The time has never been better for investing in renewable energy for your home. Until now it has mainly been the preserve of the wealthy or the committed green. Now, thanks to government plans to radically lower carbon emissions, renewable energy is a more attractive investment.

A financial incentive to encourage investment in renewable energy (known as a feed-in tariff or Clean Energy Cashback) will be introduced for electricity generation in April 2010. Germany, Spain and many other European countries have had such a scheme for some time, and it has transformed the take up of small scale energy generation.

The proposals have opened up a six month window of opportunity for people who invest in solar electricity, a wind turbine or a micro hydro scheme. If you install now, you will automatically receive the Clean Energy Cashback when it starts in April next year. You will also be able to apply for a Low Carbon Buildings Programme grant of up to £2,500, to help with the cost of installation. The grants will end when the feed-in tariff starts.
The Clean Energy Cashback will work in three ways.

• A generation tariff is paid for all electricity generated. This is likely to be 36.5p a kWh for a domestic solar system, 30.5p a kWh for the smallest wind turbines, and 23p a unit for slightly bigger turbines.
• An export tariff of 5p is paid for all electricity sold to the grid.
• You also benefit from smaller electricity bills by using electricity you have generated in your home.

The following calculations for ‘typical’ solar and wind installations show how it works:

Solar photovoltaic panels (PV)
An average size (2 kWp) system installed in southern England, producing 1,800 kWh a year, of which half is used in the home, and half is exported. (As you move further north, the system would generate less.)

Generation tariff @ 36.5p per kWh £657
Export tariff @ 5p per kWh £45
Savings on electricity bill @ 12p per kWh £108
Total annual return £810

The cost of installation would be around £10,000, giving an 8% return for the 20 years of the Clean Energy Cashback. If installed with a grant before April next year, the installation cost would drop to £7,500, increasing the return to a little over 10%. This would give a payback time of just over nine years with the grant, or 12 years without.

Wind turbine
A 6 kW Proven wind turbine has an estimated annual output of 6,000 – 12,000 kWh at an ideal site, and an average wind speed of 5 metres per second. This calculation assumes an output of 9,000kWh, of which 3,000kWh is used in the home.

Generation tariff @ 23p per kWh £2,070
Export tariff @ 5p per kWh £300
Savings on electricity bill @ 12p per kWh £360
Total annual return £2,730

The cost of installation would be around £25,000, giving a rate of return of just under 11%, and a payback time of nine years. With a grant the rate of return would increase to 12%, and payback in just over eight years.

So, although it’s still expensive, renewable electricity is now a much more attractive proposition. However, it’s not likely to hit the mainstream until there’s an attractive way of financing it. There is a lot of talk of pay as you save schemes, but so far they are mostly just talk. The Scottish Government has put aside £2m to pilot an interest free loan scheme, the UK Government is planning a pay a you save scheme, where you pay off a loan over a 25 year period from savings in energy bills. The leader in this area is Kirklees Borough Council’s RE-Charge scheme, where you can borrow £10,000, interest free, and pay it back when you sell your house.

Even if you have the cash ready to invest, microgeneration isn’t for everyone. Wind only makes sense if you’ve got a good site. You need average wind speeds of at least 5 or 6 metres a second, and no trees, buildings, hills or other obstacles that might cause turbulence. If not, you’re better off keeping your money in the bank. The only way to be certain is to measure the wind speed before you invest.

Solar PV is suitable for many more people, and can be used in built up areas. Most people put panels on their roof. For it to be effective you need unshaded space, facing between south west and south east. The panels are quite heavy, so your roof must be strong enough to hold them.

Like wind, micro-hydro is site specific, and most of us don’t have a handy river or stream or old mill we can use.

I’ve only talked about renewable electricity generation. It is also possible to generate heat with wood (biomass) boilers and stoves, solar water heating and heat pumps. There will soon be incentives for heat too. The government’s renewable heat incentive will start in April 2011. Detailed proposals are due soon.

This opens a similar (although longer) window of opportunity for investment. If you install renewable heat systems for your home between now and April 2011 you will be able to apply for Low Carbon Building Programme grants and will be transferred to the heat incentive. But until the proposed rates are published we won’t know what the return will be.

Renewable energy is never going to be a get rich quick scheme. But, whether your motive is lowering your carbon emissions, increasing your energy security, an expectation that energy prices can only continue to go up, or just a love of the technology, it’s beginning to look like an attractive investment.

It’s already been ten weeks since we launched the Power Predictor, and you’re starting to generate some great information about the suitability of your sites for wind turbines and solar panels.

Exmoor farmer George Halliday appeared in our Case studies section when the Power Predictor helped him to determine the energy savings he could make and the most appropriate wind turbine for his farm (in this case a Proven 15kW).

He
has since been trying to secure planning permission for this turbine,
which, as he is in a National Park, is proving challenging. However, an
application for a 20kW turbine was recently successful on the West Ilkerton Farm in this National Park, so we’re crossing our fingers for George. We will keep you posted on his progress.

Our news . . .

Last week we appeared in the guest spot on The Guardian’s ‘Ethical Living Blog’. For anyone who would like to catch up on what was discussed, find our more here.

We’re pleased to introduce our Irish partner C-Mc Energy, distributor for the Power Predictor in the Republic of Ireland. Those interested in site assessment in Ireland can purchase a Power Predictor by contacting C-Mc Energy via their website.

We’ve set up a ‘Green Energy Blog’
on our website, which will be updated several times a week. Look out
for our pick of useful developments in green energy that we think you
should know about!

In the news . . .

This month in the news : A new generation of turbine has been developed, we’ve seen ideas to replace roads with solar panels
and we’re saying goodbye to the incandescent light bulb. Zopa and a new UK financing initiative can help finance your microgeneration project,
10 new Low Carbon Zones have been proposed in London, but can someone tell us why Britain is still investing in coal power?

Competition!

And finally, are you FEELING LUCKY?! We have just launched our free competition to win a Power Predictor! To enter simply pop over to www.bettergeneration.com. Good luck!

For daily updates join us on Twitter and Facebook!

All the best,

the Better Generation team

Greenleaf Publishing invites contributions for a special issue of Greener Management International (GMI) on the topic of “THE BASE OF THE PYRAMID IN LATIN AMERICA”, to be edited by Miguel Angel Gardetti, Center for Study of Corporate Sustainability, Argentina.

Rationale

This special issue will focus on three interrelated themes concerning the the Base of the Pyramid in Latin America:

• The Base of the Pyramid (BoP) not only as a new market for products
  and services, but also as a source for the co-creation of new
  sustainable business ventures highlighting the role of local
  entrepreneurs
• The role of technology and innovation in meeting the needs of BoP customers
• The concept of sustainability within BoP strategies; considering
  the impact of economic growth and social pressures on our planet

Since the appearance of C.K. Prahalad and Stuart L. Hart’s working
paper “Strategies for the Bottom of the Pyramid: Creating Sustainable
Development” in 1999, we have come a long way in the conceptualisation
of BoP. With the objective of serving the needs of the 4 billion poor
at the base of the economic pyramid, real momentum for this agenda has
subsequently built up, with scores of companies, multilateral
institutions, NGOs and academics around the world now working actively
in this area.

In a successful BoP business strategy, incremental design changes and
cost cutbacks associated with these strategies have no place. Yet most
organisations will tend to assume very defensive stances that protect
and nurture that which has served them well in the past, even in the
face of change. That is to say, they react by increasing their commitment to existing products, processes and markets
and their actions therefore serve to maintain the status quo. However,
successful companies are often able to invest or partner in order to
achieve new competences and experience in new untapped markets. The
innovations required for the base of the pyramid are those that quickly
and suddenly eclipse current routines and knowledge – Schumpeter’s
“Disruptive Innovation”.

Moreover, from a regulatory and policy viewpoint, if entering BoP
markets reaps positive rewards both in social development and value
creation for business, what would it take to turn preliminary
individual intiatives into a global movement – to build a reality that
maintains and drives sustainable development? While some projects can
be successfully expedited by individuals or corporations, others will
require collaboration, in concert with a broader set of stakeholders.

Latin America is a key area in the advancement of the BoP concept. This is evidenced by, among other things:

1. The increased development of BoP Learning Labs in the region
2. The number of business strategies focused on the BoP. For example, the first stage of the Mapping the BoP in Latin America,
   conducted in late 2007 by the Inter-American Development Bank in
   collaboration with the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV),
   identified 500 companies working at the BoP all over the region (with
   the potential identification of an additional 500 in a second Mapping
   stage)
3. Increased academic research in recent years
4. NGOs that promote “social entrepreneurs” have their own BoP programmes in place and encourage these entrepreneurs to implement BoP concepts through various projects

Coverage

This special issue of Greener Management International
seeks to explore as many different dimensions of the topic as possible
(while focusing specifically on Latin America), broadly grouped into
the following themes:

1. BoP and entrepreneurship (corporate and local)
• To what extent can entrepreneurship (corporate and local) support or drive BoP?
• What is the link between social entrepreneurship and BoP?
2. BoP and innovation
• What kind of “bottom-up” innovation might support BoP initiatives (and sustainable development)?
• What is the relationship between technological entrepreneurship and BoP?
3. BoP and the role of the state
• What should the role of the state be in the BoP?
• What is the message to and from policy-makers, governments, local and international funding agencies?
• What is the contribution of structural, policy-based or economic subsidies?
4. Local companies vs multinationals (or large companies vs SMEs)
• Some studies show that domestic (local) companies are the main BoP
  drivers. Is there a particular reason for that? And, along the same
  line, why do SMEs sometimes become the drivers of the BoP strategies?
  What are the institutional, strategic or managerial barriers for large
  companies?
5. Impacts of BoP strategies
• What are the (social) individual and collective impacts of BoP strategies? What could be the most suitable measuring structures?
6. Successes and failures of BoP initiatives
• Case studies are welcomed. Examples of both successful and
  unsuccessful entrepreneurial ventures are sought, preferably drawn from
  a variety of industries and geographical regions, and covering both
  small and large firms. What are the lessons learned? How do failure
  rates of BoP projects compare with those of other business start-ups?
7. Sustainability
• How can we balance poverty alleviation and stimulation of economic
  growth without stressing the ecosystem? What is the policy support, and
  how effective is it?

Contributions

The above list is by no means restrictive, and contributions on other
relevant topics will also be considered. This project is an attempt to
develop a comprehensive understanding of this field, and as such
welcomes submissions based on a variety of approaches, be they
reflective, empirical, practical or applied theoretical work. Given the
intended practical nature of these publications, contributions from
practitioners in businesses, NGOs and government are very welcome.
Theoretical papers should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words and case
studies between 2,500 and 4,000 words in length. The paper submissions
should follow editorial guidelines, which can be obtained from the Greenleaf Publishing website.

Schedule for the themed issue

The submission deadline for initial expressions of interest in the form
of abstracts of approximately 300 words is 16 October 2009. Abstracts
should ideally be sent as email attachments to the Guest Editor for the
review process (see “Contact details” below).

A selection process will then be put into motion. Contributors whose
abstracts are felt appropriate for the themed issue will then be asked
to submit full papers by early February 2010. Contributors will be
informed of the acceptance of their contributions or be invited to
submit final revised papers by 5 April 2010. It is intended that the
special issue of Greener Management International will be published in June 2010.

• Call for contributions: 18 June 2009
• Abstract submissions: 16 October 2009
• The selection of papers (abstracts) and contacting selected authors is planned to take place between 13 and 20 November 2009
• Full paper submissions: 3 February 2010
• Revised paper submissions: 5 April 2010

All papers will be peer-reviewed by an international panel of BoP experts.

The editor and the publisher plan to make this issue available at the
sixth multi-sector activity of the Argentina BoP Learning Lab (Buenos
Aires, 23 June 2010 [to be confirmed]).

Contact details

For further information,
to discuss ideas for contributions, and to submit
abstracts/manuscripts, please contact the Guest Editor:
Miguel Angel Gardetti
Center for Study of Corporate Sustainability, Head
Argentina Base of the Pyramid Learning Lab, Founder and Coordinator
Av. Córdoba 6502, 1er piso “B”
C1427BZS Buenos Aires
Argentina
Tel and Fax: +54.11.4554.9482

mag@sustentabilidad.org.ar

www.sustentabilidad.org.ar

www.basedelapiramide.org.ar

The experience and enthusiasm of people who have installed renewable
energy (such as solar panels, biomass boilers or wind turbines) in
their home is at the heart of YouGen’s remit of helping make it easy
for people to navigate a complex new market and choose wisely.

Research1 shows that people have difficulty in finding impartial,
informed advice about renewable energy; that 91 per cent look at the
internet for advice; and that they want an installer who is
knowledgeable, trustworthy, reliable and preferably local. YouGen uses
social media to provide a one stop shop for renewable energy.

‘We’re calling on people who have installed renewable energy or made
their house more energy efficient to register on the site now, and help
others by sharing their tips and experiences, and, if they’ve had a
good experience, recommend their installer,’ says founder Cathy
Debenham.

‘Renewable energy is a really confusing market, and most of the early
adopters have a story to tell. While their original motivation may have
been to reduce energy bills, or for energy security or environmental
protection, renewable energy often fascinates people in a way they
don’t expect. It engages you with the energy you use and brings you
closer to nature, making you more aware of its power.’

Companies serving the domestic renewable energy, microgeneration and
energy efficiency markets are also invited to add a free company
profile and describe the services they offer and how they operate.

As well as the user generated sections, YouGen site also contains
independently researched information, which prides itself in giving
practical information, cutting through the jargon and making it easy
for people to see if a technology is suitable for their home. The blog
has regular contributions from YouGen Energy Experts who are
professionals in their field, and are happy to answer questions. It
covers energy efficiency as well as renewable energy.

To encourage people to recommend their supplier YouGen is giving away a wattson (the stylish energy meter from DIY Kyoto http://www.diykyoto.com/uk) every month. Everyone who recommends a supplier is entered into the monthly draw.

For more information contact:
Cathy Debenham, e: cathy@yougen.co.uk, t: 01395 597879
YouGen – renewable energy made easy – http://www.yougen.co.uk

Cyclists who break down are now able to call out a recovery lorry in much the same way as car drivers use the AA.

The Cycle Rescue service is included for free with a new type of cycle insurance launched this week by ilovemybike.co.uk in time for National Bike Week (13-20 June).

Director at ilovemybike.co.uk, Andrew Davis said: “Motorists get all manner of extras thrown in for free when they buy insurance – the service for cyclists should not be any different.”

A poll conducted on behalf of ilovemybike.co.uk ahead of Bike Week found that over 4 million British motorists would be prepared to cycle more to cut their motoring costs.

5 reasons to cycle:

1. Bicycles can be very cheap to buy, they don’t need an MOT or fuel and can be parked almost anywhere for free.

2. Cycling is a low-impact activity, which means it doesn’t put a strain on your joints. It’s cheaper than the gym, too.

3. 75% of all personal journeys are less than 5 miles long – that’s half an hour on a bike.

4. Cycling helps to reduce noise and air pollution as well as traffic congestion

5. It makes you feel young

Have you ever wondered how much green energy you could generate at your home or business? How much money this could save you? Not to mention whether you could reduce your carbon footprint? Well the team at Better Generation believe they have the device that can answer all these questions! The Power Predictor is a new site assessment tool that measures both wind and solar energy, while being low cost, accurate and easy to use.

Collecting accurate data from your site is essential in
assessing its potential for a turbine or solar panel, to avoid making a
very expensive mistake. Small wind turbines have received a
considerable amount of bad press over recent years due to their
installation in a whole number of unsuitable locations (think David
Cameron’s rooftop turbine).

On the other hand, the UK
has some of the best renewable resources in Europe, and the Power
Predictor can help to find the most appropriate technology – solar or
wind – for your site, maximising the money and CO2 you can save.

The
Power Predictor allows you to collect real life solar and wind data
from your site. Once a month of data has been collected it can be
uploaded onto an online account at www.powerpredictor.com where a power
report is automatically generated.

The power report compares
the main wind turbines and solar panels on the market today, terms of
payback time, annual energy generation, cost savings and effect on your
carbon footprint.

To find out more visit www.bettergeneration.com. The Power
Predictor is available for just £99.95.

Beat the crowds, go green and get it ALL in just one gorgeous online place

With the crowds abandoning the High Street for the comfort of online shopping, there’s still the issue of visiting several different stores to get everything you need for Christmas gifts for friends, family and colleagues. There is a great – and green – solution now, with online ethical store Get Ethical www.getethical.com

Not only will this department store style shopping site sort out every gift from grandma to the bin men, every single item on the site is guaranteed ethical, eco-friendly or environmentally friendly – meaning it won’t cost your wallet OR the planet! Increasingly shoppers are turning more and more towards sustainably and conscientiously produced products for gifts and everyday use and online shopping is increasing in popularity.

Get Ethical is newly partnered and run by longstanding online organisation Ethical Junction. Get Ethical is one of the longest running ethical stores, originally started in 2001 by The Big Issue as an impartial portal to the world of online ethical merchandise, and now crucially featuring only Ethical Junction members’ products and services, in a bid to be the most comprehensive, ethical shopping place in the whole of cyberspace.

Easy to navigate, Get Ethical is divided into “departments”, including fashion, beauty, home, health, children’s, stationery, garden, food & drink, jewellery, gadgets and books. Top ethical companies you can buy from on the site include Arabella Miller, Beauty Naturals, Red Robot Clothing, buyOrganics, Boutiko, EcoGadgets, Ethical Babe, The Recycle Warehouse, Hatti Trading, Jungle Berry, the Chocolate Truffle Co, Energise Your Life, Monkey Drum, Chicken Bus and the Visionary Soap Company.

Says Tom Barnett of Ethical Junction, “All the vendors on the Get Ethical site are screened and regularly reviewed by Ethical Junction, meaning that buyers on the site can be assured of 100% eco-friendly, ethical purchases, whatever category they are shopping from.”

Get Ethical – get relaxed and go eco!

UK has unique opportunity to develop world class marine legislation

BWEA, UK’s wind, wave and tidal association, today welcomed the inclusion of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill into the Queen’s Speech, but cautioned that renewable energy interests must be protected in final legislation.

The Bill promises greater confidence and economic benefits for marine developers through simplification of the legislative framework. It should help balance the interest of all the users of the marine environment, from conservation to renewable energy by promoting sustainable development.

Maria McCaffery MBE, Chief Executive of the BWEA: “The Marine and Coastal Access Bill is a pioneering piece of legislation, but we must ensure that it allows for the expansion of marine renewable energy, including offshore wind, wave and tidal.”

While BWEA recognises the scope and ambition of the Government’s long awaited Marine Bill, it has also raised 4 issues:
the timetable of the Bill must be complementary with the Round 3 offshore wind energy delivery process; the Marine Management Organisation must be fit for the purpose: well resourced and with sustainable development clearly defined within its remit; Marine Policy Statements must explicitly include renewable energy targets.

The new network of Marine Conservation Zones should be designated by the new MMO, as is proposed in the legislation being considered in Scotland. The designation process must consider the impact on all future use in terms of renewable energy developments.

“The Marine and Coastal Access Bill has been long time coming. We will be the first country in the world to have such legislation. We must get it right,” added McCaffery. “It would be a pyrrhic victory if short term conservation undermined long term sustainability and our ability to tackle climate change”.

Also of interest to the renewables sector was the Education and Skills Bill, particularly the provisions to create a new National Apprenticeships Service and secure a demand-led adult skills system, driven by learners and employers. The industry hopes the Bill will help alleviate skills shortages in the renewable energy sector.

Newly released children’s book, a vision of hope

Available on Amazon in time for bringing some eco-friendly Christmas magic to children everywhere!

Hope and the Magic Martian is arguably one of the first fictional approaches to climate change for children aged 7-10/Key Stage 2 on the market. It’s a story which offers children a real message of hope, as well as a vision of how they can be involved in creating sustainable change.

10 year-old Hope wants to meet a Martian and a rare Martian boy with a big heart wants to know why the Earth’s polar caps are melting. At the North Pole, the new friends hear the animals’ stories. But what can a small girl like Hope do? 

A new approach to climate change communication

Beautifully illustrated by Louise Rouse, this short novel is a modern fable that offers a loving vision of how we can all change the story that shapes our world. Hope’s journey through her fears and feelings of insignificance in the face of such a seemingly huge problem as climate change has an emotional appeal for children as well as adults.

Surprisingly there are few, if any, titles of this nature on the market – to date most have been non-fiction guides to saving the planet. Nevertheless there is a growing demand for appropriate resources from parents and from teachers, with sustainability and climate change now features of the National Curriculum, the National Framework for Sustainable Schools, and the Eco-schools programme – a development mirrored in the story.

This book is now available on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/6lqnvs

“Children are our future. Helen Moore’s beautiful and compelling story will inspire every child who reads it. And I hope that large numbers of children will read it.” – Satish Kumar, editor of Resurgence Magazine, and founder of The Small School in Devon

“If you want to introduce your children to the climate change debate without scaring or boring them to death, then pick up a copy of Hope and the Magic Martian. It’s a gentle but inspiring story about the dangers we face and how we can change course. Helen Moore writes with a poet’s eye for detail and ear for the rhythms of language. A wonderful read.” – Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slow and Under Pressure

BWEA, the UK’s leading renewable energy trade body, today welcomed the publication of the Climate Change Committee’s first report Building a Low Carbon Economy.

The report explains the case for the new 80% emissions reduction target and recommends the level for the first three national carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act.

The report also highlights the vital role that renewable energy will play over the next decade in tackling climate change. It stresses that wind power can deliver 30% of the UK’s electricity supply by 2020 and be part of a radical decarbonisation of the economy by 2030.

Maria McCaffery MBE, BWEA Chief Executive, said “Renewable energy is not a luxury item. Without a dramatic change in the way we use and produce our energy we will not stop climate change.”

The CCC calls for a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, at the cost of less than 1% of GDP growth. The report recognises that higher renewable costs would be just one part of the impact, with greater spending on renewables offset by savings elsewhere. There are currently 3GW of installed wind schemes operating in the UK today, but a further 20GW are already at one stage or another of development.

McCaffery added “By 2020 there could be over 30GW of wind energy installed in the UK. This report should help to lay to rest the misconceptions and misinformation about the role and viability of wind power over the next decade and beyond.”