To help you keep up to date with this week’s events we’ve gathered together some of the top energy related news stories. You can follow us on Twitter too.

Green spending review – the verdict

 

We are sure it didn’t escape your attention that this week saw the announcement of Chancellor George Osborne’s Comprehensive Spending Review. Much of the country was waiting with bated breath to hear which sectors would bear the brunt of the cuts so Good Energy was pleased to hear that the news was pretty good for renewables. Support was confirmed for both the Feed-in Tariff, which will remain at its published level until the planned review in 2013, and the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Huhne hints at revival for onshore wind farms

Speaking following the Department of Energy and Climate Change's largely successful spending review settlement, Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne indicated he wants to see a significant acceleration in the development of onshore wind farms. "Onshore turbines are something I very much want to look at again and see if we can do more", he said. He added that recent studies had shown that the cost of onshore wind energy could now compete with conventional energy supplies.

Onshore wind is a significant contributor to Good Energy’s plans for a 100% renewable future, so we are pleased to hear Chris Huhne reiterating his support for the technology. We have drawn up a pathway to a 100% renewable future by 2050 and you can take a closer look at it here.

Plans to build Kingsnorth coal plant shelved

After years of protests, plans to build the Kingsnorth coal plant have been cancelled. This means that no new coal plant will be built as part of the Government’s current carbon capture competition as the sole remaining contender – Longannet Plant – is an existing coal power station on to which the CCS technology would be added.

Good Energy hopes that this will mean an increase in renewable developments instead. Our hope for UK energy is one no longer reliant on big, fossil-fuelled power stations but instead comprised of a network of small, independent generators supplying local customers.

16 Gigawatt of Wind Power added worldwide in the first half of 2010

Great to hear from the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) this week that the world market for wind turbines grew steadily in the first half of this year. Approximately 16GW of new capacity were added worldwide. China, once again represented by far the largest market adding 7800MW in just 6 months; total installations in the country now reach almost 34GW.

The USA, however, while still top in total capacity with 36GW, saw a major decrease in new installations, adding only 1200MW. The five major European markets showed similar growth: Germany added 660MW, France and the UK 500MW, Italy 450MW and Spain 400MW.

It’s heartening to see such healthy figures in the uptake of wind power across the world, particularly in developing countries like China and India.

And finally...

Could barbecues help fight climate change?

It’s no longer the season for outdoor dining – unless it’s fresh mulled wine and some hot roasted chestnuts of course – but it’s possible that from next summer you’ll be able to do your bit for the planet while cooking some burgers on the barbeque.

Durwood Zaelke, a leading expert on rapid responses to global warming and president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, has based his biochar barbeque on a stove designed for use in the developing world. It creates heat by turning wood or other biomass into charcoal, a process that releases combustible gases. Once the cooking is over, most of the carbon from the fuel remains in the stove in the form of charcoal and this can then be mixed in with soil, a process that sequesters the carbon for thousands of years and boosts crop productivity.