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Royal Mail orders another 2,000 electric vans

Posted on by dishanth
Royal Mail orders another 2,000 electric vans

Last summer, Royal Mail announced an ambition to add 3,000 more EVs to its fleet as soon as possible, up from around 300 EVs it was operating at the time.

The firm has now posted strong progress, celebrating the deployment of its 3,000th EV at its Peterborough Delivery Office. The hub has a fully electric fleet of 106 vehicles now, and is one of 70 Royal Mail locations to host EVs. Other locations with only electric fleets include Bristol.

Royal Mail also announced a new order for 2,000 electric vans and a new target to have 5,500 EVs in its fleet by spring 2023, given that the first deliveries of the additional vans will begin this month.

The additional order for 2,000 vans is split evenly between the Peugeot Partner and Peugeot Expert models.

Peugeot claims that the pure electric partner can travel up to 171 miles per charge, with a payload of up to 800 kilograms. It markets the model as ideal to replace diesel models of similar sizes. For the Expert, Peugeot boasts a range of up to 205 miles per charge and rapid charging capabilities. The Expert is the smaller of the two models.

“Environment is the next battleground for businesses, and we are determined to lead,” said Royal Mail Group’s chief executive Simon Thompson. “The transition to electric vehicles is a key part of our strategy to reduce our emissions whilst delivering a seven-day parcel service to our customers.”

Royal Mail is working towards an overarching climate goal of net-zero emissions across the value chain by 2040.

The firm previously said in a statement that, aside from the emissions reduction and clean air benefits of EVs, the vehicles “also increasingly make more economic sense than diesel vehicles in the long-term”. This is a reason increasingly given amid the energy price crisis, with wholesale petrol and diesel prices having climbed steeply in the first half of the year and reductions being slow to be passed on at the pump now.

Royal Mail is also exploring alternative fuels as well as EVs. In May 2021, it added 29 40-tonne biogas-powered trucks to its fleet. More innovative solutions, such as micromobility in cities and drones for remote areas, are also in the pipeline. The firm is aiming to convert its road fleets entirely to EVs and alternative fuels, phasing out petrol and diesel entirely, but has not set a target date.

 

Latest EV registration figures

In related news, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has published its latest data on car registrations, covering July.

The data confirms that, overall, new car registrations were down 9% year-on-year, despite a slight uptick in sales month-on-month. The SMMT highlighted how chip shortages are still impacting supply chains, and how the cost-of-living crisis is continuing to bite.

The decline was primarily led by a reduction in petrol and diesel sales, although plug-in hybrid sales also tanked by 34% year-on-year. Battery electric vehicle sales, however, were up by almost 10% year-on-year.

12,243 battery electric vehicles were registered in July 2022. This brings the number of these vehicles registered in 2022 so far to 127,492, compared to around 85,000 during the whole of 2021.

Commenting on the figures, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: ‘The automotive sector has had another tough month and is drawing on its fundamental resilience during a third consecutive challenging year as the squeeze on supply bedevils deliveries.

“While order books are strong, we need a healthy market to ensure the sector delivers the carbon savings government ambitions demand.

“The next Prime Minister must create the conditions for economic growth, restore consumer confidence and support the transition to zero-emission mobility.”

Indeed, the next PM’s Ministers will have the job of updating the Government’s Net-Zero Strategy after the High Court deemed it unlawful.

 

 

Source Edie

Tesco to stop selling baby wipes that contain plastic in first for UK supermarkets

Posted on by dishanth
Tesco to stop selling baby wipes that contain plastic in first for UK supermarkets

Tesco is to become the first of the main UK retailers to stop selling baby wipes containing plastic, which cause environmental damage as they block sewers and waterways after being flushed by consumers.

The supermarket said it was stopping sales of branded baby wipes containing plastic from 14 March, about two years after it ceased using plastic in its own-brand products.

The UK’s largest grocer is also the country’s biggest seller of baby wipes. Its customers purchase 75m packs of baby wipes every year, amounting to 4.8bn individual wipes.

Tesco said it had been working to reformulate some of the other own-label and branded wipes its sells to remove plastic, including cleaning wipes and moist toilet tissue. It said its only kind of wipe that still contained plastic – designed to be used for pets – would also be plastic-free by the end of the year.

Tesco began to remove plastic from its own-brand wet wipes in 2020, when it switched to biodegradable viscose, which it says breaks down far more quickly.

Sarah Bradbury, Tesco’s group quality director, said: “We have worked hard to remove plastic from our wipes as we know how long they take to break down.”

Tesco is not the first retailer to remove wipes from sale on environmental grounds. Health food chain Holland and Barrett said it was the first high-street retailer to ban the sale of all wet-wipe products from its 800 UK and Ireland stores in September 2019, replacing the entire range with reusable alternatives. The Body Shop beauty chain has also phased out all face wipes from its shops.

It is estimated that as many as 11bn wet wipes are used in the UK each year, with the majority containing some form of plastic, many of which are flushed down the toilet, causing growing problems for the environment.

Last November, MPs heard how wet wipes are forming islands, causing rivers to change shape as the products pile up on their banks, while marine animals are dying after ingesting microplastics.

They are also a significant component of the fatbergs that form in sewers, leading to blockages that require complex interventions to remove.

Tesco said any wipes it sold that could not be flushed down the toilet were clearly labelled “do not flush”.

Nevertheless, environmental campaigners and MPs have long called on retailers to do more to remove plastics from their products and packaging.

The supermarket said it was trying to tackle the impact of plastic waste as part of its “4Rs” packaging strategy, which involves it removes plastic waste where possible, or reducing it, while looking at ways to reuse more and recycle.

The chain said it had opened soft plastic collection points in more than 900 stores, and had launched a reusable packaging trial with shopping service Loop, which delivers food, drink and household products to consumers in refillable containers.

 

 

Source The Guardian

Waitrose and Lidl top list of eco-friendly supermarkets

Posted on by dishanth
Waitrose and Lidl top list of eco-friendly supermarkets

Waitrose and Lidl are the most sustainable supermarkets, according to a Which?’s eco-friendly grocer ranking.

Iceland finished last, according to the research, which tracked supermarket policies on: plastic waste and food waste, which shoppers have reported are the biggest issues for them; and greenhouse gas emissions, which most experts say poses the greatest environmental threat.

In its first such ranking, the consumer magazine pointed out that supermarkets respond to customer demand, so if shoppers make eco-friendly choices and demand sustainable options, this can influence shops to improve.

Harry Rose, editor of Which?, said: “We know that consumers increasingly want to shop sustainably and our in-depth analysis of three key areas shows that all the big supermarkets could be looking to make some improvements.

“The good news is shoppers can make a big difference themselves by adopting more sustainable habits, such as buying loose fruit and vegetables, buying seasonal local produce, eating less meat and dairy and limiting their own food waste.”

Lidl performed above its rivals on greenhouse gas emissions but fell short on food waste, though it said this is because it serves more fresh food in-store than many other comparable shops.

Waitrose has strong policies on plastic and food waste compared with other supermarkets, and scored reasonably for greenhouse gas emissions.

Iceland fell short because it was unable to report how much of its own-brand plastic is recyclable, so scored zero points. It also faces disadvantages as a frozen food specialist, as this made it the worst performer on operational greenhouse gas emissions due to its energy-draining in-store freezers. However, it does buy 100% renewable electricity for its UK sites.

Marks & Spencer was found to use a lot of plastic compared with other supermarkets. It was also the only one unable to provide its food waste data in a comparable format, so scored zero points for this, and was in the bottom half of Which?’s table for emissions.

For plastic use, the Co-op did best, while Ocado was the frontrunner in terms of food waste, as it redistributes almost all surplus food, leaving just 0.04% as waste.

 

Which?’s ranking of supermarkets’ green measures

1. Lidl – 74%
1. Waitrose – 74%
3. Asda – 71%
3. Sainsbury’s – 71%
5. Tesco – 69%
6. Morrisons – 68%
7. Aldi – 66%
8. Co-op – 65%
9. Ocado – 63%
10. Marks & Spencer – 48%
11. Iceland – 29%

 

 

Source Guardian

Rolls-Royce all-electric aircraft breaks world records

Posted on by dishanth
Rolls-Royce all-electric aircraft breaks world records

An all-electric aircraft built by Rolls-Royce has broken two world speed records.

In November 2021, The Spirit of Innovation hit an average of 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph) over 3 km, and 532.1km/h (330 mph) over 15 km.

Both attempts, which took place at an experimental testing site, have now been verified as records by the World Air Sports Federation.

Rolls-Royce described it as a “fantastic achievement”.

 

The team is awaiting confirmation of a third record, for rate of climb

 

In runs at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down testing site in Wiltshire, the aircraft’s average speed over 3 km broke the existing record by 213.04 km/h (132 mph).

The 15 kilometres speed was 292.8 km/h (182 mph) faster than the previous record.

A third record attempt, for the fastest climb to 3,000m, reached in 202 seconds, is still going through the verification process. If approved, it will break the current record by 60 seconds.

A maximum speed reached, that of 387.4 mph (623 km/h) – which would make it the fastest electric vehicle ever – was not part of the official record submission.

The project is part of the UK Government-backed ACCEL or “Accelerating the Electrification of Flight” project.

 

Spirit of Innovation uses a 400kW electric powertrain

 

The aircraft uses a 400kW electric powertrain – the equivalent of a 535 BHP supercar.

Rolls-Royce, whose aerospace headquarters are based in Derby, said the propulsion battery pack was the most power-dense ever assembled for a plane – enough to charge 7,500 phones.

Warren East, CEO, Rolls-Royce, said: “Achieving the all-electric world-speed record is a fantastic achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce.

“The advanced battery and propulsion technology developed for this programme has exciting applications for the Advanced Air Mobility market.

“This is another milestone that will help make ‘jet zero’ a reality and supports our ambitions to deliver the technology breakthroughs society needs to decarbonise transport across air, land and sea.”

 

 

Source BBC

UK offshore windfarm capacity to triple in ‘one of country’s biggest steps towards net zero’

Posted on by dishanth
UK offshore windfarm capacity to triple in ‘one of country’s biggest steps towards net zero’

Offshore wind farm capacity in the UK is set to triple in what has been hailed as “one of the country’s biggest ever steps” towards achieving net-zero emissions.

Scotland has agreed to lease thousands of square kilometres of its seabed to new projects, which are set to bring in £700m for the country’s government.

The ScotWind programme has given the go-ahead to new wind farm developments which are forecast to boost capacity by 25GW.

According to government figures, the current offshore wind capacity installed in the UK is around 11GW.

Melanie Onn, from trade association RenewableUK, said it marked “the start of a new era” for the country’s offshore wind industry. “ScotWind represents one of the country’s biggest ever steps towards net zero,” she said.

ScotWind is the first auction for wind farm developments to take place in Scotland in a decade.

It was announced yesterday that 17 applications had been accepted, with SSE Renewables and Shell New Energies among the successful bidders.

Ms Onn said the new capacity “is two and a half times the UK’s entire current offshore wind capacity” and equal to “the entire current operational offshore wind capacity for the whole of Europe”.

RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive added: “It will scale up exponentially our ability to slash emissions. In the long term, it will also help to reduce the UK’s vulnerability to international gas prices which are hurting consumers.”

The UK is currently facing an energy crisis amid soaring gas prices, with estimates that millions could see their bills increase by more than 50 per cent.

As Scotland revealed the successful applications for wind farms in their waters, first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The scale of opportunity here is truly historic.”

She added: “ScotWind puts Scotland at the forefront of the global development of offshore wind, represents a massive step forward in our transition to net zero.”

The Scottish government has set a goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, while 2050 is the goal for the UK as a whole.

Towards the end of last year, Boris Johnson said all electricity in the country should be produced from clean sources by 2035.

Speaking about the ScotWind project, Dustin Benton from the Green Alliance think tank said expanding wind power was “crucial” to meet this target, as well as reach net zero by the set date.

The 25GW increase in capacity is much higher than the 10GW initially hoped to be created by ScotWind.

The new wind farm developments are also estimated to create thousands of new jobs.

Crown Estate Scotland, which was behind the leasing round, said the announcement of the successful bids was only the first stage of a long process that the developments must go through “before we see turbines going into the water”.

 

 

Source Independent

Scientists develop A novel strategy for sustainable sodium & potassium batteries

Posted on by dishanth
Scientists develop A novel strategy for sustainable sodium & potassium batteries

Scientists astounded by performance of sustainable batteries with far-reaching implications for electric vehicles and devices.

Researchers at Bristol have developed high-performance sodium and potassium ion batteries using sustainably sourced cellulose.

Scientists at the Bristol Composites Institute have developed a novel controllable unidirectional ice-templating strategy which can tailor the electrochemical performances of next-generation post-lithium-ion batteries with sustainability and large-scale availability. The paper is published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

There is a rapidly increasing demand for sustainable, ethical and low-cost energy-storage. This is due in part to the drive towards developing battery-powered transport systems — mostly replacing petrol and diesel-based engines with electric vehicles — but also for hand-held devices such as mobile phones. Currently these technologies largely rely on lithium-ion batteries.

Batteries have two electrodes and a separator, with what is called an electrolyte between them which carries the charge. There are several problems associated with using lithium for these batteries, including build-up of the metal inside the devices which can lead to short circuits and overheating.

Alternatives to lithium, such as sodium and potassium batteries have not historically performed as well in terms of their rate performance and the ability to use them lots of times. This inferior performance is due to the larger sizes of sodium and potassium ions, and their ability to move through the porous carbon electrodes in the batteries.

Another issue associated with these batteries is they cannot be easily disposed of at end-of-life, as they use materials that are not sustainable. The cost of the materials is also a factor and there is a need to provide cheaper sources of stored energy.

Additionally, lithium is mined in countries such as Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. This mining is very destructive and there are poor human rights records associated with it.

Work at the University of Bristol in the Bristol Composites Institute, published in Advanced Functional Materials, and in collaboration with Imperial College, has developed some new carbon electrode materials based on an ice-templating system. These materials are called aerogels, where cellulose nanocrystals (a nano-sized form of cellulose) are formed into a porous structure using ice crystals that are grown and then sublimated. This leaves large channels within the structure that can carry the large sodium and potassium ions.

The performance of these new sodium and potassium ion batteries has been shown to outperform many other comparable systems, and it uses a sustainably sourced material — cellulose.

Corresponding author, Steve Eichhorn, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Bristol and a world-leader in cellulose-based technologies, said: “We were astounded with the performance of these new batteries. There is great potential to develop these further and to produce larger scaled devices with the technology.”

Jing Wang, lead author and a PhD student in the Bristol Composites Institute, said: “We proposed a novel controllable ice-templating strategy to fabricate low-cost cellulose nanocrystals/polyethylene oxide-derived carbon aerogels with hierarchically tailored and vertically-aligned channels as electrode materials, which can be utilized to well-tuning the rate capability and cycling stability of sodium and potassium-ion batteries.

 

“Benefiting from the renewability of the precursor and scalability at relatively low cost in the environmentally benign synthesis process, this work could offer an appealing route to promote large-scale applications of sustainable electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage grids in the near future.”

 

Professor Eichhorn said: “In light of these findings, we now hope to collaborate with industries to develop this strategy on an industrial scale and to explore whether this unique technology can be easily extended to a variety of other energy storage systems such as zinc, calcium, aluminium and magnesium-ion batteries, thus demonstrating its universal potential in next-generation energy storage systems.”

Paper: “Ice-Templated, Sustainable Carbon Aerogels with Hierarchically Tailored Channels for Sodium- and Potassium-Ion Batteries,” by Wang, J; Xu, Z; Eloi, J; Titirici, M; & Eichhorn, S; in Advanced Functional Materials.

Courtesy of University of Bristol.

 

 

Source CleanTechnica

Four cheap ways to save energy at home

Posted on by dishanth
Four cheap ways to save energy at home
Making your home more energy efficient can be costly and may not be possible if you’re renting, or you don’t have thousands of pounds stashed away to buy new heat pumps and double glazing.

But there are some cheap solutions to try to save money. We’ve looked at where you are likely to be losing the most energy in your home and come up with some simple solutions to help save money on your bills and keep warm this winter.

 

1. Doors

Warm air wants to leave your home and will find any nook and cranny to do so. As it does, cold air is sucked in to replace it, causing draughts. It makes your home cold and wastes energy.

Shutting doors and closing windows may not be enough as any gaps in the frames allow warm air to escape – and that costs money. On this thermal image, the draughts show up as the coldest areas around a front door.

The coolest temperatures are black, purple and blue and the draughts are shown around the door in these colours, says James Richardson, of IRT Surveys – which uses thermal imaging to help home owners identify where heat is being lost.

The letter box, often an escape route for hot air, appears warm (red and yellow colours) so it is likely to be well-sealed and insulated.

But by simply adding a draught excluder – or even a rolled up towel – the draughts can be blocked, as we can see in these before and after images:

 

 

Energy firms and energy-saving campaigners agree one of the simplest solutions to keeping out the cold is to use a draught excluder. Combined with draught-proofing of windows and doors, it could help cut around £25 a year off your bills.

Having a rolled-up towel by the front door may not be the most attractive household feature, but you can always try to make and decorate one yourself.

 

 

It is important to make sure the draught excluder covers the width of the door. And for a no-sew method, use strips of the discarded material to make ties and tie up each end of the trouser leg instead.

If you don’t fancy cutting up your jeans you could just use a rectangular piece of material to make a tube and fill in a similar fashion. You’ll end up with a more regular-shaped excluder.

For the really crafty, or Team GB Olympic gold medal-winning divers perhaps, Home Energy Scotland have a pattern for a knitted version.

 

2. Windows

Badly fitting windows or single panes of glass are another place heat is often lost.

If you can’t get windows replaced with double glazing, the Energy Saving Trust says it is worth getting some heavy curtains to help keep the heat in the room.

Again, the thermal images show how closing the curtains traps that heat in with you.

 

 

You may not want to sit in the dark all day, so look out for cheap DIY kits available that use a thin plastic sheet to cover the window, blocking draughts.

They are sometimes shrink-fitted into place with a hairdryer and can be removed and replaced as required.

 

3. Loft hatch

Insulating your loft is like wearing a woolly hat – trapping the warmth below to keep you cosy. However, that hatch is just like any other door and needs attention too.

Even James was surprised by the thermal image showing heat being lost around the frame. But it’s an easy fix, making sure it is snugly insulated around the edges.

One suggestion online is to glue a plastic bag to the back of the hatch, fill it some of the loft insulation and then seal it up. It should help insulate the hatch and flop over the edges when you pull it shut, stopping draughts escaping.

 

 

4: Behaviour

There are lots of little things we can do around the home that will help save energy and money that just require tweaks to our behaviour rather than installing, fitting or making anything.

Most energy companies will install a smart meter for free so you can help monitor your energy use and spending.

But there are other small changes to your daily routine that cost nothing and save energy. The obvious ones are spending less time in the shower (potentially saving about £10 a year), turning off the lights (£14) or turning down the thermostat (saving up to£55).

The Eco-Experts blog recommends “heating the humans, not the building” – so perhaps don’t keep the central heating on all the time if you’re not cold, and don’t heat rooms you’re not in.

Other ideas include:

  • Put lids on pots and pans when cooking – it’ll be done quicker
  • Use a microwave to reheat food rather than the oven
  • Don’t overfill the kettle. Filling a kettle for two cups of tea rather than boiling a full kettle could save you around £45 a year
  • Defrost your fridge – it will work more efficiently
  • Buy a smaller telly – Age UK says in general smaller TVs cost less to run and plasma screens use more electricity

And finally there is the old favourite – repeated by parents down the ages and still on the advice the elderly by Age UK – if you’re cold, put on an extra layer – several thin layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thick layer, as the layers trap warm air between them.

 

 

Source BBC

Five ways to cut down on food waste – and why it matters

Posted on by dishanth
Five ways to cut down on food waste – and why it matters

When people think about ways to help the environment, encourage biodiversity and decrease greenhouse gases, they don’t usually think about the impact of food waste. And yet food waste is responsible for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Producing food for a growing global population is a complex challenge with a lot of negative environmental consequences, so food waste creates unnecessary strain on our fragile environment.

I was part of a recent research project with the UK Global Food Security programme, which explores ways to cut food waste. Our key findings and suggestions address waste throughout the food system – that includes all the processes, people and infrastructure involved in getting food from farm to fork. We found that cutting food waste needs cooperative action from all of us – businesses, policymakers and individuals. The most commonly wasted foods are fresh fruit and vegetables, bread and baked goods, and leftovers. Products with short shelf lives, such as meat and dairy, are also prone to be wasted.

Domestic food waste declined in the UK dramatically during the early pandemic lockdowns, with 30% using up more leftovers, but waste levels are increasing again as people go out more and have less time to cook.

 

Here are five things you can do:

1) Set your fridge to below 5℃: This can help increase the shelf life of many of the most commonly wasted foods, including fruit, vegetables and dairy products. About 90% of milk waste happens in the home – this adds up to nearly 500 million pints annually in the UK. Setting your fridge to the right temperature can save 50,000 tonnes of milk waste every year. Yet many of us don’t know how to adjust our fridge temperature, or how best to store food.

WRAP, a charity working on cutting waste, has guidance on understanding and adjusting fridge temperatures, and the best ways to stop milk and dairy products being wasted.

 

2) Single-use plastics: Many of us are seeking to decrease the amount of single-use plastics in our lives, and in our shopping baskets. This is good – but often these plastics and packaging keep food fresh for longer. Fortunately, there are significant developments towards a post-plastic world. Scientists are working on developing methods of treating and storing food that can extend its shelf life. For now, if you’re going to ditch the plastic wrap, make sure you store food in reusable containers in the fridge to maintain freshness.

 

3) Dish up smaller portions: This results in up to 20% less food waste If you have leftovers, make sure you enjoy them, and don’t forget about them.

The reasons behind domestic food waste are complex. Many of us put our leftovers in the fridge, then forget about them. Fortunately, there are many ways to manage our fridge contents effectively and decrease food waste. These range from apps, to the humble Post-it note, or pen. Labelling leftovers reminds us when they went in – and when they need to be eaten by. Try and freeze meat, dairy and bread if they are close to spoiling – this will extend their life.

 

4) Buy directly from local suppliers: Our food systems and supply chains are incredibly complex. This complexity, as well as contracts which tend to favour larger suppliers, leads to high levels of food loss and waste. In contrast, buying directly from local suppliers results in less waste and keeps money in the local economy. It’s possible to buy almost anything – fruit, veg, bread, meat, dairy – directly from suppliers. Support a local business, eat quality food, and decrease waste.

 

Dairy products are high on the list of foods that are often wasted. gbellphotos/Shutterstock

 

5) Help out at your local food bank: Suppliers often have awkward quantities of fresh food that is damaged and can’t be sold. They are more than happy to get this to a local group that prepares meals or distributes extra food surplus directly to the public – and apps like Too Good To Go are helping restaurants in the UK to do this.

But logistical challenges – and costs – mean that this food often still goes to waste. Food banks often have an excess of tinned and processed food – and a limited amount of fresh food available for people who need it. Let your local redistribution hub know that you’re available to help pick up some spare food and transport it to a nearby redistribution centre.

Food waste is a complex problem that won’t be solved by individual actions alone. Supermarkets are rising to the challenge of shrinking their environmental footprint. But we all need to do what we can to decrease food loss and waste, at the household level and beyond.

 

 

Source The Conversation

Boris Johnson confirms mandatory EV charging points for new buildings in England

Posted on by dishanth
Boris Johnson confirms mandatory EV charging points for new buildings in England

Johnson delivered a speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) today (22 November), where he made the announcement.

The mandate will apply to developers of new residential housing, office blocks and retail sites, as well as to the developers of renovations where there are ten or more parking spaces.

An exact implementation date is set to be confirmed following consultation. To support SMEs in meeting the requirements, a new three-year loan programme with a £150m funding pot will be operated through Innovate UK.

The UK Government estimates that the requirement will prompt the installation of up to 145,000 extra charging points each year through to 2030 – the point at which the national ban on new petrol and diesel car sales will come into effect.

It has been known for several years that rates of current and planned charging point installations in the UK are being outpaced by the growth of the nation’s EV stock. The 2020 Budget saw Chancellor Rishi Sunak reveal that the government was developing plans to ensure that EV drivers are never more than 30 miles away from a rapid charging point, amid a growing body of evidence that there is a “postcode lottery” for charging infrastructure in the UK.

Speaking at the CBI event, Johnson said: “This is a pivotal moment – we cannot go on as we are. We have to adapt our economy to the green industrial revolution.

“We have to use our massive investment in science and technology and we have to raise our productivity and then we have to get out your way.”

“We must regulate less or better and take advantage of new freedoms,” he added, alluding to Brexit.

Before this announcement, developers of new homes were preparing for charging infrastructure mandates from 2025, under the Future Homes Standard.

Johnson confirmed that the Department for Transport (DfT) is also set to announce plans for making public charging points more accessible for those wishing to charge away from home. MPs have repeatedly urged the implementation of simplified payment systems and greater consumer protections for public charging points, as well as appropriate competition measures for this rapidly expanding sector.

Additionally, Highways England announced plans to invest £11m in battery energy storage systems at service stations this decade, to assist with the uptake of EV charging points in areas where grid constraints can hamper installations.

The news comes days after a project working to map out the future of EV charging infrastructure in the UK’s rural regions, trialling solutions in Devon, received grant funding from Innovate UK.

 

Industry reaction 

The Energy Networks Association’s director of external affairs Ross Easton said: “This is great news for those living in new homes, but we must make sure access to charging points is not exclusive – charging points must be accessible to everyone. To truly ‘level up’ charging point access and deliver on the COP26 electric vehicle pledges requires strategic planning at all levels of government, nationally and locally.”

Eversheds Sutherland’s head of UK transport Dominic Lacey said: “The EV charging network needs a huge stimulus that goes beyond ‘on-the-go’ charge points across our roads and highways. Boosting charging availability through planning and building control for new and refurbished commercial and residential sites is a logical step. However, access to cheap and convenient EV charging remains a social and infrastructure challenge for the bulk of traditional urban sites, which lack the capacity, facilities and space to support multi-EV charge points.”

Energy Saving Trust’s group head of transport Tim Anderson called the announcement “important”. He said: “This is a pivotal moment in the decarbonisation of transport and a significant step towards ensuring charging infrastructure is accessible for all. Today’s pledge demonstrates the government’s commitment to build on the ambition of the Transport Decarbonisation Plan and pledges made at COP26.”

The REA’s transport policy manager Jacob Roberts said:“Making sure as many people as possible are able to charge at home is key to ensuring that the full cost-saving benefits of EVs are spread fairly across society. Installing EV chargers during building construction is cheaper and less disruptive than retrofitting them later, particularly for shared and communal car parks. This approach will also go a long way to ensuring that grid connections are futureproofed to accommodate the recharging requirements of tomorrow’s EV users.

“However, this is only the tip of the iceberg, and our focus now needs to turn to the existing housing stock, particularly for blocks of flats, rental properties and leasehold properties, where higher costs and complex approval processes need to be overcome.

“We must also continue to develop a network of cost-effective and convenient public charging infrastructure for those living in properties without off-street parking. The REA are aiding the Government as they develop new grant supports targeted at installing EV chargers in such settings. Lastly, increasing the accessibility of charge points will be immaterial if we cannot improve the affordability of electric vehicles too. The REA have long argued for ZEV mandates in the UK and hope that the Government will bring forward these regulations as soon as possible.”

 

 

Source Edie

COP26: UK pledges £290m to help poorer countries cope with climate change

Posted on by dishanth
COP26: UK pledges £290m to help poorer countries cope with climate change

Government ministers from around the world are in Glasgow for more talks.

They will discuss how to support poorer countries and if reparations for damage from natural disasters should be paid.

Poorer nations have called for $100bn of financial help, arguing they are already suffering and will be worst affected by climate change.

Developing countries have historically contributed a very small proportion of the damaging emissions driving climate change – while currently the wealthiest 1% of the global population account for more than double the combined emissions of the poorest 50%.

The majority of the money from the UK will go to help Asian and Pacific nations plan and invest in climate action, improve conservation and promote low-carbon development, the government said.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office described the £290m as “new funding” from the foreign aid budget. The government said last month that cuts to the UK’s foreign aid spending, to 0.5% of national income, will stay in place until at least 2024-25.

Senior government climate change advisers previously warned the cuts showed the UK was “neither committed to nor serious about” helping countries vulnerable to climate change ahead of COP26.

The UN summit will continue until Sunday, with much of the focus of the talks over how to limit global warming to the target of 1.5C.

Monday will see negotiators discuss how best to mitigate the impact of a warming planet, particularly for poorer countries.

Developing countries are asking for $100bn (around £73bn at current exchange rates) annually to help reduce emissions and adapt to climate change and reaching net-zero targets on emissions well before 2050.

A pledge for $100bn from wealthier nations was made as long ago as 2009, but the plans to have it in place by 2020 have not been realised and current targets aim to reach it by 2023 – an offer which has been described as “extremely disappointing”.

International trade minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the world “must act now” to prevent more people being pushed into poverty by climate change.

 

Where will the money be spent?

The government said its £290m in new funding to tackle the impact of climate change will be split between:

  • £274m to assist Asian and the Pacific nations to plan and invest in climate action, improve conservation and ensure low-carbon development
  • £15m to a fund designed to support developing countries focus their response where they most need it
  • £1 million to support delivery of faster and more effective global humanitarian action, including in response to climate-related disasters

But there is also the question of whether rich nations should pay reparations to vulnerable countries for damage already caused by climate change.

Wealthy nations have never acknowledged legal liability for the impact of their emissions – because the bill could run into trillions.

So far, Scotland is the only country promising to donate to a compensation fund for countries whose economies have been damaged by climate change with a £1m pledge.

Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, said Scotland’s pledge is the first time any developed nation has tacitly admitted responsibility for contributing to global warming – and he believed it will not be the last.

 

Tough week ahead

The Glasgow COP isn’t really one conference – in effect it’s two processes in parallel.

One is a series of daily events organised by the British presidency of the COP. This innovation has already conjured welcome initiatives on forests, finance, methane and technology. This week it’ll unveil pledges on transport, cities and science. They’ll be significant if they’re carried through.

Meanwhile in parallel the tangled talks of the formal UN process labour on.

There are disagreements over the rules governing climate deals, whether rich countries will offer more cash to poorer countries already suffering from dangerous heating – and whether given the urgency of climate disruption, nations should raise their carbon-cutting ambitions in two years instead of five.

There’s also a question of reparations for nations harmed by emissions they didn’t cause. So far the only contribution to the fund is £1m from Scotland.

It’ll be a tough week.

 

Charity Christian Aid said some of the world’s poorest countries could suffer an average 64% hit to their economy by the end of the century under current climate policies.

Mohamed Adow, director of Kenyan climate and energy think tank Power Shift Africa, described the “scale of the economic disaster” as “deeply unjust”.

“The fact rich countries have consistently blocked efforts to set up a loss and damage fund to deal with this injustice is shameful”, he added.

The first week of the climate talks have led to a variety of pledges, including a major deal to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, and to cut methane emissions.

President of COP26, Alok Sharma, said the pledges made “must be delivered on and accounted for” by all nations.

Former US President Barack Obama is expected to speak in Glasgow later about the progress made in the five years since the Paris Agreement took effect.

 

 

Source BBC