Europe's gas markets face tight start to winter

European gas markets could see tight supply at the start of the high-demand winter season as Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) maintenance is expected to curb exports, coinciding with a potentially colder-than-usual early winter, analysts said.

The world's largest LNG producer, Qatargas, said it will shut at least three of the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producing plants at different times during a rolling maintenance program planned this autumn.

The maintenance work could cut LNG supplies to Europe and especially Britain, which is growing increasingly dependent on the liquefied fuel, European gas analysts said on Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/30/us-europe-gas-qatar-idUSTRE77T3AN20110830

UK farmers turn to renewables for profit

More than one third of UK farmers want to install renewable energy projects on their farmland, most of them within the next year, and hope to generate average returns of 25,000 pounds ($40,565) per year, UK bank Barclays said.

The bank's business arm on Tuesday launched a 100-million pound fund to help farmers finance renewable energy projects, including solar panels, wind farms, hydro plants and organic waste power as a growing number of agricultural businesses seek to benefit from government support tariffs.

"We want to signal very clearly to the market that we consider this to be a big future industry, a big opportunity for agricultural businesses and also a big opportunity for the renewables," said Barclays Business' Product and Marketing Director, Travers Clarke-Walker, whose team will be managing the fund.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/30/us-britain-barclays-renewables-idUSTRE77T0QX20110830

What ‘The Green Economy Means’ for UK Businesses

In a bid to clarify what it means by “green economy” the government has published a series of documents to help UK businesses prepare for the transition to a “greener” economy.

The compilations of documents was entitled “Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy” and were developed by Defra, BIS and DECC in response to the requests from the private sector for more clarity with regards to how the government plans to guide the UK economy towards a low carbon future.

These documents include policies and how they were put together, outlines for businesses to play their role in the transition so they are prepared for new growth opportunities, job creation and how to capitalise on the upcoming changes.

Read More: http://www.energylivenews.com/2011/08/26/what-the-green-economy-means-for-uk-businesses/

Arcadis helps DMO drive 40% reduction in energy consumption

The UK Debt Management Office (DMO) has been working alongside Arcadis, a leading provider of project and cost management services, to reduce its overall energy consumption in line with Government-wide sustainability targets.

In response to the Government's 10% carbon reduction commitment, during 2010/2011 the DMO reduced its electrical energy consumption by 40.8%, saving over £16,000. CO2 emissions were also reduced by an impressive 25.8%. The DMO has also successfully reduced their Display Energy Certificate rating from 219 to 161, which has shown a clear improvement in the building's energy performance. The DMO are already looking to further enhance energy efficiency going forward, and Arcadis has assisted in putting together a clear plan of action for the remainder of 2011 and beyond.

http://home.nestor.minsk.by/build/news/2011/08/2401.html

Soaring energy bills push millions more OAPs into fuel debt

SOARING energy bills are set to push thousands more into fuel poverty as the latest price hikes bite.

Debt charities are warning that fuel debts will become a major problem this winter as millions struggle to keep up with escalating costs.

Citizens Advice chief ­executive Gillian Guy says: “Since the start of the recession, CAB advisers have seen a big increase in people coming for help because they can’t afford to pay their gas and electricity bills.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/advice/money/2011/08/24/soaring-energy-bills-push-millions-more-oaps-into-fuel-debt-115875-23366863/#ixzz1VvwGGQdR

Solar Panels - Solar Thermal Vs. Photovoltaic

As we search for ways to become a more green society, the first thing that often comes to mind is solar energy. Harnessing the sun’s power to provide energy seems fairly innocuous to the environment, right? That is not always true. Actually, large amounts of fossil fuels are used in the manufacture of some of the panels, and the disposal of the waste metals not used present their own set of problems. Mercury and chromium are two of the most toxic.

What options do we have? Are there differences within the panels and the way they are manufactured and utilized? There are two types of solar panels, one being solar thermal and the other, photovoltaic. Photovoltaic or PV panels convert sunlight to electricity which can be used to supplement or replace the electricity supplied by the grid.

Solar thermal uses flat collector plates to harness the sun’s energy to heat water. Although their appearance and even installation are similar to the PV panel, solar thermal collectors do not convert sunlight to electricity, but transfer the energy directly to the water. Solar thermal systems replace the electricity or natural gas that would otherwise be required to heat your water.

Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/green/article/solar-panels-solar-thermal-vs-photovoltaic/#ixzz1VvwMk4MK

Energy customers 'blind to bill costs'

UK energy customers could be leaving themselves in need of credit advice, as research shows a lack of awareness concerning gas and electricity costs.

Almost 40 per cent of Britons do not know how much they are paying each year, while 24 per cent have only a rough idea, according to moneysupermarket.com.

The survey found that the price difference between energy tariffs can be up to £411, meaning that neglecting to check prices could be causing financial problems for many households.

For most families, gas and electricity costs are the second highest monthly outgoing following mortgage or rent payments, prompting Scott Byrom, utilities manager at the price comparison site, to suggest that users should shop around for the best deals.

"If you pay more than £37 for your electricity and more than £51 for your gas per month, then you are potentially paying too much and should be looking to switch to a better tariff," he claimed.

http://www.vanquis.co.uk/news/Money-Management/Aug-2011/Energy-customers-blind-to-bill-costs