NORTH SEA COMMISSION

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP

RENEWABLE ENERGY SUBGROUP

 

MEETING IN ABERDEEN 26TH MAY 2006

MINUTES

 
 

Meeting venue

Aberdeen City Council's Economic Development Service,  Balgownie 1 Pavilion.

 

Attendees

- Mr  Albert Moens, RES chair, the Province of Noord-Holland

- Ms Elizabeth Marshall, Area Development Manager, The Highland Council, Scotland

- Mr Tom Huissen, the Province of Noord-Holland

- Mr Eric Stewart, Marketing Manager, Angus Council, Scotland

- Mr Roddy Matheson, Industry Sector Manager, Aberdeenshire council, Scotland

- Mr Erik Lindboe, RES co-ordinator, Rogaland County Council, Norway

 

Apologies

- Ms Michelle Hooker, Support Manager, Renewables East, Norwich, England

 

Agenda           The NSC Renewable Energy Subgroup annual meeting

09.15:               Welcome   -   Introductions   -   Apologies

09.30:               AREG

Update on the work of the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group,

                        Presented by Mr  Ian Todd, Renewables champion, AREG.

09.45:               Solar energy

                        “Scotland – the best country in the EU of solar heating of buildings”!

Presented by Mr George Goudsmit, Managing Director of AES Solar (who manufacture solar thermal panels in Forres, Morayshire)

10.00:               The North Sea House / Efficient housing            

Elisabeth Marshall / Erik Lindboe

10.30:               The future of the Renewable Energy Subgroup.

11.00:               Wind Energy – described as a major contribution to the future power portifolio:

                        “a real workhorse”.  Study tour to Glens of Foudland windfarm

Ca 15.00:          End of program.

 

 

1)                     WELCOME

Mr  Albert Moens, chair of the EDG Renewable Subgroup,  welcomed the delegates to the meeting in Aberdeen, and went through the draft agenda, the list of attendees and apologies.

 

2)                     AREG  -  Aberdeen Renewable Energy group

Mr  Iain Todd, Renewables champion, presented an update on the energy situation in the UK, plus the work of AREG – Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group.

The energy demand is rising every year, and the flow of oil and gas is moving from export to import. By 2020 ca 80% of the gas will be imported!

AREG came about because UK’s oil and gas in the North Sea is declining. Renewables have a lot in common with the offshore activities, since a lot of the offshore technology can be used for the work with renewables.

The target of the UK authorities is that a growing percentage of the energy supply should come from renewable energy sources:

-          10% in 2010

-          20% in 2020.

The Scottish target is even more ambitious:

-          18% in 2010

-          40% in 2020.

Even so, this will not solve the problem of the rising demand. The message is that we have to do a real lot more within renewables to avoid energy crisis. We need to have targets for the development, like for example Austria and Sweden.

The future renewable energy is expected to come from a wide range of sources: Offshore wind, onshore wind, solar, biomass, heat pumps, tidal and wave, small scale windturbines, aso.

A large offshore windfarm is planned along the shore close to Aberdeen. 23 big turbines will produce 5 MW each. Another key project is the planned Energy Futures Centre, and a joint chair in Energy Futures between Aberdeen and Robert Gordon’s Universities. Mr  Iain Todd underlined that co-operation with the universities and schools is important, to involve future generations.

For more information about AREG, please look at this website: http://www.aberdeenrenewables.com/

 

 

3)         Solar Energy   

Mr George Goudsmit, Managing Director of AES Solar Systems (who manufacture solar thermal panels in Forres, Morayshire) gave us an overlook on solar collectors, i.e. tube thermal solar heating systems.

AES manufactures, designs, and installs high efficiency solar systems for domestic and commercial applications.  The systems are also available as DIY (do-it-yourself) kits.  The solar water heating systems are for retrofit applications and new build situations and roof refurbishments, suitable for homes, office blocks, swimming pools, care-homes, aso. The standard systems operate on the pressurised solar circuit principle, whilst the AESDB range features drain-back operation (no antifreeze required).  

This is proven technology but has up to now been a low interest product, due to lack of incentives / subsidies, regulations and awareness of the possibilities. The company’s strategy is to communicate that this is:

-          new energy

-          freedom

-          independence

-          environment

-          efficient

-          economical

 

The life of the roof panels is ca 30 years (the company’s oldest are now 28 and still working). You save around 40% of the expenses on heating water. In new buildings, it is suitable for under-floor heating. Prices vary, but in the UK it is still a bit too expensive to purchase for the average family. However, if the production volume increases, it will soon be competitive to other heating systems.

 

 

4)         The North Sea House

Elizabeth Marshall as well as Erik Lindboe underlined the importance of bringing new life to the idea about “The North Sea House”, a Low energy / Zero energy home. The potential of saving energy through Zero energy housing is promising, due to the fact that ca 25% of the energy in the UK is used for different purposes in homes. In Scandinavia ca 40% of the energy is used in homes.

Many houses today, even new houses, are leaking energy, especially around windows and doors. A thermo survey in Aberdeen showed that new houses are no better that old ones. In fact rather the opposite, which shows that both stronger regulations and better skills from the builders are needed.

There is an European Building Standards coming on. This will be an incentive to both the builders and the public and make it easier to promote Low / Zero energy houses.

See the table on actions in 6).

 

 

5)         The future of the Renewable Energy Subgroup

The future of our group has been discussed lately, due to the limited number of members attending the meetings. Possible solutions could be:

-          keep the group

-          call it a day (end the group)

-          let the work continue as a special theme under the Economic Development Group

 

The discussion showed that there is a wish to continue with the group. Renewables is a growing topic, and should be a topic within the NSC system. Chair Albert Moens underlined that it is one of the group’s main targets to advice the NSC on renewable issues, and the meeting agreed upon focusing on the North Sea House, and the Grid problem around the North Sea.

The rise of the sea level / coastal defence was also mentioned as a coming problem in some regions around the North Sea.

It was suggested that the next group meeting should be a lunch meeting, in connection with a renewable energy event (for example the All-Energy in Aberdeen). This should make our meetings shorter, more effective and more reasonable for the group members. It was also underlined that our group meetings should discuss the group’s targets, and that the work should be purposeful. The Chair and the co-ordinator will follow this up and pass on information to the members about the next group meeting.

 

6)         Actions

 

Actions

Who

When

Send minutes from the Aberdeen meeting 26th May 2006 to

-          the members of the RES

-          the NSC and the thematic groups

Co-ordinator

June 2006

Work out newsletter(s)

 

Co-ordinator

2006

Work out notes/political papers for the NSC on special themes:

 

 

the grid problem

Hans Bais/Albert Moens

Early fall 2006

the North Sea House

(i.e. Low/Zero energy house) 

Erik Lindboe

ditto

Re. the North Sea House:

Find out which countries around the North Sea that have built Low/Zero energy houses)

-          Erik Lindboe (Scandinavia)

-          Elizabeth Marshall    (the UK)

-          Albert Moens /         Tom Huissen (Holland)

ditto

Discuss the next group meeting

-          Albert Moens

-          Erik Lindboe

ditto

 

 

7)         Abert Moens closed the meeting, thanking all speakers and attendees.

The NSC Renewable Energy Subgroup would like to thank Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council for hosting the group. Special thanks go to Mr Roddy Matheson for helping out in organising the group meeting and study tour.

Also, the All-Energy Conference and Exhibition should be given credit for the largest event ever.

 

8)         Study Tour

The study tour took us to Glens of Foudland windfarm, 7.5km east of Huntly in Aberdeenshire. The 20 turbine Glens of Foudland wind farm generated its first commissioning power in May 2005. The turbines are 1.3MW machines. Each turbine tower is 47m high with a rotor diameter of 62m, giving a total height to the blade tip of 78m. The towers, which are made of steel, are bolted onto concrete foundations. The blades are made from reinforced glassfibre.

The wind farm location is in an area that benefits from high wind speeds. It will supply enough pollution-free electricity to meet the annual needs of more than 13,000 homes, equivalent to more than double the annual consumption of all the houses in Huntly, Turriff and Inverurie or more than 20% off all households in Aberdeenshire. It will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, by nearly 60,000 tonnes every year.

 

                       

HAVE YOU ANY NEWS TO SHARE WITH THE GROUP?

 

Please e-mail Erik Lindboe:   Erik.Lindboe@rogfk.no