ecoConnect seeks to determine your views on the UK Government’s proposals for green and low carbon industry (cleantech).
We greatly value your input and would appreciate you taking one or two minutes to complete our pulse survey on 7 multiple choice questions concerning the impact of Government policy on UK cleantech industry.
Here is the Link to the survey http://svy.mk/omUho5
We will publish and make available the results in a few weeks time, the results will also be distributed to policy makers in DECC, Defra, BIS, Treasury and Transport Departments.
Your views are very important and we urge your participation!
The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) last week published its decision on the FIT Review consultation. The Government has decided to proceed with its decision to slash the FIT rates for installations with a declared net capacity of greater than 50kW. There has been some better news for small-scale Anaerobic Digestion (AD), with an increase in FIT rates. The full decision document can be found here: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/fit_review/fit_review.aspx.
Read Industry Impact Summary Here
Once again, James La Terriere brings the latest round up on what went down in cleantech last week: Company News, UK News, European Goodies, Global Stuff.
After our January industry survey, which showed massive uncertainty and concern by over 500 cleantech leaders in the UK Government’s ability to act and not just talk, we thought it would be a good idea to invite the Prime Minister to address our Leaders in Cleantech CEO Lunch in May. We thought it a great opportunity to send a positive message to the industry and all our supporters agreed.
We were advised that David Cameron’s diary was full and why don’t we write Vince Cable, Secretary of State at Business Innovation and Skills? So we did, only to get another ‘sorry diary full’ response. So today we have written Chris Huhne, Secretary of State at DECC, Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party (and former Secretary of State at DECC), and Ken Livingstone (Former Mayor of London and one with a strong green agenda ). I wonder if we’ll get a more positive response…
Once again, James La Terriere reports on the week that was: Chris Huhnes rattles solar investors with a feed in tariff review, a number of UK technologies try to break into the mainstream, a radioactive looking electric Mercedes makes its debut in Detroit and why, in the Techie Corner, Mercedes engineers should be considering how they brush their teeth…
At our Green in the City COP 16 review. ecoConnect asked David Hill from DECC to provide insight into a new program they initiated during the last UK Trade Mission to China. Here it is.
They initiated a Memorandum of Understanding on Low Carbon Cooperation earlier this month between the UK Government and China’s National Development and Reform Commission. DECC will be developing a three year programme of work to share expertise and know-how in three Chinese low carbon pilot zones. The MoU is a three year programme of work designed to test out low carbon approaches which could then be mainstreamed into national policy development in China. It covers three main areas:
- low carbon planning (eg urban design, infrastructure planning etc)
- use of market mechanisms including emissions trading, emissions accounting, and analysis to promote low carbon development and energy efficiency
- low carbon product standards, consumer labelling and procurement to support low carbon consumption
They are at the stage of identifying a long list of specific activities or expertise that we might be able to deploy through the MoU from a range of sectors including Government, academia and the private sector, which we will then discuss with the pilot zones we will be working with to see if we can match areas of UK expertise to Chinese areas of interest. DECC is very interested in identifying UK companies (including SMEs) with relevant expertise in these areas and using the MoU to give them a platform to showcase themselves in China.
ecoConnect has been requested to be a funnel for inputs, so if this sounds like the sort of opportunity your members might be interested in, then please contact me at robert[dot]hokin[at]eco-connect[dot]org
ecoConnect believes that the concept of building a green industrial economy is not an option; it is a government and business imperative for ensuring prosperity and the UK’s economic and environmental survival.