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PAYERNE, Switzerland – A solar plane with wings as wide as a 747 and the power of a small motorboat took to the skies for the first time Wednesday, cruising a mile high at low speeds for nearly 1½ hours in a step toward becoming the first sun-powered aircraft to circle the world.
In its maiden test flight, “Solar Impulse” — designed by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard’s team — completed a series of turns, slip maneuvers and bank angles reaching 5 degrees. Most importantly, it proved able to take off and land.
The team plans to fly it around the world in 2012, the goal being to show that renewable energy can replace fossil fuel.
“There has never been an airplane of that kind that could fly — never an airplane so big, so light, using so little energy,” said Piccard, who in 1999 copiloted the first nonstop round-the-globe balloon flight. “So there were huge question marks for us.”
At a military airport in the Swiss countryside, the plane lifted off at a speed no faster than 28 mph after only a short acceleration on the runway. It slowly gained altitude above the green and beige fields, and disappeared eventually into the horizon as villagers watched from the nearest hills.
The descent was even slower, as the sun-powered craft hovered ahead of the runway for a couple of minutes before touching down to cheers from spectators.
The weather for the maiden flight was sunny, and there was little wind.
The UK government has launched a new scheme to help consumers save money on their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.
Feed-in tariffs will allow households and businesses to generate their own electricity and sell it back to the National Grid.
They will receive guaranteed payments for each unit they produce and an extra three pence per kilowatt hour for every unit they do not use.
According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, a “well-sited” 2.5 kilowatt solar photovoltaic installation could provide savings of £140 a year.
It could also allow householders to earn £900 a year from the energy they generate. Commercial companies can achieve even greater results
In addition to feed-in tariffs for consumers, the government has also announced the launch of its Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme for businesses.
The initiative is designed to boost take-up of cost-effective energy efficiency measures that are not yet being utilised.
Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband said: “The UK is leading the way in tackling climate change.
“Organisations and householders can play a central role in leading the move to a low-carbon economy whilst saving money on their energy bills.”
The launch of the new schemes comes after the government announced that greenhouse gas emissions were cut by 8.6 percent in the UK last year.
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Unresolved supply issues may block the UK government’s plan to have 15 percent of renewable energy come from biomass, it was claimed today (November 12th).
Plans are in place for seven large-scale biomass power generators to create 2,100 MW by 2014.
There are also incentives for local authorities to invest in smaller biomass boilers under the government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment.
However, new analysis from independent research firm Verdantix showed that unless investments to increase UK biomass supplies are made, only five to ten percent of the target will be met.
James Pinney, who lead the research, said: “UK biomass supplies will only meet small-scale demand.
“The low volume of UK supply means that every year power generators will import millions of tonnes of wood chips, elephant grass, palm kernels and olive pellets to feed their huge biomass facilities.”
Mr Pinney also said there were uncertainties surrounding the cost and reliability in importing biomass from places like Canada and Sweden, from where the UK is likely to source it.
More than 550 high-level political decision makers at EU, national and regional level, representatives of the renewable energy industry, NGOs and scientists gathered in Brussels for the 3rd European Renewable Energy Policy Conference, organized by EREC as an official event of the Swedish EU Presidency.
“Renewable energy is the competitive advantage of Europe and the key to a sustainable 21st century economy. We have to make renewable energy the mainstream source of our energy system.”
– Prof. Arthouros Zervos, President, EREC
The conference showed a broad consensus that renewable energy will be the mainstream source of Europe’s energy supply by 2050.
“I am confident that the policy framework of renewable energy targets, carbon pricing and funding for R&D will lead to the development of a tremendously significant new energy sector,” said Deputy Head of Cabinet Peter Vis delivering the speech to the event
Looking at 2050, Christopher Jones, Director for New & Renewable Energy Sources at the European Commission, referred to a share of 80% renewable energy in final energy consumption in Europe. The Commission’s views were echoed by several Members of European Parliament present as well as by the industry.
“Already today the European Renewable Energy Industry is providing more than 450.000 jobs and has an annual turnover exceeding €45 billion. Renewable energy already contributes to one-quarter of the EU’s 20% greenhouse gas commitment and has reached a share of about 10% in final energy consumption. I am convinced that the new Renewable Energy Directive with its national binding targets for each of the 27-EU Member States will enable Europe to reach even more than the minimum target of 20% by 2020. Renewable energy is the competitive advantage of Europe and the key to a sustainable 21st century economy. We have to make renewable energy the mainstream source of our energy system,” said Prof. Arthouros Zervos, EREC’s president.
The aviation industry – a rapidly expanding sector – is looking for ways to secure its fuel supplies without increasing greenhouse gas emissions, says Fred Dryer. In the Green Room this week, he outlines some of the options available to deliver these goals.
There is wide agreement that to mitigate climate change, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to 50% of 2005 levels by 2050, with industrialised countries cutting their emissions by 80%.
In order to achieve this goal, large increases in both energy efficiency and renewable energy will be required.
Biofuel alternatives to petroleum are getting much attention for both ground and air transportation.
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A new 95 Mega Watt power plant capable of turning 600,000 tonnes of waste each year into electricity and heat, to be built at Ince in Cheshire, was approved by the Government today.
The waste, which would have otherwise gone to landfill, will instead be used to generate electricity to power a new Resource Recovery Park. Excess electricity will also be exported to the National Grid.
The approval follows a public inquiry held into both the power plant and the Resource Recovery Park, which recommended that consent should be granted for the construction and operation of the plant and also that planning permission be given for the Resource Recovery Park.
Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Hunt said:
“We need to increase our use of renewable energy and to find solutions to the UK’s waste problem. This power plant will convert over half a million tonnes of waste each year into energy.
“The Inspector recommended the power plant be granted consent after a thorough public inquiry. I am satisfied that the mitigation measures to be put in place will protect the amenity of local villages.”
The separate planning permission for the Resource Recovery Park was also given today by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham.
A supercritical diesel engine could increase efficiency and cut emissions.
Researchers in New York have demonstrated a supercritical diesel fuel-injection system that can reduce engine emissions by 80 percent and increase overall efficiency by 10 percent.
Going supercritical: This laboratory equipment is being used to study supercritical diesel fuel.
Credit: George Anitescu, Syracuse University.
Diesel engines tend to be more efficient than gasoline, but the trade-off is that they are usually more polluting. Because diesel is heavy, viscose, and less volatile than gasoline, not all the fuel is burned during combustion, resulting in carbon compounds being released as harmful particulate soot. The higher combustion temperatures required to burn diesel also lead to increased nitrogen oxides emissions.
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What is renewable energy?
Anything that can be used to make heat or electricity without unsustainable fuels and which does not make a net contribution of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This includes wind power, waves and the tides, solar energy, geothermal energy and biomass. Nuclear power, although it is low-carbon, cannot be counted as a renewable source of energy because its fuel, uranium, is finite.
What are the UK’s commitments on renewable?
The UK is committed to producing 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 — this is equivalent to around 35% of its electricity.
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The activists damaged a 6.5km conveyor belt which transports 200,000 coal each year from Glentaggart to Ravenstruther.
Climate protesters today claimed to have disrupted the flow of coal from one of Scotland’s largest opencast mines to the Drax power station in north Yorkshire by sabotaging an major coal conveyor belt.
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The activists – who are believed to come from a Climate Camp, which opened earlier this week at Mainshill, the site of a planned opencast coalmine – damaged the conveyor belt at Glentaggart late yesterday, forcing the conveyor belt to be entirely closed down.
At 6.5km long, the conveyor belt is one of the longest in Europe and transports about 200,000 tonnes of coal each year from the Scottish Coal mine at Glentaggart to a dedicated railway depot at Ravenstruther. The company argues that the conveyor belt prevents about 30,000 lorry journeys a year. About 70% of Scottish opencast coal is sent south to power stations such as Drax in Yorkshire.
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Nuclear power is back at the top of the political agenda.
The UK relies on atomic energy for nearly 20% of its electricity. But all but one of its existing power stations are due to close by 2023.
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No reactors have been built since the 1980s, as accidents, spiralling decommissioning costs and the problem of nuclear waste eroded enthusiasm.
