British Gas Launches Greenest Energy Tariff

British Gas has announced it is launching two new green energy tariffs, Zero Carbon, which will be the greenest tariff available on the domestic market and Future Energy. British Gas has launched the tariffs in response to the increasing demand for green energy products.

Householders signing up to the Zero Carbon tariff will:

* reduce their household energy carbon emissions to zero through Kyoto compliant offset schemes which will meet the new Defra requirements
* help fund a direct increase in investment in renewable energy generated in the UK
* contribute to the new British Gas green fund which will:

* invest in developing new renewable technologies such as wave power
* oversee a programme to help schools in the UK reduce their CO2 emissions

Gearaid Lane, Managing Director British Gas New Energy said, "Our new tariff responds to consumer demand for truly green energy solutions. It is essential that customers have confidence in green energy tariffs and that their credibility is not damaged by tariffs that claim to be green but in reality do not deliver any incremental environmental benefits. Green tariffs are moving from niche to mainstream products and we're leading the industry by offering a tariff that will do more for the environment than any other product currently available."

Under the government's Renewables Obligation (RO), electricity suppliers in the UK are already required to produce an increasing percentage of their electricity through methods such as wind farms which, unlike traditional power plants, produce zero carbon emissions. For 2007/2008 this figure is set at 7.9%.

In a recent report, the National Consumer Council (NCC) raised concerns that some energy suppliers are packaging electricity which is produced under the RO scheme as 'green', yet it delivers no additional environmental benefits. The NCC called on energy suppliers to take steps beyond their legal requirements and offer green energy tariffs that provide genuine additional environmental benefits, in particular CO2 emissions reduction.

British Gas worked with Global Action Plan and The Climate Group's We're in this Together campaign to develop Zero Carbon which goes further than any other green tariff in meeting these requirements offering consumers the only zero carbon option on the market.
The tariff carries a premium per year, reflecting the higher cost of producing energy through lower carbon emission schemes.

Virginia Graham, Chair of Global Action Plan, said, "The British Gas Zero Carbon tariff delivers on all three of the essential requirements of a green tariff which are: additionality, transparency and verifiability. As such it is a very welcome new offering in the market. Consumers signing up to the tariff can be confident that they are getting 12 per cent more renewable energy than they would otherwise have got. The carbon emissions from their electricity and gas will also be offset with emissions reductions from projects accredited by the United Nations."

Zero Carbon is one of the first initiatives launched through the We're in this Together campaign, which was launched in April 07 as an alliance of some of the UK's biggest brands who are all working to help their customers reduce their impact on the climate.

Dr Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group and founder of We're in this Together said, "We're committed to offering people ways to make a real impact on climate change through Together.com. We've worked with British Gas to ensure that Zero Carbon is a genuine step forward in delivering more environmental benefits than any other tariff currently available."
British Gas's second green energy tariff, Future Energy, offers an alternative green electricity tariff at a premium of just £20 per year. Customers signing up to this tariff will contribute to a green fund which will provide solar panels and other renewable energy technologies to UK schools. Money from the fund will also be invested in development of future renewable technologies and sources.

2007. Copyright Environmental News Network

Clean Diesel Signs Distribution Agreement to Improve Diesel Exhaust Controls

STAMFORD, Connecticut — Clean Diesel Technologies Inc., a developer of chemical and technological products designed to reduce harmful engine emissions, announced that it has signed a blending and distribution agreement with Fleetguard Inc., a business unit of Cummins Inc., for the sale of Platinum Plus Fuel-Borne Catalyst.

Under the terms of the agreement, Fleetguard will purchase Platinum Plus FBC concentrate from Clean Diesel for blending into finished products for sale under the Fleet-tech brand to distributors and end users in the on-highway, off-road, marine and power generation sectors. Clean Diesel will continue to focus on product development, FBC-emissions verification with after-treatment devices, and global promotions

The Platinum Plus FBC provides significant emission reductions from diesel engines and is formulated to improve the performance of after-treatment devices such as diesel-oxidation catalysts, partial filters or diesel-particulate traps. Offered in both the Platinum Plus DFX and higher strength Platinum Plus DFX-DPF formulations, Fleetguard will carry both products through its nationwide sales and distributor partners. According to James Valentine, president of Clean Diesel, "These products have been demonstrated to improve the performance of after-treatment devices by reducing soot loading to the devices, lowering soot-oxidation temperature and keeping devices catalytically active."

Commenting on the agreement, David Brisk of Fleetguard said: "Our target markets will initially be those fleets using after-treatment devices where the benefits of a fuel-borne catalyst are well established. These include fleets using particulate filters or diesel-oxidation catalysts which can become fouled with soot under low temperatures or stop-and-go driving cycles. The Platinum Plus FBC reduces engine-out soot loadings and allows soot to oxidize at lower temperatures, thus reducing or eliminating plugging of exhaust treatment devices."

Initially targeted at the retrofit market, Clean Diesel is also conducting programs using Platinum Plus FBC in advanced engines with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and soot filters to achieve the 2007 emissions standards. Use of the FBC is expected to allow lower platinum loadings on after-treatment devices, reduce fuel-economy penalties of new low emissions engines, and improve low temperature regeneration of soot filters in difficult medium-duty urban drive conditions.

About Fleetguard Inc.: Fleetguard Inc. is a business unit of Cummins Inc. It is a designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty air, fuel, hydraulic and lube filtration, chemicals and exhaust system technology products for diesel and gas-powered equipment. Fleetguard cares about maintaining a cleaner, healthier, and safer environment. Fleetguard's homepage on the Internet can be found at www.fleetguard.com.About Clean Diesel Technologies Inc.: Clean Diesel Technologies Inc. (OTCBB:CDTI) and its U.K. representative office, Clean Diesel International LLC, is a developer of chemical and technological products designed to reduce harmful engine emissions. Clean Diesel Technologies has patented products that reduce emissions from combustion engines while simultaneously improving fuel economy and power. For more information, visit www.cdti.com.

Source: Business Wire, Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc.

Georgia Contractors Cut Costs by Going "Green" with Use of New Emissions Technology

Southern Drilling, a Georgia-based provider of heavy drilling equipment for mining operations, water wells and mineral exploration has been instrumental in reducing diesel fuel consumption and pollution in the state for the last five years. Southern Drilling is the exclusive distributor in Georgia of Emissions Technology, Inc.'s Combustion Catalyst Systems (CCS) that reduces harmful pollutants in stationary diesel engines by 50 percent and lowers fuel consumption 15 - 20 percent.

"At first I thought it was pure snake oil," says John Yongue, president of Southern Drilling. "After I tried it on a diesel drilling rig, I quickly became a believer."

Now, 200 installations later, Yongue is still a firm believer in the product, and he is making new believers with each new installation. Besides drilling rigs, Yongue has installed CCS units on diesel generators, grinders, chippers and pumps.

The catalyst system was designed by Phoenix-based technology company Emissions Technology. It is the size of a large cereal box and is installed under the hood, near the diesel engine's turbocharger. The technology makes the engine combustion cleaner and more efficient by injecting a platinum-based catalyst into the combustion chamber. The concept is the same as taking a catalytic converter, and installing it on the front end of the combustion cycle, rather than on the exhaust.

According to Troy Bohlke, vice president of marketing/investor relations for Emissions Technology, "It was a big plus to us when we discovered that the catalyst system could save fuel and help engines run cleaner. It was originally designed to reduce particulate emissions from diesel engines. However, now we are killing three birds with one stone...reducing pollutants, lowering fuel consumption and increasing the life of the engine with one CCS unit."

Two of Yongue's customers also have become "die hard" believers. Greg Grosch, manager of Grosch Drilling, a 74 year old company in Dublin, Georgia operates between 30 ”“ 35 heavy drilling rigs used for boring large diameter municipal and agricultural water wells. Yongue installed a CCS unit on one of Grosch's drilling rigs and three more units on his diesel air compressors. So impressed by the savings, Grosch is preparing to retrofit his remaining diesel-driven drilling rigs, generators and air compressors spread throughout Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Nebraska, Colorado and Illinois with CCS units.

"We immediately began to notice fuel savings right after the installation," says Greg Grosch, manager of Grosch Drilling. "We also noticed the bigger the engine, the bigger the savings, the better my bottom line."

Ronnie Savage of Ronnie Savage Construction, a land clearing company located in Maysville, Georgia, with operations in Alabama had Yongue install a total of three CCS units on two of their diesel grinders. The CCS reduced fuel consumption by 16 percent on their 650 hp grinder and 23 percent on their 1000 hp grinder. After 15 days of operation on the 1000 hp grinder, running eight hours a day, the CCS reached its break even point.

According to Ronnie Savage, president of the Ronnie Savage Construction, "It was too good to be true. When you're the one writing the checks for fuel, you take notice of the savings quickly."
Health and environmental concerns are causing a number of states to enact stricter emissions' control legislation. This is placing companies that operate older, non-compliant diesel-powered equipment in a tailspin, looking for ways to quickly, but economically become compliant.

Unfortunately, their choices are limited to either purchasing entirely new equipment which is cost prohibitive, or finding less expensive, after market solutions, which are often time consuming to install.

"Less fuel and less smoke...we are saving money and the environment. That doesn't take a PhD to figure out," says Savage.

By injecting the platinum-based catalyst into the cylinder, scaring and pitting is reduced within the combustion chamber. This increases the lifespan of the engine while keeping the engine operating at optimum performance.

Southern Drilling technicians can install a CCS unit in 1½ to three hours. In addition, Southern Drilling performs most of their installations "in the field" to reduce the amount of time the equipment is not in operation at the work site.

http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/22037

Brownfields: Recycling of Urban Space (Czech Republic)

OP/Ed Article

The trend of favouring less expensive and less complicated greenfield developments causes constant growth of cities and suburban areas. On the other hand, the inner cities are affected by underused areas left after old outdated premises. Though, in the recent years, the historic cores of the Slovak cities have undergone renewal efforts and the various commercial activities and urban life have returned back, there are residing or former industrial areas from the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

Their original location was peripheral but during the time, with the spatial expansion of cities, they became the part of the innercity. There are several arguments for recycling of such areas. Firstly, the ecological reasons have to be mentioned. If the total land stock is constant, it is necessary, like any other non-renewable resource, to spare and after loosing the original usage, it should be “recycled”.

Revitalisation of brownfields contributes to the increase of the attractiveness of the city, aesthetic and functional quality of the urban spaces. In practice, the revitalisation and functional conversion is rarely primarily motivated by the ecological goal of avoiding suburbanisation. The strategies of developers are rather based on utilising their main advantage, namely the favourable location, in the proximity to the city centre.

Increasing prices of properties in the city centre are followed by the increasing interest for this spatial reserve. At the same time, there is the disadvantage of additional costs for restructuring and demolitions, compared with greenfield location. In the developer’s efforts to utilise the lucrative lots as much as possible, some less profitable, however not obsolete functions might be displaced. This problem could be illustrated by the intention of using the lots under the bus station or the river port in Bratislava for other development project.

Moreover, the old industrial areas often host valuable historical buildings or whole structures that would disappear if completely replaced by the new structures. Without active intervention of the municipality or state, many of such areas are almost unusable and stay outside the interest of investors or may be subject of land speculation.

The public body may consider stimulation such as tax deductions, partial construction of the infrastructure, consultation and project support. In more complex projects, the most suitable solution is to establish a long-term cooperation of the private and public sector in the form of Joint Venture or local development agency. This cooperation forms have been successfully applied by the revitalisation of brownfield, particularly in Great Britain (London Docklands, Glasgow). In Slovakia, the state no specific measure to applied to brownfield redevelopment. The situation is more favourable even in the Czech Republic that initiated the preparation of the National Strategy for Brownfield Regeneration.

Author: Jaroslav Coplák, PhD., Project team Ecocity

Governor Trumpets Brownfields Law

The Hartford Courant
August 10, 2007

Gov. M. Jodi Rell held a ceremony this week to highlight a new law to promote the redevelopment of contaminated properties.The law, which went into effect on July 1, creates a new program to finance the cleanup of so-called brownfields. It also allows the Connecticut Development Authority to issue bonds and guarantee loans for towns that redevelop dirty sites.The law sets up a way for municipal tax assessors and the Department of Environmental Protection to reduce the costs for property owners who agree to clean up properties.Rell held a ceremonial bill signing Tuesday at the site of the former Latex Foam Products Inc. plant in Ansonia that's been redeveloped into a Target store.

Copyright © 2007, The Hartford Courant

Cleaning Up Brownfields To Bring Redevelopment To The Coast

People came out to the Faith Tabernacle church in Biloxi to learn about redeveloping blighted areas in their communities, more specifically Brownfields.

"A Brownfield is that piece of property in your community that for whatever reason just cannot seemed to be redeveloped," says Trey Hess.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) says it could be environmental issues or negative perceptions of the property that may keep it from being redeveloped. Bishop James Black, of the Biloxi-based Center for Environmental and Economic Justice is concerned about lost economic development from brownfield properties being overlooked.

"We have highway 90 being developed and D'Iberville in between nothing is happening. And so how do we get economic dollars to build and rebuild our communities blighted by Katrina and pre-Katrina," says Bishop James Black, Center for Environmental and Economic Justice and Faith Tabernacle Pastor.

MDEQ says it's important to re-use properties, reduce urban sprawl and bring jobs back to Mississippi. Although development is slowly coming back on Highway 90, MDEQ officials say there are obvious brownfields that must be addressed.

"Gas stations, we've got to iron out the environmental issues. We've got to decide whether they'll come back as gas stations or be redeveloped into something else," says Trey Hess with MDEQ.

"Maybe the answer lies somewhere in between. A city that will addresss the needs of the suburban towns around it and the business community without sacrificing the needs of people who made Biloxi what it is - its residents," says Larry Charles, Center for Public Environmental Oversight.

When it comes to redevelopment, those who spoke at the workshop say the community must take the initiative to recognize brownfields and get elected officials involved in redeveloping their communities.

The Center for Public Environmental Oversight, Center for Environmental and Economic Justice, MDEQ and the U.S. EPA organized the workshop.
There is grant money available through EPA's Brownfields program as much as 70 million dollars. The deadline for this year's grant is October 12th.
If you would like to learn more about brownfields, click here.
By Krystal Allan

WLOX-TV ABC 13's Coverage of the event is found at the following link:
http://www.wlox.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=1661064&h1=Krystal%20Allan%20Reports%20On%20A%20Conference%20Addressing%20Brownfields%20In%20South%20Mississippi&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=152700&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&playerVersion=9&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D6919577%26nav%3D6DJI&rnd=38361438