Producers of renewable energy in south west of England are now generating enough “green” electricity to power more than 25% of all the homes in the region.
This is revealed in a major report, published this week by independent renewable energy experts Regen SW, which says that capacity has grown by 37% in the past 12 months to nearly 1.2GW – and the region now generates 8.3% of its electricity from renewable sources.
The “South West Renewable Energy Progress Report”, produced annually since 2004, shows the south west leads the way in small and community-scale renewables.
The south west has 21% of the projects supported by the Government’s Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme, more than any other UK region, and 14% of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) projects, second only to Scotland.
“The key areas of growth were 270MW of solar PV, 68MW of biomass and 23MW from onshore wind.
However, the report warns that in spite of this strong growth, the south west is not on track to meet the Government’s target of driving 15% of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2020.
“This year’s progress report is encouraging,” said Merlin Hyman, chief executive of Regen SW. “However, it should be just the start.
“With 70% of all investment in energy globally predicted to be in renewables, our success in this market is critical. By meeting our renewables targets we could create 34,000 high-value jobs, become less reliant on uncertain oversees supplied fossil fuels, and use our local renewable energy resources to generate income and fuel security for local communities.”
The report concludes that while the foundation stone for renewables is a clear and consistent government policy framework, there is also much more can be done locally to: tackle barriers such as the capacity of the electricity grid and ensuring clear planning rules; enable commercial deployment of new technologies like offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.
“We also need a mix of all renewables’ technologies,” added Mr Merlin. “While solar PV, onshore wind and biomass are currently our best performers, the deployment of offshore wind off the Dorset coast has the potential to make the largest contribution to the amount of renewable energy we generate, while wave and tidal energy have an exciting future.”

The Logan Botanic Garden’s new conservatory, built in the Victorian style and thought to be the first public glasshouse in the UK to be entirely heated by green energy sources, has been officially opened by Dr Aileen McLeod MSP.
The Conservatory, which is also the south west Scotland garden’s first public glasshouse, generates its own heat using the latest sustainable technologies.
It features solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, providing a supply of around 3700KW a year, and air-source heat pumps generating enough energy to sustain year-round environs of 8°C / 46.4°F temperate, which are ideal conditions to house a rare collection of South African plants.
Extending the exotic theme of the Garden, the Conservatory’s display of tender plant species will add to Logan’s world renowned plant collection.
Both a practical and elegant building, it is a welcome addition for visitors and a chance for Garden staff to engage with audiences on issues of plant diversity, green power and climate change.
Dr McLeod said: ““The Logan Conservatory is an outstanding example of how we can harness Scotland’s own natural resources, the latest sustainable technologies and modern construction techniques to reduce carbon emissions and generate cost savings, while enhancing the facilities here at Logan Botanic Garden where we can see so many beautiful plant species from overseas.”
The project cost approximately £345,000, with financial support to the tune of £145,800 received from The Monument Trust and ScottishPower Green Energy Trust.
Further contributions were received from the Landfill Communities Fund from Solway Heritage, through Shanks Waste Solutions, and South West Environmental Action Trust (SWEAT) through Armstrong Waste Management.
The project, which took two years to complete, was supported by Alitex, the makers of the 22m x 7m Victorian greenhouse structure which is constructed from wood-effect powdered aluminium to ensure its longevity.

In a move to expand its renewable energy footprint, GE Energy Financial Services has invested in a Japanese solar photovoltaic (PV) power project.

The 32 MW Kumenan solar project is located in Okayama prefecture and is being developed by utility-scale solar project developer Pacifico Energy, which will manage construction and operations. The project uses PV modules from Yingli Green Energy.

Kumenan was financed on a non-recourse project finance basis, and was supported by a ¥11bn loan from The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and The Chugoku Bank Ltd.

Construction by Toyo Engineering Corporation has begun, with the plant expected to come online in the first quarter of 2016. Its power will be sold to a regional utility through a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) at a fixed tariff rate.

David Nason, president and CEO of GE Energy Financial Services, said Kumenan helps Japan meet its goal to get 20 per cent of its power from renewable sources by 2030, as well as growing the company’s presence in new markets.

GE Energy Financial Services has invested $1.8 billion in equity and debt in more than 1 GW of solar power projects around the world. The business unit also says it will finance Japan’s largest solar project in Setouchi.

Two wind turbines in Cork’s lower harbour that will support the manufacturing operations of DePuy Synthes and Janssen Biologics have gone live. They will reduce the environmental impacts of both plants and reduce energy costs by 30pc.

The U.K. Green Investment Bank aims to boost the capital it commits to carbon-cutting projects to 700 million pounds ($1.2 billion) this year as it chases deals in offshore wind, waste and energy efficiency.

Enel Green Power and IFC have signed a ten-year $200m loan agreement aimed at developing renewable energy in Brazil.

The loan will be used to support the construction of wind power projects totalling over 300 MW in the states of Bahia,Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte.

“This investment is part of a comprehensive long-term investment plan to increase supply of wind power generation, seeking to support the sustainable growth of energy supply in Brazil,” Enel Green Power CFO Giulio Carone said.

IFC Brazil Country Manager Hector Gomez Ang said, “Access to reliable power generation from diversified sources is a key component of Brazil’s long-term competitiveness and sustainable social and economic growth.”

Enel Green Power owns and manages about 173 MW of wind power plants and 93 MW of hydro plants, with 331 MW of projects in execution.

With the first Feed-In Tariff (FIT) degression applied from April 1, the Green Investment Bank (GIB) is expected to come out in support of the UK’s anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas industry at the country’s biggest biogas event in July.
Partha Vasudev, vice-president waste & bioenergy at the GIB, has been confirmed to speak at the UK AD & Biogas 2014, organised by the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA), at the NEC in Birmingham on July 2 and 3.
The GIB invests in UK projects which are both green and commercial and it has identified waste as a priority sector for its investment, appreciating the potential for anaerobic digestion to deliver against the bank’s mandate to deliver sustainable green growth.
“Anaerobic digestion is an exciting market for the Green Investment Bank. The technology is at the core of government waste policy, and with a good pipeline of projects it can help us meet our investment goals and accelerate investment in the green economy,” said Mr Vasudev recently.
“The strong growth in the marketplace over the last year is exciting and we look forward to working with the industry to achieve its potential.”
GIB has identified that AD capacity already available to be developed requires investment of around £650m, and the bank’s support in this investment would make a significant difference to the UK’s AD infrastructure and the speed at which it develops.
The bank’s investment funds have already committed a combined £10m to TEG’s Dagenham AD plant – where build was completed last month – and Earthly Energy’s Teeside AD plant, where construction began in March 2013. The potential for further investment in both the waste and farming sectors is an exciting prospect.
ADBA chief executive Charlotte Morton said: “I am delighted that the Green Investment Bank will be presenting at UK AD & Biogas 2014. The bank has already made a hugely valuable contribution to the industry through its early investments and its first market report, and we look forward to hearing how they have seen that market develop.
“In the future, there are huge opportunities to support the market more widely. The government’s response to the Ecosystem Markets Task Force recognised the key role that smaller AD plants can play in supporting climate-smart farming and confirmed that they ‘will work with WRAP and the Green Investment Bank to explore the financing of farm-scale AD projects at an aggregate level, both for equity investments and for debt financing.”
“Given the challenges facing smaller scale AD, GIB’s analysis of the market in general will be fascinating.”

In just six years’ time an estimated 150,000 homes in the UK and France could be powered by clean, renewable energy from the waters around a five-square mile island in the English Channel.
Alderney, the third largest of the Channel Islands, is working on a strategy to revitalise its economy by not only becoming self-sustainable in energy by 2020, but also an important exporter of green energy to Europe.
One of the long-term plans behind this ambition is to harness the power of Alderney’s territorial waters – and in significant progress towards this goal has been made during the past two weeks.
Alderney Renewable Energy Limited (ARE) has confirmed a joint venture with tidal technology company OpenHyrdo to develop a 300MW tidal array.
It has also been granted a licence by British energy regulator Ofgem for a power interconnector between the island, UK and France to enable the energy to be exported and traded within European markets.
These milestones have been described as ‘critical pieces in the jigsaw’ of Alderney’s aim to build a sustainable economy based on renewable energy.
It already has phase one plans underway to create a bio digester facility on the island. Now it has received a double boost towards its second and third phase plans to host one of the largest renewable energy projects in European waters and export the energy created.
The on-island anaerobic digestion unit, which if approved is likely to be built later this year as Phase one of the programme, is anticipated to create 800KW of energy by recycling farm and residential waste.
On completion of Phases two and three, there will be enough to power the 1,900 homes on the island and to save Alderney’s economy up to £200,000 a year on the current energy costs from diesel generators.
In the longer term, the tidal array, anticipated to consist of 150 turbines of 2 MW each, is expected to generate enough power for 150,000 homes.
The licensed power interconnector between UK and France will provide the route to market for the joint venture to export and trade this energy, earning significant revenues for the States of Alderney.