Tag Archives: Dr Bruce Tofield

Let’s follow Germany with a renewable gas strategy instead of fracking

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gas flame partThis post is by Dr Bruce Tofield, associate consultant at the Adapt Low Carbon Group, University of East Anglia.

In launching Next steps for shale production, energy minister Michael Fallon said that fracking “is an exciting prospect, which could bring growth, jobs and security”.  There is, however, great concern about the damaging local environmental impact of fracking in Britain.  Less remarked upon is fossil fuel lock-in, highlighted recently by Rachel Cary.  As Michael Liebreich, CEO of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, has pointed out  “If the UK ever becomes dependent on shale gas, it will never be able to kick the fracking habit.” Read more

Tackling the other housing crisis

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This is a guest post by Bruce Tofield, who led the University of East Anglia’s involvement in the European energy saving project Build with CaRe.

Earlier this year, we provided detailed evidence of several major barriers that are inhibiting a transition to low energy construction and refurbishment of buildings, and showed how these could be overcome.

Transforming our buildings to, or close to, passivhaus energy efficiency is the biggest opportunity available to reduce global energy use. Read more

Passivhaus buildings could transform UK energy demand

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This is a guest post by Green Alliance member Dr Bruce Tofield of the Build with Care Project based at UEA. He gives his perspective on the green economy discussion at Green Alliance’s annual debate, which took place last week at the German Embassy.

 

“Make a bottleneck and, guided by regulation, the market economy will find a solution”

This was the stimulating advice by Professor Dr Klaus Töpfer, former German environment minister in his introductory comments at Green Alliance’s annual debate on 1 March, at which Edward Davey MP, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, also spoke.

In just a few minutes Professor Töpfer outlined how long term thinking has enabled Germany to become Europe’s leader in waste management and in renewable energy infrastructure.  He then mentioned how another bottleneck – the need for energy storage capacity to complement renewable electricity – can be being tackled via renewable methane. Read more