Next Energy Group meeting – on DESERTEC – on Wednesday 6th June
DESERTEC shows a way to provide climate protection and energy security by generating sustainable power from the sites where renewable sources of energy are at their most abundant, for example, concentrating solar-thermal power plants, in deserts inNorth Africa. Using High-Voltage Direct Current transmission the power can be distributed around Europe. Speaker: Mr. Falko Schmidt from DESERTEC
Meeting starts at 7.30pm at WS Atkins, Woodcote Grove, off Ashley Road, (close to St Martins School) KT18 5BW There is no charge and the meeting is open to everyone interested.
FREE loft and cavity wall insulation for everyone, for a limited time …
The Government has provided money for anyone (not only those on benefits, or of pension age) to get free cavity wall insulation, and free loft insulation, for a limited time this summer. The grant money may run out, so it is best to apply sooner rather than later. (The British Gas scheme says their scheme for their customers must be applied for by the end of July, by comparison).
A local company, called Everything Energy, that is known to the Energy Group, is offering this service in our area. Until the government funding runs out. www.everythingenergy.co.uk
Collection of unwanted hand tools for the charity Tools for Self Reliance
The Epsom & Ewell Energy Group organised a collection of tools for the charity on Saturday 12th May. The charity Tools for Self Reliance gives people in Africa the skills and tools to get them out of poverty and into work. Each year they ship tens of thousands of high-quality refurbished hand tools and sewing machines to projects.Many kind borough residents brought down boxes of tools, making up a large car load. These were taken to the workshops of the charity, Tools for Self Reliance, in Carshalton, to be refurbished. Tools are then boxed up into sets, and shipped out to Africa. The tools will be used to help people earn a living. Tools are packed into boxes in kits suitable for plumbers, carpenters, shoe makers, blacksmiths, tailors etc, and shipped abroad. What each toolkit contains People in remote villages can then set up in a trade, even if there is no electricity available. More information about the charity at www.tfsr.org If you have tools to donate, and missed the collection, you can contact Alan Swanson, who runs the Carshalton workshop, on 0208 647 2977
Geothermal power from Iceland as a possible future energy source for the UK?
The volcanoes of Iceland could soon be pumping low-carbon electricity into the UK under government-backed plans for thousands of miles of high-voltage cables across the ocean floor. The energy minister, Charles Hendry, is to visit Iceland in May to discuss connecting the UK to its abundant geothermal energy. “We are in active discussions with the Icelandic government and they are very keen,” Hendry told the Guardian. To reach Iceland, which sits over a mid-ocean split in the earth’s crust, the cable would have to be 1,000 to 1,500km long and by far the longest in the world. Hendry has already met the head of Iceland’s national grid about the plan. The web of sea-floor cables – called interconnectors – planned for the next decade would link the UK to a Europe-wide supergrid, which is backed by the prime minister.
Energy Group meeting on 19th April 2012 on “CLIMATE MODELS”
The next Energy Group public meeting will be “Climate Models”. What are they? How do they work? What do they actually tell us about the future climate?
by Erica Thomson, from the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College, London.
Cars and the Environment
Here is an update on our information on saving money – and energy – when driving, and plenty of advice on how to conserve fuel, as well as the lowest carbon models of car, carbon emissions per mile etc
Thurs 22nd March. Population and its effect on energy use.
The Epsom & Ewell Energy Group meeting on 22nd March was on Population:
Now that the global human population has reached around 7 billion, how do our rapidly expanding numbers globally affect our energy use?
Nina Clarke & John Collier from Population Matters discussed this vital topic. For too long, population has been seen as “too difficult” to discuss, or too sensitive a topic, for a range of reasons. But this year, with the 7 billion level being reached, many are more willing to explore and consider the issues. The presentation covered the background to why human population is the elephant in the room, but its dramatic rise is having the effect of making all environmental problems much harder to solve. There was animated and interesting discussion after the presentation.
Surrey Green Homes. Eco Open Homes weekend, 24th and 25th March 2012
Action Surrey has organised, for the second year, a weekend were householders who have installed energy saving, or energy efficient measures in their homes invite visitors to see what they have done. There are a variety of measures, including solar PV, solar hot water, heat pumps, wood burning stoves, high levels of insulation etc. You can book a visit on the Action Surrey website now.
Film showing of “The Story of Stuff” – was held on Thursday 1st March
There was a film showing of “The Story of Stuff” and also two other short films on bottle water and electronics.
Shale Gas: A Boon That Could Stunt Alternatives, Study Says
Shale gas has transformed the US energy landscape in the past several years—but it may crowd out renewable energy and other ways of cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A MIT study indicates that the new abundant natural gas is likely to have a far more complex impact on the energy scene than is generally assumed. If climate policy continues to play out in the United States with a relatively weak set of measures to control emissions, the new gas source will lead to lower gas and electricity prices, and total energy use will be higher in 2050. It will retard the growth of renewable energy’s share of electricity, and push off the development of carbon capture and storage technology.
