2010 manifestos:Energy
Friday, May 14th, 2010Supplying and securing energy is a much higher priority for parties in 2010 than in 2005. Energy is mostly devolved but heavily influenced by external factors. Waste-to-energy generation, using the discards of agriculture and food processing, is highlighted by the DUP. Wind, tidal and geothermal sources are also favoured. The party backs a 40 per cent renewable energy target but this should not “significantly increase” electricity bills. Stronger interconnection is supported, alongside extending the gas network. Mechanical-biological waste treatment and anaerobic digestion with...[full story]
Transport:Towards sustainable transport
Friday, May 14th, 2010Reversing spending on roads and making a determined focus on the alternatives is the way to green the province’s transport, John Barry suggests. With the impact of the Icelandic volcanic ash grounding most flights in Europe likely to live long in our collective memories, it is perhaps appropriate to focus our attention on transportation and mobility within Northern Ireland. The Executive estimated that the disruption cost Northern Ireland around 120,000 passengers and cost the local tourist industry around £1 million a day. To state the obvious, transportation and mobility are therefore...[full story]
Transport:Pumps, prices & projections
Friday, May 14th, 2010‘Black gold’, the most sought after commodity on the planet, has long been the subject of controversy and conflict. Meadhbh Monahan examines the worldwide and national factors affecting the price of fuel at our pumps. Crude oil was pumped from the ground in China over 2,000 years ago, used by native Indians as medicine and war paint, and first extracted from under the sea with drilling apparatus in 1955. Since then, the production and consumption of oil has risen to such a level that the main oil producing countries, governments, energy watchdogs and scientists are locked in a debate...[full story]
Energy:Meeting the renewable criteria
Friday, May 14th, 2010agendaNi speaks to Jean-Christophe Chaline, the European Investment Bank’s head of lending in Western Europe, about the criteria which must be fulfilled in order to receive funding for energy projects, a high priority for the institution. Last year renewable energy projects in Ireland and the UK received over €1 billion funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and throughout the continent, the bank spent 33 per cent of its €14 billion budget on energy. According to Jean-Christophe Chaline, the renewables sector is “where we expect most growth in 2010.” The EU policy...[full story]
Energy:Overcoming NIBMYism
Friday, May 14th, 2010Environmental and social objections often hamper the construction of wind turbines across Europe. Energy consultant Stephanie Hüber tells agendaNi about a research project which aims to generate ‘social acceptance of wind farms.’ Stephanie Hüber is a member of Task 28, a project run by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to educate the public in appreciating the benefits of wind energy despite the perceived negative visual and environmental effect of wind turbines. The most common opinion she encounters is: “Renewable energy yes, but not in my back-yard”, where people support...[full story]
Energy:Boiler scrappage
Friday, May 14th, 2010While the rest of the UK have their own boiler replacement schemes, Northern Ireland has yet to follow suit. agendaNi examines why. Older G-rated boilers will be replaced with A-rated ones. Perhaps one of the few headline grabbers the early stages of planning, it is Those people who are classed as fuel- in the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report in December was the introduction of the boiler scrappage scheme. Limited to England only, it has been down to the devolved UK regions to decide whether to run similar schemes. £400 was made available to the first 125,000 householders who registered...[full story]
Energy:Out in the cold
Friday, May 14th, 2010Northern Ireland spends more on heating the home than any other region in the UK. Ryan Jennings finds out why and what is being done to help the fuel-poor. Defined as spending more than 10 per cent of a household income on heating the home, fuel poverty has moved up the agenda as more and more households have been left out in the cold. The levers for dealing with the problem are spread out throughout the Executive. DETI has overall responsibility for energy, DSD is the welfare department and takes the lead in dealing with fuel poverty and the Housing Executive – a DSD agency – has...[full story]
Energy:Making waves with electricity
Friday, May 14th, 2010Northern Ireland pioneered marine power and now stands to gain a leading place as it grows, Professor Trevor Whittaker tells Peter Cheney. Having led the way in marine power, Northern Ireland could become the hub for making electricity from the seas, according to the head of Queen’s University’s renewable energy programme. Professor Trevor Whittaker has been researching marine energy for 30 years and thinks the province is well-placed as the industry develops, due to its location and expertise. Whittaker is professor of coastal engineering and leads the Environmental Engineering...[full story]
Energy:The balancing act
Friday, May 14th, 2010Enterprise Committee Chair Alban Maginness considers the various balances to be struck if Northern Ireland is to maximise the potential of its indigenous energy resources and the contribution they can make to the economy. Over the past year the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment has been getting to grips with the energy agenda. It has become apparent that, no matter how we look at it, there is always a balance to be struck between competing priorities and agendas. An important example is the balance between traditional technologies, such as oil and gas, for generating electricity...[full story]
Cover story:A new era
Monday, May 10th, 2010Siemens’ energy chief Gary O’Callaghan explains the energy company’s vision for Irish electricity to Owen McQuade, pointing out how the island can practically fit into the new electricity age which has already begun. The era of the new electricity age is dawning and Ireland must make its mark. We can “just” do enough to meet our CO2 targets, or we can go further and become a net exporter of energy, states Gary O’Callaghan. Siemens’ Head of Energy Sector sees the UK’s potential energy shortage in five years’ time as a real opportunity for Irish renewables and also predicts...[full story]
