Digital Economy Act - Under Review

Posted on November 11, 2010 at 9:28 AM

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Thank goodness that cooler heads have prevailed and the Digital Economy Act will now receive a judicial review.

The Act was rushed through Parliament in the 'wash up' period ahead of the General Election and was intended to shore up our digital operations and help clamp down on activities such as illegal filesharing and thereby ready the nation for a more robust and secure future in this field.

However, the bill was horrendously skewed towards corporate demands and placed the rights of the individual web user right at the back of the queue. Indeed, it came to light that the bill's 'three strikes' policy was written using text provided by the BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) the trade body of the record labels - i.e. those who stood to benefit most from a powerful, industry-focused bill.

Mercifully, the collective efforts of organisations such as the Open Rights Group and isp companies such as Talk Talk and BT have persuaded the courts that a review is necessary. Hopefully a more balanced approach can now be implemented.

Google Goes Offshore...

Posted on October 12, 2010 at 4:52 PM

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Not content with investing in on-shore wind and solar projects, Google is back in the green energy market in a big way by supporting an offshore wind farm development running 350 miles from New Jersey to Virginia.



The overall US$6 billion, 6Gw scheme will help America achieve a planned 54GW of total offshore generation and Google is keen to play a role in accelerating the rollout.


Although somewhat risky, Google should be further praised for supporting this development, one of the first offshore developments in the USA. If only more big corporations were as philanthropic….

Hinted cuts to Feed in Tariff would be disappointing?

Posted on October 27, 2010 at 12:57 PM

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Rumours are surfacing of cuts of up to 10% in the Feed in Tariff as part of the UK Government’s looming spending review.



This would be disappointing news to the renewable energy sector as the yield generated from making green electricity already lags behind European competitors, despite countries such as Germany having already reduced their public funding contributions.


No doubt this will not be the last green funding reversal (the Carbon Reduction Commitment has already been ‘adapted’ in to a direct tax) but the UK government must be careful not to ruin the efforts of the renewables sector otherwise our aspirations to meet numerous carbon-related targets will founder.

Scotland takes a big leap...

Posted on September 28, 2010 at 12:52 PM

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I was delighted to see Scotland's First Minister increase our target for renewable energy generation and reaffirm the government's commitment to the sector.



Alex Salmond also committed Scotland to producing 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 with 100% aimed for integration by 2025.

This is a very ambitious aim but is commendable and will position the country at the centre of Europe's renewable energy industry. The action plan sets out how the country will attract £200 billion of investment in the sector and establish 68Gw of offshore energy capacity as Scotland aims to capitalise on its vast wind and marine resource. We can only hope it succeeds...

World's biggest tv

Posted on September 9, 2010 at 3:53 PM

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The Guardian recently reported that a 250 metre television has been integrated in to The Place shopping centre in Beijing.

It is part of the roof covering above an ice rink within the complex! Whilst I am a huge fan of modern technology, this might very well be taking things too far! One can only imagine the power it needs to run and even on standby it would be a huge electricity drain!

However, it would be awesome for a bit of Halo on the Xbox 360!

All Jazzed up?

Posted on August 31, 2010 at 1:44 PM

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Honda again show their commitment to greening motor vehicles by unveiling their plans for a hybrid Jazz.


The Honda Jazz is a small family hatchback aimed squarely at the urban market and is very popular with the older demographic. You will never find a Type R red ‘H’ on one nor see one doing doughnuts in a car park but the car sells very well thanks to good fuel economy, easy to drive design and solid boot space.


It is therefore no surprise that they are bringing a hybrid version to market that will give similar emission and economy figures to the Insight. It will even be capable of running on electric-only power under certain medium and low speed conditions.


Kudos to Honda for again taking a bold, brave step by adapting a successful car with a loyal following to one with enhanced green credentials

Windows 7...another reason to upgrade

Posted on August 27, 2010 at 4:17 PM

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Microsoft have released the findings of a study they carried out with Reading University indicating how much more energy efficient their newest operating system is compared to its popular but soon to be retired relative XP.


Microsoft have revealed that W7 is 30% more efficient than XP, clearly illustrating that this is a major reason to upgrade to the new software as it would provide both a carbon saving in terms of reduced emissions but also financial from the reduced energy demand. With the home premium edition available from as little as £50, this move makes a lot of sense...

Raw materials are not immaterial...

Posted on August 23, 2010 at 2:27 PM

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A number of news stories have emerged recently about the supply of essential raw materials and the possible future lack thereof....

The Independent ran a cover story (if indeed it is true) that China is attempting to deliberately restrict export of Rare Earth Elements such as neodymium. China controls 97% of the world’s supply and the REEs are essential in the creation of electronic items and renewable energy technologies such as low energy lightbulbs, wind turbines and hybrid car batteries. China is allowing companies to buy the material as normal but not for export ensuring that they can only be used in the manufacturing process within China and thereby ensuring that the jobs and revenues generated by the use of the materials remain within its boundaries. REEs are responsible for 5% of global GDP (£3trillion!) and as a result, the world is scrambling to find alternative supplies.

Further worrying news concerns helium, an essentially non-renewable gas harvested from radioactive decay in rocks. The world’s largest store of helium is held at a disused airfield in Texas and is to be sold off (cheaply) by 2015, thereby diluting the price of this valuable resource. Once it’s gone, the cost will go up by 10000 times! Helium is used in a variety of medical applications as a coolant and it might be all gone by 2030.

Civic Type R gone....say it ain't so!

Posted on August 12, 2010 at 11:04 AM

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Devastating news but understandable…

My inner carbon demon that I work hard to repress is my affection for powerful cars, especially, and no doubt unsurprisingly considering how often I write about their technology here, those made by Honda.

I have long been a fan (and am indeed an owner) of the Civic and in particular the awesome top-of-the-range Type R (available in regular and even hotter Mugen variants). So it was with much sadness that I read yesterday that Honda were ceasing production of the Type R for environmental reasons. A victim of European Euro 5 emission regulations, production of the car will cease by the end of 2010.

Perversely, the car will still be made in its home factory in Swindon but only for export to Australia where they are yet to ban it for its emission levels.

One side of me is proud to see my favourite car manufacturer take such a bold step to cut a popular product line for environmental reasons but the other is very sad to see this awesome car bite the dust. If other automakers follow Honda’s lead, this may well mark the turning point where the industry went green in a big way.

End of microrenewables grants?

Posted on July 15, 2010 at 10:03 AM

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The grants scheme operated in Scotland to support the uptake of renewable energy system installations in domestic properties looks set to run out of money by month's end and no additional revenue appears to be forthcoming to keep it running.

It is such a shame this successful programme will be put on hold until some additional financing can be secured. All this means is that there will be a) a backlog of applicants and b) a dramatic impact on the installer network that relies on this incentive to help generate work as business will undoubtedly slow during the closure period.

Even more curious was the government's calling for more people to apply to the scheme - seems odd considering applicants were likely to be left out in the cold? The delay will have an impact on homeowners benefiting from the Feed In Tariff as well.

No matter, hopefully additional revenue can be found to open the doors again and help support homeowners in reducing their carbon emissions. 

Honda CR-Z - A true hybrid sports car

Posted on June 26, 2010 at 10:18 PM

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I got my first look at Honda's new hybrid sports car at the weekend - the CR-Z. I have written about this awesome machine previously but today was my first chance to see one up close and to actually sit in it and, not surprisingly, as I am a fan of the Japanese firms' cars and their green technology...it is beautiful!

As you can see from the above image, it looks incredible and sits very low to the ground. Hidden beneath this exterior is a 1.5 litre petrol engine topped up with an electric engine with the electric part kicking in to add power when needed.


The car has three buttons on the dash that allow selection of one of the three modes - Econ, Normal or Sport. Sport obviously being the most punchy and Econ maximising the fuel efficiency. However, even in Sport mode the CR-Z does almost 40mpg. The model I saw (above) was the top-of-the-range GT edition, replete with lots of muscular carbon fibre, which retails for c£28,000.

Needless to say, I would like one!

A 'Green' Budget - maybe...

Posted on June 24, 2010 at 10:11 AM

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The emergency budget unveiled by George Osborne on the 22nd of June has been questioned as it failed to address anything green or related to boosting sustainability within its text.

However, I would argue that in these times of cutbacks, spending rationalisation and public sector austerity the budget could be argued as being at best good for green issues and at worst ambivalent.
Many people had raised concerns that big ticket green schemes such as the Renewable Heat Incentive could have been slashed to save money but were thankfully left alone. Major funding schemes such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment and Feed-In-Tarrifs were also left untouched. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the funding from such schemes often comes from the general public's utility bills and was therefore a secure supply.

However, with all the worry about where the multi-billions of pounds of savings are going to come from to get the economy back on an even keel, perhaps this was the best we could have hoped for....

(Image courtesy of mirror.co.uk)