Best Ashden Moments 2010: Sarah picks the moment the 100th Object was unveiled

For the last in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Sarah Butler-Sloss, founder-director of the awards, picks the moment the solar-powered lantern was chosen as the 100th Object.

It was great news that the solar lantern was chosen as the 100th object. It's a small object, but it represents a solution to two of our biggest global problems: climate change and poverty.

How we tackle climate change and how we reduce poverty are vital questions to address if we are going to survive the 21st Century. Clean renewable energy has to be the energy of the future and affordable, accessible energy is crucial for ending poverty. The 100th object in the series meets both those challenges.

A History of the World was an extraordinary radio series and we were very lucky and honoured that Neil MacGregor came to speak at this year's awards. There have been many great moments for us this year, but what was so special about this moment, the moment the solar-powered lamp was chosen as the 100th Object, is that it introduced to a much much wider audience the sense of potential and empowerment that local sustainable energy brings. That lies at the heart of what the Ashden team is trying to achieve. For all of us at the awards, the 100th Object was a terrific boost.

Nick Stern says solar power can free communities from corrupt practices,
In one hour from the sun, we get enough energy for a year,
100th Object introduces us to “the noise of the day",
100th object reminds us of extraordinary amount the semiconductor transistor has done for 21st century life
100th Object going "to change the way we think",
After today's 99th Object, one more to go,
From 100th Object to 100s of solar projects,
What the Twitterverse thinks of 100th Object,
100th Object: "a story worthy of this generation",
Solar-powered lamp revealed as 100th Object,
Tomorrow’s vote on 100th Object keeps solar in the news,
Solar lamp an icon in social entrepreneurship
and
Will solar powered lamp be 100th Object?

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Best Ashden Moments 2010: Mike picks his trip to the Isle of Eigg

For the eighth in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Mike Pepler, UK awards manager, picks his trip to the Isle of Eigg.

When I visited the Isle of Eigg in February, I didn’t know whether they’d make it through to become a winner, but I was excited to be visiting them and seeing the work they’ve done.

The idea of a community taking responsibility for its own energy supply, as well as supplying their own water and a proportion of their own food, was very inspiring. To me, the people of Eigg are leading the way – showing the rest of us what we should be aspiring to.

The end result would look different in every community, of course, but the overall goal of supplying as much of the community’s needs as possible from the local area is one that is sure to help improve energy security and reduce CO2 emissions.

See also:
Simon picks the publication of Power to Our Neigbourhoods
Carla picks the moment AIDFI won BBC World Challenge

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Best Ashden Moments 2010: Jo picks seeing the installation of a biogas plant in India

For the seventh in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Jo Walton, head of communications, picks her trip to India and seeing the installation of a biogas plant at SKG Sangha.

For me it was visiting India and seeing some of our winners' work in action. After five years at the Ashden Awards, to actually see this work on the ground really making a difference, was incredibly inspiring.

It was wonderful to be there when they were the building a biogas plant at SKG Sangha! But I also saw SELCO's solar home systems lighting up people's homes and TIDE's solar greenhouses providing fresh food and an income for women and children. The trip was a great privilege.

See also:
Simon picks the publication of Power to Our Neigbourhoods
Carla picks the moment AIDFI won BBC World Challenge
Jane picks the moment the finalists arrived in London

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Best Ashden Moments 2010: Mariana picks the launch of the Ashden India Collective

For the sixth in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Mariana Mason, international programme manager, picks the launch of the Ashden India Collective.

It was exciting to go to India this July and officially launch the Ashden Indian Collective. Close to 15 of our Indian winners attended, along with Government of India, investors and NGOs. We held the event in partnership with, and thanks to the support, of DFID India. The group will draw on their experience to develop policy recommendations for the government to widen the use of decentralised renewable energy.

See also:
Simon picks the publication of Power to Our Neigbourhoods
Carla picks the moment AIDFI won BBC World Challenge
Jane picks the moment the finalists arrived in London

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Energy security - how saving energy at home and work can help

Mike Pepler, our UK awards manager, recently posted an analysis of the UK gas supply situation on his own blog, you can read it here.

Using publicly available data from the National Grid, he's plotted some graphs comparing the amount of gas the UK has in storage, and comparing this winter to a year ago. Due to the cold weather, and the declining gas output from the North Sea, storage levels are much lower than they were at this point a year ago. This could present a problem if the rest of this winter is colder than average.

If supplies do run low, part of the process to deal with the situation includes a public appeal to reduce gas use. Reducing electricity use helps too, as about 40% of our electricity is generated from gas. A shortage of gas will also push up gas and electricity prices, so by taking action to reduce your energy use you can yourself some money, help improve energy security and reduce CO2 emissions, all at the same time!

Take a moment to visit some of our recent blogs about saving energy:
Nine solutions that work to combat rising fuel prices
Save energy, save money: cavity walls

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Best Ashden Moments 2010: Gloria picks Sir David Attenborough's speech

For the fifth in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Gloria Dawson, Policy and Research Officer, picks Sir David Attenborough's speech at the 2010 Awards ceremony.

My Awards moment of the year was Sir David Attenborough's speech at the Awards; he so enthusiastically embraced and praised the positivity of our award-winners' stories. For me, the most important bit was where he said that we have, as humans, started to undergo a fundamental moral change in our relationship to the planet; we have realised that it is wrong to take and not give back, to despoil the Earth's resources without regard for other living creatures and organisms and their future. He likened this moral change to the shift in opinion in the 19th century over the justifications for the slave trade. I do so hope he is right.

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Best Ashden Moments 2010: Anne picks the moment GERES sold its one millionth cookstove

For the fourth in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Anne Wheldon, Technical Manager, picks the moment GERES sold its one millionth improved cookstove.

I was really encouraged when I found out how much one of our past winners, GERES in Cambodia, had progressed since winning an Award in 2006. Not just that the sales of their improved stove had exceeded one million, but that it was now in use in nearly half the urban households in Cambodia. That’s what we need everywhere, sustainable energy technology becoming mainstream.

(pic: Mrs Samith using one of the 'New Lao' stoves, Chak Angre Krom, Meanchey District, near Phnom Penh)

See also:
Simon picks the publication of Power to Our Neigbourhoods
Carla picks the moment AIDFI won BBC World Challenge
Jane picks the moment the finalists arrived in London

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UK National Grid issues first Gas Balancing Alert of the winter

This evening the National Grid in the UK issued the first Gas Balancing Alert for the 2010/11 winter. The latest status for gas supply can be viewed on their information website.

According to the National Grid:

The purpose of the Gas Balancing Alert (GBA) is to provide a signal to the market that demand-side reduction and/or additional supplies may be required to avoid the risk of entering into a Network Gas Supply Emergency.

The issuing of this alert is therefore a signal to the gas market in the UK that action needs to be taken to ensure security of supply, and in the past this action has always been successful. The action is typically large industrial gas users reducing their consumption, or new short-term supplies being acquired, either from gas storage or through extra imports.

So what does this mean for gas and electricity consumers in the UK? Domestic supply will be guaranteed, but prices will inevitably be pushed up further still. Gas prices will rise as a direct result, but also electricity prices, as over 40% of our electricity is generated by burning gas.

What can you do? Well, you could start by reading some of our past blogs on how to save energy and therefore save money:
Nine solutions that work to combat rising fuel prices
Save energy, save money: cavity walls

What should we be doing as a country? The standard industry and government response is to build more pipelines or LNG import terminals - but building facilities does not guarantee there will be gas flowing through them, as that depends on the market and the suppliers. It also doesn't help the UK balance of payments, or help cut CO2 emissions. While extra import facilities may be useful, the first action that must be taken is to reduce consumption through demand management and efficiency, as we mentioned just last week on this blog.

Mike

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Existing Homes Alliance advises Green Deal: benefits would mean less CO2, more local jobs & lower energy bills

This month, the government introduced the Energy Bill into Parliament as part of its new Green Deal. The Existing Homes Alliance also recently published recommendations to ensure government efforts help the UK to refurbish its existing housing stock – to bring it in line with the UK’s commitment to cutting carbon emissions 80% by 2050.

Their recommendations cover key areas of the Green Deal. The first is finance: policies must allow the most to be made from the economic opportunities of widespread refurbishment – estimated between £5-15 billion. Secondly, the Existing Homes Alliance stresses that the government must place attention on how the work will be done - by investing in tradesmen and exploring area-based schemes for example - and done well. Shoddy work will make a dent in consumer demand for these changes. Thirdly, the government needs to focus on driving demand, regulating minimum energy performance is a necessary ‘stick’, but ‘carrots’ are also important.

Simon, our UK Business Support Manager, also works with the Existing Homes Alliance. He thinks making these changes will stimulate wider benefits:

"Creating demand for uptake of energy efficiency measures and stimulating the behaviour change that is needed to meet our carbon reduction targets is a tall order – but we can learn a lot from many of our Award winners who have worked hard to engage local communities, help them understand the issues, and take action. If, as a result of rising to this challenge, we get more local jobs, a more buoyant local economy and lower energy bills, then everyone wins."

(Pic: House on the right has been refurbished, including external wall insulation, by 2010 Award winners Northwards Housing)

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Best Ashden Moments 2010: Simon picks the publication of Power to our neighbourhoods

For the third in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Simon Brammer, UK programme manager, picks the publication of Power to our neighbourhoods.

For me one of the best moments of 2010 was the publication of our research in June which was a culmination of a year's work and contained the wisdom of many of our UK winners.

The report drew on current best practice to demonstrate how we can cut energy bills, reduce CO2, create jobs and help secure our energy future by scaling up and replicating local sustainable energy programmes.

The work has been well received and is having a direct impact on UK policy.

Briefing paper
Executive summary
Full report

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If Chris Huhne doesn't back renewables, the costs will be even higher

The Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne, will outline government plans today to encourage energy companies to develop low-carbon power plants. The BBC reports the government is to guarantee prices for electricity to persuade the private sector to invest in new low-carbon forms of generation. The Daily Telegraph headlines the story £500 on electricity bills to pay for green energy. Mike, our UK Awards Manager, explains

Ultimately, as electricity consumers, we all have to pay for the equipment that generates electricity. As we’re facing a future with rising fossil fuel prices, to build gas or coal power stations because they’re cheap is short-sighted. If we build renewable energy generation capacity, then not only do we not have to pay for fuel imports, we also have better security of supply, and will be closer to meeting out targets on CO2 emissions.

The BBC report is accompanied by a photo of a row of wind turbines out at sea. But as Anne Wheldon, our Senior Adviser, points out.

The extra cost is not just for renewable energy. Much of the extra cost will go to nuclear power, which is included in the new generation of power plants. The BBC reports that nuclear will not receive specific subsidies, but it also mentions that there will be feed-in-tariffs for nuclear. Let's make sure that the main focus is renewable electricity, otherwise we’re trading climate change for the other long-term problem of nuclear waste management.

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Best Ashden Moments 2010: Carla picks the moment AIDFI won BBC World Challenge

In the second in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Carla Jones, Communications assistant, picks the moment the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation (AIDFI) won BBC World Challenge.

I'd like to nominate the moment that AIDFI won the BBC World Challenge. It was great to have been able to chart their progress over the past six months, from first hearing they had been nominated in July and watching the film on the World Challenge website, to that nail-biting final week of voting when they were in the front running, to hearing they had won the overall prize. And it was brilliant to be able to use our blog, twitter and facebook pages to support them and spread the word!

See also:AIDFI now in Top Three for BBC World Challenge
AIDFI works hard for votes in last week of BBC challenge
AID foundation selected as finalist for BBC World Challenge
Blog Action Day: Ram pumps provide freshwater for 50,000 people

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The Cancun agreement on "technology transfer" is short on detail

Gloria Dawson, our policy and research officer, assesses the future for technology transfer after Cancun

The United Nations Climate Change Summit in Cancun, Mexico ended with an agreement to limit average temperature rises by 2 degrees Centigrade and establish a forest protection scheme and a climate adaptation fund.

As I blogged last week, a formal international agreement on technology transfer was also one of the hoped-for outcomes. There is a new agreement to establish centres for technology transfer. But this agreement doesn't have any numbers attached to it. There is no indication how these centres will be funded, where the centres will be, or who will administer them. Without these details, it may be some time until this mechanism becomes a reality.

One of our winners, GERES, attended the Cancun summit and called for vulnerable communities in poorer countries to be able to access money from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for emissions-reducing projects. Although agreements at Cancun over the CDM only concerned larger mitigation projects (e.g Carbon Capture and Storage), GERES has said they are committed to remaining part of policy discussions on this issue at UN and international levels.

GERES is head of an expert panel on "suppressed demand" and that panel will publish a report on the subject in time for the Africa Carbon Forum in Morocco in April 2011.

Short summary of Cancun here.

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Award-winning presents for Xmas: solar lamps

In the last in her series on award-winning presents, Juliet Heller suggests lighting up someone’s Christmas with a solar LED lamp

D.light produces an excellent range of hard-wearing and reliable solar lanterns that are changing peoples’ lives in those parts of the world where there is no grid electricity. Instead of using smoky, dangerous kerosene lamps, people can now enjoy clean, bright light at the flick of a switch, and also charge their mobiles.

D.light Design is a ground-breaking social enterprise set up three years ago by two Stanford University graduates. It has improved the lives of over two million people in 40 countries.

Now, in response to popular demand, two of these innovative solar lanterns are available on Amazon UK, just in time for Christmas. The S250 is priced £30.00 and includes an LED light, mini solar PV panel and charger. The smaller S10 lantern is just £10.00.

See also:
Award-winning presents for Xmas: Eco Top Trumps
Award-winning presents for Xmas: energy monitors
Award-winning presents for Xmas: the cookstove

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Best Ashden Moments 2010: Jane picks the moment the finalists arrived in London

In the first in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Jane Howarth, Awards administrator, picks the moment the finalists arrive in London.

The moment I'd choose is meeting the finalists at the hotel on the Sunday before awards week starts. We have tea, show them their films and brief them on the week to come.

The hotel is the Grange Strathmore Hotel, a small cosy hotel in Kensington. We have afternoon tea, the finalists each give a short introduction about themselves and their work, and we tell them what will happen during the week and answer any questions they may have.

They each watch the short films that have been made about them, in a separate room, one at a time - we don't let the finalists see each others' films at this stage as they are still preparing to meet the judges for their final interviews. We get a very positive reaction to the films.

After tea, we take them on the tube to the office so that they know the route (three stops on the District line) and don't lose their way to the interview the following day.

As the Awards administrator, it's great to meet them all in person after many months of emailing. And it's also a relief to know that they've all made it to London!

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The idea that Britain can either have clean energy or cheap energy ignores the third option: saving energy

There are some fairly uncomfortable facts in the Economist's latest article on energy in the UK, Clean and green for a price.

One is that Britain ranks 3rd lowest out of 27 European countries in producing renewable energy (one above Malta and Luxembourg). Another is that renewables account for 3% of total energy consumption at the moment, and the government has signed up to an EU target to reach 15% by 2020. A third is that Britain pays £1 billion a year in subsidies for renewables.

But the Economist article frames the situation in the narrow terms of either/or. The intro sums it up: Britain can have clean energy or cheap energy, but not both. But there is a third option that the Economist has ignored. What about energy efficiency and managing energy demand?

Mike Pepler, our UK awards manager, says,

"Savings are vital and there's a difference here between demand management and energy efficiency: efficiency is switching from a big car to a small car for the commute to work; demand management is working from home instead."

It takes time for renewables to come on stream and, since we don't have the luxury of time, it puts an added emphasis on behavioural change. This means that the most sensible order in which we should tackle the energy challenge is: (i) reduce demand (ii) improve efficiency and (iii) use renewables. As Mike says,

Doing things in this order delivers the quickest and cheapest savings, but it puts the responsibility on individuals to make decisions to change the way they live - which is the way it probably should be.

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If shipping were a country, it would be the 6th biggest carbon emitter in the world. Now a database monitors it.

If the shipping industry were a country, it would be the sixth-biggest industrial carbon emitter in the world. The Carbon War Room has set up a website designed to rate ships as if they were refrigerators or boilers. Shippingefficiency.org will provide data on 60,000 vessels, giving them a rating between A (clean) and G (dirty).

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In a Senegal village, one wind turbine leads to a "building boom"

Oxfam researcher John McGrath visits a village in Senegal, well off the national grid, that has a wind turbine, towering above the baobabs, and a plane of solar panels. Cables lead off to every house and people pay any one of four tariffs, based on how much power they use. The result?

McGrath says there's a new pride, people talk about a “revival of the town”, young people who'd left for the capital are coming back, and people from surrounding areas are moving in, buying land and building houses.

McGrath writes: "A building boom was visibly in progress."

See also: Practical Action's report highly relevant to Ashden winners and Helping to lift people out of poverty also helps cut carbon emissions

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Award-winning presents for Xmas: Eco Top Trumps

Here's one for the Christmas stocking.

An Ashden Award winner in 2009, the Shropshire energy charity Marches Energy Agency inspires communities to adopt low carbon lifestyles.

One of MEA's successful initiatives was Eco Vehicle Top Trumps. MEA says:

Our pack contains 30 different vehicles, from vans to bikes, busses to sports cars. Vehicles include conventionally powered low emission cars such as the Toyota Aygo and alternatives such as biodiesel, bioEthanol, bioMethane and electrically powered engines.

When it was first produced, a pack of Eco Vehicle Top Trumps were sent to each of the 3000 secondary schools in the UK. With only a few packs now left, make sure you order yours soon. They're available on eBay.

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D.light solar lanterns attracts wide interest at BA's conservation day

British Airways' Communities and Conservation Day showcased a range of projects it supports (including the Ashden Awards) in the atrium of their offices at Terminal Five. Throughout yesterday, BA staff mixed with 34 NGOs, charities and social enterprises. Suzy and myself were there and found plenty of interest in d.light lanterns.

Amigos is a charity working with young people in Uganda. It has introduced d.light lanterns at its training centre, Kira Farm. Amigos director Phil Pugsley said that each day the cook Mary lays out 15 Nova lamps in their field to charge in the sunlight, in the evenings they light up the main rooms. In a country where load shedding is common practice, this reliable source of energy makes all the difference. What's more, Phil explained, there's a health benefit to solar lighting:

“Currently we can’t give our children mosquito nets because of the fire risk. If they used kerosene lamps, the naked flames could catch on the netting and get taken straight up to the thatched roofs. With solar, this risk is gone.”

After inspecting the d.light lanterns on the Ashden stall, Geoff Booker, from the Quicken Trust asked for contact details so he could see if he could get these lanterns to 1000 students in Kabubbu, Northern Uganda. Geoff said:

“This could make a massive difference to their lives. When the students finally get down to homework, after chores at about nine at night, kerosene is a poor source of lighting.”

Another visitor to the stall, also interested by the d.light lantern, was Nikki from One, an initiative that supports the building of PlayPumps® in Southern Africa. These water pumps, built in schools are powered by the action of children playing on merry-go-rounds, that brings water up from underground.

(Pic: Carla speaks to BA staff)

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