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DECC working with industry on domestic RHI, says Dimplex

Dimplex has dismissed rumours that DECC is planning to ‘rein in’ subsidies for heat pumps as part of the £860m Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, in order to avoid running into the type of financial troubles that have hit the Feed-in Tariff  (FiT) in recent months.

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Green Deal drives energy efficiency economy in UK and abroad

UK policy and business leaders discuss low-carbon sector collaboration with North America  British government and business leaders discussed the economic and environmental benefits of the UK’s Green Deal – the no-cost-down program to retrofit 26 million British homes and businesses – during a Renewable Energy World 2012 conference panel. The panel focused on how government policies act as core drivers to develop a clean energy economy and spur global business opportunities.

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European renewable energy jobs pass million mark

The European renewable energy industry now maintains more than one million jobs as the latest official figures show employment figures in the sector have increased by a quarter in a year.

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Rising wind rentals generate extra income

Rental income from wind farm developments increased by between 10 and 15 per cent throughout 2011, according to research by CKD Galbraith.

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Need more help in growing your business?

The Government has launched a campaign called “Business in You” which will offer you with  range of support, provided by both the private sector and government.  

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REA welcomes DECC’s ambition, but expresses concerns about the details

REA chief executive, Gaynor Hartnell, gives an initial response to today’s Feed-in Tariff Consultation “The government certainly needed to take steps to stabilise the Feed-in Tariff and we welcome this consultation. The ultimate aim should be tariffs that deliver a reasonable and stable rate of return and which fall in line with cost reductions in technology. Whether the government has got those calculations right, is another matter. The solar tariffs fall so steeply that by July this year they could be lower than those for wind and hydro. It is a tall order – and solar companies have been vocal in their disbelief.

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New energy secretary to publish consultation results

New Energy Secretary Ed Davey must announce steps to safeguard the 29,000 solar jobs currently threatened by disastrous Government proposals to reform the solar subsidy scheme when he publishes the results of a public consultation into the plans on Thursday (9 February), says Friends of the Earth.  

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Davey puts energy saving at heart of strategy

A new offensive on cutting energy waste was launched by Edward Davey today, with the creation of a dedicated team within DECC assembled to spearhead energy efficiency policy and make it more relevant to people’s everyday lives.

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New energy secretary backs clean power – Friends of the Earth reaction

Reacting to new energy secretary Ed Davey’s support for clean energy today, announced at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) testing facility for green homes near Watford, on his first ministerial visit since replacing Chris Huhne, Friends of the Earth’s, executive director, Andy Atkins said:  “Ed Davey’s enthusiasm for renewable energy is encouraging – he now has a crucial opportunity to build a safe and affordable future for us all.

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Davey is new energy secretary

The Government has appointed Industry Minister Ed Davey as the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

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REA responds as Huhne quits

Renewable Energy Association chief executive Gaynor Hartnell has responded to Chris Huhne’s resignation from the cabinet as energy secretary. She said: “Chris Huhne was a strong advocate of the renewables agenda and no doubt his forcefulness will have been a key factor in securing a better outcome than many feared regarding the budgets for the Renewables Obligation, the Renewable Heat Incentive and the Feed-in Tariffs. The subsequent poor handling of the latter was regrettable. We would like the new incumbent to make rebuilding investor trust and confidence in the Government’s renewable energy policies their number one priority.”

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Friends of the Earth react to Huhne resignation

Commenting on Chris Huhne’s record as Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Friends of the Earth’s Executive Director Andy Atkins said: “Chris Huhne has championed the environment in an administration that’s shown little enthusiasm for keeping David Cameron’s pledge to be the greenest Government ever. “He should be commended for insisting on tougher climate targets and fighting for a Green Investment Bank – but his department’s incompetent handling of solar cuts has put 29,000 jobs at risk. “Leaving consumers to compare energy tariffs as a way to tackle soaring bills is woefully inadequate. What we really need is decisive Government action to get us off the hook of expensive fossil fuels and invest in clean British energy instead. “The new Energy Secretary must stand firm against George Osborne’s anti-green agenda and make the case that protecting our environment is a way to boost not hinder our economic recovery.”

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A court case too far

Chris Huhne has resigned from his post as energy secretary following the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision to charge him with covering up a speeding offence. Director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer, took the unusual step of making a televised statement announcing that Mr Huhne, MP for Eastleigh, is to be charged with perverting the course of justice. Cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Haywood and other senior government ministers had already indicated that Huhne would have to quit if subjected to criminal proceedings. The charges relate to allegations that he avoided a driving ban in 2003 by making his ex wife Vicky Pryce take penalty points after being caught speeding on the M11. Huhne was already in the headlines following his pledge to make a final appeal to the Supreme Court over last month’s High Court ruling which went against the government’s plans to reduce the Feed-in Tariff (FiT). Both Huhne and his ex-wife will appear before magistrates on February 16.

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FiT appeal unwelcome, says Envirolink

Nick Storer, ceo for business support organisation Envirolink, has hit out at the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) over its plan to go to the Supreme Court following its recent legal defeat over the proposed timing of the reduction in the Feed-in Tariff (FiT). Speaking as a delegate at the Green Power Forum held at Salford University in January, Storer said that the solar PV industry would remain in a state of flux for as long as the prospect remained of an eventual government victory in the case. “We are now in a very strange situation which is causing an enormous amount of uncertainty in the industry and I’ve had a lot of phone calls from people asking ‘what’s going on?’,” said Storer. “If DECC do get leave to appeal in the Supreme Court, it could be in six months time which is not good. If they win, anyone who has taken the gamble of installing now will lose out. What we’ve got is a six month period of uncertainty.” He added: “People felt that the principle of proving that the government broke the law (by reducing FiT before the end of the official consultation period) was important but, what would have been better was to give them a wrap on the knuckles but then leave the 21p rate. I think it will be the uncertainty which is really damaging and the government should be held to account for that. “It’s doing no-one any good at the moment and we will have to see if DECC appeal. We are also getting closer to the 2015/16 period when the coal-fired power stations will be switched off and we will face power cuts and all they are doing is spreading uncertainty.”

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FiTs leaving other renewables ‘out in the cold’, says Savills Energy

Miles Thomas, head of operations, Savills Energy says other technologies have been left out in the cold during the DECC FiT debacle Speaking to Renewable Energy Installer, Thomas said: “A lot of hot air has been blown over in recent days over the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) ‘unlawful’ handling of its consultation on the Feed in Tariff (FiT) changes, but much of the debate has centred exclusively on the solar industry with  other technologies, such as small-scale wind and AD being left out in the cold.

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What’s the incentive?

With the Renewable Heat Incentive set to come into play in October this year, the RHI Premium Payment scheme is now available to those wishing to take advantage of the scheme in the interim period, Neil Schofield, head of external and governmental affairs at Worcester, Bosch Group, gives an insight into how the scheme can be accessed, as well as the advantages it offers to those with an eye on renewable technologies.

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Something old, something new

A Heat pump is helping reduce fuel costs and provide heat at a recently renovated country cottage.

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Driving forces

Tony Staniforth, specification sales director,  Kingspan Renewables looks at the drivers that will help boost heat pump uptake. Since the announcement of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) in March, air source heat pumps have been a contentious topic in the renewables industry. Whilst their omission from the RHI’s first phase is disappointing, it is important not to forget that there are other legislative and financial drivers in place that are set to impact on the uptake of air source heat pumps across domestic and commercial applications.

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Sunny delight

The halving of the Feed-in Tariff does not mean the sun going down on solar PV, argues Mark Elliott of Energeno. It was Harold McMillan who coined the phrase: ‘You’ve never had it so good’ in relation to full employment during the 1960s. Putting aside the scare stories of the potential solar PV  job losses as a result of the recent government announcement on Feed-in Tariff (FiTs) levels, you  could  have used the same adage for the very generous subsidies that have been on offer up until now.