Solar panels and solar energy news
14/10/2011Watchdog: Energy Firms' Profit Margins Up 700%
Recent price rises have helped energy suppliers increase their profit margins more than seven-fold, according to estimates by the energy watchdog. Ofgem has calculated that annual profit margins per customer have risen to £125, from just £15 in June. Following inflation-busting bill increases over the summer, the regulator estimates the average dual-fuel bill now stands at £1,345.
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25/5/2010
Why I had solar panels installed to my home?
Seeing the electricity boards meter running BACKWARDS, totting up exactly what I am selling back to the grid, is one of the most satisfying sights I have seen in a long while.
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19/5/2010
Oil drilling in the Arctic must never be allowed
Shell yesterday pushed ahead with plans to drill in the Arctic Sea this summer, defying calls for a moratorium on offshore exploration in the pristine wilderness following the Gulf of Mexico disaster.
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12/5/2010
The Renewable Heat Incentive for solar panels pioneers
The Renewable Heat Incentive is a new government backed scheme which is planned to be introduced in the UK in April 2011. This scheme will reward early installers of solar heating systems who install over the next few years.
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6/5/2010
UK energy prices will rise regardless of the election winner
Higher energy bills during the next decade because the UK must replace up to 30 percent of its capacity for power generation capacity as aging plants end their life in service. The government also wants to cut carbon emissions blamed for damaging the climate.
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4/5/2010
Homes adding solar panels have reached record numbers
More home owners are reaching out to take advantage of the feed-in tariff scheme which will pay them 41.3 pence for every unit of electricity they generate from PV solar panels.
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19/4/2010
A volcanic wake up call for the UK
The volcanic disruption should force governments, business and individuals to think more about the alternatives, and how vulnerable our societies really are when nature decides to make changes.
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12/4/2010
UK's crude awakening with the energy crunch
On Monday March 22, a peak oil and energy workshop was Hosted by the UK Energy Institute on Peak Oil with the Department of Energy and Climate Change and members of the Transition Network also in attendance.
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8/4/2010
Oil prices begin to rise again
The oil price is back on the rise, hitting 18-month highs on both sides of the Atlantic this week, and sparking a flurry of predictions that it will be back at $100 per barrel before the end of the summer.
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1/4/2010
Clean Energy Cashback Scheme or feed in tariffs starts today
The solar industry is expecting to see a surge in sales following the launch today of the government's long-anticipated feed in tariff incentive scheme.
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28/3/2010
Coming to terms with peak oil
Security of energy supply is going to be a real issue so should we not be deliberately building a vertically integrated renewables industry on the British Isles.
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11/2/2010
Energy crunch just five years away warn big business
Big business warns that the UK is unprepared for the oil shortages and price volatility that it predicts will become a reality in the next five years.
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8/2/2010
Richard Branson warns energy crunch within five years
Sir Richard Branson and fellow leading businessmen will warn ministers this week that the world is running out of oil and faces an oil crunch within five years.
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5/2/2010
What is going on in the UK energy markets?
Ofgem yesterday warned that UK energy bills will rise above £2,000 by 2020, while British Gas has just announced a 7% cut. What is going on in the energy markets?
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3/2/2010
The UK welcomes the new feed in tariffs scheme
Power shortages and under investment in UK energy, will result in higher energy bills for UK households within 5 years, warns Ofgem.
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2/2/2010
New PV solar panels feed in tariffs announced
New government backed feed-in tariffs begin this April 2010, to let U.K. consumers who install energy generating technologies such as photovoltaics or pv solar panels claim payments for the low carbon electricity they produce.
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12/1/2010
A wake up call for UK energy policy
The UK faces are growing exposure to a volatile global gas market and power stations nearing the end of their life. Early action can avoid hasty and even more expensive measures later.
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11/1/2010
The UK's energy vulnerability with Russia
The UK's reliance on imported gas is set to rise rapidly as UK reserves near depletion in less than eight years.
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7/1/2010
The UK's energy vunerability
With demand for gas rising sharply, Britains gas reserves are running low, meaning the country is more reliant and vulnerable.
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17/12/2009
Solar panels are a way to invest in your future
Solar panels are about to become more affordable in 2010. Over the past decade, solar panels called PV panels and solar heating have become increasingly visible up and down the UK.
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17/12/2009
Energy savvy investors turn to solar panels
Solar panels works by converting the energy from the sun (Photons) into useable heat for heating stored water in a hot water tank or producing power which can be used around the home.
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1/12/2009
Peak oil - A beginners guide
The big international oil companies such as BP and ExxonMobil are struggling to find enough new oil to replace their exploited reserves year on year.
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23/11/2009
Climate change sceptics and lobbyists put world at risk
Climate change sceptics and fossil fuel companies that have lobbied against action on greenhouse gas emissions have squandered the world's chance to avoid dangerous global warming, a key adviser to the government has said.
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17/11/2009
Oil depleting faster than the credibility of those measuring it
The challenge of feeding billions of people as fuel supplies fall is staggering. And yet leaders' heads remain stuck in the sand. I don't know when global oil supplies will start to decline. I do know that another resource has already peaked and gone into free fall: the credibility of the body that's meant to assess them.
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12/11/2009
Economic recovery will increase solar panels costs?
As the world economies begin their slow recovery from the credit crunch, what does this mean for a solar panel industry in its infancy? Over the last 5 years we have seen solar manufacturing and installations costs increase, due to rising cost of energy for manufacture, resources, materials and manufacturing costs generally is rising globally.
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9/11/2009
We are running out of oil, faster than official estimates admit
The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying.
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23/10/2009
UK families being dragged into fuel poverty
Research from the Department of Energy and Climate Change has confirmed that one in four families in the UK are now trapped in "fuel poverty" whereby at least 10% of their income is spent on gas and electricity.
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21/10/2009
Nuclear investment will set energy bills to rise
It is no secret that the UK government has been looking to expand the nuclear side of the power generation system in the UK with little or no success to date. However, a government minister has confirmed that the cost of increasing the U.K.'s nuclear energy capability will be borne by consumers and businesses.
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13/10/2009
Optimistic views on peak oil should make us all worry
The latest study on peak oil by the UK Energy Research Centre brings up a good point on why the exact timing of peak oil, whether its already happened or wont until 2030, doesnt matter all that much. In either case, or any point in between, there really isnt enough time for governments to develop strategies to entirely avoid serious economic impact
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9/10/2009
Domestic UK energy bills could rise by 60% by 2016 in a worst-case scenario identified by the energy regulator
Domestic UK energy bills could rise by 60% by 2016 in a worst-case scenario identified by the energy regulator Project Discovery is Ofgem's most comprehensive review of Britain's energy supplies. Today's initial report outlines the challenges for Britain's energy industry. To secure energy supplies and meet carbon targets investment of up to £200 billion is needed. This means customers could face potential price rises to fund this investment.
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22/6/2009
Era of the 5,000 a year energy bill - cost of household power to soar in a decade
Era of the £5,000 a year energy bill cost of household power to soar in a decade. Energy bills will soar to more than £5,000 a year within the next decade, experts warned last night. Prices are expected to rise by 42 per cent annually forcing thousands of families into fuel poverty. Analysists at uSwitch.com said that the average annual bills have doubled from £580 five years ago to £1,243 today.
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