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City best in UK for green energy

But a "low-carbon revolution" is still needed to meet tough national targets over the next decade.

The city generated four per cent of its own energy from renewable sources and waste in 2006 - more than five times higher than the next best city.

Nottingham City Council owns Enviroenergy, which uses heat from Eastcroft incinerator to supply heat - through the district heating system - and electricity to city customers.

But previously published data incorrectly assumed the heat from the incinerator was only used to create electricity.
The Nottingham Energy Partnership noticed this and realised that, when the heat was also taken into account, Nottingham has a huge lead on other cities.

The second best city, Coventry, generated just 0.74% of its own energy in 2006.

The revised figures have been confirmed by the consultants who compiled the data for the Department for the Environment and Climate Change.

Coun Katrina Bull, portfolio holder for environment and climate change, said: "Nottingham is leading the UK in a number of key energy areas, particularly through the work of the city council, the Nottingham Energy Partnership (NEP) and Enviroenergy, the city district heating operator.

"We are starting from an excellent position, helped by the largest district heating scheme in the country which provides low cost, low carbon heat to St Ann's and parts of Sneinton.

"Imagine the potential for increasing this resilience through adding further district heating schemes and using other renewable technology to provide low-cost, stable energy to Nottingham residents and businesses.

"As we face years ahead of steep energy price hikes, and certainly an end to cheap energy - we as a city must invest further in generating local, cheap, low-carbon energy to further protect our city's residents and businesses.

"The city council and NEP are delivering and supporting several groundbreaking projects in the city. These projects are at the forefront of the UK's transition to a low carbon economy; particularly The Nottingham Warm Zone, in partnership with Scottish and Southern Energy, providing energy-efficiency measures to all private households."

The district heating system is due for a £1.9m expansion from January to enable heat to be provided to new housing, offices and shops in south Nottingham.

The system could potentially serve another 3,000 properties when Eastcroft incinerator's capacity is increased.

NEP sustainable energy development manager Jerome Baddley said: "The targets are for 30% of electricity and 12% or heat to come from renewable sources by 2020.

"Achieving the national targets for renewable energy may require doubling the size of the heat and power network over the next 10 years, as well as rapidly expanding other city renewable energy technologies such as solar water heating, photovoltaics and biomass.

"This represents nothing short of a low -carbon revolution over the next decade."

Source:http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk|

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