Britain's wind power revolution

Hutton's dramatic policy shift signals less reliance on nuclear energy
Offshore farms could provide all UK homes with electricity within 13 years
Britain is to embark on a wind power revolution that will produce enough electricity to power every home in the country, ministers will reveal tomorrow.

The Independent on Sunday has learnt that, in an astonishing U-turn, the Secretary of State for Business, John Hutton, will announce that he is opening up the seas around Britain to wind farms in the biggest ever renewable energy initiative. Only weeks ago he was resisting a major expansion of renewable sources, on the grounds that it would interfere with plans to build new nuclear power stations.

The revelation rounds off an unprecedented week in the battle against global warming in Britain and the United States. On Wednesday and Thursday measures to boost US use of renewable energy for electricity and motor fuel and cut greenhouse gas emissions were approved in Congress. The move comes as 190 nations meet in Bali, Indonesia, to negotiate what is seen as the world's "last chance" of avoiding the worst effects of climate change.
By Geoffrey Lean

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Tories see 1m households selling electricity

At least 1m households and businesses in Britain could be generating large amounts of electricity for the grid within a decade, but it will need an overhaul of the electricity supply industry, the Conservative party said yesterday.

The party would create a mass market for decentralised "micro-energy" by encouraging everyone to invest in their own solar power and other renewable electricity generating schemes. A guaranteed price for the electricity generated in homes would be paid, with a further guarantee to run the scheme for at least 20 years.

The "feed-in tariff" scheme proposed by the Conservatives would bring Britain into line with Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries where householders and businesses generate electricity from rooftops, gardens and buildings.

In Germany more than 300,000 solar systems have been installed in three years and micro-generation provides nearly 12% of all the country's electricity. Householders can earn 8% to 10% returns on investing in their own home systems and in some cases pay their mortgages with the income earned.

Take-up of micro-power has been very slow in Britain, where no incentives are paid to small scale electricity generators. "We need to move from a top down, old world, centralised electricity system to a bottom up, new world decentralised system," said David Cameron. The party leader has applied to instal a small wind turbine on his roof but it is not yet working.

By John Vidal

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Micro-CHP can deliver significant carbon savings

Findings from the most in-depth field trial to date on Micro-CHP (combined heat and power) were released today by the Carbon Trust, showing that Micro-CHP technology has significant potential to deliver CO2 savings in small commercial environments and certain types of homes.

For small businesses, the trial has demonstrated that Micro-CHP systems can cut overall site CO2 emissions by 15 to 20 per cent when installed as the lead boiler in appropriate applications, such as care homes, community housing schemes and leisure centres. These types of Micro-CHP installations can also reduce energy bills by thousands of pounds each year due to the reduced demand for grid electricity.

For domestic users, the results show that the current generation of Micro-CHP systems is best suited to larger homes with three or more bedrooms, or older houses where it is not currently cost effective to improve insulation, such as housing with solid brick walls. In such homes, Micro-CHP can potentially deliver carbon savings of between five and ten per cent – with typical reductions between 200kg and 800kg of CO2 each year. However, the currently available systems appear to offer limited benefits for smaller and newer houses.

Deploying devices in the most appropriate applications is the key to maximising benefits. The common success factor for both domestic and commercial applications is matching the thermal output of Micro-CHP devices to the buildings where they are used, to ensure that they operate for many hours at a time, rather than intermittently. The carbon saving potential of Micro-CHP has therefore been found to be best in buildings which require long and consistent heating periods.

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The eco-washing machine that cleans clothes with NUTS

It is designed to work with soapnuts, natural seeds which have been used in Asia to clean clothes for hundreds of years.

The makers say the nuts are much healthier for the planet than chemical powders, liquids or tablets, once washed away down our pipes.

And soapnuts can be cultivated anywhere, cutting down on the pollution and costs associated with transport.

The machine was chosen from a field of dozens by the appliance company Electrolux for its annual green design awards.

The company says an E-wash could be on the market within a few years. Henrik Otton, head of global design for Electrolux, said: "E-wash is a brilliant connection between ancient knowledge and hi-tech.

"It takes an open-minded person to seek out solutions from one culture and apply them to another."

The machine was invented by Levente Szabo; from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Hungary.

He came up with the idea while trying to find a way to cut down on the packaging, production and transport costs of ordinary washing powder.

"My inspiration was the polluting effect of both the washing process and the production of the detergent," he said.

"I was looking for a substance that could replace detergent. The soapnut is a natural plant and can be cultivated.

"It does not harm nature but is a part of it."
By DAVID DERBYSHIRE

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