Why £millions in climate change grants probably won't get spent

By Mik Barton on Mar 28, 08 02:28 PM in Economics

Even in the days when the distant view of Didcot cooling towers signified I had arrived home in Oxfordshire I don't think I ever described a power station as a beautiful sight.

But I love windmills.

Their modern, clean, sculptural form a top a mountain is capable of actually enhancing the landscape.

On our frequent family visits to Wales the kids' excitement at being the first to spy the windmills (announcing our arrival in Ceredigion) almost surpasses the challenge of being "first to see the sea".

Wind turbines though, like power stations, are not built for their beauty. They have an increasingly important job to do.

This week, on our return from a school holiday break, we stopped off at the Centre for Alternative Technology outside Machynlleth. Judging by the appearance of most visitors, the place is preaching to the already at least half converted - but it's still packed full of ideas of how to reduce your family carbon footprint even further.

We arrived by car - which was a bad start - but were at least able to feel smug about some of the ways we have adjusted our own home and lifestyle.

"I wish we could afford to install solar panels" was an uppermost thought yet again, just as it has been since my favourite skiing glaciers started to melt. Our friends, who live on a nearby hill, had also looked at the economics of installing their own turbine.

So imagine my frustration when I returned home to catch up on my MP Lynne Jones' campaign to unlock grants for green homeowners. My email in tray showed a Parliamentary question she tabled had only generated more hot air from the Government that is supposed to be helping us tackle climate change.

There is a scheme to provide grants for homeowners; it's called the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. The problem is that successive raising of hurdles and lowering of grants has meant hundreds of people dropping out of the scheme. You can only get 50% of the cost up to a maximum of £2,500 per building - even if you install solar panels, a wind turbine and a watermill in the local stream.

People have been put off to such an extent that of the £18.7m allocated only £6.7m has so far been spent. This leaves £12m still to pay out - and the scheme is due to end in June this year.

No wonder, as Lynne Jones points out, when it comes to renewable energy only Belgium, Cyprus and Malta in the EU are doing worse than us. Germany, with less wind than the UK, produces ten times as much energy from turbines.

Footnote....

Since I first posted this item about how I love windmills, I came across this video of high winds in Denmark. Just shows there's so much power to harness...

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3 Comments

Nick said:

There was an article in one of the freebie papers his week on 4 Birmingham schools installing solar panels. This seemed like a good thing however the cost was many thousands of pounds and it will reduce carbon emissions equivalent to 10 people giving up commuting by car. That's 2.5 people per school - why not encourage staff and parents not to use their cars instead? Surely there are thousands of people in Birmingham who could car share, use public transport, cycle or work from home.

March 29, 2008 12:22 AM

Mik Barton said:

I agree Nick about the carbon impact of the school run. I did see a figure somewhere about how much traffic falls in the school holidays and the amazing proportion of kids who get driven to school.

But shouldn't we aim for both - cut the traffic and install the solar panels?

I think even if the impact is small, getting school buildings to show the way is a great educational tool.

See this story about Broadmeadow School in Brandwood...

The classroom of the future could be part of a new building at a local school.

Planners have given the go-ahead for a new block to have a wind turbine, solar panels and environment-friendly living green roof.

The building will replace a wooden mobile classroom at Broadmeadow Junior and Infant Schools in Monyhull Hall Road. It will provide a changing area next to the school playing field as well as a sheltered canopy for some lessons to take place outdoors.

Because the block is intended for teaching environmental studies, the architects have included a range of green features.

"A wind turbine is to be installed in order to make the children aware of alternative green technologies and renewable energy resources," they say.

Pupils will also learn about solar power when the solar panels are added. Lighting for the changing rooms will also be provided by ‘sun pipes' mounted on the roof. These use mirrors and lenses to capture sunlight and reduce the need for electric lighting.

The green roof, to be added later, will improve energy conservation and demonstrate how the system can improve the atmosphere.

March 31, 2008 10:42 PM

David Bailey said:

This is a good post which needs to be brought to the attention of ministers and those running the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. I was talking to someone recently who is in the process of building a new home with GSHP (ground source heat pumps) which extracts heat from the ground and puts it in the house. They gave up on the government grant scheme as too inflexible and generally causing them too much hassle. They have gone ahead anyway with GSHP but I guess others in their situation may have abandoned doing this completely. Given the urgency of reducing our fossil energy demands and finding alternatives, there is a need to make this scheme work properly and to get the take up of grants to foster new investment.

April 16, 2008 5:37 PM