Barack Obama, climate change is change we can believe in.

Speakers at the Democrats’ convention this week, by and large, have taken as dim a view of fossil fuels as the Iraq war. If you were quaffing your brew at each mention of "alternative energy" from the podium, you’d have a lot of recycling to do by now. The green theme climaxes tonight, with environmental hero Al Gore setting the stage for the candidate’s address.
Since he launched his campaign, Obama has offered remarkably detailed proposals and demonstrated fluency in the language of energy and carbon. He promises a broad agenda aimed at growing sustainable industries quickly. That means jobs, profits and a balm for the planet, but it’s a riddle when, or if, that growth would offset the financial costs of change.

If he takes the helm, Obama’s blueprint may be welcomed by an admiring Congress. Then comes the hard part: implementing it.

Like rival John McCain, Obama proposes a market in permits to emit greenhouse gases, commonly termed "cap and trade." His approach is stricter, however, and his final goal -- an 80% reduction from 1990 levels by 2050 -- more ambitious. Even though emissions limits are defined by the government, cap and trade is widely seen as a fair, market-driven way to, in Obama’s words, make "dirty energy expensive."

Coal generates half the country’s electricity, but with carbon costs imposed, new plants won't be built. Under Obama, investors may shun coal producers that only sell domestically while favoring those that feed booming demand overseas, such as Peabody Energy Corp. Meanwhile, firms that crack the engineering challenge of burying coal emissions underground would get more than a few contracts.

Assuming that a Congress renews key tax incentives, utilities would hurry to add renewables to their mix, playing into the hands of wind energy specialists such as Vestas and solar companies like Energy Conversion Devices Inc., Sunpower Corp. and private BrightSource Energy.

Obama is not a friend of nuclear power but urges the industry to solve its chronic waste storage and other problems. With coal in the doghouse, though, the pressure to go nuclear would build. That’s where natural gas comes in. In his energy factsheet, Obama makes special mention of the cleaner-burning fossil fuel, the No. 2 source of U.S. electricity. He promotes drilling in the Barnett shale in Texas, among other places. After all, the Illinois senator doesn’t see renewables contributing more than 10% of our power supply by 2012, and even that may be a reach.

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Obama’s Green Dream: Would His Renewable-Energy Plan Make a Difference?

Barack Obama’s week in the media sunshine ended abruptly with John McCain’s surprise pick of Sarah Palin for his vice-presidential running mate. But after Thursday’s big speech, it’s worth taking a look at one of the centerpieces of Sen. Obama’s energy policy: The call to invest $150 billion in renewable energy like wind power, solar power, and second-generation biofuels over the next decade.

That sounds like a big number, even if it works out on a yearly basis to a more modest $15 billion. But how does it compare to the actual challenge of overhauling the entire U.S. power sector, which is still overwhelmingly dependent on coal, natural gas, and nuclear power?

Earmarking $15 billion a year amounts to less than what the U.S. government spent last year on all energy subsidies, but it would be a lot more than what the government spent on “renewables.” Last year, Washington paid $16.7 billion in federal energy subsidies, with $4.8 billion for renewables, including ethanol.

On paper, Sen. Obama’s plan looks like a way to easily finance continued, long-term support for renewable energy—support that has been tripped up in Congress by budgetary “pay-go” rules and Republican opposition so far. And many in the clean-energy game figure if they can just get long-term price support for things like wind and solar power, the private sector will take care of the rest. After all, even with the specter of subsidies expiring at the end of this year, the U.S. has broken records for new wind and solar power installations.

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Energy groups increase pain with gas price rises

Npower and ScottishPower today became the last of Britain's big six energy suppliers to raise gas and electricity bills, adding at least another £162 a year to millions of customers’ heating costs.

Npower, the UK’s fourth-biggest energy group, will increase gas prices by 26 per cent and electricity bills by 14 per cent.

From today, the company’s 6.6 million customers will pay an average £162 more each year for gas and an extra £60 for electricity.

At the same time, ScottishPower has raised its gas bills by 34 per cent, the second largest rise after British Gas increased its gas prices by 35 per cent last month.

ScottishPower also announced today that it has increased its electricity prices by 9 per cent, which will come into effect on September 1.

The company's 1.2 million customers will pay £221 more a year on gas and an extra £38 for electricity.

Like ScottishPower, npower is blaming today's price rises on “massive” increases in wholesale costs which it claims has made its previous pricing levels unsustainable.

The company said prices had risen by 122 per cent for gas and coal and by 79 per cent for oil over the last 12 months.

The company, which already increased prices in January, claimed that, until today, its domestic gas prices had been the same as they were 18 months ago owing to a decrease in bills in 2007, despite wholesale tariffs more than doubling.

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Is Your Green Electricity Tariff Just a Con?

Ecotricity takes a different approach. It guarantees that it will invest some of its customers' money in building new renewable energy, and thereby increase the total amount of renewable power generated in the UK. Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity, argues that what is really needed is greater certainty for renewables investors, and that the best way of doing this is through providing dedicated funds for investment. Controversially, Vince does not believe that retiring ROCs is worthwhile, as it does not send a clear signal to the market: 'it's a very poor second-best to actually building something.'7 As these examples show, there are some genuinely green deals around, but cutting through the confusion is difficult to achieve. Even those familiar with energy issues struggle to assess the relative merits of the different tariffs.

The Advertising Standards Agency recently took British Gas to task for claiming that it was selling 'the greenest energy tariff in the market', on the grounds that there was no way of verifying the claim. The National Consumer Council blames the confusion, and lack of independent verification, for the less-than-impressive levels of enthusiasm among would-be -greener householders.8 Many businesses, too, are calling for greater clarity. As companies are increasingly being asked to count their carbon, they need to know what sort of electricity they are buying. BT, for example, is working with energy suppliers, the gas and electricity market regulator Ofgem, the Carbon Trust and others to get some basic information about the carbon content of the power that it buys.

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Hit us with a tax and the public will pay for it

The energy industry has claimed that the public would bear the brunt of a windfall tax, giving warning that there was serious risk of bills going up.

Half of Britain's energy companies have already raised their bills twice this year and the remainder are set to follow suit before the autumn, taking average household bills just shy of £1,500 a year.

The industry said that a windfall tax would lead to more inflation-busting increases, with companies struggling to find money to invest in ageing power stations and networks.

“If you take money out of the companies and they have to find it somewhere else, then their investment costs will go up and customers will have to bear the brunt of that,” said David Porter, chief executive of the Association of Electricity Producers. “There is a serious risk that bills would go up.”

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Pensioners' leader attacks E-ON price hike

A NOTTINGHAM pensioners' group has condemned energy giant E.on for putting "account books above human beings".

The Nottingham Pensioners' Action Group claims the firm's decision to impose inflation-busting rises in the price of gas and electricity could push more of the city's elderly below the poverty line.

From today, the German-owned group is putting up electricity by 16% and gas by 26%.

But they say a quarter of customers – including pensioners – will be unaffected because of price protection plans.

E.on blames rising wholesale energy costs which have put outlay up by 51% since February.

Average dual fuel customers could see their bill increase by as much as 62p a day – or £17 a month.

Roy Tomlinson, pensioners' group chair, said: "This is going to have a great impact, especially on the back of recent hikes by other energy and utility companies.

"The increases all add up and I think we will be seeking action on this.

"There has been no thought whatsoever about human beings, only their own account books."

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Solar plane makes record flight

The trial, which took place between 28 and 31 July, also included the participation of the UK Ministry of Defence.

The 30kg Zephyr was guided by remote control to an operating altitude in excess of 18km (60,000ft), and then flown on autopilot and via satellite communication.

It tested a communications payload weighing approximately 2kg.
At first sight, the propeller-driven Zephyr looks to be just another model aircraft, and it is even launched by hand. But this "pilotless" vehicle with its 18-metre wingspan incorporates world-leading technologies.
Its structure uses ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre material; and the plane flies on solar power generated by amorphous silicon solar arrays no thicker than sheets of paper. These are glued over the aircraft's wings.

To get through the night, the propellers are powered from lithium-sulphur batteries which are topped up during the day.

"A lot of effort has gone into power storage and light-weighting the systems," explained Mr Kelleher. "Lithium sulphur is more than double the energy density of the best alternative technology which is lithium polymer batteries.

"They are an exceptional performer. We've worked with the Sion Corporation. They've had them in development for years. We're actually the first application in the world for them."

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Ten tips to beat energy price hikes

1. Check out tariffs

Price comparison Web sites such as www.theenergyshop.com look at the different providers to calculate how much you could save by switching to a different supplier. You can also get a list of the supply companies operating in your area, together with the prices they charge, from Energywatch, the gas and electricity watchdog, by calling 0845 906 0708.

2. Are you entitled to benefits?

Billions of pounds' worth of benefits go unclaimed every year and fuel-poor households could be entitled to significant rebates. If you are aged 60 or over, you can claim a tax-free Winter Fuel Payment of 250 pounds or more, which should be paid in automatically if you receive a State Pension. If you are over 60 and not receiving the payment, call the government's Winter Fuel Payment helpline on 08459 151 515.

3. Could you sign up for social tariffs?

Many energy suppliers have begun to finance social tariffs, which offer fuel discounts of up to 300 pounds a year to the elderly, the disabled, families with young children and those on income support. To find out more, call your energy supplier and ask if you could benefit.

4. Get free advice

Ron Cambell of National Energy Action advises all customers to freephone 0800 512 012 to speak to their local Energy Efficiency Advice centre. These centres also maintain complete listings of all grants and sources of benefit aid and home improvement available in your local area.

5. Get a grant to improve the energy efficiency of your home

An estimated 66 percent of home heat is lost through poorly insulated roofs and walls, and fixing the problem could represent a sizeable saving on your energy bills. Government grants of up to 4,000 pounds are available to help cover the cost through the "Warmfront" scheme. Grants cover loft and cavity wall insulation, draft prevention, repairs of faulty boilers and assessment of your home's energy status. To check your eligibility, freephone 0800 316 6011.

6. Get energy-efficient light bulbs

Your choice of light bulb can make even more of a difference to your final bill than turning off the lights when you leave a room. Energy-efficient light bulbs last up to 10 times longer and use a fraction of the power required by ordinary bulbs. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that each energy-efficient light bulb saves the average household 7 pounds a year in electricity bills.

7. Mind the radiators

Avoid putting large items of furniture in front of radiators as they block heat flow. If you dry your clothes indoors, hang them over drying racks rather than dampening the heating power of your radiators with soggy laundry. You can also wrap tinfoil around pieces of cardboard and slot them behind your radiators to reflect heat back into the room.

8. Curtain call

Thicker curtains retain more heat, especially if they're cut to fit your windows properly, resting just below the bottom of the pane. Heat can be funnelled away under curtains that are too long, especially if the radiators are located underneath the windows in a room. Cheap net curtains provide an extra layer of insulation and help to retain heat whilst letting natural light into a room.

9. Turn off your computer and other electrical appliances. Huge amounts of energy are wasted every day by power-hungry laptops and desktops being left switched on whilst not in use. Computer monitors in screen-save mode reduce energy consumption by only a few watts. Up to 75 percent of energy used to power home electronics is used when these devices are "switched off", costing British households an estimated 800 million a year in fuel bills. Set your computer to hibernate when you aren't using it, and take an extra 30 seconds to switch it off properly at the end of the day. Dimming the monitor by just a few settings of brightness can also save energy.

10. Insulate your loft

Many houses have lofts that are not insulated at all, meaning that a lot of heat escapes through the roof. Figures from the Energy Savings Trust suggest that by adding 250 mm loft insulation where none was present could save 80-100 pounds annually on your energy bills.

(Sources: Energywatch, Winter Fuel Payment Helpline, National Energy Action, Energy Saving Trust)

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Beginner's Guide: Cutting Household Bills

10 Ways To Cut Your Water Bill


1. How Are You Billed? The traditional way is to receive a yearly bill based on your home’s old rateable value (a rough estimate of how much your house could be rented out for), regardless of how much water you use.

But now you can opt to have a water meter fitted to calculate your actual usage instead.

2. Shower: A daily bath uses 80 litres of water, while a shower uses around 35 to 40. Over a year, by showering, a couple could save more than £65.

3. Water Saving Devices: The Hippo, or similar devices that displace water in your cistern, are not terribly expensive, and could save you up to three litres each time you flush. Any submerged object, such as a few handfuls of marbles, will achieve the same effect.

Water-saving showerheads restrict the amount of water that comes through – though it may take longer to wash. As an alternative spend less time in the shower. More on water saving devices at Save Water, Save Money .

4. Fill Up: Make sure dishwashers and washing machines have a full load before you turn them on.

5. Fix Drips: A dripping tap could waste as much as 90 litres of water a week. Have it fixed.

6. Turn Off The Tap: When you’re brushing your teeth or shaving, fill the basin rather than letting the tap run.

7. Reuse Water: Instead of chucking water down the drain reuse it - water from a cooking pot, for example, can be reused for watering plants.

8. In The Garden: Water butts are a great way to harvest water for use in the garden.

9. The Lawn: Reduce the frequency with which you mow your lawn. Not only will it save your electricity (or your back!) but a longer lawn needs less watering than closely cropped turf.

10. The Plants: And soaking your plants once a week, rather than watering daily will save your money and keep your plants strong as their roots probe more deeply for the water.

10 Ways To Cut Your Fuel Bills


1. Switch Now? Martin Lewis, the guru behind Money Saving Expert, advises us to wait until all providers have increased their prices. If you switch now you may find yourself paying even more when your new supplier pumps up their prices.

2. Have A Free Home Energy Check: Complete the free home energy check at Energy Saving Trust and you'll receive a report telling you how you can save up to £270 a year on your household energy bills.

3. How You Pay: By switching to a monthly direct debit you could cut your bills by around ten per cent. And by moving to an internet-based account your savings could be even greater. Don’t pay an estimated bill - always read the meter. You don’t want to hand over more cash than you need to, or end up with a big bill at the end of the year either.

4. Cheaper Tariffs? Grants? If you’re struggling financially find out if your company has a cheaper tariff designed to help people on a low income. Check with the Energy Saving Trust to see if you're eligible for grants and offers.

5. Energy Monitor: A home energy monitor will record your electricity consumption and convert it into a monetary value, based on the cost price of your electricity, so you can see how much all those cups of tea really cost you.

Although last year we were told that the Government would be giving us all a monitor, free of charge, we’re still waiting.

6. Insulate: Cavity wall insulation is estimated to reduce heat loss and thus save on heating bills by around £100-£120 a year. At a cost of around £500 to fit, the insulation could pay for itself in as little as four years.

Loft insulation (to a depth of 270mm) is another big carbon cutter as it seriously reduces the loss of rising heat. The estimated cost of £300 could be well worth it, with heating bill savings of around £110 a year.

7. New Boiler: A modern condensing boiler uses up to 40 per cent less energy. Despite the £500 price tag, the savings could be as much as £240 a year, meaning you could've covered the cost in just over two years.

8. Turn It Down: If you turn your thermostat down by just 1°C, you could cut your heating bills by up to ten per cent, saving you around £50 a year.

9. Switch Off: Don’t leave your electrical appliances on standby. Items left on standby use up to 85 per cent of the energy they would use if fully switched on.

10. Lightbulbs: Energy saving light bulbs could save around £65 during each bulb's lifespan, thanks to their low power output and their longevity.


Nikki Sheehan
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Cut Your Energy Bills By 75%?

There are two types of people in this world, those who turn off the lights when they leave the room, and those who leave them blazing away.

I'm a switcher-offer, but my girlfriend is a leaver-oner. Last week, she accused me of following her around the house, flicking off the lights behind her. I confessed. With the cost of energy soaring, I said in my defence, we can't afford to squander electricity.

And with the average household now spending more than £1,200 a year on home energy bills, you probably can't afford it either.

High energy

Now we come to the big money. If you haven't properly insulated your walls, roof, loft, water tank, pipe and floor, the work could save you on average £501 a year.

Installing a brand new heating system could save up to £155, while double glazing and draught proofing your house could save £150.

That makes a total saving of £972.70. Sounds wonderful doesn’t it… but alert readers will have noticed there is a catch.

Installing double glazing, buying a whole new heating system and replacing all your white goods such as dishwashers will set you back thousands, or even tens of thousands of pounds. It could be years before you see a return from that outlay.

So we can take those figures with a pinch of salt. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do your bit. Don't you know there's a credit crunch on? Not to mention a warming planet. Plus, as long as you don’t move house before you break even, making these improvements should eventually prove cost-effective.

Save the planet

Some of you might be able to get a Government grant for the work. Pensioners over 60 who receive state help such as pension credit, council tax and housing benefit can claim up to £2,700 in energy-saving grants under the Government's Warm Front scheme, called Warm Deal in Scotland and the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme in Wales.

Many local authorities also award grants to local residents to help them cut their energy usage. The Energy Saving Trust website helps you search for details of grants and awards. It also gives you plenty of advice on cutting back on energy use.

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'Pickpocket' foreign fuel giants 'ripping off' Britons to keep energy bills down in Europe

Foreign energy firms have been accused of 'picking the pockets' of 11 million British customers while capping price rises in their home countries.

French-owned EDF has announced a 22 per cent rise in gas bills and 17 per cent on electricity for its 5.5million UK users.

At the same time, it has secretly raised gas prices for some of its most vulnerable customers by as much as 75 per cent.

The increases are in stark contrast to the situation in France.

EDF has been told by the government there to cap its increases on electricity to just 2 per cent and gas to 5 per cent.

There are fears the company, which is part-owned by the French government, is looking to protect its profits by imposing punishing increases on UK families.

The price cap in France will not stop EDF imposing big rises in the cost of electricity it sells to Britain via a cable under the Channel.

The increases were strongly criticised yesterday by Ed Mayo, chief of the National Consumer Council.

'Closed and protectionist European energy markets end up picking the pockets of consumers in this country,' he said.

He suggested Britain should consider introducing French-style price caps. 'If the French are capping prices, that is something we should be looking at. We should learn from the French,' he said.

'My concerns are for people on fixed income, such as pensioners, who will be switching off their electricity and heating this winter. That will lead to more illness and disease.'

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The handbag which can charge your mobile

Nicknamed the Power Purse, the clutch uses solar panels to harness the sun’s rays, and convert them into electricity.

The power is transmitted to a USB port inside, allowing women to charge their electronic gadgets while on the move.

Joe Hynek, a mechanical engineering student, designed the bag during a competition at Iowa State University in the US and it has been well-received by eco-conscious followers of fashion.

The 29-year-old said: “It begins working every time the user steps outside. People are very excited because it expresses ecological and environmental themes in addition to the function provided of charging your phone and iPod.”

The black rectangular bag is patterned with laminated solar panels made of photovoltaic cells.

Power is channelled to a circuit linked to two batteries concealed in the lining of the bag, and to a USB port.

The bags needs two hours of full sunlight to charge a mobile phone battery, and can power most other small devices including cameras, BlackBerrys and personal organisers.

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Don't make the consumer pay for these inflated fuel prices

It was only last April that energy secretary John Hutton persuaded Britain's big six energy companies to double their spending on social tariffs for the fuel poor, to £100m this year. The proud boast was an extra 100,000 people would pay greatly reduced fuel bills. Then came commitments to invest in renewables and nuclear as part of a concerted drive to make Britain's energy more secure, cheaper and with a lower carbon footprint. In energy legislation, economic rationality, social justice and business-friendly policies were marching in happy union. Labour had everything under control.

Four months later and the story looks very different. Oil prices have rocketed; gas prices followed suit. Although they try to hedge against such massive price hikes, energy companies are having to increase their tariffs. Centrica has been pilloried on all sides for raising gas prices by 35 per cent; frankly, given that the price of natural gas in the wholesale markets has risen by 350 per cent in 12 months, the surprise is that the hike is so small.
If John Hutton had succeeded in taking 100,000 out of fuel poverty, gas price rises on this scale will plunge another million straight back into a grim universe in which 10 per cent of their income is dedicated to paying energy bills, the definition of fuel poverty. Suddenly the air is thick with calls for windfall taxes on energy companies, particularly as oil giants BP and Shell are reporting massive profits.

Such loot should be diverted to alleviate the conditions of approaching five million fuel-poor, runs the argument. After all, in 1997 New Labour raised some £5bn in a windfall profits tax - justified because the privatised utilities had been given away too cheaply - to fund spending on education and the New Deal. Now it should do something similarly radical and popular to head off electorally damaging increases in its voters' fuel bills. Chancellor Alistair Darling is said to be actively considering just such a move.

But as much as introducing a one-off tax on the energy companies to make a one-off payment to the fuel-poor, the government needs to address the way the entire energy market - and welfare system - is organised. To further tax Centrica, for example, whose 58 per cent tax rate is the highest in the FTSE 100, simply because the oil price has gone up is arbitrary. Is the government proposing a rebate when oil and gas prices fall?

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Beat the heat on gas bills

It's not too late to try to offset the 35 per cent price rise announced last week by British Gas, but you will have to move quickly to get the best fixed or capped price deal, writes Rosie Murray-West

Householders shocked by the record British Gas 35 per cent price jump last week are being warned by experts that they ain't seen nothing yet.

One price comparison website, energyhelpline.com, claims that gas and electricity bills could be another 40 per cent higher by the start of next year. Analysts at Eclipse Energy go further and predict a 60 per cent rise by 2010. No wonder many experts say that householders should lock into fixed and capped price deals without delay, even though some of the best were withdrawn last week.
Before British Gas raised its prices by 35 per cent for gas and 9.4 per cent for electricity - meaning that dual-fuel customers will pay 25 per cent more - EDF Energy had already increased gas prices by 22 per cent and electricity prices by 17 per cent. Other suppliers are expected to do the same.

"These were the first, but everyone else is expected to follow suit within two weeks," says Mark Todd of energyhelpline.com. "There is also likely to be another rise of 20 per cent in January or February - it is very grim news."

By switching off your electrical equipment rather than leaving the red standby light blinking, you could reduce your electricity bill by up to 8 per cent a year. And turning your thermostat down by 1C will cut heating bills by up to 10 per cent.

Other measures include draught-proofing your home, while insulating the hot-water tank should cut £20 off your annual bill, says British Gas. Replacing all your conventional incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient versions will save you about £45 a year for a typical three-bedroom property.

Those receiving certain state benefits (for example, pension credit) can claim up to £4,000 under the Government's Warm Front scheme to make their home more energy-efficient. These grants can pay for installing loft insulation, central heating, a new boiler and cavity wall insulation.

To check your eligibility, go to warmfront.co.uk or call the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512 012. Other contacts include energywatch.org.uk (tel 08459 06 07 08); uswitch.com (0800 404 7908); moneysupermarket.com (0845 345 5708); energyhelpline.com/cashback (0800 074 0745). See sust-it.net to find out which appliances are the most energy-efficient.

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China's 'rapid renewables surge'

China's rapid investment in low carbon technologies has catapulted the nation up the global renewable energy rankings, a report shows.
The Climate Group study said China invested $12bn (£6bn) in renewables during 2007, second only to Germany.
However, it was expected to top the table by the end of 2009, it added.
The findings have been published as China faces criticism over its air quality ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games, which begin on 8 August.
The report, China's Clean Revolution, brings together the latest data on the country's burgeoning renewables sector in one publication.
Co-author Changhua Wu, The Climate Group's China director, said the rapid rise in investment was, in part, the result of the government realising that the western model of industrialisation was unsustainable.
"China has been experiencing similar problems during its industrial revolution that western nations saw during their period of rapid growth - pollution, environmental damage and resource depletion," she told BBC News.
It has the world's largest hydroelectricity capacity since the controversial Three Gorges project began producing electricity, and the fifth largest fleet of wind turbines on the planet.

Although its installed capacity of photovoltaic (PV) panels is still relatively low, it is already a leading manufacturer of solar panels.
Ms Wu explained that the rapid growth of the sector was being driven by both government and business.
"In order to really drive towards a low carbon economy, policy incentives are crucial; but it is not always the case," she said.
"The wind sector's fast growth was mainly a result of domestic policies, because the government offered incentives to developments so that private and public sector entrepreneurs would jump on it.
"But the solar PV sector benefitted mainly from the international market, such as demand from the US and EU.
"Even today, the policy incentives are still not there, yet it still has grown to the level it is now."

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