Utilities have begun to experiment with pilot programs that embody a behavioral approach. These programs are designed to change consumer behavior towards energy consumption, resulting in load reduction. Such behavioral approaches include any program that initiates a change in behavior that doesn't require a widget or a rebate on a "widget-based" program. A behavioral approach is not technology based.

RenewableUK, a trade association representing the renewable energy sector, says that 47% of this total can be attributed to wind. "So we normally say [that for wind power] the RO adds £10 per year to people's fuel bills," says a spokesman.

It turns out, however, that what most environmentalists know about the future supply of natural gas and other fossil fuels is based more on industry hype than on actual data. And, that means that they are missing a key argument in their discussions about renewable energy, one that could be used to persuade those less concerned about pollution and climate change and more concerned about energy security: There is increasing evidence that no fossil fuel will continue to see its rate of production climb significantly in the decades ahead and so none of them is a viable "bridge fuel," not natural gas, not oil, not coal. This means that global society must leap over fossil fuels and move directly to renewables as quickly as possible. In advanced economies this leap must be combined with a program of radical reductions in energy use, reductions which are achievable using known technologies and practices.

SSE Renewables has received consent from North Ayrshire Council to construct an offshore wind turbine test facility in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The facility will be Scotland's first offshore wind turbine test site and will be an extension of SSE's Glasgow-based Center of Engineering Excellence for Renewable Energy.

ORGANISED criminal gangs in Scotland are eyeing the renewables industry, including windfarms, as a potential way of laundering money, police have said. The Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) is particularly wary after gangs targeted similar projects abroad.The agency believes criminals may attempt to use legitimate businesses as a front so they are able to secure large grants that are available in what is a growing industry.

The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that revenues from energy-storage systems for ancillary services applications will rise from $412 million in 2011 to more than $3.2 billion by 2021.

The five-year MoU aims to reduce energy consumption in new buildings in India through building capacities and knowledge of builders, architects, engineers, laboratories, institutions and others, in the area of building energy efficiency using Swiss experience and expertise.

Colorado's renewable energy standard has in many respects been among the more successful ones in the country. But, between the pending expiration of production tax credits for wind energy and the fact that Colorado's dominant utility has already acquired sufficient renewable resources to meet its obligation of 30 percent renewables by 2020, there is concern over whether the growth in renewable energy in Colorado can be sustained.

Confusion around zero carbon homes is holding back wide-scale engagement between housebuilders and the general public on energy efficiency, according to a report published today.

It’s worth noting that there are other views of the situation. Late last week I talked with University of Toronto professor Danny Harvey, author of a set of comprehensive textbooks on energy demand and clean energy supply. He says Baksi/Green’s conclusion on energy intensity is “complete nonsense.” He’s done some detailed modeling and believes that “between now and 2050, we can average 3 or 4 percent [decline in global energy intensity] a year,” and thereby reducing total energy use. The efforts required would be heroic, but within the realm of possibility.

That argument is particularly common in New York State and in Vermont, where state governments are trying to close nuclear reactors within their borders. So, how effectively can efficiency replace a reactor, making up for the loss of this zero-carbon energy source?

When it comes to energy use there is nothing quite as unpredictable as human behaviour. Understanding the complex range of factors that influence energy end-use behaviour will be the focus of a new two-year project to be undertaken by the Demand-Side Management Programme

Making the switch to the large-scale renewable energy systems required to combat climate change will require public and private capital investment on a massive scale.

It is important to note is that there is a lot more out there than what we see in the everyday. In fact, you will see here that there are dozens of proven methods of harnessing the power of nature in sustainable ways. Some of the more interesting examples that may be applicable as a medium for public art installations are the translucent thin films which can be flexible and offer interesting hues and textures, piezoelectric generators that capture vibration energy, and concentrated photovoltaics, which allow for interesting play with light. But the possibilities are endless and new designs are coming into the market all the time that can be artistically integrated into beautiful sustainable infrastructure.

The JRC has published a study mapping the potential of renewable energy sources in Africa. The report analyses the continent's current energy consumption and assesses potential of renewable energy sources - solar, wind, biomass and hydropower - and their cost efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Quick quiz: If you improve the productivity of energy use at a steel plant in China, will that plant save energy, or produce and sell more of its now-cheaper steel? If ultra-efficient lightbulbs spread across rural India, will we see energy consumption there decline or rise?

The Government has today announced plans to ensure the future of the Feed-in Tariffs scheme to make it more predictable. Transparency, longevity and certainty are at the heart of the new improved scheme.

The report, prepared by a task force comprising Marine Scotland, environmental regulators, renewable developers and The Crown Estate, was welcomed by Alex Salmond as he co-chaired the first 2012 meeting of the Scottish Energy Advisory Board (SEAB).

However Scottish Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson has said the blueprint is yet more bad news for Scotland’s coastal communities and businesses.

When it comes online, it's projected to have 10 hours of storage, the longest full-load storage capacity for a solar plant.

Part of what makes the military’s renewable energy projects so attractive to would-be investors is that the service owns so much land that lends itself to such projects.