Renewables

With the announcement of its second generation range of fully electric trucks, Renault Trucks is taking a comprehensive approach to the challenge of electromobility. With models at weights from 3.1 to 26 tonnes, Renault Trucks is offering a wide range of solutions for operators providing last mile, urban distribution and refuse collection services.  

  Despite being first invented in the 1830s, Electric Vehicles (EVs) have only become commercially viable in the last decade. Steve Hughes, Managing Director of REO UK, explains the challenges faced by automotive companies designing the next generation of EVs.

  An electric vehicle or a hybrid is a good choice for drivers who value fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness. The right tyre choice can extend the car’s range, emphasise the best features of the electric vehicle and improve safety. A well maintained tyre will offer power and safety mile after mile with an even 50% longer lifespan. 

Eco-buttons have the ability to save consumers time and money, but this cannot be at the cost of efficacy. SGS offers a range of services to help prove the effectiveness of the eco-button. With consumers only replacing home appliances every ten to twenty years, manufacturers must find ways to give consumers incentives to replace products more regularly.

There is no denying that Electric Vehicles (EV) are growing in popularity, being cheap to run, quiet and smooth to drive. Automotive manufacturers are keen to improve the power to weight ratio by using lighter materials such as composites and weight saving bonding, joining and fixing solutions.

It has been announced by NEC Corporation that its subsidiary NEC Energy Solutions (NEC ES), is supplying OErsted UK with a 20MW, GSS Grid Storage Solution. Once completed and operational by the end of 2018, the system will be used to provide services to the UK's National Grid to help manage grid stability during changes between peak and low power demand.

European brand for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, REC Group has launched its N-Peak high performance solar panel at Intersolar Europe in Munich. The new panel breaks fresh ground for REC and the industry: this is the first solar panel to combine n-type mono half-cut cells with a twin-panel design, and promises power output of up to 330W peak allied to lasting performance.

A blockchain platform that financially rewards energy saving behaviour using EnergiTokens (ETK) called Energi Mine has announced a partnership with Electra Commercial Vehicles, a UK company that aims to provide commercial vehicle operators with clean, zero-emission solutions for heavy goods trucks.

Following a Europe-wide multi-level public tender for the implementation of smart meters, Wiener Netze, accepted the bid submitted by a consortium consisting of Siemens, Landis+Gyr and Iskraemeco.

A study to find out how to harness more of the renewable energy generated by solar cells on people’s homes has been honoured at the British Renewable Energy Association Awards.