Government consultants have been accused of miscalculating the costs of a project to generate vast amounts of green electricity in the Severn estuary, promoting a 10 mile-long tidal barrier strongly backed by ministers in preference to a scheme that engineers and environmentalists say is far less damaging.The US engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff has been hired by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) to assess technologies that could meet, from the Severn estuary, up to 7% of the electricity consumption of England and Wales. Its feasibility study for the estuary, which has the second highest tidal range in the world, has been sent to ministers, who will soon announce a shortlist of potential schemes based on the assessment.Finding a way to harness the power of the...

Britain was given a sharp reminder of the dangers to its energy supplies today when Gazprom warned western Europe could be hit by gas shortages. The Russian gas provider said a long-running row with Ukraine could disrupt supplies to Europe this winter.The fears were raised just 24 hours before Russia hosts a meeting of the world's major gas suppliers to set up an Opec-style production cartel that could also push up the price of energy in the UK and elsewhere.Energy experts warned that the two events demonstrated Russia was using energy as a political weapon and argued Britain should fast-track its switch to renewable power to reduce its dependence on unpredictable carbon fuel suppliers.Russia first triggered fears of an energy "Cold War" two years ago and again last year when it...

Geothermal energy generation in Africa could take a leap forward after exploratory studies in Kenya exceeded all expectations. From SciDev.Net, part of the Guardian Environment......

EU leaders yesterday agreed to combat climate change by ordering a fifth of Europe's energy mix to come from renewable sources within 12 years. The agreement, hailed as "landmark" deal and a breakthrough by politicians and the green lobby alike, came ahead of a crucial EU summit on Thursday, at which 27 prime ministers and presidents aim to finalise the ambitious package to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020. The agreement reached yesterday in negotiations between government officials from across the union, the European parliament, and the European Commission paves the way for a new law obliging all EU countries to meet national targets for renewable energy. Two contentious points had threatened to derail the legislation – the insistence that biofuels comprise 10% of...

Support for renewable energy technology to fight global warming is weakening in the face of worldwide economic problems and the true scale of the carbon reductions required, a survey published today has suggested.Figures presented at the UN climate talks in Poznan, Poland, show that climate experts have less faith in alternative energy than they did 12 months ago.The survey shows less support for wind energy, solar power, biofuels, biomass and hydrogen energy as technologies with "high potential" to reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere over the next 25 years. There was also less support for carbon capture and storage, new nuclear build, small-scale hydropower and natural gas stations as viable ways to hit targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.Eric Whan of Globescan, which...

Energy firms will refuse to pass on all of the savings they make on cheaper wholesale gas and electricity to consumers, one of the UK's top energy bosses admitted this weekend.The warning, issued by Paul Golby, chief executive of Eon UK, came after a week in which the price of oil tumbled to just above $40 a barrel. As the government demands that the banks give borrowers the benefit of the latest cut in interest rates, energy companies are also coming under increasing pressure to cut customers' bills. Last week, two of the big suppliers - German-owned RWE Npower and Eon UK - announced they were making limited reductions in some of their customers' electricity bills. But consumers who hope that these moves will spark a round of dramatic falls in their energy bills are likely to be...

Household rubbish should be used to produce green power rather than being sent for recycling, according to energy experts.At a briefing today to launch a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on dealing with waste, the authors said that converting waste could provide up to a fifth of the UK's electricity needs in future and help the country meet its renewable energy targets.But environmentalists have voiced concerns over the report, insisting that recycling rubbish is still the better option in terms of tackling climate change.The UK produces more than 300m tonnes of waste every year, enough to fill the Albert Hall every two hours. Most of this is buried in landfill, though new EU legislation will require a 50% cut in the practice by 2013."We can't afford to do that any...

Predicting future technology trends doesn’t get more expensive. The global energy economy hangs in the balance, and smart people have to make some exceptionally important decisions — how are we going to power planet Earth in the future, once fossil fuels run out? We humans are a damned predictable lot; only when faced with the prospect of losing everything do we act appropriately. The hastening energy crisis is just such a prospect, one that could effortlessly strip us of our technological prowess, nudging those that “have” back several centuries, down there with those that “have not”, most probably economically, financially, socially and culturally, too. But aside from all of the verbose rhetoric and political posturing, the most powerful and provocative...

The beating of a patient's heart, the shudder of a tube train and the pounding of thousands of commuters' feet on crowded platforms are being exploited as new sources of power.Engineers and scientists are developing tiny generators that turn the kinetic energy of everyday movements into electricity which can then power sensors or provide electricity for remote installations.The technology, known as power harvesting, is already being tested in helicopter frames, the floors of discos and in volunteers' knee joints in order to generate electricity. In the near future, harvesters could be used to recharge iPods and mobile phones, say researchers.'The idea is a not a new one,' admitted Dr Steve Beeby, of Southampton University. 'Self-winding watches are fitted with devices like these to...

The world's fastest all-electric motorbike has been unveiled today at the international bike show in Birmingham.The TTX01 is the most advanced emission-free bike on the verge of commercial production: it is already road-legal in the UK and its makers claim it can go from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds, eventually reaching a top speed 125mph. A limited number will go on sale at the end of next year at a price of £20,000.The bike, designed and built by British engineers, was commissioned by the organisers of the world's first emissions-free grand prix for motorbikes, which will be held on the Isle of Man's TT circuit next June. Azhar Hussain, organiser of the TTXGP event and a keen motorcyclist, said the TTX01 was a showcase for technology that would feature in the mainstream electric vehicles of...

The credit crunch is forcing Britain's power companies to pay high prices for their borrowing and could have a long term impact on supply, according to the UK's top energy regulator.Alistair Buchanan, chief executive of Ofgem, said the global financial crisis was making it harder for companies to borrow and, when they could, the terms were increasingly expensive.Buchanan told the cross-party business and enterprise committee of MPs yesterday that companies were paying 4% to 5% above the benchmark Libor interbank borrowing rate on new debt.His warning came as a House of Lords committee attacked the government's renewables policies, saying the "dash" for wind and other clean power sources risked undermining the UK's overall energy security and would cost the average household £80 a...

In the desert of southern Spain, 20 miles outside Seville, more than 1,000 mirrors are being carefully positioned. Each is about half the size of a tennis court, so the adjustments will take time. But when they are complete in a few weeks, it will mark a major moment in the quest for renewable energy.The mirrors are part of the world's biggest solar tower plant, a technology that reflects sunlight to superheat water at a central tower. Once this €80m (£67m) plant is inaugurated in January, it will generate 20MW of electricity, enough to power 11,000 Spanish homes. Concentrated solar power (CSP) technology, as it is known, is seen by many as a simpler, cheaper and more efficient way to harness the sun's energy than other methods such as photovoltaic (PV) panels. But CSP only...

Officials in California have unveiled ambitious plans to turn the San Francisco Bay area - home to 7.6 million people - into one of the world's leading centres for electric vehicles.If it succeeds, the strategy will see billions of dollars poured into a power infrastructure that will turn the region away from fossil fuels and persuade millions of people to switch to green transport technology.The plan, which will see the bay area become the first region of California to switch its transport systems entirely away from traditional fuels, is being supported by local government as well as the state's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger."California is already a world leader in fighting global warming and promoting renewable energy," he said. "This partnership is proof that by working together we...

The government must increase by tenfold its investment in low-carbon technologies if it wants the UK to meet its climate change goals, according to business leaders. In a report published today, the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) argues that there is a "lack of ambition in the UK" for the new technology and that an increased focus is crucial for the country to reduce carbon emissions by the target of 80% by 2050. "It will take a coordinated effort from government and business to ensure the UK is ready to exploit the potential of a low-carbon economy," said Neil Bentley, business environment director at the CBI.The government spends less than £250m annually on low-carbon energy research. The CBI argues that this figure should be closer to the defence budget of £2.6bn. "With...

A tree fungus could provide green fuel that can be pumped directly into tanks, scientists say. The organism, found in the Patagonian rainforest, naturally produces a mixture of chemicals that is remarkably similar to diesel. "This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances," said Gary Strobel, a plant scientist from Montana State University who led the work. "We were totally surprised to learn that it was making a plethora of hydrocarbons."In principle, biofuels are attractive replacements for liquid fossil fuels used in transport that generate greenhouse gases. The European Union has set biofuel targets of 5.75% by 2010 and 10% by 2020. But critics say current biofuels scarcely reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cause food...

Scottish and Southern Energy has sold a 50% stake in the Greater Gabbard offshore windfarm to a subsidiary of the German utility RWE for £308m.SSE acquired a 50% stake in the project, which will be the world's largest offshore windfarm, when it bought Airtricity this year. It took its stake to 100% when it bought out Airtricity's then partner, Fluor International, after the latter won the contract to build the 500-megawatt development. SSE said then that it intended to sell 50% of the project, which will cost £1.3bn to develop, and yesterday announced it had tied up a £308m deal with npower renewables, a subsidiary of RWE Innogy.Under the terms of the deal SSE will be the operator of the windfarm in its development and operational stages. Ian Marchant, chief executive of...

The fight against climate change will get an unexpected boost today from oil-rich Gulf states which will pledge to invest some of their petrodollar profits in British green energy projects. The surging oil price over the past year has left parts of the Middle East awash with cash as the rest of the world is squeezed by the credit crunch, making Arab royals some of the few active investors worldwide. The Gulf states have enjoyed a $1.4 trillion windfall from higher oil prices since 2003. Ed Miliband, the Climate Change Secretary, arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday with Gordon Brown at the start of a tour of the region. He said some of that cash would now 'help our firms reap the rewards from going low carbon and providing green energy to thousands of families' under a so-called 'green Gulf...

The world's biggest publicly funded project to make transport fuels from algae will be launched today by a government agency which develops low-carbon technologies.The Carbon Trust will today announce a project to make algal biofuels a commercial reality by 2020. The plan could see up to £26m spent on developing the technology and infrastructure to ensure that algal biofuels replace a signficant proportion of the fossil fuels used by UK drivers.Mark Williamson, innovations director at the Carbon Trust, said: "We must find a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to oil for our cars and planes if we are to deliver the deep cuts in carbon emissions necessary to tackle climate change. Algae could provide a significant part of the answer and represents a multibillion-pound...

Completion of a 194MW windfarm off the coast of Lincolnshire sees the UK become the world leader in generating electricity from offshore...

Industry leaders to warn Gordon Brown that targets are unreachable without funding...

An enzyme from fungus that grows on rotting wood could be used as clean alternative to expensive and polluting and rare metals in fuel cells and batteries, say...

Britain must 'decarbonise the power sector by 2030', the government's climate change watchdog...

Environment, science & technology: Turbine and blade failures point to wind power dangers that were not anticipated, says Michael...

Environment, science & technology: A new scheme to help the people most at risk from climate change to adapt and survive, not just cut emissions, is admirable but ultimately...

Environment, science & technology: Planned project would use solar power to evaporate salt water, allowing food to be...

Environment, science & technology: British engineers think steam can improve the efficiency of the internal combustion...

We love gadgets. Thing is, gadgets loves energy — and lots of it, too. So if we know about the problem, why aren’t we doing more to avert a gadget energy crisis? Let&#