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/* */ display_advert(in_article_array, 'in_article_10','','','','',''); Eight of the UK’s leading retailers have agreed to take the least energy efficient TVs off the shelves as part of a new voluntary scheme.The scheme, which has been launched by the Energy Saving Trust and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), is encouraging retailers to meet new EU minimum efficiency standards for appliances ahead of schedule.Best Buy UK, Comet, Co-operative Electrical, Currys and PC World (DSGi), John Lewis, Argos (Home Retail Group), Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s have all signed up to scheme.

In an apparent compromise, the Environmental Protection Agency capped at 200,000 per maker the number of electric vehicles that could be credited with a 0-gram rating for carbon dioxide (CO2) through 2016. Additional EVs would be charged some responsibility for the CO2 created while producing the electricity to charge them.

The programme I am setting out today has been arrived at after active engagement with our external partners. A key theme to emerge from this process has been that these partners believe that although the regime is generally fit for purpose, there are things we can improve. This confirms the Department’s belief that the building regulations should remain the national minimum standard that building work should comply with. While much of the programme of work is deregulatory in nature, it will, however, include work to deliver our commitment to increase energy efficiency through part L (conservation of fuel and power). This will represent our next steps towards zero-carbon buildings and will also provide an opportunity to consider provisions for the existing stock in the light of the Government’s emerging policies on reducing carbon emissions, including the green deal. We will also explore how better to ensure high levels of compliance.

Set against this there are a number of key areas where we want to explore the potential for deregulation and streamlining of the existing provisions. In particular, representations made to Government demonstrate concern with the costs imposed on electricians by part P (electrical safety—dwellings). We believe it is now time to evaluate the building regulations’ contribution to the safety outcomes they were intended to support and, if we are to retain regulation of this kind, how we might minimise the associated costs.

The proposed changes will phase out the least efficient outdoor lighting products by the end of 2012, transitioning to new lighting products that are better for the environment and less costly to run. For example, new outdoor lights will be required to have a sensor that will turn them off during daylight hours, putting an end to wasteful streetlight operation during the day. New parking lot lights must be capable of being dimmed, which can cut their energy use in half. The agreement also directs the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop even better standards by 2013.

Household appliances like washer-driers, ovens and light bulbs are not all living up to their energy efficiency labels, according to tests carried out by UK Government department Defra.

To date, permanent magnet motors have not been widely used in many industrial applications as they require additional speed or position sensing mechanisms and control by high end drive units, making them relatively costly and complicated to install.  As a result, even though they are less efficient and considerably larger in size, induction motors have generally been the preferred choice for design and production engineers. Now, however, by using innovative algorithm control based on motor voltage and current output, the new AC650S Drive enables standard permanent magnet motors to be used in closed loop applications, without the need for additional sensors.  Engineers can therefore benefit from the energy savings that can be achieved from brushless motor such as Parker’s NX and ATEX EX Series, with savings of up to 12% for a 0.75kW system being possible; similarly, engineers have the opportunity to design more compact control systems, which can be as small as 25% the size of a conventional induction motor assembly.

A robust transmission system is the cornerstone for large-scale integration of wind power in the United States. Therefore, perhaps the greatest barrier to achieving this goal is building new transmission to connect the large amounts of location-constrained wind resources to the load centers. Another goal-limiting factor is the lack of appropriate market rules across the various interconnections in the US. Furthermore any reversal of policy decisions made at Federal and State levels (e.g. Renewable Portfolio Standards) in support of renewable energy could send the wrong signal to the industry causing uncertainty in the markets, potentially stalling the investments in new wind plants. The reality is that there are five election cycles between now and 2030 so it is important that wind energy related policies are sustained during this period.   Other potential barriers to achieving this 20-by-2030 goal include: a surge in the global demand for wind energy which could limit the supply of turbines in the US; another financial crisis during the next two decades which affects the credit and investment markets; and lastly the lack of skilled work force to operate power systems with high penetration of variable generation.

Smart metering is a sexy topic in the energy world, with nearly all Western economies considering plans for large deployments.  It can be used in many different ways but normally there is more than one goal behind a smart metering deployment: In the US, smart metering was, for the most part, driven by the desire to reduce the costs associated with manual meter reading, to reduce peak load and to enhance security of supply. In Italy, one of the key drivers was tackling energy theft and the cost of managing meters. In Ontario, it was peak shaving and the move toward time-of-use pricing. But if smart meters have the potential to address a number of issues, that potential can only be realised by flexible system design and deployment, avoiding excessive rigidity. In this case, one size most certainly does not fit all. We fear that the UK’s current plans for a nationwide rollout of smart meters may well be taking us down the wrong path by imposing standard solutions on the wrong part of the system.