December 2010 Archives

Recently SusMo volunteers at the Moseley Farmers' Market were asked about the efficiency of wind turbines and in particular about the issue of electricity transmission losses from remotely sited wind farms.

Wind turbines are highly efficient, turning about 60% of their fuel (the wind) into useful energy. Most of our existing fossil fuel and nuclear power stations waste about 60% of their energy through cooling towers even before it is transmitted through the national grid. So wind farms are ahead of fossil fuel power stations before any transmission losses are taken into account.

Electricity is lost as heat or noise and through theft on the networks as it is transmitted. As a rule of thumb, 2.5% of electricity is lost over 70 miles of grid. According to the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC, who have had their funding cut by the Government), losses from the GB transmission system are 7% of electricity generated (in 2008), equivalent to the 4GW generated by Drax, the UK's largest power station, but a reduction from the 2000 figure of 8%. Ofgem have estimated that reducing this figure to 6% might contribute 4% of the Government's emissions reduction targets. The SDC argue that transmission losses could viably be reduced to 4%, which would compare favourably to Germany (currently 5.1%) and even Finland (3.7%), although geographical factors account for some of the different rates of transmission losses between different countries.

In 2005 Ofgem introduced a financial incentive to reduce transmission losses. The main measures available to network operators are investing in low loss transmission equipment; more effective network configuration; and management of demand during peak periods. This is important whatever the fuel source.

In 2009 the previous Government published the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan which said that we would need a bigger, smarter electricity grid as part reducing the emissions from power generation to almost zero. In the era of abundant fossil fuels, we got used to switching things on an off at our convenience. A smart grid will incentivise, and sometimes oblige, all users of the grid to make smarter choices about how and when they use electricity, from every household to the biggest power generator. Charging electric cars and putting the washing machine on during periods of low electricity demand (e.g. at night) are examples of smart use of the grid that reduce carbon emissions. In the not-too-distant future, smart metering will financially incentivise us to make these smarter decisions. At the power generation level, a smart grid will enable and incentivise the reduction of transmission losses too.

All sources of power generation are intermittent. Fossil fuel and nuclear power stations all have down-time; the availability of wind and sun fluctuates with the seasons (but unlike fossil and nuclear fuels, will never run out). A smart grid will help to balance these fluctuations and put an end to the myth that wind power isn't worthwhile due to 'intermittency'.

Any wind-generated electricity lost in transmission does not increase CO2 emissions. Every unit of fossil fuel electricity lost in transmission does increase CO2 emissions.
Every unit of electricity that comes from a wind generator is one less unit that would otherwise have come from fossil fuels and that means a lot less CO2 going into the atmosphere.

So medium and large sized wind turbines will be an important part of a low carbon future in this most windy of European countries. This doesn't mean that we're going to see many wind farms in Birmingham, and the Birmingham Climate Change Action Plan says that other low carbon energy generation methods such as solar, energy from waste and combined heat and power are more significant opportunities for Birmingham, which is historically dependent on imported energy sources. Birmingham's geography limits its capacity to generate wind power, although there are opportunities to site medium sized wind generators in fringe areas, an approach advocated by East Birmingham Community Energy Company, as is the case in cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen. There are already several schools in Birmingham that have wind turbines. We may well see larger wind farms in windier parts of the West Midlands. Other major cities such as Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, and Glasgow are closer to likely sources of large-scale wind power. Other forms of low carbon energy, such as combined heat and power and solar, lend themselves to a decentralised grid with power being generated closer to where it is used, an extremely effective way of eliminating transmission losses. Research for Greenpeace shows that a move towards renewable and decentralised energy will be cheaper and cleaner than nuclear.

I haven't mentioned rooftop-mounted wind turbines so far. The excitement that surrounded these a couple of years ago has dissipated, as they have proved too inefficient to be worthwhile in most situations. The Leamington Spa based consultancy Encraft has produced a useful investigation into these turbines on the website www.warwickwindtrials.org.uk

During the fossil fuel era, we have become used to a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to meeting our energy needs that has led us to become dependent on fossil fuels. We need to diversity our sources of fuel, both for security of supply and environmental reasons. And finally, we must never forget that 'energy efficiency comes first', and whatever source our energy comes from, we still have a responsibility to use it wisely.

Did you know that 2010 was International Year of Biodiversity? Biodiversity is simply the variety of life on earth. This variety is essential for sustaining the natural living systems or ecosystems that support life on earth. Human activity is destroying biodiversity at alarming rates. Can feeding the birds really make a difference?

The respected environmentalist Professor Chris Baines argues that it does. In his seminal book How To Make a Wildlife Garden, Chris says that our gardens have taken on an increasingly important role in the ecosystem in Britain. Our countryside has become increasingly hostile to wildlife due to habitat loss and modern farming practices, based as they are on monoculture and the use of substances that are harmful to wildlife as well as to people. Our urban landscape is increasingly important as a haven for wildlife, with its myriad of habitats including canals, railways and gardens. This is particularly the case for birds in winter. The country hedgerows, with their winter store of berries, nuts and seeds, have disappeared by up to a half since the end of the second world war. Our towns and cities are often more biodiverse than the surrounding countryside and that's why sparrows, blue tits and robins, along with more exotic visitors, boost Birmingham's bird population at this time of year.

Yet this urban pantry still isn't enough and birds have come to depend on supplementary feeding of peanuts, fat cakes and seed mixes by kind-hearted city dwellers. Here are some essential do's and don'ts for feeding the birds:

Do:
- Feed the birds with seed mixes and nuts endorsed by the BTO or the RSPB. These are optimised to contain the right nutritional mix.
- Put fresh, unfrozen water out for the birds daily - they need it for washing as well as drinking.
- Be as hygienic as you would in your own kitchen - dirty tables and stale food can spread disease.
- Feed regularly - once birds expect to see food in your garden they will return daily. If you stop feeding them they will waste valuable energy commuting to your garden in vain.
- Involve all the family in feeding the birds - it's a great way to give children an appreciation of nature.
- Look out for locally produced seed mixes too. Don't forget the food miles!

Don't:
- Allow your birds to fall victim to predators such as cats - place your bird food out of their reach. Birds feel comfortable feeding near to trees and bushes if possible.
- Let the larger species like pigeons and magpies bully the smaller ones. Provide food in several places so the smaller birds have a chance. You can buy bird feeders that are inaccessible to larger birds.
- Put out too much food on ground feeders - any left over at the end of the day could attract rats.

You don't even need a garden to feed the birds - you can get bird feeders that can be attached to walls or even windows.

There are scientific studies that suggests that feeding the birds isn't always the best thing to do. It's important that scientists continue to improve our understanding of how life works. For the moment at least, while the Wildlife Trust advocates feeding the birds, I shall continue to do so. Besides, five minutes in the garden is precious at this time of year.

If you're one of those people who aren't convinced that the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is working, or you're just confused by it, then add a Carbon Destruction Certificate from www.sandbag.org.uk to your letter to Santa right away! I'll explain.

The problem with the ETS is that it allows big polluters like power companies and heavy industry to keep on polluting ... as long as they, or their customers, are prepared to pay for it.

Like all market-based solutions, emissions trading works well on paper. The EU sets a cap on emissions and creates a market in reducing emissions. Big polluters then buy and sell permits that give them the right to emit greenhouse gas emissions. Privatising the earth's atmosphere? Of course it will work.

But up to now, the scheme hasn't worked. The market was so feebly regulated that the price of permits to pollute crashed, because caps were too generous and too many permits were handed out. Has nobody learned from the boom-bust cycle that has plagued capitalism since its birth?

Sandbag.org.uk is a community interest company that's come up with a solution. You can buy a 'permit to pollute' worth 1 tonne of CO2, but instead of using it or trading it in, you sacrifice it, and Sandbag retires it for you. This means that somewhere, a tonne of carbon dioxide isn't emitted and the overall cap on permits is brought down. Simple really ...

The cost of a 1 tonne permit through Sandbag is £25 - which is a lot cheaper than the amount you would have to invest in insulation or solar panels to save 1 tonne (although you should of course do these things if you possibly can). And it's better value for money than glow in the dark toilet paper, which I'm told is the novelty gift of choice this festive season.

So all I want for Christmas is ... something that I can't see, can't hear, can't smell, can't touch, and doesn't really exist. That sounds like a lot less work for Rudolph & co, and much better for their icy Arctic abode.

It's about this time of year that some people start to get confused between 'weather' and 'climate'. As if you can refute decades of hard scientific evidence about climate change by looking out of your window and saying "so much for global warming then!"

But talking of weather and climate, recent figures published by the World Meteorological Organisation show that the year 2010 is almost certain to rank as one of the three warmest years since records began, and that the decade that's about to finish is the warmest 10-year period. The summer heatwave in the northern hemisphere caused thousands of deaths in Russia and devastated harvests in the Middle East and northern India.

Some scientists state that the cold winters the UK has suffered in the last two years are caused by higher temperatures in western Greenland, northern Canada and Siberia. Our winter weather is linked to differences in air pressure over the Atlantic. Higher than normal air pressure in the Arctic winter is disrupting the usual weather pattern that gives the UK comparatively mild weather compared to other places at similar latitudes. This allows cold air from the Arctic to penetrate into Europe, causing the cold snap.

Climate and weather are complex things and we should back the efforts of scientists to further our understanding of the impacts of climate change. What isn't in doubt is that you can't expect to pump billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year and not expect bad things to happen.

So, let it snow, but don't forget the bigger picture - climate change is real and the capacity of the earth to sustain life is under threat. 2011 needs to be the year of decisive action to stop it.

Phil Beardmore works for the Confederation of Co-operative Housing on the Greener Together project. This project encourages members of co-operatives to adopt pro-environmental behaviours, and is delivered by the CCH in partnership with Co-operatives UK and the Plunkett Foundation. Phil is also a volunteer for SusMo.

I announced in a blog post on 20 Nov 2009 that SusMo was confirmed as one of fourteen winners in the British Gas Green Streets competition, sharing prize money of £2 million. I thought that, for my last post in 2010, I should give an update.
Phil Beardmore will be the guest blogger for the rest of this year.

The first change was that the award was £140,000 worth of energy-saving and renewable energy measures, whilst we had expected at least £200,000. This meant that our first job was to reduce the improvements that we had planned.

The main participants in the project: the Moor Green Allotments (MADAHAL), Moseley CofE School, Hamza Mosque and St. Mary's Church will all receive renewable energy measures as planned, but the type of measure changed. All four organisations will, we hope, receive Photo Voltaic panels which will benefit from the Feed-in Tariff - with a percentage returned to the community - whilst previous intentions included a wind turbine and solar hot water systems.

The comment "...will, we hope, receive..." is due delays in gaining planning permission for St Mary's Church. This has the highest visibility, and the highest public profile within the SusMo award, and probably within the full British Gas Green Streets 2010 project. Until the final decision about the installation of PV on the roof of St Mary's is reached, planning permission for the other three community buildings will not be applied for, in case extra money is available for larger installations on those buildings. British Gas has been extremely helpful to Moseley - we feared at one stage that we would have to cut the Church out of the project due to the extraordinarily long time it is taking to reach a decision.

The planning application had been submitted before the Green Streets award, but permission was not granted - planning refusal was delivered on 4 Feb 2010. St Mary's, with SusMo's help, went to appeal and the appeal was won on 10 Sep 2010.

Sadly this was not the end of the story as the Birmingham Diocese has to give permission for the installation. It is hoped that the Chancellor of the Diocese, Martin Cardinal, will reach a decision by 21 Jan 2011, following advice from the Church Buildings Council.

The reason for this very careful adherence to Church of England procedures is due to the fact that, to date, there has been no installation of PV panels on a sloping roof of an historic, listed church anywhere in the UK - or if there has been, there is no information on the internet. This would be a significant precedent.

This delay has not affected the improvements to twenty homes of mixed tenures, income groups and ethnic backgrounds which were selected by Moseley and District Churches Housing Association, Hamza Mosque and St. Mary's Church to receive energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements.

Of these households four will receive renewable energy improvements (Solar Thermal or Photo Voltaic panels); six will receive condensing boilers; seven will receive smart meters and the roofs of five houses were insulated. Five households received no "large" items, either because their roofs were already insulated and unsuitable for a solar panel, and their boilers were relatively new and/or because they left the project.

All twenty households will receive "small" items, including energy monitors, radiator panels, eco-kettles, and standby savers.

SusMo will also have a significant number of these "small" items to lend, or to give, to local residents in return for their agreement to record their future fuel use, using imeasure. This will provide data to show how Moseley households are reducing our CO₂ emissions - in line with the aim of SusMo.

On that happy note I send you all Festive Greetings and a big smile!

Moseley and Kings Heath Ward is running a Shop Local campaign at present, with booklets of vouchers available in the 31 shops that are participating, plus other venues: in Moseley these are the Moseley Exchange (149-153 Alcester Road B13 8JP) and M&D (106 Alcester Road B13 8EF). Full details available from the Town Centre Manager, Nikki Carr on 0121 675 5013 and nikki.carr@birmingham.gov.uk.

Many members of the Moseley Business Association think that the threat to their business of Tesco opening on the edge of Moseley Village, is much less than the problem of people ignoring their local stores and driving elsewhere, or shopping online.

Too many shoppers assume that the financial benefits of bargains available online, and at larger shops, are all that matters.

Time may also be saved by shopping online, but I'm sure that I'm not the only person who has been frustrated, wasting hours and hours, online. Time is almost always wasted travelling to larger shops and in queues, both within shops and when parking.

It is true that some things cost less in larger shops, but there are so many things that we don't include in the calculation. The main thing we ignore is the true cost of the car - not just petrol but all the running costs, including depreciation. When we decided not to replace our car in 2004 we calculated the cost, of our second hand estate car, over the past six years - it averaged £57 per week. You can't match that with shopping bargains averaged over the year.

The benefits of local shopping also need to be calculated. These may include exercise by walking or cycling to shops, getting to know members of your local community better, talking to them and finding out about local issues and local events. These benefits will improve your health and your feeling of well being, in addition to the benefits to the local economy from shopping locally. You can also save on fees for a gym, and the time invested in gym visits.

The "Shop Local First" campaign was run by Friends of the Earth in 2006 but it's roots are older, as recorded in Case Studies. It is common sense to support local shops first, particularly during times of financial hardship and cut-backs.

The future of our local shops is not just in the hands of our Planning Committees - it is up to all of us to support them, and to enjoy the improvements to our health and well-being, and often have extra cash at the end of the week. Just try it out!

f you live in Birmingham and are not on the Northfield Ecocentre mailing list, I suggest that you get in touch with them now.

On December 9th from 18:30 - 20:00, "There will be a talk by Anton Rosenfeld from Garden Organic about the Sowing New Seeds Initiative as well as helpful advice on how to save your seeds. There will also be the opportunity for people to bring along any surplus seed for a seed swap and a packet or two of FREE organic or heritage seed up for grabs."

At their Christmas Market. "Come and meet Santa, make your own Christmas decorations and cards and buy unique and handmade presents for your loved ones.

At this event we will also be launching the Northfield School of Green Living and the Friends of Northfield Ecocentre scheme, as well as the opportunity to receive a free energy audit of your home with our trained energy advisors."