The UK government recently announced that it intends to greatly reduce the red tape which delays and holds up planning applications for micro-renewable energy installations. Under plans to streamline the governing of household appliances, ministers said planning restrictions for small-scale micro-generation would be lifted. Such a move should pave the way for domestic installations being able to proceed without the need for planning permission. The micro-renewables would include such things as solar PV cells, solar panels for water heating and small wind-turbines.
Housing minister Yvette Cooper said:
“It is absurd that you should be able to put a satellite dish up on your house but should have to wrestle with the planning process for small scale micro-generation
which is no more obtrusive and can have a real impact on tackling climate change. We want far more micro-generation to be treated as permitted development and we also should be able to simplify the system for small developments such as extensions.”
Quite, so why doesn’t the government take a much more agressive role in promoting micro-generation. Research by the Energy Saving Trust suggested micro-generation could provide 30 to 40 per cent of Britain’s electricity needs by 2050. Which of course suggests a reduced need for all the new nuclear power stations.
Written by ashleys on July 30th, 2006 with no comments.
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While I have been travelling and getting myself a new job etc. during may and June, quite a few things have happened related to micro-generation that I didn’t find time to talk about, but I still want to make sure I covered. So some of the next few posts will be related to some slightly older but I think important news. Hope that is OK 
Written by ashleys on July 30th, 2006 with no comments.
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Jeremy Leggett has some comments of the recent goverment energy review in the Guardian unlimited and while he is mainly focused on the change in the goverments attitude towards nuclear since 2003, he has this comment with respect to micro-generation:
For micro-renewables, the review amounts to a restatement of the
threadbare “key policies” announced in the micro-generation strategy,
including such essential policy drivers as “a review of communications
activity” and “a new power for parish councils to promote micro
generation in their own parishes.
As Jeremy says there is nothing new for micro-generation. Jeremy is slightly biased of course since he owns a solar PV company, but then aren’t we all?
Read Jeremy’s comments at Guardian Unlimited
Written by ashleys on July 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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New Zealand researchers, actually probably more likely analysts of some sort, are suggesting the support of small home wind turbines. They say that people are becoming more interested in alternative energy sources and while:
“Consumer–owned technologies won’t have a major immediate impact on the way electricity is generated in New Zealand, but they could gradually play an important part in
our future energy mix.”
However for that to happen of course just like in the UK or anywhere else for that matter, network access rules will need to be improved to support micro-generation initatives. The usual case of analysts stating the obvious, but the more the better I would say.
First seen on Scoop Independant News
Written by ashleys on July 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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You might of noticed the posting frequency has dropped
off in the last few weeks, this has been due to the impact of starting
a new job, a lot of travel, and infrequent access to computers. Things
are beginning to stabilise a bit so we should get back to more regular
posting. The traffic on the site is growing, albeit slowly, month on month, so someone is reading this stuff! So many thanks to anyone who has stopped by.
During my recent travels I have spent a fair amount of time in Dubai, and one thing that struck me about the place was that it has all the requirements for ideal micro-generation. The first thing is that year round almost constant sunlight is just asking for solar PV, and secondly a reliable strong onshore wind during the day, often followed by an offshore breeze in the evening, as the land heats up and cools down. A good business opportunity for someone willing to sell complete off grid systems to millionaire builders on the Dubai world perhaps?
Written by ashleys on July 27th, 2006 with no comments.
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