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The UK has an ambitious and legally-binding target to reduce its carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 (relative to a 1990 baseline) as part of its commitment to limit its contribution to climate change. Achieving this target will require significant changes in how the UK sources its energy; reducing the use of fossil fuels and increasing the use of a mix of renewable technologies such as wind, solar, tidal and hydropower. The UK currently generates about 1.5% of its electricity from hydroelectric schemes, and although further large-scale development potential is limited, there is scope for exploiting small-scale and micro-hydropower resources (DECC, 2013). However, the potential impacts of such development on the environment and its stakeholders must be evaluated and minimised where possible. This NERC Policy Placement at the Environment Agency will gain a detailed understanding of the different areas of potential concern associated with the development of low head hydropower schemes through consulting with a wide range of stakeholders initiated by a project launch workshop event. External stakeholders may include representatives from rivers user groups (e.g. the Angling Trust, Canal & River Trust, Inland Waterways Association, National Association of Boat Owners, the British Canoe Union and the Ramblers Association), environmental bodies (e.g. Rivers Trusts, Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, Natural England, English Heritage, Environment Agency, DEFRA), energy organisations (the National Grid, DECC), and the British Hydropower Association. The understanding gained through consultation with stakeholders will be used to inform a life-cycle analysis that compares the environmental impacts of low-head hydropower schemes against all other forms of electricity generation across a comprehensive list of factors (global warming potential, land footprint, water footprint, abiotic depletion potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, aquatic ecotoxicity potential), including those factors identified through consultation with stakeholders. Systematic and transparent data and literature searches will be used, as recommended in Dr Bilotta's recent open-access publications co-authored by Defra's Chief Scientific Advisor (Bilotta et al., 2014a;b), to ensure that the findings of the life-cycle analysis are traceable and can be updated in light of improvements in the technologies which can occur rapidly. This comparative life-cycle analysis will enable stakeholders and policy-makers to make a better informed decision about the relative merits and drawbacks of different forms of electricity generation on their respective areas of concern. The project will also identify specific design and siting aspects of low head hydropower schemes that are associated with the most and the least environmental impacts, through collating and statistically-analysing existing monitoring data collected routinely in England and Wales as good practice (Environment Agency, 2014), before and after installation of hydropower facilities. This analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and used, where appropriate, to update the good practice guidelines on hydropower development (Environment Agency, 2014). Ultimately, these guidelines will be used to optimise the design of future hydropower schemes in England and Wales, to minimise their impact and maximise their environmental and social sustainability. References: Bilotta, G. S., Milner, A. M., & Boyd, I. (2014a). On the use of systematic reviews to inform environmental policies. Environmental Science & Policy, 42, 67-77. Bilotta, G. S., Milner, A. M., & Boyd, I. L. (2014b). Quality assessment tools for evidence from environmental science. Environmental Evidence, 3(1), 1-14. DECC (2013) https://www.gov.uk/harnessing-hydroelectric-power Environment Agency (2014) https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hydropower-schemes-guidelines-and-applying-for-permission

The aim of this technical feasibility project is research the feasibility of applying proven technology, performance management and efficiency principles from the aerospace sector to the solar energy sector through prototyping of advanced predictive analytics leveraging the technical and market innovations provided by the Internet of Things (IoT). The study will have a stakeholder group of solar companies.

Recent reports indicate that a significant impact of accumulation of dust and other debris on the surface of photovoltaic modules causes a decrease in the incoming solar irradiance, with typical power losses of 10-15%, or even up to 50% in some cases reported. Durable highly repellent coatings based on advanced, nanostructured, low energy materials can provide a permanent solution to prevent the accumulation of dirt on the transparent top layer of a PV system. The primary objective of the SOLplus project is to determine the technological, commercial, and economic viability of such a low surface energy coating for use in the solar PV market. The main technology and commercial objectives for this product will be to deliver a durable coating that prevents the accumulation of dirt/dust on glass and plastic solar substrates, is cost-effective in its application method, and demonstrates real and tangible benefits to the end user (maintenance-free and avoidance of expensive cleaning procedures). Technology validation for the solar PV market and a refinement of our assessment of the market opportunity during the project will allow for a better focus on the market needs

The UK is the third largest generator of wind power in Europe, with 584 projects, 4,366 turbines and four of the five largest European wind farms. Conflicts between wind energy generation and bats - animals with high legal protection across Europe - therefore have important implications for the economy and energy security as well as biodiversity. We are currently concluding research that has quantified the scale of collision and disturbance impacts and examined potential predictors of risk. This is the only work in the UK to address this issue at commercial scale wind energy installations. The purpose of the current project is to determine with stakeholders the practical applications of the environmental data and expertise amassed during this extensive and costly research, and to package these with the assistance of users into accessible formats to facilitate more effective management of the environmental impacts of wind energy production. Stakeholders have emphasised to us that evidence-based decision making requires that they not only have access to the overall results of scientific analyses, but to information and guidance on which to base best-practice for future commercial surveys and monitoring. Because of our extensive research, we have available a unique dataset on bat activity and casualty rates at wind turbine sites across the UK, as well as unparalleled experience in practical monitoring techniques: this project will allow these to be shared with end-users. Specific outputs will include species- and region-specific reference ranges for bat activity levels, allowing stakeholders to contextualise and interpret the bat activity levels routinely recorded in surveys conducted by ecological consultants; Geographic Information System (GIS) layers to facilitate evidence-based decision making about cumulative ecological impacts; information on appropriate monitoring techniques; and assistance with understanding the potential consequences of developments for local and national bat populations. The direct beneficiaries will be wind energy developers and operators (industry), professional ecological consultants (service providers), local government ecologists and planning committees (decision makers), and Statutory Nature Conservation Organisations (SNCOs, policy makers). Keywords: environmental impact assessment; wind turbines; bats; ecological data; wind energy Stakeholders: Statutory Nature Conservation Organisations (Natural Resources Wales, Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage) Local Authority Ecologists and Planners (including The Association of Local Government Ecologists) Professional Ecological Consultants (including the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Department of Energy and Climate Change Wind energy developers and operators (including all of the major energy suppliers as well as installers of small energy systems) Non-governmental wildlife conservation organisations (e.g. Bat Conservation Trust, The Wildlife Trusts)

Most solar thermal systems have a separate antifreeze filled loop for protection against freezing and require a new tank fitted with a heat exchanger. When retrofitting, a perfectly good tank (usually copper) needs to be replaced. Soltropy Ltd has developed an innovative solution that allows a domestic water supply to be heated directly without the secondary fluid cycle. This increases the efficiency of the system and reduces capital and installation costs by allowing the system to freeze but cause no damage; this is achieved by incorporating a compressible tube within an outer copper pipe. When the system freezes the compressible tube takes up the expansion due to the ice and prevents pressure build up. As part of this project the thermal connection between the header pipe and the heat pipe in the evacuated tube will modularised, allowing a standard copper pipe to be used as the header with single units clamping over the pipe. This will reduce costs further as the modular connector can be mass produced. In addition the control system will be optimised, simplified and modularised. Tests at Heriot-Watt University to date have shown that the Soltropy system behaves differently from an "old style" system and therefore requires different control strategies.

CMB Is a design innovation partnership specialising in renewable energy devices

A cost-effective Condition Monitoring (CM) technique is essential to raise the availability of large Wind Turbines (WTs), whether onshore or offshore for the following reasons: The high construction cost of large WTs increasing the need to improve payback; Large WTs are prone to failure from extreme environments, such as rain, sand, lighting, tornado, snow and ice, and also subject to constantly variable load; large WTs breaking down have long downtimes due to access difficulties; and furthermore, in most large WTs, subassemblies are installed in the space- limited nacelle on the tower at a height over 60 (m) making replacement difficult. The use of a reliable CM system will enhance the maintenance and prevent critical WT subassemblies from being fatally damaged. However, to date, an appropriate CM system, specifically designed for WT, is not existed. This is an essential need for wind farms because the monitoring signals collected from a WT are non-stationary and nonlinear, both in time and frequency, while the conventional CM Systems are notorious in dealing with nonlinear and non-stationary signals. The inaccurate analysis of WT signals results in frequent spurious alarms, which cause unnecessary shut down of the WTs, whilst, sometimes not detecting real faults. This imperfect performance leads to serious reduction in wind farms availability and hence increases the cost of wind power. A novel WT CM technology has been developed by Zigoorat Ltd, which is distinguished by both its excellent capability in processing non-stationary/nonlinear signals and its efficient computational algorithm. In addition, it has substantially greater fault detection precision as well as easy installation mechanism compare to existing products in the market.

Most solar thermal systems in Northern Europe have a separate antifreeze filled loop for protection against freezing and require a new tank fitted with a heat exchanger. When retrofitting to existing homes this means that a perfectly good tank (usually copper) needs to be replaced. We have developed an innovative solution that allows a domestic water supply to be heated directly, without the secondary fluid cycle. This increases the efficiency of the system and reduces capital and installation costs. Our solution allows the system to freeze but cause no system damage by using a compressible closed cell silicone sponge tube within an outer copper pipe. When it freezes the compressible tube takes up the expansion due to the ice and prevents pressure build up and damage to the system. This study will optimise the control strategies.