Is Wind Power cost-effective?

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With 40% of Europe’s total wind resource, the UK is one of the windiest countries around. As a nation we’ve been harnessing this renewable power for centuries, using windmills to power machinery for crushing grain and pumping water. Today, modern wind farms convert wind power into electricity for use in our homes and businesses.

Currently only 1.6W of electricity is generated by off-shore wind farms, with high costs significantly slowing down growth in this area. The Government’s Renewable Energy Roadmap however, predicts that if a coordinated approach was adopted in the development of new wind farms, this capacity could be increased to between 11 and 18GW by 2020. This would also reduce the cost of off-shore wind farms by 8-15%, which is equivalent to £0.5 – £3.5 billion. Companies and individuals can reduce their own emissions and invest in the future of wind power by purchasing carbon credits from companies such as Eco Global Markets, which develops and funds renewable energy projects.

But aside from large-scale projects, is wind power really a cost effective energy resource for homes and businesses on a day-to-day basis? Let’s take a look at the most important factors when it comes to small-scale wind power.

When are the benefits?
Wind power is practically inexhaustible and available all year round. It is therefore a reliable buffer against rising gas and electricity rates. Wind turbines are normally installed with extra electricity batteries to store additional power to be used during low-wind conditions.

What are the costs vs. savings?
A typical 1kW building mounted wind turbine costs about £2000 to install, which includes connection to the national grid. Larger buildings such as business premises will require a 2.5kW system or higher, which start from £15,000.
A wind turbine can both save you money on your electricity bills and earn you cash through the Government Feed-in-Tariff (FIT). Any extra electricity generated by your system is fed back into the national grid and paid for by the government. Your total savings will depend on local wind conditions, with homes and businesses based by the sea or in the countryside generally seeing more savings than those in city centres. Based on an export rate of 3p/kWh and a generation tariff of 26.7p/kWh, a 6kW turbine could save you £3,200 a year. At those savings, it would take you 7 years to pay off the initial cost of the wind turbine. With regular maintenance, wind turbines are expected to last for over 20 years.

Is my building eligible?
The Government has built a useful wind prediction tool to help you work out whether wind power could be a suitable energy source for your home or business. An anemometer will provide a more detailed analysis of your wind conditions, but it’s recommended that you collect data over 12 months or more.

Eco Global Markets

Resources
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Resources/Publications/Renewables/A-buyer-s-guide-to-wind-power
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn12_014/pn12_014.aspx

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/29/wind-power-british-industry

£20 million prize for new Carbon Capture and Storage Technology

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Carbon dioxide reduction should now be a priority for every industrialised country in the world. From walking to work to installing solar panels on your roof, there is a huge range of tools available to help mitigate your impact on the environment. Even if making changes to your lifestyle proves difficult, you can buy carbon credits from companies such as Eco Global Markets to help fund projects that fight climate change across the world.
The UK government is now launching a competition to help drive growth in these green projects. £20 million has been set aside to fund innovations in Carbon Capture technology (CCS). The competition invites bids to develop more efficient and cost-effective CCS systems and components, with the aim of building a pilot scale demonstration.
The development of CCS is essential to helping the UK government meet the EU targets for energy and carbon emissions reduction. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) currently estimates that the CCS industry will be worth as much as £6.5 billion a year by 2029. This new funding could help to boost the industry even further, with any innovations to be incorporated in the UK supply chain to help reduce the future cost of commercial CCS deployment.
Energy Secretary Edward Davey comments:
‘Carbon Capture and Storage will play a vital role in ensuring we develop a low carbon energy mix. We are helping to create a new industry in the UK and are well placed to become a world leader.’
The UK’s first carbon capture pilot opened at Ferrybridge in 2011, incorporating parts and services from more than 20 UK based companies. The Government now hopes to build upon this successful project to encourage growth and generate more jobs in the CCS industry.
Edward Davey continues:
‘By supporting research and development, this £20 million competition is an important step towards making cost competitive CCS a reality by the 2020s.’
All registrations for the CCS competition must be made by 13th April 2012 and interested parties can register their bid by emailing occs@decc.gsi.gov.uk. The £20 million competition is part of a four year Government-led CCS development programme, which is worth £125 million and will be delivered by the DECC, the Technology Strategy Board, the Energy Technologies Institute and the Research Councils.

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If Spain is to meet Kyoto Limit, they need $466 million carbon credits

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According to the Agriculture Minister of Spain, Miguel Arias-Canete, Spain must buy at least 355 million euros of carbon credits in order to meet their obligations set out by the Kyoto Protocol. The sum, to cover 67 million metric tons of emissions permits, may be impossible for the country to reach.

Arias-Canete was reported in national press as saying: “The government needs a lot of permits,” with liabilities “far higher than forecast by the previous government so the situation is really worrying.” Developed nations such as Spain need to purchase so-called Assigned Amount Units from other countries, or invest in emissions reductions in developing countries.

In the last five years, Spain has spent over 750 million euros to buy up emission permits and offsets. Spain’s greenhouse gas emissions soared over the ceiling mandated by the Kyoto protocol, with the volume of carbon dioxide emitted by the factories, power plants and transport system in Spain around 50 per cent higher than its 1990 level.

Learn more about carbon credits at Eco Global Markets

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Allianz carbon project launch in India

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Allianz SE (the German insurance company) has announced the launch of a new carbon project to finance the installation of 8.5 million energy efficient lightbulbs in Andrha Pradesh, Punjab and Northern Delhi. The new project is expected to release 3.2 million carbon credits that may be traded internationally.

The compact fluorescent lightbulbs could cut as many as 3.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions during the next decade. This stacks up against the annual pollution from one million cars, and is therefore a massive carbon saving. The CERs (certified emissions reductions) created are certified by the United Nations.

This carbon project is part of the global initiative to reward clean energy investment in poorer countries, and is one of the first PoA (Programme of Activities) projects in India. This bundles identical projects together to save on emissions costs.

Allianz are a carbon project innovator, with around 20 low carbon projects currently in the pipeline. Allianz are currently already involved in forest preservation in Indonesia and Kenya.

Source: Eco Global Markets

Eco Global Markets Durban Climate Change

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Durban Climate Change conference and the eco global market

 

After the Durban Climate Change Conference in December 2011 the global landscape for sustainable energy and investment has subtly altered. The DCCC saw a large scale shift in the political ideology of some globally important nations. Overwhelmingly, the news was good for a sustainable future. According to news from the carbon market there are two distinct groups now vying for a different outcome.

 

In the past, the USA has always failed to back the Kyoto protocol and has sided with India, China and Canada historically. Meanwhile, Europe occupies the other camp and represents a range of smaller countries. The aim of the first group is to continue polluting as long as possible, largely due to the scale of their economies. Meanwhile, the European Union sits on the other side and sees the need to ratify the Kyoto protocol and reduce carbon emissions as quickly as possible to avoid problems in the future. After the Climate Change Conference, commentators on the carbon market confirmed that this split was evident. However, there was a major upheaval in this historical situation.

 

China, likely to be the biggest economy in the world within five years and the largest polluter in the world, signalled a willingness to shift the major focus of their sustainability outlook. Although both China and Russia remain using cheap and dirty fossil fuel power, there are signs of a shift in energy policy. Durban saw sustainable development groups attract good attention, and China showing readiness to join the fight against climate change. This was one of the most important aspects of the Durban Climate Change Conference.

 

At this stage, China and the USA are both economies linked to fossil fuel pollution, and in the past there has been an uneasy alliance between the two countries. The scale of fossil fuel pollution, and the extent to which both economies are trapped by it, is unimaginable. However, for the first time at Durban, China took a stronger stance on pollution. No clear policy change at this stage, but of China did decide to take a stronger stance on pollution, both India and the USA could be forced to follow suit.

 

So, even though Durban didn’t yield any substantive progress, the signs are set for a massive global shift in energy policy in the coming decade.

 

Visit the official eco global markets website 

Eco global markets floor price boost

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Carbon management consultancy eco global markets should be positive about the carbon price floor intended for the UK power sector. The carbon news, which broke in December 2011, will aid green investment in all forms of renewable energy including carbon credits such as the Certified Emissions Reductions traded by Eco Global Markets. With a new run of river carbon project in Peru, and the forthcoming release of thousands of premium carbon credits, the future is bright for Eco Global Markets in 2012.

 

The move is designed to help cement the coalition as the greenest government in history, something both parties are thought to be keen to achieve. For companies in the carbon credit trading sector, the news is good, as a price floor is likely to boost investment across the industry. As a City of London based carbon management consultancy, Eco Global Markets works on climate change mitigating carbon projects, including a recent Run of River hydroelectric dam in Peru. The company originates, develops and then trades clean, verifiable carbon credits that are certified under the EU ETS. These carbon credits, known as CERs (Certified Emissions Reductions) are different from VERs (Voluntary Emissions Reductions).

 

ICROA (International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance) have confirmed that VERs should not be sold as a private investment. ICROA is a not for profit group of carbon reduction and offset specialists, regarded as the leading regulatory voice in the industry. ICROA was formed to provide leadership and a united voice to campaign for rigorous standards in the carbon trading industry. The publically available ICROA Code of Best Practice defines those companies that are helping to transform the sector.

 

The new Eco Global Markets carbon project will focus on abating greenhouse gas emissions by building two 20MW ROR (run of river) hydroelectric dams. Once the carbon credits are validated and verified under the Clean Development Mechanism, this carbon project will become certified.

 

Visit the official Eco Global Markets Website now

 

Eco Global Markets

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Eco Global Markets Carbon Products

Eco Global Markets recently got a new identity and online presence to reflect their evolution as a company. An innovative carbon management consultancy, eco global markets focuses on projects that directly mitigate climate change. With an office in the highly sustainable city skyscraper Heron tower, the new logo and website reflects their rapid evolution as a company.

Eco Global Markets offer a number of products and services for a range of private and corporate clients. Products include clean, verifiable carbon credits from a diverse international portfolio of carbon projects. These projects aim to make a genuine difference in local communities around the world, whilst helping businesses to offset their carbon emissions. Eco global markets carbon projects include:

-          A waste energy recovery program in the Phosphorous & Cement industry in China.

-          A methane capture and avoidance programme in China, India and South Africa.

-          A Biomass Project in Bihar, India.

-          A solar PC C.E.R Generation Project in Rajasthan, India.

-          An avoided deforestation carbon credit program in Manaus, Brazil.

-          A Run of River hydroelectric dam in Peru

The future for Eco Global Markets includes expanding their portfolio of projects and using their new website to keep their present customers and new customers informed of their evolving offering. The new corporate identity includes a brochure that illustrates their products and current carbon projects. Eco global markets gives their clients access to Green Certified Emissions Reductions – these are high-quality additional carbon credits from verifiable carbon projects. These credits are certified by the EU ETS and are likely to trade at a premium. From their new office in Heron Tower, the future is bright for clean carbon management consultancy Eco Global Markets.

Please Visit the official Eco Global Markets website for more information

Eco Global Markets – Carbon Management Consultancy

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Eco Global Markets is a UK company specialising in carbon management consultancy. Eco Global Markets focus on projects that directly mitigate climate change. The company promote only the most ethical projects. The main objective of Eco Global Markets is to create profitable and environmentally friendly investment opportunities for their private and corporate clients. The company has a team of highly-skilled professionals. The team has experience of a variety of different investment markets including, the UK, Asia and Europe. Eco Global Markets aims to reduce greenhouse gases will still delivering a profit for its investors.

The company provide opportunities to invest in projects around the world. These projects aim to directly offset the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The company has a wide selection of projects to invest in including, Afforestation, Reforestation, Carbon Sequestration, Bio Fuels, Wind Farming, Plantation Projects and Solar Power Projects.

The carbon industry is expected to become one of the largest traded commodities in the world over the next 10 to 20 years. The company expect that the voluntary market will provide a significant contribution to the growth of the global carbon market. The company is currently offering clients an exclusive opportunity for carbon credit investment in Brazil. This particular project is anticipated to generate over 1.2 million emission reduction credits. These credits will be issued to investors on a pro rata basis.

For further information on Eco Global Markets please visit the official website.