Renewable Energy News Roundup: June

In this roundup we bring you the latest renewable energy news, including studies showing heat pumps should be incorporated into all new builds and reports of a coal power station closure. 

Study Shows Heat Pumps Are Cost Effective In New Builds

Recent studies have shown that replacing traditional fossil fuel power and heating methods with clean electricity in new builds is integral to protecting the public’s health and fighting pollution. 

Two studies in particular — RMI’s study The Economics of Electrifying Buildings and E3’s Residential Building Electrification in California — show clearly that electric heat pumps are a viable alternative. 

RMI highlights the effectiveness and vast potential of heat pumps: “The most efficient electric devices—heat pumps for space and water heating— have small market share today.”

E3 concurred: “The most promising near-term opportunities for consumer cost savings among low-rise residential building electrification options can be found in all-electric new construction, and high efficiency air source heat pumps in homes where air conditioning can be replaced with heat pumps.”

The two studies focus solely on new build construction, which is why developers must now focus on renewables methods — especially with the UK government’s incoming gas ban.

UK To Be Left With Just Five Coal Power Stations

The UK is to close another coal power station, which will leave just five operational sites as the UK moves towards a greener future powered completely by renewable energy sources. 

SSE’s Fiddlers Ferry power station near Warrington, Cheshire, is the company’s last remaining power station. It will close in March 2020, reducing the UK’s coal power station fleet to five. 

Coal power made up 5% of the UK’s power usage over the past winter and will be phased out completely by 2025 under the government’s much-publicised upcoming gas ban. 

Wind power and nuclear plants each made up 18% and gas-fired power stations made up 42% of the nation’s energy generation over the same time period last winter.  

Fintan Slye, from National Grid, commented on the news of the closure: “We believe that by 2025, we will be able to fully operate Great Britain’s electricity system with zero carbon.”

Ecodan Wins More Industry Acclaim

Finally, there’s the news that our long-time partner Ecodan has picked up another accolade for its highly acclaimed Mitsubishi Electric’s Ultra Quiet Ecodan air source heat pump. 

The pump won the ‘Domestic HVAC Product of the Year – Heating Units’ at the H&V News Awards and scored top marks for low noise levels, attention to detail and performance.

Max Halliwell, communications manager for renewable heating at Mitsubishi Electric, said: 

“Our Scottish factory has spent the last 10 years refining Ecodan into this super quiet heat pump that specifically addresses the increasingly important issue of noise in our built-up environment.”

The award winning Ultra Quiet Ecodan model is available in both 8.5kW and 11.2kW sizes. 

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