Great Britain records two weeks of coal-free electricity generation
The Guardian is reporting that Great Britain has hit a new power milestone; lasting for a fortnight without using any coal power to generate electricity for the first time since the industrial revolution.
“This remarkable news goes to show how incredibly far we have come on the journey towards low carbon,” comments Kevin Cox, Managing Director, Energys Group.
“We must continue the good work, and decarbonise further while simultaneously growing clean business opportunities.”
The Guardian continues, explaining government policy is that the UK is “on a path” to making the legal commitment to reduce net carbon emissions to zero. However, distracted by the imminent departure of Theresa May as Prime Minister, it has so far not introduced statutory instruments to set the legally binding commitment.
Chris Skidmore, the Energy and Clean Growth Minister, said the government was consigning coal to the history books. He said the government, “Aim[s] to become the first major economy to legislate for a net zero emissions economy and bid to host pivotal climate talks in 2020.”
Framework launched to deliver net zero built environment
In other encouraging news, The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) is delivering its new framework, outlining how developers, designers, owners, occupiers and policymakers can define and deliver a net zero built environment.
‘Net Zero Carbon Buildings: A Framework Definition‘ outlines short term and long term efficiency ambitions for organisations in the built environment, wrote EDIE.
EDIE says short term aspirations and requirements will focus on setting minimum energy efficiency targets and limits on the use of offsets, while long term targets will be established over the next ten years to increase the scope of the framework to encourage more firms to adopt it.
“Crucially, this is about both the operational phase of a building as well as the build phase,” commented Kevin Cox.
UKGBC’s Senior Policy Advisor Richard Twinn told EDIE: “The urgency of tackling climate change means that businesses must work together to drive down emissions as fast as possible.
“But this requires a shared vision for what needs to be achieved and the action that needs to be taken. This framework is intended as a catalyst for construction and property to build consensus on the low carbon transition and start to work towards consistent and ambitious outcomes.”
Commenting on the launch of the report, Berkeley Group’s Chief Executive added: “This framework is an important step towards defining zero carbon buildings and helping the industry understand how they can be delivered.”
The report itself is unequivocal, stating; ‘Investing in energy efficiency and demand reduction is the most cost-effective way to minimise the new infrastructure that will be required to achieve a zero carbon energy system.’
And finally…
Ending this month’s thoroughly positive Horizon Scan, we conclude with the announcement that Tesco’s energy efficiency initiatives have yielded £37m over two years, according to the company’s annual report.
Tesco has reduced carbon emissions by 31% against a 2015/16 baseline. It has committed to cut emissions 35% by 2020, 60% by 2025 and 100% by 2050.
“This is truly proof, if more were needed, of the concrete financial and environmental wins delivered by placing efficiency squarely as a key corporate priority,” said Kevin Cox.
