Community Energy Strategy

Posted on: 27 January 2014
By: mackene
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This is the first ever Community Energy Strategy published by a UK government. It sets out the role that communities can play in helping to meet the UK’s energy and climate change challenges, including supporting a sustainable and secure energy system; reducing UK greenhouse gas emissions; and lowering consumer bills.

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Environmental aspects on unconventional fossil fuels

Posted on: 24 January 2014
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The European Commission adopted a Recommendation aiming to ensure that proper environmental and climate safeguards are in place for “fracking”. The Recommendation should help all Member States wishing to use this practice address health and environmental risks and improve transparency for citizens. It also lays the ground for a level playing field for industry and establishes a clearer framework for investors.

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EU energy, transport and GHG emissions trends to 2050

Posted on: 23 January 2014
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The European Commission has set out its goal of a Europe which, by 2030, emits 40% less carbon dioxide than it did in 1990, uses renewable energy for 27% of its energy, and employs a reserve mechanism to regulate its carbon market.

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European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities: Strategic Implementation Plan

Posted on: 22 January 2014
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The European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities & Communities seeks to significantly accelerate the industrial-scale roll-out of smart city solutions integrating technologies from Energy, Transport and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This is where there is most untapped innovation potential and most environment and societal benefits to be gained. The EIP has published its Implementation Plan, setting out the EIP’s ideas on how to best harness innovative technologies, innovative funding mechanisms and innovative public private partnerships. The focus is very much on societal and environmental benefits.

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Green Deal finance: Examining the Green Deal interest rate as a barrier to take-up

Posted on: 21 January 2014
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Household energy efficiency must become the UK’s top infrastructure priority, according to the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC). In a new report, the Council calls on the Government to back energy efficiency, creating a national retrofit programme to help permanently reduce consumers’ energy bills and create thousands of new jobs.

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Technology Roadmap: Energy efficient building envelopes

Posted on: 17 January 2014
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The International Energy Agency (IEA) has launched a new publication which presents detailed strategies and actions to transform the way buildings are constructed by 2050. Key elements include the increased deployment of existing building materials and practices, the introduction of existing solutions to developing markets, and the development of new technologies with higher performance and lower cost. The building envelope, also known as the building shell, fabric or enclosure, is the boundary between the conditioned interior of a building and the outdoors. The energy performance of building envelope components, including external walls, floors, roofs, ceilings, windows and doors, is critical in determining how much energy is required for heating and cooling.

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First Networking intelligent Cities for Energy Efficiency (NiCE) study tour. Vienna, 5-6 December 2013

Posted on: 16 January 2014
By: mackene
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This is the first Networking intelligent Cities for Energy Efficiency (NiCE) study tour.  Visitors from Green Digital Charter signatory cities learnt about the projects that Vienna is carrying out to fulfil its GDC commitments. Short presentations, site visits and peer-to-peer discussions were organised to various project sites and venues of the Vienna city.  NiCE has developed a study tour catalogue with information for hosts and visitors. In future, study tours will be advertised on the Green Digital Charter website. Presentations are also available online.

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Fracking – Onshore unconventional gas, water and the environment. London, 6 November 2013

Posted on: 8 January 2014
By: mackene
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The aim of this meeting was to explore and understand the implications of fracking on water, emissions, and the wider environment. It  looked at the adequacy of the evidence base to help inform how regulation and mitigation measures might work in practice over the life cycle of production. Presentations are available online.

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Modern Building Services

Posted on: 7 January 2014
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Modern Building Services Online is the web edition of Modern Building Services (MBS) journal. Modern Building Services covers the entire Building Services Engineering industry. This site contains archived content from the journal, plus web-specific content.

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Green investment in Asian cities to reduce natural disaster risks

Posted on: 17 December 2013
By: mackene
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This article discusses the risks associated with natural disasters, with particular focus on the vulnerability of energy systems. It examines the opportunities for local/community-based infrastructure to prevent risks through installing locally based energy systems, financing mechanisms to prevent risks and risk transfer systems as well as the associated challenges that exist with respect to their establishment.

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