Boris Johnson should prioritise anaerobic digestion in London

05 Oct 2012, Jenny Jones

BusinessGreen

Questions have to be asked why not a single Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant is in operation, or currently in construction in London, despite strong backing from both the previous Mayor of London and the current Mayor, whose revised strategy says AD is the optimal treatment method for food waste, after waste reduction.

The emergence of AD in the capital has finally started, with two plants granted planning permission, but this painfully slow progress raises doubts about the effectiveness of the Mayor's Waste and Recycling Board as it enters its second term.

Has it allocated enough resources to advancing this technology, which could end the deplorable practice of sending hundreds of thousands of tonnes of food waste to landfill each year, where it rots producing the potent greenhouse gas methane?

Once operational, these two plants will have a combined capacity to deal with roughly 90,000 tonnes per year of food and green waste. Whilst extremely welcome, they will only be able to deal with one fifth of London's annual 460,000 tonnes of food waste.

According to Mayor of London Boris Johnson, the reasons for AD proposals failing to be realised include project financing, planning, guaranteeing feedstock, and agreeing gate fees.

Another threat that was lurking on the horizon for AD was the Government's proposal to block energy installations smaller than 5MW from the Renewables Obligation Scheme (ROC). Fortunately, the Department of Energy and Climate Change responded to the major concerns raised by the renewable sector and the detrimental impact it was likely to have on the renewables industry and this week announced that ROC's will remain available to new AD projects.

The lack of delivery of AD plants over the past decade, which depends on uncontaminated feedstock, is probably one of the reasons why so few boroughs have to date provided all or most of their residents with food caddies for separate food waste collection schemes. However, landfill tax will rise until at least 2014, when it will be £80 per tonne, putting up London's annual bill for sending municipal waste to landfill from about £265m to roughly £300m.

In the absence of AD capacity, councils with shrinking budgets may just divert food waste from landfill to new 'energy from waste' facilities, circumventing AD, the most beneficial method of dealing with food waste.

But the benefits of AD are numerous. It turns food waste into biogas for generating heat and electricity, or into bio-methane for injection into the national gas grid or conversion into transport fuel, and produces a rich fertilizer for garden and agricultural use.

The benefits don't stop there. Using food waste productively can also create jobs and help exceed composting targets.

Data obtained from WRAP earlier this year showed that nine London councils were not providing separate food waste collection schemes: Barking & Dagenham, Hammersmith & Fulham, Havering, Hillingdon, Kensington & Chelsea, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge and Wandsworth.

This leaves residents with the choice of either composting food waste in their gardens, if they have one, or putting it into the black waste bag. Although a small proportion of this black bag residual waste may then be segregated, the vast majority is collected by the council and sent to landfill, or incinerated.

In contrast, councils like Bromley, Croydon, Camden and Richmond were providing almost all or nearly all of their households with separate food collection schemes, which they then composted or sent to an AD plant outside London. Some notable recent improvers were Southwark, which rolled out a food collection scheme to around half of their residents, and the City of London, which doubled its food collection scheme to reach all its residents.

The Mayor has stated that his proposals for anaerobic digestion capacity of 260,000 tonnes in London are being progressed, but it is unclear how his target will be achieved, at the rate of progress so far.

I would like to see the Mayor review the resources, and the priority his London Waste and Recycling Board gives to AD, and then draw up measures to help fast track AD and make it the preferred treatment method for large scale food waste.

Unless sufficient AD capacity is delivered, I fear less beneficial waste treatment technologies and facilities will be built in London, and become the council option to ever dwindling and costly landfill, keeping AD small scale and mainly aspiration in mayoral strategies and government press releases. 

http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/opinion/2214288/boris-johnson-should-prioritise-anaerobic-digestion-in-london

Anaergia to deliver London, England’s first large scale anaerobic digestion system that converts food waste to renewable energy

BURLINGTON, ON, Oct. 2, 2012 --/PRNewswire/ - UTS Biogastechnik GmbH (UTSBiogas), a subsidiary of Anaergia Inc., a global leader in the generation of renewable energy from organic waste, today announced the successful commissioning and operation of an anaerobic digestion facility in Glenfarg, Scotland, as well as the award of London's first food waste to renewable energy facility that will be located in Dagenham, UK.

Food waste and other organics typically represent 30%-40% of the waste generated in a given community.  In order to divert this organic waste from landfill and beneficially use, Source Separated Organics (SSO) programs are being implemented across a variety of venues including single family residences, multiple family residential units, commercial businesses, food processors, grocery stores, schools, airports and hospitals.  Anaerobic digestion technology is then used to convert this energy rich organic waste into renewable energy and natural fertilizer.

A partnership agreement between The TEG Group and UTS Biogas, a subsidiary of Anaergia Inc., was established to deliver scalable and adaptable solutions that combine in-vessel-composting and anaerobic digestion under a Design-Build-Own-Operate-Finance (DBOOF) model.  The Dagenham and Glenfarg facilities utilize the DBOOF model and will both operate under 20 year power purchase agreements owned and operated by The TEG Group.

Anaergia provided the anaerobic digestion system to the Glenfarg facility in Perthshire, Scotlandthat is owned and operated by TEG Biogas (Perth).  The newly added biogas facility is currently processing 15,000 tonnes per year of residential and commercial food waste into 700 kW of renewable energy. The renewable electricity is distributed through the national electrical grid and heat produced onsite can be supplied to the new Binn Eco Park development.  The organic residual from the digestion of food waste is converted to soil amendment that is sold to local farmers in order to replace conventional chemical fertilizers.

Anaergia is also under contract to provide a second anaerobic digestion system to the TEG Biogas (London) facility in Dagenham about 35 km outside of London.  The total treatment capacity will be 49,000 tonnes per year, 19,000 tonnes of which will go to the in-vessel-composting plant. The anaerobic digestion facility, will convert the remaining 30,000 tonnes per year of London's food waste into 1,400 kW of renewable energy.  Combined, the two UK based projects will generate nearly 17 million kilowatts of renewable energy each year which is enough to power the equivalent of approximately 3,500 homes.  In addition, these projects will prevent 900,000 tonnes of food waste from entering landfills during the 20 year contracts.

The Mayor of London, Mr. Boris Johnson highlighted his interest to further support renewable energy generation using anaerobic digestion facilities across London.

Mr. Boris Johnson indicated, "We are set to support more facilities of this nature across the capital working with boroughs and the London Waste and Recycling Board." (September 4, 2012 - Waste Management World)

"These projects demonstrate forward thinking and environmental stewardship by selecting anaerobic digestion technology to generate renewable energy while diverting food waste from landfills," said Ludwig Dinkloh, Vice President of UTS Biogastechnik.  "We are proud to be a part of the London Sustainable Industries Park and the Binn Eco Park due to the contribution they make to a sustainable environment as well as their contribution to the local economy through the development of hundreds of new jobs."

"Our first co-located anaerobic digestion and in-vessel-composting plant became operational inPerthshire earlier this year and is testimony to our confidence in the benefits of co-located organic waste technologies," says Mick Fishwick, CEO of TEG. "Combined anaerobic digestion and in-vessel-composting sites offer front-end flexibility on feedstock, enabling us to process a wide variety of waste streams including food waste only, green waste only or co-mingled organic waste.  We have been delighted with the performance of the Anaergia Anaerobic Digestion plant at Glenfarg,which has already exceeded the planned power output, and we look forward to working with UTSagain in delivering the AD plant in Dagenham."

"These projects are a further example of the global trend to divert waste organics from landfills and convert them into renewable energy and natural fertilizer using anaerobic digestion technology.  We are proud of our partnership with TEG and believe that offering anaerobic digestion technology under a power purchase agreement is an emerging service model with strong benefits to communities.  The model provides competitively priced renewable energy, extended landfill life and a smaller carbon footprint without a capital investment by the communities," said Steve Watzeck, CEO of Anaergia.  "With more than 20 years of experience using anaerobic digestion to generate renewable energy from high strength organic waste, Anaergia is well suited to support municipalities reach their sustainability goals and reduce costs."

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/02/4873939/anaergia-to-deliver-london-englands.html

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/02/4873939/anaergia-to-deliver-london-englands.html#storylink=cpy

London to benefit from £30 million sustainable industries hub

As London gets on with normal life after its Paralympic and Olympic triumph, Mayor Boris Johnson has announced a £30 million investment in a sustainable industries hub.

The London Sustainable Industries Park in Dagenham aims to be the largest of its kind in the UK and will include a £21 million anaerobic digestion waste recycling facility, which will be built and run by the TEG Group.

The waste plant, which is being part funded by the Mayor’s £100 million Green Fund through the Foresight Environmental Fund, will divert over 49,000 tonnes of food waste from land fill a year to generate renewable heating and power for use on the site.

The Mayor has committed a further £10.3 million for a works programme to transform the brownfield site into a business quarter for environmentally focused enterprises in recycling and renewable energy, including wind and solar power, and biomass.

Closed Loop Recycling is already in occupation on the site, but the Mayor says the Greater London Authority (GLA) is in talks with a major potential tenant, which wants to build one of the UK’s largest industrial gasification plants in the park.

Construction on the 197,000 sq ft building on the 8.3 acre site, which would take municipal and industrial waste to produce energy, could start as soon as January 2013.

“This exciting new project is set to bring hundreds of much needed new jobs into Dagenham,” commented Johnson. “Low carbon industries represent a growth market, which will support a new generation of jobs for Londoners but also bring cleaner, energy efficient businesses that contribute to a better quality of life.”

The Mayor says the Park will create up to 750 long term jobs and 500 construction jobs.

http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/articles/i/5355/?cid=4

Wheels in the sky: Artist's impression gives stunning vision of Boris' planned elevated London bike network

• First phase of SkyCycle would link Stratford with City of London by 2015
• Commuters expected to pay £1 per journey
• Scheme could cost 'tens of millions of pounds'

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 06:43 EST, 4 September 2012 | UPDATED: 07:10 EST, 4 September 2012

It may have only been a matter of weeks since Mayor of London Boris Johnson was left suspended precariously above the capital in a comical zip wire malfunction during the Olympics. 

But Mr Johnson could be looking to take to the skies once again, this time on his bike, as he considers an architect's proposals for a network of elevated cycle paths between London's mainline stations.

Spectacular artist's impressions of what the city's raised cycle network - given a working name of SkyCycle - could look like were released this week along with the first details of the project.

Scroll down for video

London Mayor Boris Johnson is considering architect Sam Martin's designs for SkyCycle, a bike network above the capital's streets. An artist's impression is shown

The scheme is designed to make cycling safer for the increasing numbers choosing to take their bike to work

Drawings showing a futuristic raised glass open-top tunnel, that have drawn comparisons with New York's High Line, could become a reality as soon as 2015.

Sam Martin, 43, the landscape architect who came up with the idea with a colleague two years ago, said discussions between the Mayor and Network Rail were 'going well' since an initial meeting in May and that feasibility studies over potential sites were already underway.

He stressed that plans were at an early stage, but the proposal was focused on commuters who would pay to use the network with an Oyster card.

SkyCycle could become a reality above the streets of London as soon as 2015

Mr Martin, director of Exterior Architecture, who admits to giving up cycling in London because he found it too dangerous added that the raised network was the only option left to expand cycling in London.

He said: 'TfL estimate the number of journeys made by bike will treble to around 1.5 million by 2020. Where are they meant to go? SkyCycle is the next logical step, because you can’t realistically build more cycle lanes on ground level.

'You have to start knocking down buildings and there will always be the problem of traffic. It will be less safe than it is now and you can’t persuade people to get on bikes as it is even if you keep raising taxes on cars.'

He added: 'Boris loves the idea and Network Rail are really positive about it. I sincerely believe it could be the next significant piece of London infrastructure and would transform the capital.

'It has been compared to New York’s High Line, which I am familiar with, but the reality is this is a completely different concept.

'In New York it is mainly pedestrian and primarily for tourists and uses converted disused railway lines.

'We are talking about new infrastructure for commuters that guarantees safety and will be quicker than taking public transport. It is a much more ambitious and expensive.'

The drawings show a bold red and blue design incorporating a helix structure partly encasing the raised platform above London.

Martin believes that a corporate sponsor similar to the Barclays-backed cycle hire scheme would be needed to help fund the project, which he said would cost 'tens of millions of pounds' and take around two years to build.

It is thought the first route could be built on the Olympic regeneration of east London, linking Stratford with the City of London through Liverpool and Fenchurch Street stations but this has yet to be confirmed

It is envisaged that cyclists could pay around £1 per journey, making it significantly cheaper to use than public transport - around the third of the cost of a regular commute.

There would also be the need for more cycle storage and ramps at stations. 

Despite suggestions, Martin said the proposed network would not exclusively use old railway lines but would require new infrastructure build alongside or above tracks in some places.

The problem of negotiating with different landowners is to be overcome by using leasing land owned by Network Rail.

The SkyCycle idea has drawn comparisons with New York's High Line, pictured, which uses the city's old railway lines as walkways

Speaking about the idea recently Boris Johnson MP described it as 'very interesting'.

He said: 'There is a proposal, which is very interesting, to hook up mainline stations in London along the side of raised railway tracks, with a new cycle path.'

According to TfL, there were twice the number of cyclists in London in 2010 compared to 2000, sparking numerous campaigns for improvements to make cycling safer in the capital.

 

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2198032/SkyCycle-Artists-impression-gives-stunning-vision-Boris-planned-elevated-London-bike-network.html#ixzz25hjBpnlt

TEG wins EPC contract for London’s first anaerobic digester

By Erin Voegele | September 05, 2012

Biomass Magazine

Work to develop London’s first anaerobic digestion (AD) facility is underway. The TEG Group recently announced it has secured funding to construct a £21 million ($33.4 million) organic waste facility at East London’s Dagenham Dock, including an AD plant.

The TEG Group PLC signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract to construct and operate the plant, and was awarded a 15-year operating and maintenance contract. Construction on the facility is set to begin in September. The project is currently scheduled to be operational during the first quarter of 2014.

In addition, gas-to-power producer Alkane Energy plc was selected as a project subcontractor, and will provide the gas-to-power capabilities at the proposed biogas project. Information released by Alkane Energy notes that the capital contract is worth £1.6 million ($2.5 million). In addition, the company has signed a 15-year maintenance contract.

According to information released by The TEG Group, the plant will be capable of processing 49,000 tons of biomass each year, including a 30,000 ton-per-year AD plant and a 19,000 ton-per-year in-vessel composting (IVC) plant. Biogas produced at the plant will be used to generate approximately 1.4 MW of power. The project will also produce more than 36,000 tons of digestate per year, along with 14,000 tons of compost.

Once complete, the project will take in a variety of feedstocks, including separated food waste. It will also process mixed food and green waste produced by local households, commercial and manufacturing operations.

 The plant will be located on a 4.7 acre site within the London Sustainable Industries Park. The Foresight Group has committed £11 million ($17.5 million) in funding to support the project, through the Foresight Environmental Fund and Foresight’s U.K. Waste Resources and Energy Investments Fund. The London Green Fund, which was launched by the London mayor’s office in 2011, was a cornerstone in the development of the FEF. The London Waste and Recycling Board and Investec Bank plc also provided the project with £7.9 million ($12.6 million) in senior debt financing. 

http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/8043/teg-wins-epc-contract-for-londonundefineds-first-anaerobic-digester

United Kingdom : GE s Gas Engine CHP Systems Set to Power London 2012 Olympic Games

Power Industry News (press release)

Two new energy centers in London s Stratford City and Kings Yard areas are ready to supply 10 megawatts (MW) of efficient power, heating and cooling for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games as well as East London s businesses and residential areas after the Games conclude. Three of GE s (NYSE: GE) 3.3-MW ecomagination-qualified Jenbacher J620 cogeneration units are powering the energy centers and generating electricity equivalent to the amount used by 24,000 average U.K. homes.

The energy center initiative is a cornerstone of London 2012 s plan to increase the use of alternative energy, water conservation and recycling to minimize the environmental impact of the Games. The London Olympic Delivery Authority built the facilities to help reach its target of a 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions while meeting the city s power needs that are expected to surge as more than 15,000 athletes and millions of spectators arrive for the Games.

The energy centers are designed to operate in combined cooling, heat and power or trigeneration mode to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Chilled water is generated by absorption chillers using the high-temperature heat available from the exhaust of the unit. Combined heat and power (CHP) technologies are more efficient than using separate electrical and thermal power systems and thus helps to reduce emissions from power generation. By using this technology, about 13,000 tons of CO2 savings can be achieved. This amount of greenhouse gas emission savings is equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions emitted by about 6,500 European Union (EU) passenger cars.

Our energy centers powered by GE s gas engines are not only crucial to the success of the London 2012 Olympic Games but also for the goal of establishing a more sustainable business and residential environment throughout the city long after the Games have ended, said Simon Wright, director of infrastructure and utilities for the Olympic Delivery Authority. The Stratford City and Kings Yard energy centers are expected to support future commercial development in East London for at least 40 years.

The first energy center, featuring two of GE s J620 natural gas cogeneration modules, is located in the Stratford City development area and will support various Olympic Park activities as well as commercial redevelopment in East London.

The second energy center, located at Kings Yard on the western end of Olympic Park, features one J620 cogeneration system that will generate thermal power for the aquatics center s swimming pools and other venues via the Olympic Park s district heating network. The Kings Yard facility also will generate electrical and thermal power for other venues, homes and buildings in the area. Both energy centers will include boilers that use natural gas as feedstock to generate additional heat to meet peak demands.

http://www.utilityproducts.com/news/2012/07/26/united-kingdom-ge-s-gas-engine-chp-systems-set-to-power-london-2012-olympic-games.html

More French Power Flowing to Britain in Time for Games

By REUTERS

July 27, 2012

CALAIS, France (Reuters) - Paris may not have won its bid to stage the 2012 Olympics, but France is doing its bit for the London games, supplying electricity through a 70 km-long under-sea link that has been upgraded just in time for Friday's opening ceremony.

The 90 million euro ($110.70 million) upgrade to the more than 25-year old power connection between Folkestone, England and Sangatte, France, was completed last week, after two years of work on the ageing and outage-prone cable link.

"This is an investment for the next 25, 30 years, it had to be done anyway. But our objective was to be ready for the Games," said Dominique Houdard, North-East director of the French grid operator RTE, at a press trip this week.

With a capacity of 2,000 MW, enough to supply the needs of 2 million people, the IFA 2000 connection started transporting electricity between Britain and France in 1986, plugging the British Isles to the continent's power grid for the first time.

At the time, 45 kms (28 miles) of copper cables had to be laid 1.5 meter deep in the soft, limestone seabed of the Channel by a subsea robot. At each end, an inverter plant converts the regular, alternating current into more transportable direct current.

"France was in overcapacity and a big exporter of electricity in the 1980s and 1990s, so England was a welcome market, while England was gaining access to cheaper electricity without having to build plants on its soil," Bruno Baronian, project manager at RTE, told reporters.

Until 2000, the flow was almost exclusively towards Britain, but RTE and Britain's National Grid opened the capacity to competition in 2001, and flows from Britain to France now account for about a third of total volumes.

In 2006, a year after London was awarded the Olympic Games, RTE and National Grid decided to upgrade the interconnector, which had about 30 incidents every year, with French turbine maker Alstom being picked for the renovation work.

RTE invested 50 million euros, and National Grid about 40 million euros, RTE's Baronian said.

Over the last two years, half of the capacity was cut during work that took place in the spring and summer of 2011 and 2012, maintaining the full 2,000 MW output in the winter, when power consumption is at its peak.

In practical terms, new converters -- sparkling new metallic structures equipped with about 2,000 valves --, cooling systems and a command control were installed in the huge, red-concrete Mandarins inverter plant near Calais.

The whole installation is now ready to supply French electricity to British homes in time for the 800-MW increase in power demand expected by Britain's National Grid on Friday night, when millions of Britons will turn on their telly to watch the opening ceremony masterminded by Oscar-winning film director Danny Boyle.

($1 = 0.8130 euros)

(Additional reporting by Karolin Schaps in London; editing by James Jukwey)

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/07/27/sports/olympics/27reuters-oly-power-france.html?hp

Ceremony to Cause Spike in UK Power Demand

By REUTERS

July 27, 2012

LONDON (Reuters) - British electricity demand is set to soar following London's Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, the country's energy network operator said, as millions return to their daily routine by switching on the kettle or the washing machine.

At about 2120 GMT on Friday, when director Danny Boyle's "Isles of Wonder" show will be winding down, electricity usage in Britain is expected to rise by 800 megawatts (MW), enough to boil 320,000 kettles or power the cities of Bristol and Plymouth combined.

"Before 10.00 p.m. demand will be down because people won't be doing anything but watching the television," said a spokesman for National Grid, the company that manages the country's electricity and gas networks.

France is doing its bit for the event, supplying electricity through a 70 km-long under-sea link that has been upgraded just in time for Friday's ceremony.

The 90 million euro ($110 million) upgrade to the more than 25-year old connection, between Folkestone in England and Sangatte in France, was completed last week, after two years of work on the outage-prone cable that at times restricted power flows.

Big events such as important football games or the Armistice Day's 2-minute silence usually affect electricity demand as a large number of users start or stop consuming energy at the same moment.

The biggest sudden swing in electricity demand Britain has ever seen was after England's defeat to West Germany in the 1990 football World Cup, when consumption shot up by 2,800 MW.

Remembrance Day's 2-minute silence typically reduces electricity demand by 2,000 MW and a big football match will shave off 1,200 MW of power demand. (Reporting by Karolin Schaps; Additional reporting by Michel Rose in Paris; Editing by Anthony Barker)

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/07/27/sports/olympics/27reuters-oly-ceremony-power-day0.html?_r=1&hp

London homes to get free energy efficiency assessment

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About 55,000 homes in London are to get a free energy efficiency assessment which could lead to large reductions in residents' bills.

The RE:NEW programme follows a trial in nearly 9,000 homes, in which homeowners made savings of up to £154.

The scheme sees a report made of your home and a number of devices, such as low energy light bulbs and radiator panels, being installed for free.

Funded by the mayor of London, it runs until May 2012.

It also hopes to reduce fuel poverty by making sure householders are getting all the benefits and grants they are entitled to.

'Good economic sense'

Where appropriate, more substantial measures, such as loft and cavity wall insulation, will be offered.

These will be subsidised for those able to pay and free for those on qualifying benefits.

The project is supported by the Energy Saving Trust and the 32 London boroughs.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

This will save millions off fuel bills and fundamentally improve quality of life for Londoners”

Boris JohnsonMayor of London

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "Cutting energy waste at a time of rising costs makes good economic sense and it benefits the environment by reducing carbon dioxide.

"I am determined to make buildings more efficient on an unprecedented scale to create jobs in a low carbon economy.

"This will save millions off fuel bills and fundamentally improve quality of life for Londoners."

Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, said: "The most successful energy efficiency programmes taken on area-by-area are those that offer something for everyone and where measures are installed on an individual, tailored basis.

"RE:NEW fits the bill on all counts - any householder, renting or owning, can benefit, and only the measures that will deliver carbon and bill savings for a given home will be considered."

RE:NEW teams are working in selected areas starting with the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Hackney and Waltham Forest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14399271

State of the Environment report for London, June 2011

London’s Environment Revealed is the first joint report on the State of the Environment in London, produced by the Greater London Authority, Environment Agency, Natural England and the Forestry Commission. The report looks at the state of London’s environment today, highlights the improvements that have been made, and the challenges the city faces. The report also features many projects and schemes at a local level that have improved the environment in London in recent years.

  

The report looks at how the environment has changed over the last decade, and uses a series of indicators to illustrate the changes in the state of the environment within eight themes: Climate change, Flood risk, Water quality, Water resources, Waste, Air quality, noise and transport, Biodiversity, and Landscape and green infrastructure.

Open the report (PDF 3.3MB)

Download the data presented in the report (Excel 0.1MB)

EDF 'should pay more over Dartford power cut'

Homes in Dartford, Erith, Bexleyheath and Orpington were without electricity for up to four days in July 2009.A council leader has called for energy firm EDF to pay more compensation after a power cut affected 94,000 homes in London and Kent.

Energy watchdog Ofgem said it was not EDF's fault but it has agreed to pay £700,000 in compensation to the 12,000 worst affected customers.

The leader of London's Bexley Council Teresa O'Neill said it was not enough.

Continue reading the main story

Related stories

• No fine over Dartford power cut
• EDF faces '£2m power cut penalty'
• 'Rise in crime' during power cut

Ms O'Neill said: "They (EDF) have compensated those people that were out of power for the whole period but what they haven't done is compensated those that had intermittent service.

"Also the compensation that has been paid out obviously is a fraction of the actual cost of the inconvenience caused to people at the time."

The power failure occurred after a suspected vandalism attack which caused a fire on a cable bridge in Dartford Creek.

The fire damaged four major electricity circuits, affecting homes, businesses, petrol stations and Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford.

In a statement last week, Ofgem said it regarded the event as exceptional and "concluded that there is no evidence that any actions or lack of actions by EDF Energy Networks caused the event to happen".

A spokeswoman for EDF apologised, adding: "This was an illegal attack on the network which disrupted and inconvenienced local communities for several days and cost EDF Energy Networks millions of pounds."

The firm also announced a £750,000 community fund for local causes and said it had carried out a full security review of the site and similar facilities.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11618100

Let the power of the sun shrink your energy bills

A rise in domestic electricity generation has been stoked by a government pay-back plan plus offers of free solar panel installation. 

Simon Read reports

Sunday, 19 September 2010

The Prince of Wales is the latest to take the solar energy route for his home. Prince Charles – who has just completed two weeks of campaigning on green issues – was granted permission last month to install dozens of solar panels on his home at Clarence House.

It's his latest move to cut his carbon footprint. The palace panels are expected to produce around 4,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year – about the same as the electricity used by the average London household.

Record numbers of householders are installing solar panels, according to energy regulator Ofgem. But the increase in popularity is less to do with families turning green and all to do with a government scheme that pays you for generating your own energy.

The last government introduced what are known as feed-in tariffs for energy in April. Under the scheme, energy suppliers make regular payments to households and communities which generate their own electricity from renewable or low-carbon sources such as solar panels or wind turbines. To be part of the scheme for solar panels, your home needs to have a roof that's south-facing, unshaded and a minimum of 30 square metres.

The scheme guarantees a minimum payment for all electricity generated by the system, as well as a separate payment for any electricity exported to the national grid. The payments are in addition to any bill savings you make.

The feed-in tariffs give up to £758 a year for all the electricity generated from solar panels. On top of that, there is an additional £27 a year for electricity exported back to the grid and a £110 saving a year on electricity bills, according to EDF Energy.

In other words, installing the panels could mean savings of almost £900 a year. However, against that is the cost of installing the panels – around £12,500 for a typical home. But with the feed-in tariff set to be in force for up to 25 years, it means after around 12 years or so, the payments will have paid for the panels. So families could pocket the remaining income from the tariff plus savings, meaning they would be better off by around £12,500 after 25 years in this example.

The savings would depend on the type of house you have and how much you're charged for energy. But the cost benefits of creating your own energy are clear.

For instance, a simple 1kWp (kilowatt peak) domestic system costing under £5,900 could pay you around £400 a year – or £10,000 over its lifetime, according to the Low Carbon Energy Company.

Such a system will typically generate about 25 per cent of an average household's electricity requirements for free – and that can be maximised by using energy-guzzling appliances like washing machines and dryers during daylight hours when the input form the panels is at its highest.

If you're put off by the initial set up costs there is a cheap solution – pay nothing for the panels. There are several firms that will install the panels for free. But there is a major drawback – they will take all the cash from the government scheme. It means you would save the initial cost and benefit from the yearly savings on energy costs of £100-£200, but lose the £800 or so from the Government.

"The monetary return that people receive from the feed-in tariff makes this kind of arrangement a lucrative opportunity for utility companies," says Richard Garth-Jones of the Low Carbon Energy Company. He believes people would be better off taking out a loan for the panels and then benefiting from the payments.

"While the idea of taking out a loan may not seem an attractive solution at first, once they do the sums, we expect most householders will change their minds," says Mr Garth-Jones.

Consumer Focus has also warned people to understand their choices fully before signing a free-panels contract. "Free solar panels could cut consumers' electricity bills and allow them to produce green energy at no cost, but they need to go into these deals with their eyes open," says Liz Laine, the charity's energy expert. "These long-term contracts need to be considered carefully. Asking the right questions and getting legal advice could help customers avoid the pitfalls."

On the other hand, having a company cover all the costs, including the equipment, installation and maintenance of the panels, which could lead to savings for you of hundreds of pounds is an attractive option.

One firm that installed its 2,000th free solar panels this week – in a home in Glastonbury – is Isis Solar, part of the Oxford Sustainable Group. "Isis Solar aims to make domestic solar energy accessible to as many people as possible, not just the few who have upfront cash to invest," says a director, Lawrence Buckley. "Anyone with a suitable roof can benefit from the feed-in tariff, and make considerable savings, guaranteed for the long term. What's more, everyone who joins in will enjoy the reassurance of producing clean, sustainable energy and reducing their consumption of fossil fuels."

He claims the company's system could reduce an average house's electricity bill by up to £340 a year. The firm is giving away solar panels to 20,000 homes in return for snaffling the properties' government payments.

Meanwhile, rival HomeSun plans to give away solar panels to 100,000 homes over the next three years. "We are planning to take solar power out into the mainstream," says Daniel Green, the chief executive.

To qualify for free solar panels you need to confirm that your roof is suitable. If your home doesn't have a south facing roof then it is unlikely that your property will be suitable. Also, if your property is a listed building then you should check if planning permission is needed as some companies will not offer free panels to listed buildings. Equally, if your house is on a main road then it would be worth checking with your local housing office if you need planning permission.

But do ask questions before signing up, such as; who is liable if anything goes wrong? What happens if you want to sell your house and the buyer doesn't want to inherit the deal? What happens to, and who owns, the solar panels after the 25 year benefit of the feed-in tariff runs out?

"Before agreeing to let someone install a small electricity generating station on the roof of your home, householders and community organisations should be asking the right questions about the risks and liabilities," says Simon Roberts, the chief executive at the Centre for Sustainable Energy.

Plug into the sun

Keen gardeners Alastair and Elizabeth Riddell have just installed solar panels on their Somerset home to save money and to help the environment.

They made the move after Alastair retired and was looking for a sensible investment for the lump sum he got from his pension.

"I didn't want to leave the cash in the bank earning no interest," says Alastair. "I felt that by investing in solar panels we could actually generate money by future-proofing against energy price fluctuations."

The couple used EDF Energy's Eco Renew scheme to install solar photovoltaic panels, which convert sunlight into electricity that can be used to run appliances, and solar thermal panels, which convert energy from the sun to heat hot water.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/let-the-power-of-the-sun-shrink-your-energy-bills-2083207.html