Feed-in tariff starts to generate cash

Householders with small-scale green energy systems such as solar panels and micro-wind turbines will receive up to £1,000 a year for the electricity they generate under a new government scheme that starts paying out today.

The level of payments for the Clean Energy Cashback scheme – or feed-in tariff – were unveiled by the energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, in February and homeowners who participate can start earning money from today.

According to government figures a typical 2.5kW solar pv installation could offer a homeowner a reward of up to £900 and save them £140 a year on their electricity bill. A similar scheme that will incentivise low-carbon heating technologies could be introduced in April next year.

Despite the payback, the upfront cost will put off many householders, with the average price of the installation of solar panels around £10,000 to £12,000.

British Gas and a number of other industry partners are trialling a Pay As You Save scheme with the Energy Saving Trust, where householders will pay back the upfront cost through the monthly savings on their bill, but it involves just 500 households.

Despite the cost, energy company Solar Century said today it had seen a fourfold increase in sales enquiries since the tariffs were announced in February.

Friends of the Earth today welcomed the scheme as providing a "tremendous opportunity for people across the UK to play their part in the green energy revolution".

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Gas safety worries over old certificates

A third of tenants are renting properties that have out-of-date gas safety certificates, a poll suggests.

In a survey of just over 1,000 UK tenants, 36% said that the legal time limit had elapsed and 26% said they had never been given a safety certificate.

Landlords are legally required to ensure an annual gas safety check is carried out and provide tenants with a copy of the certificate.

This must be performed by a registered engineer.

This register is overseen by the Gas Safe Register, a safety body that replaced Corgi in April 2009.

Deaths

Some 18 people died and 310 were injured in the UK as a result of gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning in the UK last year.

Landlords can face prosecution if a tenant is hurt or killed owing to a gas leak or explosion.

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GM viruses offer hope of future where energy is unlimited

Scientists have made a fundamental breakthrough in their attempts to replicate photosynthesis – the ability of plants to harvest the power of sunlight – in the hope of making unlimited amounts of "green" energy from water and sunlight alone.

The researchers have assembled genetically modified viruses into wire-like structures that are able to use the energy of the sun to split water molecules into their constitute parts of oxygen and hydrogen, which can then be used as a source of chemical energy.

If the process can be scaled up and made more efficient, it promises to produce unlimited quantities of hydrogen fuel, a clean source of energy that can be used to generate electricity as well as acting as a portable, carbon-free fuel for cars and other vehicles.
Replicating photosynthesis – in which plants convert sunlight into a store of chemical energy – has been a dream of the alternative energy business for decades. The drive was given an extra boost yesterday with warnings by the US military that there could be serious global oil shortages by 2015.

Splitting water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen is seen as a critical first step in this process of artificial photosynthesis. Although it is possible to split the molecules using solar electricity, the process is not very efficient. In the latest study, scientists were able to split water directly with sunlight, without using solar panels.

Plants convert sunlight into chemical energy using the green chlorophyll pigment found in leaves, which traps packets of light and uses the energy to transport electrons from one molecular complex to another within the plant's cells. The end result is the conversion of carbon dioxide and water into glucose, which can be stored as starch or as other forms of plant carbohydrates.
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Are surface water charges soaking up your money?

If the rainwater in your home's drainpipes doesn't flow into the public sewers, you may be able claim a refund from your water bill.

Lucy SiegleLucy Siegle met viewer Mark Smart who for the past six years has paid a surface water drainage charge, as part of his water bill.

But Mark discovered that the rainwater in his home's drainpipes was not flowing into the public sewers. The rainwater was flowing into a soakaway (a pit filled with stones) in his back garden, instead.

Mark had been paying the water company for a service that he is doing himself. He told his water company about the soakaway and has received a £400 rebate from his bill.

Surface water drainage charge?

When rain falls on your property it has to go somewhere. Usually it runs down a drainpipe and into the public sewer. Water companies call this 'surface water' and charge you for draining it away. But there are ways of getting rid of surface water that may involve the water companies, soakaways for example. Another example is if your property is next to a river and the surface water from your property runs into the river.
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