GBEzine

Renewables mayhem!

by Chris Laughton - 23rd July 201517th November 2015 306

In 2011, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) published a review of the generation costs of renewable electricity technologies. Onshore wind was one of the cheapest @ £90/MWh, well on par with fossil based power stations or new nuclear. This technology would have looked a good match to

Pages: 1 2

It would be a waste to leave Europe

by Gilli Hobbs - 16th July 201517th November 2015 255

With the general election out of the way, the EU referendum is now high on the agenda with debate raging on either side relating to the pros and cons of continuing membership. So, jumping on the band wagon, I thought this could be a good time to look at this

Grid defection

by David Elliott - 12th July 201517th November 2015 262

With cheap PV and batteries, do we need grids? With around half of green energy generation in Germany now being in the hands of consumers and local energy co-ops, and the cost of PV falling, some look to a future in which power grids and big utility companies are less important

Well being – how do we measure it?

by Sue Roaf - 12th July 201517th November 2015 244

On the 15th May 2015 there was a very interesting meeting called ‘Enhancing wellbeing: inclusive, community collaborative approaches to place making’ at the University of Dundee. It was very well attended by many with a vested interest in improving people’s lives (often at little or no extra cost, it should be added).

Green Amber Rudd? NOT

by Gideon Richards - 12th July 201517th November 2015 249

Did Amber Rudd, the new Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, in her first fortnight, put DECC at serious risk of a legal challenge from the wind industry? In her first interview with the Sunday Times after the election she announced her support and desire

Hard and soft water

by Cath Hassell - 27th April 201517th November 2015 268

Anyone who lives in a hard water area in the UK (60% of homes) will be familiar with scale in kettles, on taps and shower screens, a lack of lather from soap, washing powder, etc, scum around baths and scratchy towels. While visible scale is unsightly and hard water is

Doomsday approaches

by Chris Laughton - 27th April 201517th November 2015 284

The USA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), located in North Carolina, maintains the world's largest climate data archive. Its report, analysing the data from 2014, gives a snapshot of the global climate anomalies. Whilst we can accept that in any one year there can be an anomaly, the reasons for

Energy storage: essential for a secure future

by Sue Roaf - 15th April 201517th November 2015 248

Energy storage has always been central to the way we ‘do work’ in Britain. Traditionally people stored wood to heat and cook in their homes and even used icehouses to store ice to chill food, drinks and rooms in hot summers. Large-scale coal mining developed during the Industrial revolution and