By Will Nichols, Source: BusinessGreen

The Energy Bill may be delayed. Or it might not.

Industry sources have been told they shouldn’t expect the Energy Bill to be published until the week of November 19th, having previously expected it to arrive with the rest of the fireworks on November 5th. Is this a problem? Well, on one hand, the legislation is seen as vital to unlocking billions of pounds of low carbon investment and the industry has been waiting long enough. On the other, perhaps taking a bit longer to get it right might be a good idea. The worry is what shape will the bill be in after cross-departmental horse-trading, with the latest rumours suggesting a deal to cap onshore wind in return for a decarbonisation target may be on the cards.

IKEA is going off-grid

The Swedish retail icon is spending a whopping €1.5bn (or around 34 million Billy bookcases) over the next three years on renewable energy projects, with the eventual goal of being entirely energy independent by the end of the decade. Sensibly, the company has recognised relying on grid electricity leaves it exposed to price shocks. What’s more amazing is that a furniture shop is leading the charge ahead of the energy companies.

Sunny islands are for solar panels not hammocks

There’s nothing not to like about this: the clever people at DNV have come up with the idea of floating solar arrays, capable of generating enough electricity for 30,000 people. Glossing over the technical difficulties and potential for salt erosion, the big issue is what to call them. DNV have dubbed them SUNdy, but Twitter has come up with Array-bia, PV New Guinea, Cape Voltage, Solar-wesi and, er, Cloud Cuckoo Land. Touché.

The UK is leading emissions cuts in Europe

Yes, you read that right: the UK shed a massive 36 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions last year, a six per cent decrease. Current EU Presidents Cyprus led the way in percentage terms with a 13 per cent cut, as the EU as a whole saw emissions drop 2.5 per cent despite economic growth of 1.5 per cent. Are we starting to see the green shoots of sustainable development?

Businesses are treading water when facing scarcity risks

Incredibly, well over half of the world’s 500 largest companies are thought to be affected by water stress – yet the number of companies with targets around water efficiency has dropped from 57 per cent last year to 55 per cent, according to a Carbon Disclosure Project report. With water scarcity predicted to get worse, this is no time to be pulling the plug on these strategies.