such as Syria “is bad news”...
Renewable energy: Simple Power – small scale renewables
Friday, February 10th, 2012Simple Power CEO Paul Carson calls for action on planning, connections, financing and political leadership. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) recently launched a public consultation on proposed changes to the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO), which addresses Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) incentive payments for various renewable technologies in the region. As a local wind energy company which develops single wind turbines that feed directly into the...
Nuclear energy: Nuclear’s 21st century potential
Friday, February 10th, 2012William Nuttall, a technology policy specialist at Cambridge University, discusses the future of nuclear energy with Meadhbh Monahan. Nuclear energy doesn’t necessarily have an essential role to play going forward, but it is not “evil” either, according to William Nuttall. The academic is Director of Cambridge University’s Management of Technology and Innovation (MoTI) Programme and Assistant Director of its Electricity Policy Research Group. “In the UK, when the ordinary members of the...
