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	<title>Chris Milton : Independent Journalist &#38; Writer</title>
	<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk</link>
	<description>Me, My Writing, and (occassionally) My Family</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 27 Sep 2012 09:22:28 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<item>
		<title>Humanizing the automobile</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ etech &#8212; Humanizing the automobile
Plain text version: 
Motor vehicle manufacturing has changed beyond recognition in the last few decades. Consumers once bought a simple chassis with four wheels and an engine attached; now they purchase a highly sophisticated motoring solution which has several computer systems working together to make the driving experience more reactive, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/e-tech/humanizing-the-automobile/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>The Operator Start-up Connection</title>
		<description><![CDATA[(no online version available)
(co-authored with Audrey Mandala &#8212; distributed at Mobile World Congress 2012)
Plain text version:
It’s no secret that Europe’s largest mobile
operators — Vodafone, Telefónica,
Orange, and T-Mobile — have long been
keen investors in some of the telecom
sector’s hottest start-ups.
Deutsche Telekom’s venture capital
subsidiary T-Venture, for example, has
been active since 1997, and is one of the
most significant [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/informilio/the-operator-start-up-connection/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Preparing businesses for electricity market reform</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Earlier this year the government published its proposals for decarbonising the economy through electricity market reform (EMR). These proposals will affect all businesses in the UK. The first, and most significant, is due to come into force in less than 18 months.

EMR's overall goal is to ensure at least 15% of the UK's energy comes from renewable sources by 2020. However, because this means lifting the price of carbon emissions the combined effect of the proposals means that energy unit costs could double in the same timeframe.

UK energy consultancy Ener-G believes this is the right time for businesses to start planning for EMR's impact. They have released a report, A Quick Guide to the Energy Market Reform, which describes how EMR is intended to work and gives businesses advice on the measures they can put in place to both mitigate its effects and take advantage of them.

Key areas of the report include the following:

Understand the reforms

The carbon floor price (CFP) is the first EMR proposal to come into force, in April 2013. This is intended to work as an escalator tax, pushing the price of carbon emissions up from £16 a tonne in 2013 to £30a tonne in 2020. These prices currently represent a significant premium on the EU's emissions trading scheme price, meaning the cost of carbon-based power generation is likely to jump when CFP takes effect.

Another EMR proposal, which also comes into force in 2013, is the emissions performance standard (EPS). This specifies a maximum amount of carbon that new power stations can emit for every kWh of energy produced. One effect of this is that new coal and gas power stations will be more expensive to build and some believe this too will lead to energy prices rising.

Strategic business planning

Businesses should recognise that EMR is predicted to cause energy unit costs to rise by at least 15% a year until 2020 and quite possibly beyond. Consequently, as a significant and rising cost to the business, EMR should be drawn to the board's attention and strategic measures put in place to manage it.

These measures include: ensuring rising energy prices are part of both short and long-term financial planning; developing a robust procurement strategy to select the best energy provider and contract for the business; and implementing energy efficiency plans to limit the energy use of the business.

Understand your energy consumption

The development of energy efficiency plans will demand that a company gains a detailed understanding of what parts of its business consume the most power and when.

Smart meters and their associated energy management software are the best way of arriving at this understanding. These allow a business to keep a real time track of their energy consumption and identify areas where further energy efficiencies can be achieved through either new equipment or business processes.

In addition, some software packages, such as Ener-G's E-magine, also help businesses comply with regulations such as the CRC energy efficiency scheme.

Generate your own power

Another major concern surrounding EMR is the potential volatility in energy supplies and prices as the transition to a low carbon economy is made. In order to try and minimise their exposure to these issues many companies are looking at generating their own energy.

Onsite energy generation has the additional advantage that any surplus could take advantage of EMR's feed-in tariffs. These will start to be available from 2014 and will provide an index-linked tax free payment for the next 20 years. Furthermore any heat generated (for example, from combined heat and power generators) could also be eligible for support under the renewable heat incentive.

Ronan O'Regan, director of renewable and clean technology at PwC, said: "The carbon price floor will have a great impact from 1 April 2013 ... quick wins will be all about implementing energy efficiency measures and enhancing business processes.

"However there is also movement towards hedging against prices with onsite energy provision and some organisations are seeing this as a way of increasing their overall sustainability."]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/the-guardian/preparing-businesses-for-electricity-market-reform/</link>
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		<title>Increasing workplace efficiency and cutting carbon emissions</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Guardian &#8211; Increasing workplace efficiency and cutting carbon emissions
Plain text version:
When businesses address their workplace carbon emissions they often look at expensive projects, such as replacement heating and air conditioning systems or improving insulation.
What is often overlooked is the company&#8217;s day to day occupancy of the building and how efficiently they&#8217;re using the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/the-guardian/increasing-workplace-efficiency-and-cutting-carbon-emissions/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Clean your plate</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ Earth Island Journal &#8211; Clean your plate
A startling new report from the UK has demonstrated the impact food waste can have upon a country’s carbon emissions and water footprint.
The report, published by WWF-UK and the UK government’s Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), says that potentially avoidable food waste represents up to 64 gallons [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/earth-island-journal/clean-your-plate/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Africa&#8217;s Green Revolution 2.0: rejecting agribusiness, pesticides and GM greenwash</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Ecologist &#8211; Africa&#8217;s Green Revolution 2.0: rejecting agribusiness, pesticides and GM greenwash
Plain Text version:
A revolutionary new initiative in African farming was launched earlier this year as part of the annual International Fair of Animal Resources (FIARA) in Dakar, Senegal. It draws together twelve rural women’s networks from across the west African countries of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/ecologist/africas-green-revolution-2-0-rejecting-agribusiness-pesticides-and-gm-greenwash/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Energy-saving: dramatic savings without huge capital outlay</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Guardian &#8211; Energy saving: dramatic savings without huge capital outlay
Plain text version:
One of the biggest problems for businesses looking to increase their energy efficiency is the large, upfront spend initiatives can require. Typically, these focus on projects such as large-scale building refurbishments or replacing equipment across the board.
A new report from the sustainability [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/the-guardian/energy-saving-dramatic-savings-without-huge-capital-outlay/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>How to source sustainably</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Guardian &#8211; How to source sustainably
In 2011 companies&#8217; supply chains will gain greater importance, irrespective of the size of businesses involved.
The primary driver of this trend is taking recognised measurements for water consumption, waste and greenhouse gas emissions and applying them to a company&#8217;s supply chain.
But many businesses are finding this tricky for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/the-guardian/how-to-source-sustainably/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>England puts off selling public woodland</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ Earth Island Journal &#8211; England puts off selling public woodlands
A huge argument over the future of forestry in the UK came to a dramatic end last week when the Prime Minister, David Cameron, publically backed down and admitted he was unhappy with his government’s policy.
But what was the fuss about in the first place [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/earth-island-journal/england-puts-off-selling-public-woodland/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Sustainable Stock Exchanges : a new choice for investors</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Ecologist &#8211; Sustainable Stock Exchanges : a new choice for investors
Plain Text Version:
In November 2009, in a small room at the  United Nations in New York, a group of the world’s most powerful  financiers gathered to discuss something close to their hearts: stock  markets.
However rather than talking about capital driven [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.britesprite.co.uk/ecologist/sustainable-stock-exchanges-a-new-choice-for-investors/</link>
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