Nissan launched its all-electric LEAF three years ago today in London. I was there, and I shared the general feeling of optimism. That brave new dawn turned into a very dingy dusk, punctuated by long periods of darkness. The range anxiety skeptics prevailed, and sales figures were beyond sluggish. Since 2009 fewer than 4000 electric cars,… Continue reading
Browsing Category Environment Blog
Masdar’s array of renewable energy initiatives impress
An oil-rich Gulf state is supplying the equivalent of 94,000 families in the UK with zero carbon energy. The first phase of the London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, became operational in early 2013. 20% of the investment came from the state-sponsored Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar. The remainder is owned by… Continue reading →
UK’s National Solar Centre opens in Cornwall
The first phase of the London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, became operational in March (2013) in the Thames estuary. It’s a notable achievement. 175 turbines will power 470,000 homes, replacing 900,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. They will make a big contribution to meeting the government’s target to raise 15% of its… Continue reading →
Bluebells – we love them, but do we really value them, and all our other nature too?
It was a quiet news morning in London on Monday, April 8, 2013. Just the sort of time for the newspapers and the broadcast media to pick up the publication of a very important report, concerning the whole of Britain’s land and natural resources. And then, boom. Mrs Thatcher’s death was announced at noon, and… Continue reading →
Tidal lagoon in Swansea could power 100,000 homes
Swansea has its second chance to lead the world. Now it’s up to the government? 208 years ago the city launched the world’s first passenger railway. In 2013 a consortium announced a £10m “investment offering” to fund its proposal to build a “tidal lagoon” in Swansea Bay, to produce enough energy to satisfy the domestic requirements of… Continue reading →
Sustainable fish – not what it says on the label
The BBC’s Stephen Evans was right to go after untrue labels of packets of fish – “Mislabelled fish slip into Europe’s menus”, April 2nd, 2013. The issue is fresh in the listener’s mind after the horsemeat scandal. (The Daily Mail ran a similar investigative story on fish in 2011.) There is a separate conservation point… Continue reading →