EnBW Energie, the third largest energy company in Germany, has commenced the operation of the country’s first commecercial offshore wind farm – EnBW Baltic 1 off the Baltic Sea coast. Located 16 kilometres from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern coastline, EnBW Baltic 1 incorporates 21 wind power turbines, each with an installed power of 2.3 megawatts. Together they … Read more
The economic crisis, the evolving EU policy context and recent developments in technology require new approaches to domestic energy policy, according to a new report – A Review of Irish Energy Policy – by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). While the objectives of policy remain the enhancement of competitiveness, ensuring a secure energy … Read more
For the third year in a row, Airtricity, Ireland’s largest independent energy utility, has won the national Green Energy Award 2011. 66% of the electricity supplied by Airtricity to its 500,000 electricity customers comes from renewable sources. “We recognise that small changes in the way our customers consume their energy can make a big difference … Read more
Marks & Spencer has launched the high street’s first ever carbon neutral bra, as part of the retailer’s new Autograph Leaves lingerie collection. The Carbon Trust Footprinting Certification Company has calculated and independently certified the footprint of the entire Autograph Leaves collection, which includes four styles of bra, three knickers and a set of suspenders. … Read more
In 2009, oil remained the main source of energy in the EU27, with a share of 37% in the total gross inland energy consumption. However, there have been changes in the mix of sources contributing to gross inland energy consumption over the last decade. The share of renewable energy has almost doubled, from 5% of … Read more
While UN climate negotiations show no sign of significant progress, calculations from the European Wind Energy Association show that wind energy is achieving over a quarter of the emissions reductions required under the current Kyoto agreement. The recent UN climate negotiations in Bangkok “produced little more than the agenda for further negotiations,” according to the … Read more
Onshore wind energy alone can provide up to 65% of Germany’s electricity requirements, according to a new study published by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES) on behalf of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE). With just 2% of land area in Germany available for wind power production, Fraunhofer calculated … Read more
The International Energy Agency has released its first Clean Energy Progress Report, which assesses global deployment of clean energy technologies and provides recommendations to countries on future action and spending. The report finds that while impressive progress has been made in developing clean energy technologies in recent years, the success stories are being overshadowed by … Read more
Some 300 researchers and delegates from a wide variety of scientific and engineering disciplines will gather at University College Cork (UCC) from April 6-8th to participate in The 21st Irish Environmental Researchers’ Colloquium (ENVIRON 2011). The Colloquium offers a unique forum for researchers, government and industry to discover emerging areas of environmental, energy and marine … Read more
Ireland will generate enough renewable energy by 2040 to effectively cover 100% of the nation’s energy requirements, according to Peter Harte, chairperson of the Irish Wind Energy Association’s Markets Committee. He also sees Ireland becoming a carbon-free power and transport nation, with most, if not all, of our current fossil fuel plants decommissioned by then. … Read more