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Archive for March, 2010
A paper from the Royal Academy of Engineering: Engineering a low carbon built environment
March 22nd, 2010 by Richard Lord
Engineering a low carbon built environment
Engineering a low carbon built environment by The Royal Academy of Engineering
E-SI installs Guernsey’s first modulating ground source heat pump in March 2010
March 21st, 2010 by Paul Fletcher
E-SI installed the first modulating ground source heat pump in Guernsey in March 2010. One has been installed previously in Jersey.
E-SI uses Mitsubishi heating equipment, which is extremely energy efficient.
A modulating ground source heat pump alters the output power to speed up or slow down according to how much heat is required in the home and how cold or warm it is outside. Tied with E-SI’s Dataterm Intelligent Heating Controls, which ‘optimises’ the start times of the heating set points, this combination makes for an extremely efficient and economic system. The system has very low running costs, low long-term bills, a small carbon footprint, and it can be powered by locally generated electricity. Photovoltaic cells can offset all of the heating energy required over the year.
'Slinkies' being installed in trenches that are 33 metres long and 1.5 metres wide. Photograph was taken on 17 March 2010 (click image to expand - ©Paul Fletcher)
This picture was taken today (17 March 2010) and shows ‘slinkies’ being installed in trenches, 10 x 33metres long, 1.5m wide.
Deputy Scott Ogier’s speech to the States of Deliberation on waste minimisation on 25 February 2010
March 21st, 2010 by Scott Ogier
Thank you Sir.
That was a great addition by Deputy Storey to the debate for reasons I will come to later.
In 2004 I headed up a Requete designed to take a last look at a 70,000 tonne incinerator, and in my opening speech on the Requete I said, and I quote, “mass burn technology is not energy from waste, it is energy to waste.” The proportion of energy recouped from burning all the products we have manufactured is such a fraction of what went in to produce them in the first place it is a waste of energy. And over the next five years I continued to deliver that message time and time again.
We have fought our way through numerous debates, the purpose of which was to give the States the opportunity to change its aspirations, to change the way we saw the subject of waste, and to change the way we dealt with it.
Deputy Fallaize’s speech to the States of Deliberation on 25 February 2010 on the Lowe Amendment to Deputy Kuttlewascher’s Requete
March 20th, 2010 by Richard Lord
Thank you Sir. At face value this does look like a benign Requete and I shall be speaking on the Requete and the Amendment together Sir. It appears as though it merely revokes the delegation of responsibility to PSD to sign off on the final contact with Suez, and I do accept that if the Requete is approved and PSD comes back and the States then approves the subsequent report and reaffirms their commitment to engage with Suez the risk of the Requete would appear to be relatively low, but it is clear that that is not the intention of the signatories of the Requete, and it is at that point if PSD is required to come back to the States, and then the States throws out the Suez proposal that we know that the risk to the States become very much greater and less definable, because it is at that point that we will have added an extra step to the procurement process, and it is the reopening of the procurement process that creates this legal, and contractual risk to the States that at this stage we do not know what sort of limited that is.
Sir, Deputy Lowe quoted from the Requete yesterday but I think it bears repetition, “Your petitioners believe that it is desirable to enable consideration to be given during the period before the finalisation of the contract with Suez of other options for Guernsey’s waste disposal. They, the petitioners understand that the onus remains firmly on those who wish to propose any alternative solution to secure sufficient public and political support for their project to justify consideration of it by the States. It is clear that the intention of this Requete is to reopen the procurement process while leaving Suez hanging to one side as the preferred bidder. It is a device potentially to introduce an alternative contractor, alternative works out with a competitive rigorous, tender process as applied by the States over the last two years. And, Sir, I think it would be bordering on the reckless for the States to support the Requete and I will be rejecting it.
Peaceful gathering to say ‘No’ to the incinerator and welcome Deputies to the States of Deliberation on Wednesday 24th March 8:45-9:30 am
March 19th, 2010 by Rosie
We will be gathering on the steps of the Old Court buildings on Wednesday 24th March from 8:45 to 9:30 am to welcome our Deputies as they enter the States of Deliberation to debate the Spruce Requete, which calls for the reinstatement of the Suez incinerator proposal. We will be asking them to support the emphatic 38 to 2 vote in support of a revised waste strategy and a definite termination of the Suez proposal.
Peaceful gathering against the solid waste incinerator outside the Royal Court Building in St Peter Port, Guernsey on 24 February 2010 (click image to expand ©RLLord)
Please come and join us…. the more the merrier. It will be an occasion to remember.
If you are able to give the time to sit in the chamber and watch the debate…. even better. If you have never watched our ‘parliament’ in action, it is very interesting and well worth your time.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Ten Reasons why the Suez proposal should not be reinstated
March 19th, 2010 by Rupert
- Please reject the Spruce requete and honour the emphatic 38-2 vote in the States of Deliberation on 26th February in support of the Chief Minister’s & Deputy Chief Minister’s support for a revised waste strategy.
- The Guernsey taxpayer is shouldering 100% of the financial and operational risk of the Suez Environnement waste proposal. Suez bears no risk at all, as they are being paid up front for the construction & commissioning costs as well as being offered a minimum guaranteed income for 25 years, regardless of the tonnage of waste passing through the plant. This one-sided risk profile, where the client is the guarantor, is highly unusual in Private Finance Initiative / Private Public Partnership type contracts. All of the risk is being borne by the States of Guernsey and its taxpayers / chargepayers. Suez bears no risk, and gets paid a guaranteed contractual sum. There is a clear lack of alignment of interests.
Deputy Le Pelley’s speech to the States of Deliberation on Deputy Lowe’s amendment to Deputy Kuttelwascher’s Requete
March 18th, 2010 by Richard Lord
Deputy Tom Le Pelley arrives for the States of Deliberation meeting on 24 Feburary 2010
Thank you sir.
I did not think originally that we would be having a debate about the debate but the amendment has changed all that. We have come directly to the crunch, and it does really concentrate your thoughts. Several days ago I prepared a speech – four whole pages. It is probably more than I have ever intended to deliver in this Assembly but when I reread it to myself, I could see quite clearly that I had put the PSD’s point of view balanced by my own feelings about certain things throughout the four pages. And what I would have delivered would have been a neutral speech, which didn’t add anything to this debate.
Lessons from San Francisco – What’s possible
March 18th, 2010 by Richard Lord
The City of San Francisco in California, USA is aiming to be a zero waste city by 2020. Already in 2010 they have been able to divert 75 percent of the waste they produce away from landfill. San Francisco has established the largest urban food scraps composting collection service in the USA. The program is available to all households in the city and over 2000 businesses. The 300 tonnes of food waste collected daily produces certified organic compost that is used to grow food and wine.
For more information on this remarkable accomplishment visit sfenvironment.org
Actions of primary school student enables Medical Specialist Group to reduce office waste by over 50 percent
March 17th, 2010 by Medical Specialist Group
Seven year old, Thomas Gough from Hautes Capelles Primary School has played a major part in cutting the Medical Specialist Group’s (MSG) office waste.
After constant nagging by her son, Gemma Gough, a PA within the medical team at the MSG, has managed to implement a recycling and waste strategy reducing the Group’s weekly refuse collection by over 50%.
“I was receiving a constant ear bashing from my son that the MSG should recycle and eventually I agreed it was time to put words into action,” said Mrs Gough.
With the help of some carefully labelled recycling bins in the kitchens at both the MSG’s Mill House and Alexandra House premises together with paper and cardboard recycling boxes in the offices, the group has managed to significantly reduce its weekly waste.
Personal and confidential paper is shredded before being recycled. Milk and plastic coated cartoons are separated from other cardboard and paper recycling and even batteries and other electrical products are put aside for reusing or recycling.
Public Services’ Recycling Officer, Tina Norman-Ross spends a considerable amount of her time visiting the Island’s Primary and Secondary Schools to teach them the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling waste.
“It’s great to hear stories such as the MSG’s and evidence alone that our message is clearly working and being taken home by the pupils. The schools themselves are also playing a big part in supporting the reduce, reuse and recycle message.”
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