ANOTHER PLANET
Important wildlife habitats for seabirds such as puffins and razorbills will be put at risk if oil drilling is allowed of the UK coast according to the RSPB. The RSPB is concerned that the latest round of oil and gas exploration could lead to drilling just a few miles of the UK’s coast.
IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, has installed 39,000 solar panels on the rooftops of its UK stores as part of its goal to derive all of its energy from renewable sources. While the Swedish retailer has not set a deadline for using 100% renewable energy, it could reach 80% of its target by 2015.
Military land across the United States is to be opened up for private investors to install renewable energy infrastructure. The US army said it would be seeking private investors to back ‘large scale’ renewable energy projects on its land to increase energy security, save money, generate revenues, meet federal targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Durham University Solar Car students will be setting off on a sun-powered adventure this autumn when they take part in the World Solar Challenge. Using nothing but solar power, the DUSC team will travel 1,864 miles (3,000km) from Darwin in the north of Australia to Adelaide in the south.
Edie.net reports that whilst algae may be a good future source of energy. the environmental issues it causes could mean it’ll never be used on a large scale. New research from the New University of Virginia in the US found that algae-based fuels could produce ‘high’ energy outputs with minimal land use, but their production could also come with ‘significant environmental burdens’.
The UK’s Environment Agency has cut its carbon emissions by almost a fifth since 2006-7, including reducing its office waste by 18% and sending 66% less to landfill. New figures in
the agency’s first internal environment management update show that during the past five years, the organisation has also reduced its mileage by 33%, clamped down on building energy consumption by 15% and reduced mains water use by 18%. The agency measures its environmental performance in five key areas, with ambitious 2015 targets set for each. One of these is to reduce CO2 emissions by 33% by 2015 from 2006-7 levels.
News comes to us from Sam Goldblatt that his new book, The Complete Guide to Greener Meetings and Events will be available in print this September. You can find out more here on his blog: http://greenerevents.wordpress.com/ and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greener-Meetings-and-Events/139448716124158
US based Sustainable Waves and Kleege Industries have partnered to build the largest solar powered hybrid stage in the USA. The stage is a Stageline SL250 integrating a 4.83-ilowatt (4830 watts) solar array, which supplies sunlight to (2) 800 amp batteries totaling 1600 amps of storage. The array powers (4) Outback Systems Inverters pumping 120 amps of power at 120 Volts. The stage also houses a 10 KW bio-diesel generator equipped with an auto start feature making this stage 100% self-contained. www.sustainablewaves.com
