Area's largest solar panels fitted to new £3m home of charity for youngsters
The panels have been installed by two
He said: "We began work on this building two years ago and we're due to hand it over in about a month, but we're ahead of schedule."
Dear All,
Welcome to EPIC Lincolnshire’s July Update
It’s been quite a while since the April newsletter but you will see that the site is undergoing a rebuild. Please bear with us whilst this process continues. During the last year over 61,500 people visited www.epic-lincolnshire.org downloading some 262,000 pages of information. The redevelopments together with further features which will come online shortly aim to increase this level of activity still further.
Have a look at the CLiC campaign pages and make a pledge on how you can reduce your environmental footprint. Lincolnshire County Council and associated partners are working togther to produce regular supplements in the Lincolnshire Echo to communicate with local people and businesses on sustainability issues. The CLiC team fielded a steady stream of visitors on their stand in the Sustainable living Exhibition at the Lincolnshire Show.
The editorial in this edition of Update is looking at the potential to refocus a whole range of energy and food production cycles into closed loops where anything that leaves the loop has a value. The inherent challenge is getting the scales of operation within these loops right and in a way that is acceptable. This is likely to lead to some profound rethinks on the how and the impact of the changes that could come. Please have your say via email to editor@epic-lincolnshire.org
EDITORIAL
Closing the loop (Or will Lincolnshire’s livestock farming be coming to town?)
The recent unease around applications to develop super dairies in Lincolnshire as well as the food versus bio -fuel argument has thrown into sharp relief the whole issue of how to sustainably close the loop of food and fuel production. Set this against the background of a densely populated island where food and energy security are becoming increasingly significant and the stage is set for some very robust debates!... Read more
LCC Power meters coming to a library near you!
You know how much electricity you are paying for when the bill comes though the letter box but do you know what’s using it? A ‘Smart Meter’ could help you find out. 
Lincolnshire County Council is making these meters available from your local library. The idea is that you borrow one just like a book, take it home and start tracking down the energy gobblers in your house…. Read more
Lincolnshire Councils Unite to Optimise Carbon Reduction
On Tuesday May 4th 2010, five Lincolnshire Councils jointly signed into a contract with powerPerfector for the supply and installation of 21 Voltage Power Optimisation units across the region. This contract was awarded to powerPerfector following the successful submission of their ESPO tender response.
powerPerfector have been working with Lincolnshire County Council since 2006, the first installation at County Hall was completed on 22nd March 2008 and the installation achieved a 10% financial and carbon saving for the Council. The success of this trial stimulated the County Council to consider further sites for pP installation, and to spread the word on the benefits of Voltage Power Optimisation (VPO)® technology across the region.
This is an example of "thought leadership" in the public sector encompassing the greater good of the community by promoting and utilizing best practice.
Steve Golightly, Senior Sustainability and Climate Change Officer for Lincolnshire CC said:
"Lincolnshire CC began working with powerPerfector in 2006, and after the success of the first installation at County Hall, we decided to integrate Voltage Power Optimisation technology into our Carbon Management Plan. As the County Council we feel it is our responsibility to lead the way for the Districts and Boroughs within the region, this involves the initial trial of energy efficient innovations, such as powerPerfector, to then spreading the word of the success of the innovation. Hence, once we identified and proved the value of VPO technology we made the decision to tender the technology on behalf of the districts and boroughs to alleviate the pressures on individual procurement departments. We used the ESPO tender process as a means to establish the best technology available. As an ex-electronics engineer, I appreciate the critical nature of the installation and the requirement to have complete confidence in the technology to be fitted, hence the technical aspects were weighted as highly as cost. You can not put a cost on the loss of the electricity supply to any site. PowerPerfector ticked all the boxes, not simply on a technical basis, but also in terms of the project management and objective verification of savings procedure. The tender process emphasised powerPerfector's uniqueness in the market, and we are pleased to award them this contract. The roll out of PowerPerfector technology across
This strong relationship between the County Council and its Districts and Boroughs is very unique, and sets an inspiring example for other local authorities across
This unified approach has enabled the region to make significant carbon reductions easily and efficiently. The Council's dedication to assisting the smaller authorities was further emphasised by the guidance it offered on how to fund the projects via Salix Finance scheme. The result of rolling out powerPerfector technology across the
Global Warming, what global warming!?
After a snowy winter and a cold spring this is a question that seems to be being asked by more people more often. Perhaps the question might be: Are weather and global warming the same thing? The short answer is no. Weather is what we experience locally and in the short term whilst global climate trends take several decades to spot and the reported changes are usually averaged over the world as a whole. ..Read more
More evidence of Arctic ice thinning faster than previously thought
A group of British explorers just back from a 60-day trip to the North Pole said Monday they had encountered unusual conditions, including ice sheets that drifted far faster than they had expected.
Expedition leader Ann Daniels said the ice drifted so much that they eventually covered 500 nautical miles (576 miles) rather than the 268 nautical miles initially envisaged.
One possible reason for the rapid drift was a lack of ice, she suggested
. Satellite imagery reveals rapidly melting ice sheets in the Arctic, a region which is heating up three times more quickly than the rest of the Earth.
Martin Hartley, a member of the team, said the condition of the ice was unpleasantly bad."We spent a couple of days walking on ice that was three or four inches thick with no other thicker ice around, which was a big surprise to us”.
"On more than one occasion we came across enormous areas of very thin ice, which is quite stressful to travel on. We came across open water which we had to swim across."
At one point an ice floe the team's tent was moored on broke apart, although no one was injured.
Last month explorers at the team's ice base some 680 miles further south reported a three-minute rain shower, which they described as a freak event.
The team is due to release preliminary results this September. The project was funded through the Catlin Arctic Survey funded by the British insruance company the Catlin Group.
UK Greenhouse gas emissions are down!
The good news from a recent Department of Energy & Climate Change report is that the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions declined significantly in 2009; down 8.6% compared
to 2008. However the UK still produced 574.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in 2009. The big question is how much of this reduction is the result of efforts to improve energy efficiency and the development of renewables and how much is down to the economic slowdown. Some estimates indicate the slowdown may have accounted for between 3 & 7% reduction so there is some evidence of progress according to government statements. The big challenge is that, when growth returns, will the production of GHG increase again?
Tuesday 26th January 2010
“After Copenhagen”
Its not too late to join us!
Interest in this event has been so encouraging with approximately 100 delegates already signed up that we are able to extend the deadline to Friday 22nd January.
Whether we are attempting to mitigate or adapt to the challenges posed by climate change any successful responses need to be based on cooperative action founded on good quality understanding of the issues. Whilst the world’s leaders struggle in Copenhagen the Lincolnshire Low Carbon Action Network in association with Lincolnshire County Council has been working to develop a one day conference to showcase the actions that Lincolnshire has taken, or is planning to take, to tackle the causes and effects of climate change.
The conference will address the outcomes of the Copenhagen Climate Change talks, discuss the politics of climate change and examine the challenges of achieving economic sustainability in a low carbon world. A series of afternoon workshops will cover a breadth of climate change related topics including sustainable fuels, sustainable construction, renewable energy, and other measures designed to combat climate change.
The objective is to improve understanding of the issues and challenges, showcase grass root initiatives and provide a range of network opportunities.
The conference is aimed at those involved in developing or influencing policy and project delivery at the grass roots or community level. It will also be of immediate interest to any business that wants to develop a better understanding of the opportunities and risks being posed by climate change.
Conference papers and follow up actions will be posted on www.epic-lincolnshire.org
To reserve a place please use the email Delegate Booking Form below
Conference details
Date: Tuesday 26th January 2010: 09.00 – 16.30
Venue: The EPIC Centre, Lincolnshire Showground, Grange-de-lings, Lincoln. LN2 2NA
Agenda
0900 – 0945 Registration & Exhibition
0945 – 0955 Welcome address from the Chair - Cllr. Colin Davie
0955 – 1025 Keynote Speaker 1 - Professor, Lord Anthony Giddens - Copenhagen & the politics of climate change
1025 – 1055 Keynote Speaker 2 - Hardin Tibbs – The challenge of achieving economic sustainability in a low carbon world
1055 – 1115 Keynote Q&A Session
1115 – 1130 Break & Exhibition
1130 – 1200 The Lincolnshire Response – Richard Belfield
1200 – 1230 The Lincolnshire Climate Change Strategy – Your Views.
1230 – 1330 Lunch & Exhibition
1330 – 1445 Workshop 1
1500 – 1615 Workshop 2
1615 – 1630 Concluding remarks
Professor, Lord Anthony Giddens - Copenhagen & the politics of climate change
Anthony Giddens was educated at the University of Hull and the London School of Economics. He has taught at the University of Leicester and subsequently at Cambridge. From 1997 to 2003 he was Director of the LSE. He is currently a Life Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge and was made a Life Peer in May 2004. Has recently published ‘The Politics of Climate Change’ 2009 and speaks on such topics in the House of Lords and is a lead proponent of the 1010 challenge to reduce the national carbon output by 10% in 2010.
Hardin Tibbs – The challenge of achieving economic sustainability in a low carbon world
Hardin Tibbs is a UK-based management consultant and 
futures researcher with extensive experience of scenario-based strategic thinking. He is a strategic analyst, process facilitator and presenter to leading businesses especially the major UK multinationals. Hardin is CEO of Synthesys Strategic Consulting Ltd. in London, and an Associate Fellow at the Saïd Business School at Oxford University
His publications include the recent Chatham House report for government on ‘Food Futures – Rethinking the UK Strategy’, Royal Institute of International Affairs 2009 which has been influential in raising the issue of future food security in the light of population increases and climate change.
The Lincolnshire response, how Lincolnshire organisations and communities are meeting the climate change challenge - Richard Belfield
Richard is a Chartered Environmental & Civil Engineer by profession. For the most part he has worked for consultant engineers and project managers and has specialised in project development and commissioning of public infrastructure through Public/Private Partnerships (PPP/PFI). He joined Lincolnshire County Council in 2003 and has been Assistant Director for Development, responsible for Environment, Planning and Transport Services, since February 2006. Amongst many other duties, he is currently leading the council’s Energy from Waste project, the development of a county wide Flood Risk Management partnership and the county’s response to Climate Change.
The afternoon programme will present some of the key Lincolnshire responses to the challenges outlined in the morning session.
Making a commitment to action – Local projects and the 1010 commitment
Lincolnshire’s sustainable building stock – growing a house in Lincolnshire
A Low Carbon Transport Future – Biomethane as an alternative road fuel
Coping on the coast – responding to the challenge of storm surges and rising sea levels
Understanding your carbon footprint
Tackling Affordable Warmth and Carbon Reduction in Lincolnshire
Harvesting a house?
As Lincolnshire's wheat harvest is about to get underway it's worth thinking about the potential to use the straw as a building material.
Straw bale buildings are beginning to appear in Lincolnshire. If you go down to the woods at Hillholt you will see several examples. North Kesteven District Council have also recently commissioned two straw bale houses to assess their potential to provide economically priced rural housing.
Lincolnshire produces around 600,000 tonnes of wheat straw each year. Whilst much of this is chopped and cultivated into the field to help maintain soil structure and fertility it could also provide a useful source of building material. It only takes about 10 tonnes of straw to build a three bedroom family house so Lincolnshire could build 60,000 every year if it wanted to!! 
The finished article can be as sophisticated as any conventional design. The largest straw bale building in the UK, recently completed for Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers near Stansted, covers 13,000 sq ft and with a build cost of £100 per sq ft shows that straw bale construction on a large scale is both technically feasible and cost effective.
Designed around a timber frame and featuring a wood shingle roof the show rooms and auction halls only consume around 18 KW of electricity even when fully occupied on sale days. The high level of insulation means there is a minimal heating load in winter whilst the building remains cool in summer. One major feature for the storing of delicate antiques is that the straw walling ‘breaths’ and virtually eliminates condensation
Lincolnshire can produce this bio-renewable building material in abundance so here’s hoping that we shall see a whole new crop of sustainable low carbon low cost building in the not too distant future!
For further information or to post a comment contact editor@epic-lincolnshire.org
Straw bale houses taking shape in Waddington
Although currently shrouded in scaffolding and tarpaulins the two new three bedroom straw bale houses being championed by North Kesteven District Council are beginning to become recognisable. NK’s intention is to have these two prototype houses ready by the spring of 2010. Construction of two more are planned for the village of Martin.
The most important thing with straw walling is to keep the foot and the head dry. As this interior picture shows the straw bale walls are nearly at the eves of the first floor. The straw sits on a raised damp course of recycled rock fibre under a channel containing clay granules. This space allows for the construction of an insulated floor slab to further increase the energy efficiency of the whole building.
There are a series of courses on straw bale building and lime organised by the project designers Amazonails throughout the build that can be booked on their website www.amazonails.org.uk or by phone (0845) 459 2173. Course fees are £65/day and are either 2 (weekend) or 3 days.
Ground floor lime rendering:7-9th September
12-13th September
First floor straw: 14-16th September
19-20th September
21-23rd September
26-27th September
First floor lime rendering: 30th September
1-2nd October
3-4th October
UK CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTIONS
Lincolnshire Coastal Impacts conference 12th November Lincoln Drill Hall
Whilst we must continue to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions we will also need to prepare for those changes which, due to past emissions, are inevitable. One of the changes of most concern in Lincolnshire will be the changes in sea level and the increased possibility of storm backed tidal surges.
The UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) include key findings, scientific reports and pre-prepared maps, which will be of use to public and private sector organisations that are affected by weather and climate and/or make long- term investment decisions. A series of event are planned across the East Midlands (See the pdf below) including a specific event on Thursday 12th November at the Lincoln Drill Hall .
Included is
All events include
• An introduction to the UK Climate Projections 09, illustrating how they can be used to support adaptation planning, set in the context of the wider adapting to climate change agenda.
• Guidance on how to make the most of the UK Climate Projections 09 - including training sessions on extracting and interpreting data from the Projections
• An introduction to the various products, support and guidance available via the UK Climate Impacts Programme - key messages, summaries, scientific and technical reports, customisable output and prepared 25km maps and graphs
Free IT training sessions will be available after lunch for those wishing to be able to interrogate the data in more detail. Places limited and pre-booking required.
Bookings can be made through www.bookwhen.com/eastmidlands or Ian Porteous 0115 9712700 ian.porteous@goem.gsi.gov.uk
