60% renewables by 2030

WWF urges the government to stick to its promise to be the greenest government evver and suggests it can reach and go beyond 2030 targets. The policy recommendations are here in a report published today.

The report suggests 60% of UK energy could come from renewable sources by 2030. The report calls the UK "a goldmine of renewable resources and strong research capabilities."

Interestingly there is 24GW of gas at different stages of the planning system creating lock-in to current systems for a generation or more...

Green Deal Update

The Energy Act has now become law and this sets in stone the legal framework for the Green Deal, which will be launched in Autumn next year.

The Green Deal aims to revolutionise energy efficiency in UK homes and businesses. DECC’s new “Housing Energy Fact File”, published today, shows that over half of UK homes in Great Britain don´t have suffient insulation.

It´s hoped the Green Deal will help people insulate against rising energy prices, creating homes which are warmer and cheaper to run.

Press release here

GB Housing Energy Fact File here

Greenwatt wins Green leader award - again

Congratulations to Mike Woollacott, Greenwatt´s MD, who this week was named as one of the West Midlands Green Leaders - people helping the region to achieve its journey towards a low carbon economy and society by 2020.

Mike joins the great, the good and the green including Coventry City Council Chief Executive Martin Reeves, Professors Andreas Hornung and Tony Bridgwater (Aston University)...

...not forgetting our own Susan Juned who led the way with an award last year.

Climate KIC - Pioneers into Practice - Valencia

I am currently on secondment in Valencia, Spain as part of the Pioneers into Practice programme of the EU Climate KIC.

Based at the Institute Building here on Tres Forques - Instituto Valenciana de Edificacion (IVE). Mostly specialist architects in the office and all great people. I am helping them with ESCO finance mechanisms as part of the ELIH-Med retrofit programme which focusses on low income housing in the Mediterranean region.

I've got to say the weather and food here are wonderful. The city is full of character - narrow streets with balconies and hanging plants, wide airy plazas full of tables, chairs and chatter. Fantastic markets too.

Attended an interesting conference today at the Centro Cultural. The day was organised by IVE and concentrated on Diagnosticos Urbanos Intelligentes - basically ways of identifying and intervening in vulnerable areas of a city. IBM smart city projectst and SOFIA project are two worth googling.

Testing out the bike share scheme here tomorrow morning and hoping to cut my 50 min walk to work to 15mins! http://www.valenbisi.com/ - 18 Euros for a year (then first half hour free). I'm not sure how this compares to Boris' bikes in London but seems a bargain to me!