Energydesk
Guest post: Dong claims wind could be as cheap as nuclear and gas
Writing on Energydesk and The Independent one of the UK's largest offshore wind developers claimed that economies of scale could bring the cost offshore wind down to 100 euros per MW by 2020 - similar to the projected costs for nuclear and gas at that time. But the firm warns the reductions are only possible if they know there will be a market. The current energy bill, they say, doesn't give any idea what will happen to renewables beyond 2020.
UK
EY to warn on UK energy bill
The accountants Ernst and Young are set to promote the UK from sixth to fifth in their annual country attractiveness index. But the promotion doesn't reflect a great deal of confidence in the UK's policies. The firm warn that the slow progress of the country's energy bill putting off investors.
Shale gas comes to Lincolnshire
The Times reports on a 'new treasure trail' for shale gas in Lincolnshire. The paper has heard that fracking firm, Egdon Resources, which recently bought rights to drill in the region thinks there is more gas there than it previously estimated. It's upped it's resource estimate to 16 trillion cubic feet enough for 12 years of North Sea production, in the geologically highly implausible eventuality that it was all extracted.
Green deal: Nobody installs cavity insulation
The Times and Building Magazine report on a near total collapse in the number of homes installing energy efficiency measures since the government introduced its flagship new energy efficiency scheme. Cavity wall insulation installations fell 97% last April, compared to April the previous year. 1,138 homes were insulated - compared to a target of 47,000. D'Oh.
More people support nuclear subsidies than don't
A poll carried out for The Independent has surprisingly revealed that more people support subsidies for nuclear power than don't. However the poll for the Institute of Mechanical Engineers found nuclear remained a divisive issue with 46% in favour - far below the levels of support for another controversial power source, onshore wind.
World
US coal giants think about solar
Two of the US's largest coal power firms are thinking about going into the rooftop solar business - according to the Wall Street Journal.
"On its face you would look at it and say distributed generation is a threat," said Nick Akins, chief executive of American Electric Power, "But on the other hand we see it as an opportunity because our business is changing. There's no getting around it."
Power cuts as South Korea shuts three nuclear plants
South Korea is shutting three nuclear reactors because some of their cables were installed using false certificates. It's the second time plants have been shut after a scandal involving parts being supplied with fake safety certificates. The government has warned the shut down could lead to rolling power cuts in August. It's also likely to sharply increase the need for imports of gas.
Czech government splits over nuclear
A row is going on within the Czech government over the future of its nuclear programe after the French firm Areva was thrown out of the bidding process and the finance minister claimed he was 'unpleasantly surprised' by the price-tag of the remaining bids.
Climate
Updated data visualisation shows world's greenhouse emissions
Ecofys and others have worked to update the excellent data visualisation produced by the World Resource Institute in 2000. The new chart shows, from start to finish, the sources of the greenhouse gases (e.g. oil, coal or deforestation) and the amount of each gas (CO2, CH4 and N2O) that ultimately finds its way into our atmosphere.
500 dead in India heatwave
A heatwave bringing maximun temperatures of over 40 degrees celcius is continuing in India. The hot weather has been exacerbated by power cuts disabling air conditioning systems. India's largely coal based power system often experiences power cuts during the summer months.
