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Ricardo boss heads RenewableUK Marine strategy Group
It was announced on 18 August 2010 that Paul Jordan, the market sector director for clean energy at Ricardo plc, has been named as chairman of the RenewableUK Marine Strategy Group. In addition to acting as an industry forum for this rapidly developing industry sector within the UK, the group will provide a focus for the development of RenewableUK policy and advice to Government and other key stakeholders in the development of the UK marine renewable power industry. Ricardo PLC supplies technology innovation solutions to commercial and military markets including armour, communications and weapon systems.
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UK enters geothermal market
On 13 August 2010, the United Kingdom’s Geothermal Engineering Ltd was granted planning permission to develop the UK’s first commercial geothermal power plant at their Redruth site in Cornwall.
Cornwall Council has approved the planning application for three wells to be drilled at United Downs industrial estate, near Redruth. Outline permission has also been given for a geothermal power plant at the site that will produce 10 MW of electricity to be fed into the National Grid and 55 MW of renewable heat energy which could be used for the local community. The 55 MW of heat is the equivalent of heating 20 schools for a year, while 10 MW of electricity is enough power for 20,000 homes.
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UK Steel giant to build wind turbines
UK’s steel producer, Corus, announced plans on 13 August 2010 to construct a new £31.5-million manufacturing plant in Teesside in the North of England which would potentially create 220 jobs. Preliminary engineering work is underway at the Corus Redcar site to develop a new facility to produce steel foundation structures – called monopiles – used to secure offshore wind turbines to the seabed. Jon Bolton, Corus Long Products Director, explained that the company is moving now in order to establish its position in this emerging market.
Corus MD and CEO Kirby Adams said: "This is one of a wide range of new employment and business opportunities which Corus is working on in Teesside." Chris Elliot, Corus Director of Product Marketing, said: “The UK Government has approved ambitious plans to build thousands of wind turbines at sea over the next 10 years. They are intended to generate 35 gigawatts of electricity – around 15% of the UK’s energy requirements. In the UK alone, we estimate that about 6 million tonnes of steel will be needed over the next 10 years to make the foundations and tower structures for offshore wind turbines. We are positioning ourselves to take full benefit of these opportunities.”
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Smart gas grid to follow electric example
According to a report, published on 9 August 2010, by the US-based Pike Research cleantech market intelligence firm, the global gas utility market will follow in the footsteps of the electric smart grid industry in updating networks, communications, metering devices, pilots, and ultimately deployments. The smart gas grid will implement many of the same devices as the smart electricity grid, integrating advanced communications with energy measurement to drive greater operational efficiencies for gas utilities as well as reduced energy consumption.
In North America, one key driver for the smart gas grid will be major combo-utilities (electric and gas) whose decision-making processes will trickle down from their electric advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) deployments. The ability for a combo-utility to participate in sub-metering – the process where a gas module sends signals to an electricity meter – will further ignite the gas AMI market. Additionally, the combo-utilities receiving stimulus funds for smart grid deployments will act as first-movers, stimulating gas AMI revenues.
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Rocket scientist designs perpetual waste-water plant
Stanford University’s Professor Craig Riddle has spent the last five years developing rocket thrusters that run on nitrous oxide. He has recently teamed up with a colleague to produce a waste-water treatment process that uses the rocket technology in a sewage treatment plant that is energy neutral and emissions free. The key to the whole process is to produce nitrous oxide from the effluent that can be used to power the rocket thrusters which in turn operate the treatment plant. From 1994 to 2008 Professor Riddle served as a member of an Executive Independent Review Team overseeing the development of the F119, F135 and F136 engines for the Air Force Raptor and Lighting II fighters.
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