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A geothermal distillery, use of fugitive methane and a high temperature heat store are to be served as 17 UK distilleries receive the first phase of £10 million government funding. Part of the Green Distilleries Fund, the funding will help eleven distilleries across Scotland and a further six in England to harness energy sources such as low-carbon hydrogen, biomass and...

There has been a rise in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) gas and electricity prices for the first time since 2018, according to the latest SME Power and Gas markets reports from Cornwall Insight. This is the first time SME prices have risen since Q418 following five consecutive quarters of price reductions. Sam Holland, Analyst at Cornwall Insight, commented on...

Coventry and Oxford are developing proposals to become the first parts of the UK to run all-electric bus services. The cities are developing business cases in an England-wide competition to switch an entire town or city’s bus fleet to electric vehicles. Subject to successful business cases, each area could be awarded up to £50 million to replace its entire fleet of...

Energy regulator Ofgem has opened an investigation into Symbio Energy Limited over its late payments into the Renewables Obligation (RO) and Feed-in Tariff (FIT) schemes. Under the government’s RO schemes, energy suppliers must demonstrate they have sourced enough electricity from renewable sources to meet their obligation by presenting Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) to Ofgem by 1 September. If suppliers do not...

61% of UK banking customers wish that their bank would do more to create a positive social and environmental impact, according to new research from management consulting company Deloitte. Deloitte’s Better Banking Survey sought the views of more than 1,000 UK banking customers, to understand their awareness of their banks’ impact on society. According to the survey, seven out of ten...

On Christmas Eve, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) confirmed that it was responding to a 'significant' cyber attack affecting its contact centre, internal systems, processes and internal communications. In an update today, Terry A’Hearn, Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), stated: “At one minute past midnight on Christmas Eve, SEPA was the subject to a significant...

Tesco has announced to have permanently removed one billion pieces of plastic from its UK business in 2020. The one billion target was part of Tesco’s commitment to tackle plastics through its '4Rs' packaging strategy: To remove it where it can, reduce where it can't, reuse more and recycle what's left. Tesco Quality Director, Sarah Bradbury, commented on the announcement: “Our...

Six projects across the UK are set to receive a share of £8 million in government funding to develop decarbonisation plans as part of a drive to create the world’s first net zero emissions industrial zone by 2040. A net zero industrial zone will see all industries in a region collectively reducing their carbon dioxide emissions to as close to...

Three health boards in Wales will receive more than £10m in Welsh Government funding to install new solar energy measures and help them improve energy efficiency across their estates. This investment builds on £2m provided last year, as part of a larger £17m programme. The funding, repayable on an Invest to Save-basis, will support energy projects for Swansea University Health Board,...

Swansea University researchers have reported that they have developed 'a fast, green and one-step' method for producing porous carbon spheres, which are a vital component for carbon capture technology and for new ways of storing renewable energy. According to the researchers, this method produces spheres that have good capacity for carbon capture, and it works effectively at a large scale. Carbon...