5th International Tidal Energy Conference, london.

21st – 23rd November, Victoria Park Plaza Hotel, London

Conference comments from Mike Weston, Head of ERG;
The tide is high….
“Surrounded by the luxury of the London Park Plaza Hotel the UK tidal energy community have been sharing their experiences. The mood has been generally positive, particularly with regards to the support mechanisms provided by the Scottish and UK governments, but has been tempered by candid assessments of the scale of future challenges. The greatest of which appears to be developing the sector at a sufficiently rapid rate to maximise the benefit of the existing support and demonstrate the necessary maturity to unlock future investment.

UHI is well placed to support these ambitions and has made some useful contacts at the event, broadening its network and raising its profile within this sector. It looks like the next few years will be key in the development of the industry, which is no surprise.”

More information on the conference sponsors, awards and workshops visit the Tidal Today conference website.

ANALYSIS OF THE LATEST UK ELECTRICITY GENERATION FIGURES

The latest figures released from DECC point to a marked increase in renewables generation in Q1 and Q2 of 2011 across the UK – 2 page summary analysis available below (word format);
ANNALYSIS OF SEPTEMBER 2011 DECC UK ELECTRICITY GENERATION FIGURES

Electricity generated in the second quarter of 2011 fell by 1.6 per cent (-1 TWh) compared with a year earlier.
- Coal generation was down 2.3 % (-0.4 TWh).
- Gas generation was down 18.3 % (-8 TWh), due to higher gas prices.
- Nuclear sources were up 38.4 % (+5 TWh), with increased availability compared with a year earlier.
- Hydro was up 74.5 % (+0.5 TWh), due to much higher rainfall than a year earlier.
- Wind generation up 120.3 % (+2 TWh) , with increased capacity and much higher wind speeds in May and June 2011. It was the windiest May in at least the last ten years. Of wind generation, 31 per cent was from offshore.

Renewables’ share of total generation in 2011 quarter 2 was 9.3 per cent, an increase of 3.2 percentage points on 2010 quarter 2′s 6.1 per cent.

DECC note – generation data for the latest quarter are highly provisional. This mainly affects thermal technologies, such as landfill gas, where generation is largely in the hands of smaller generators. For these smaller generators, data for the most recent month are not available, so are estimated.

Link to DECC downloads area…

EnergyNorth awards 2011

Award ceremony – Thursday 29th September 2011

The annual EnergyNorth Awards are approaching fast. The awards celebrate the contribution businesses and individuals have made to developing the energy industry in the Highlands & Islands region whether it be a project, service, technology or investment in skills across the oil and gas, fossil based energy, renewables or the nuclear sectors.

Any business or individual can enter the awards so please consider what you have been doing recently and apply to enter the awards. If there is a person, project, technology or business which you think should be recognised please nominate them. All nominations will be considered by a industry panel.

Award Categories for 2011

• Best Oil & Gas Industry Service Supplier
• Best Subsea Industry Service Supplier
• Best Renewable Energy – Onshore
• Best Renewable Energy – Offshore
• Best Service Supply
• Best Export Award
• Best Pioneer Award
• Energy North Ambassador Award

For nominations or information on attending see the awards website.

ERG team at AllEnergy 2011

The team were very happy with this years show and the four-way-split stand to showcase the research teams and facilities across UHI that ERG helps to represent.

Our stand was right on the end of the Highland section of the show (hosted by HIE) overlooking the section showcasing the Orkney Islands – an excellent spot we thought! After offering the four corners across the UHI partnerships, 3 were able to provide display material leaving one corner for ERG to display a mix of information and leaflets of our own and from various UHI partners dealing in energy research (such as the Agronomy Institute, ETEC and ORCA). Along side us ERI, SEAM and SAMS took-up the other corners of our stand and all had a good level of interest from both the casual enquirer and old friends seeking updates and information.

For those who have never been it’s a massive event and attended by all kinds of energy related companies from the smallest components to full-scale test project facilities providing an incredible insight into the current developments within the sector.

Full information on the show available at the All Energy website.

Renewable Energy Review: CCC

The independent government advisory body ‘Committee on Climate Change’ has just released its newest report into the possibilities for renewables to 2030. This report sets the Committee’s advice on the potential for renewable energy development in the UK, and advice on whether existing targets should be reviewed.

The Committee was asked to provide this advice as part of the Coalition Agreement in May 2010.

The report contains new analysis of technical feasibility and economic viability of renewable and other low-carbon energy technologies and scenarios for renewable energy deployment to 2030.

Report launch summary

Full report and other documentation on CCC website