The vast majority of new offshore wind turbines built in European waters this year have been installed in the UK, according to the European Wind Energy Association.

Of 108 new turbines installed off the European coast during the first half of 2011, 101 were built in the UK. (more…)

Not for the first time, the Prime Minister was happily promoting the irreconcilable. “By stepping up, showing leadership and competing with the world,” he announced last week, “the UK can prove that there need not be a tension between green and growth.”(1) (more…)

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) recently launched by the UK government has been met with mixed reactions.

The £860bn pound scheme is expected to increase green capital investment by £4.5bn by 2020 and will stimulate a new market in renewable heat. The number of industrial, commercial and public sector (more…)

Buying solar power in the UK has become literally as easy as pie since one of Britain’s largest supermarket chains announced it is selling panels from its stores and website.

According to Reuters, Retail giant Sainsbury’s has entered into a partnership with British Gas to offer small solar panels and loft insulation. A 2.1Kw solar PV system (more…)

It may seem like wind farms are a relatively new form of green technology, but they have actually been around for years—decades, even.

In fact, the UK’s first commercial wind farm, located at Delabole in Cornwall, celebrated its 20-year anniversary with a multimillion-pound renovation. Delabole (more…)

International cooperation in clean tech innovation and diffusion is increasingly common. One of the trends in this regard is a country’s trade officials organizing an international tour of home grown clean tech companies, in many cases to the U.S., to promote their wares and explore business opportunities. (more…)

Since January 1st, the British Department of Transport started to issue grants of £5,000 (US$7,724) to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) as part of a larger, £400 million (US$618 million) drive to reduce emissions from road transport.

In response to the initiative, the Electrical Contractor’s Association (ECA) has issued (more…)

Electric vehicles are set to experience a breakthrough in 2011 due to a £5,000 car grant introduced by the government today, experts predict.

Motorists will have a choice of just one subsidised car to buy outright as the project is launched – the Mitsubishi i-MiEV – but should have a choice of nine or 10 fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars by 2012. (more…)

The UK’s Committee on Climate Change yesterday recommended an emissions cut target for 2030 of 60% relative to 1990 levels, or 46% relative to current levels. It would then require a 62% emissions reduction from 2030 to meet the 2050 target in the UK’s Climate Change Act. To achieve the goal, less than 1% of GDP would be required, the organization estimates. So (more…)

While the construction of wind farms has broad public support across the UK — more than 75 percent of people recently polled said they would be in favor of plans to build a wind farm close to where they live — only one-quarter of wind energy projects are winning public approval. (more…)