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Sustainable Community
Sustainable Energy
Planning bids for renewable
energy projects drop by 80%
As applications fall dramatically, finger is pointed at Government
By Chris Edwards
T
he number of planning
applications for
renewable energy
projects in the UK last month
slumped to the lowest level in
five years, GreenWeek can reveal.
According to official figures
released by the Department of
Energy and Climate Change, there
were only 21 new submissions, a
78% drop on the 95 applications
lodged a year before in June 2014.
The estimated capacity if all 21
applications are successful is just
185MW – including the proposed
56MW extension of the Gordonbush
wind farm in the Scottish Highlands,
which operator SSE is now likely to
withdraw following the Government
retreat on subsidy support for
onshore wind energy.
Analysis of the DECC renewable
energy planning database shows
the UK’s pipeline of planned
renewable energy capacity fell
year-on-year by over 1,750MW
from 1,951MW in June 2014.
The downward curve of
proposed green energy projects
now jeopardises the UK’s legally
binding target of achieving 15%
of its energy consumption from
renewable sources by 2020.
Campaigners are accusing the
Government of slamming a
wrecking ball into a key industry
sector of the future that is fast
losing its attractiveness on the
global investment stage.
In a written answer to Parliament,
Minister Andrea Leadsom confirmed
the current Spending Review is
looking at redirecting renewables
subsidies towards other sources of
low carbon energy, which includes
fracking and nuclear power.
Sustainable Innovation
dress sense
A Master’s student from
Nottingham Trent University
was inspired by her mother’s
wardrobe to research a new
clothing collection that combats
the fast fashion culture. Mihaela
Markovic, 24, used classic shapes
and patterns to create new
dresses and coats, designed to
stand the test of time.
“It’s going against the
throwaway culture,” Mihaela
said. “I am trying to bring
respect for clothes back. Today
you can buy clothes for the
price of a sandwich, but the
quality of garments has gone
and it’s unsustainable.”
Eight cities
shortlisted
for share of
£20m plug-in
taxi fund
By GreenWeek staff
The Government has announced
a shortlist of eight cities in line
for part of a £20m fund to raise
the number of plug-in taxis.
The potential winning schemes
will each receive a feasibility
study, backed by £30,000 of
Government funding and
independently carried out by the
Energy Saving Trust. The studies
will gather vital information on
how local authorities could use the
money to reduce the upfront cost
of purpose-built taxis and install
charging infrastructure for taxi
and private hire use.
Transport Minister Andrew Jones
said: “Plug-in taxis are cheaper to
run, better for the environment and
an example of Britain leading the
way in an innovative industry. These
cities have shown their commitment
to adopting greener technology.”
Local authorities who are not
shortlisted are still able to submit
bids for a share of the £20m fund,
but will have to cover the cost of
their own feasibility study.
The eight shortlisted bids
have come from Birmingham,
Cambridge, Coventry, Dundee,
Nottingham, Oxford and Sheffield
City Councils, and West Yorkshire
Combined Authority.
The winning schemes will be
announced in April next year.
Sustainable Analysis
Natural gas boom NOT responsible for emissions cut
By GreenWeek staff
The 11% decrease in climate
change-causing carbon dioxide
emissions in the US during the
six years up to 2013 was caused
by the global financial recession
– not the switch to natural gas,
new research shows.
Experts had assumed that the
drop reflected a shift to natural
gas, which produces roughly half
the CO2 per unit of energy as
coal and was made cheap by the
hydraulic fracturing boom.
Instead, most of the credit
should be given to changing
consumer demand and slumping
industrial output at the time,
according to findings from the
University of California Irvine,
the University of Maryland, and
the International Institute for
Ap