DIY Renewables Anyone?

Want to do your bit for the environment but can't justify the cost of installing things like solar panels and wind turbines? Then I may have the website for you.

BuildItSolar provides you with free advice, information, plans/designs, instructions, and software tools for building any of a range of projects for your home, local school, or community for a fraction of the cost professionals would charge.

It covers things like energy and water conservation, solar heating, solar electric, biofuels, and even solar cooking.

Of course, you'll have to be a bit practical, up for a challenge, and need to be aware of any building regulations that might affect your project. But it could be the way to do your bit for a lot less, and save you money in reduced fuel/water bills in to the bargain.

Let me know how you do.

Osborne: Now Businesses Say You're Wrong

Really, George?

The UK Chancellor, George Osborne, is all for a second dash-for-gas as the solution to Britain's energy gap. This, despite the fact that it would result in us missing our legal commitments on carbon emission cuts of 80% by 2050.

Environmentalists don't like what he's saying, nor do the government's own parliamentary Energy and Climate Change Committee, and now 50 businesses and organisations have just written to him saying the same.

Those businesses include Alliance Boots, Asda, Aviva, British American Tobacco, EDF, Microsoft, Marks & Spencer, PepsiCo, Philips, Sky and the Co-operative.

Their message is basically this: Set an emissions target for 2030 to show your government's commitment and give investors the long-term confidence to transform the electricity market and boost the economy.

At the moment, the government is giving the opposite impression with recent statements about going all-out for new gas-fueled power stations. This would undermine renewable and nuclear energy investment and cripple one of the few areas of growth in our economy: Green businesses (who provided a third of UK growth in 2011/2012).

Even the CBI estimate that the current policies (or lack of them) could lose the UK £400m in exports in 2014/2015 alone.

Come on Osborne, wake up! You want to revive the economy, and green business could lead the way. Why don't you get it?

More background here.

German Greens Pave Way For Coal

Greens, as a rule, don't like nuclear energy. It may be renewable, it may have minimal carbon emissions, but they hate it anyway.

So when Fukishima happened, German Greens took the opportunity to turn up the pressure for closing Germany's nuclear plants. Never mind the fact that a Fukishima-style disaster (Earthquake followed by tsunami) could never happen in Europe. Logic doesn't apply here. They wanted nuclear out.

So, in the end, Angela Merkel (the German leader) gave in and promised to close down all 17 of the plants by 2022. Just 10 years time.

Of course, that leaves Germany with a problem. What do they replace them with? Nuclear provides 'base load' i.e. It's reliable and plentiful energy (Whilst renewables like wind and solar are intermittent). So, to replace like-for-like, that basically means gas- or coal-powered stations. Both of which DO emit carbon. Raising the nation's carbon footprint.

And since Germany is under economic pressure at the moment, they may be forced to plug the majority of that gap with coal-powered stations. Which give the worst possible carbon emissions of all fuels.

Oh dear, looks like the Greens haven't been looking at the wider picture and shot themselves in the foot.

Worse still, the coal for those stations is likely to come from outside Germany (who are no longer a major producer themselves), most likely Poland. So that's raised emissions, millions paid for foreign imports they wouldn't actually need had they kept nuclear, AND that money is going to the country that is vetoing all attempts by the EU to raise emission targets.

Great. Well, that really worked out didn't it?!

(More here)