Ancestors Legacy :: Open Beta, Pre-Order and Release Date Revealed!
Open Beta, Pre-Order and Release Date Revealed!
Plenty of great news today!
We're excited to announce that the multiplayer open beta version of Ancerstors Legacy is now available to everyone! Head over to the Open Beta store page and download it right now. See you on the battlefield!
Pre-Orders are starting right now!
It's official! Ancestors Legacy will be released on May 22nd, 2018! We're now offering you the chance to pre-purchase the game for a discounted price. You will also receive two cool digital gifts completely for free - the official soundtrack composed by Adam Skorupa and Wierzynkiewicz, and also the official artbook.
To celebrate the start of open beta and preorders, we decided to give you one more extra treat: a new trailer. This one is focused on all four nations of the game and their prayers. Enjoy it here on Steam or on Youtube!
single player will be amazing!!!!
Omri, beta is multiplayer, full game in may has singleplayer.
So is this only going to be a multiplayer game? or will there be single player mode?
error occcur when anyone else tries to purchase?
Beta is in terrible condition.


Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Recently, I have seen a surge of interest among foreign companies wishing to set up Kickstarter projects in the US. This post discusses the challenges those companies will face.


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Elderly Clients
Care Fees Funding
Equity Release: Elderly Clients
Deputyship
Advance Decisions
Why Should I Make A Will?
Property and Finance
Private Law Children
Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements
Mental Capacity
Nuptial Agreements
What is Family Mediation?
Agricultural Property
Equity Release: Conveyancing
Joint Property
Working with our Community
When a person lacks the mental capacity to make decisions about their own affairs, a Deputy can be appointed by the Court of Protection to make such decisions on their behalf. This may be a friend, a relative or a professional person. In the past, these used to be known as Receivers.
Read our Deputyship Guide
Powers given to Deputies
Roles & Responsibilites
Supervsion
Application for Court
The Court will set out the extent of a Deputy's powers, which can apply to any area in which the person could have acted or made decisions if they had had the capacity to do so themselves.
This may be in respect of financial matters, personal welfare issues, consent to medical treatment and social care interventions. The powers given will depend on the needs of the person whom the Deputy has been appointed to assist.
Decisions which Deputies commonly have to make can involve; buying and selling the person's property, operating bank accounts and investing savings, paying for private medical treatment and care home fees, dealing with tax affairs, deciding where a person lives and whom they live with, day to day decisions such as what the person eats, wears, etc. and can also include dealing with the person's medical records and treatment.
Deputies have a responsibility and a duty of care to act in the best interests of the person for whom they are making decisions. They must pay regard to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and the related Code of Practice.
Before making a decision, it is important for Deputies to consider whether the person they are assisting could make that decision for themselves with some support or under certain circumstances.
They should involve the person who lacks capacity as much as possible in any act or decision and consider their values, views, beliefs, wishes and any feelings that they may have expressed in the past. If possible, the Deputy should consult with others such as the family and friends about their views on the person's best interests.
Deputies are not expected to be experts in assessing capacity. However, when making a decision on behalf of someone else, they must reasonably believe that the person lacks the capacity required to make that decision themselves or to give consent at the time it was needed.
Deputies are permitted to employ professionals such as solicitors, accountants and regulated financial advisors to assist them in carrying out their role as a Deputy. They are not permitted however to delegate their responsibilities to another person.
Deputies' actions are supervised by the Office of the Public Guardian. Individual assessments will be made of each case to determine the appropriate level of supervision and cases are reviewed regularly.
The level of supervision will depend largely on the complexity and value of a person's estate and the relationship between the Deputy and the person for whom they are acting.
The Office of the Public Guardian will advise Deputies individually of what is required from them. This may include providing reports covering all decisions made on behalf of the person lacking capacity, along with receipts for money spent, bank statements and correspondence, letters and reports from health agencies or social services.
It is also possible that a Court of Protection Visitor may visit both the Deputy and the person whose affairs they are managing, in order to ensure that the Deputyship is working for both parties and that the decisions being made are in the best interests of that person. The Office of the Public Guardian may also contact others with an interest in the person's welfare.
Making an application to the Court
For someone to be appointed as a Deputy, they must submit a number of forms to the Court of Protection. The type of forms required will depend on what the Court is being asked to decide. They will generally ask for information in respect of both the individual who lack mental capacity and the applicant, in particular with regard to their personal circumstances and finances.
At Onions & Davies, we have many years' experience of completing and submitting these forms and we will be able to give you advice if you are unsure about any parts of the forms.
A number of people interested in the welfare of the person who lacks mental capacity will be notified of the application and they will be able to give the Court their views on the matter if they wish to do so.
The Court will then assess the applicant's suitability to act as Deputy and if the application is successful, they will issue an Order setting out the extent of the Deputy's powers.
There is an initial fee to be paid to the Court when making the application and additional annual supervision fees. They are based on the cost of providing support services to both the Deputy and the person who lacks capacity.
Once the Deputy has been appointed, further fees will be payable in respect of any particular decision which the Deputy asks the Court to make. All fees are payable from the funds of the person who lacks capacity.
This information refers to the law of England & Wales only, which from time to time changes. In particular, tax information changes annually. It is not a substitute for professional advice, which is up to date and specific to your needs. This information is a summary of the provisions relating to deputyship and cannot cover every aspect of their operation. It represents our understanding of current legislation in England and Wales but should not be relied upon as an authoritative statement of law nor as constituting advice. We would advise that legal advice be sought in every circumstance.
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Category: Carbon reduction
UK Government announces backing for 8 major renewable energy projects
Today the United Kingdom Government announced that deals have been agreed to provide financial support for eight major renewable energy projects which will provide enough renewable energy capacity to power millions of homes.
Of the eight renewable energy projects five are offshore wind farms, the remaining 3 are biomass developments. All eight are to be supported by the Government's Contracts for Difference support scheme. Through this scheme the government has agreed to pay a fixed rate for the power generated by these eight renewable energy developments for a period of fifteen years. The price will be determined by the date on which the developments begin to feed electricity into the grid. The sooner these developments come online the higher the price they receive will be.
The 8 projects combined could add up 4.5GW (gigawatts) of renewable electricity generation capacity to the National Grid. 4.5GW of power represents 4% of the UK's current electricity capacity or enough electricity to power over three million homes across the UK. According to Government figures the eight projects will provide up to £12 billion of private investment in the UK economy by 2020 and support up to 8,500 jobs. Additionally, once completed, the 8 developments could produce 14% of the renewable energy the UK requires to meet it's 2020 renewable energy generation targets. The increase in renewable capacity and reduction in the need for fossil fuels is also expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10 million tonnes a year.
The eight developments are spread across the UK. The largest project approved in terms of capacity is the new 1.2GW Hornsea wind farm which will be located off the Yorkshire coast. Two other entirely new wind farms will also receive funding; the 664MW (megawatt) Beatrice wind farm which will be sited off the Moray coast and the 402MW Dudgeon wind farm which will be sited off the north Norfolk coast. Two extensions for existing offshore wind farms were also approved for funding; a 258MW extension to the Burbo Bank wind farm off the coast of Merseyside and a 660MW extension to the Walney wind farm in the Irish Sea. The three biomass projects are also located across the country. Lynemouth power station in Northumberland and Drax power station in Yorkshire are to be converted for biomass use. And finally a brand new 229MW dedicated biomass power station will be constructed in Teeside.
Industry trade body Scottish Renewables released a statment following the announcement that the proposed Beatrice wind farm (located in Scottish waters) had been successful in it's application:
"It is greatly encouraging to see a Scottish offshore wind project selected for an early investment contract by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
"Having received planning consent from the Scottish Government in March, to now get an early Contract for Difference gives the Beatrice project the certainty of support we've been calling for from the UK Government.
"With our huge offshore wind resource, it is not unrealistic to expect to see a number of Scottish offshore wind projects receive planning consent and secure financial support by the end of the year.
"This decision will help kick-start the offshore wind sector in Scotland, which has the potential to provide thousands of jobs and billions of pounds of inward investment to our country, while also making a significant contribution to Scotland's ambitious 2020 renewable energy targets."
The eight projects were selected from an original shortlist of 57 applications. A smaller shortlist of 10 was published in December. These ten sites had been chosen on the criteria of cost effectiveness. Further Contracts for Difference are to be made available in the autumn of this year. The UK Government is committed to meeting over 30% of UK electricity demand from renewable sources by 2020.
Announcing the successful projects UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey made the following statement:
"These contracts for major renewable electricity projects mark a new stage in Britain's green energy investment boom.
"By themselves they will bring green jobs and growth across the UK, but they are a significant part of our efforts to give Britain cleaner and more secure energy.
"These are the first investments from our reforms to build the world's first low carbon electricity market – reforms which will see competition and markets attract tens of billions of pounds of vital energy investment whilst reducing the costs of clean energy to consumers.
"Record levels of energy investment are at the forefront of the Government's infrastructure programme and are filling the massive gap we inherited. It's practical reforms like these that will keep the lights on and tackle climate change, by giving investors more certainty."
It should be remembered that it is not through offshore wind and biomass alone that Scottish and UK renewable energy targets will be met. All forms of renewable energy generation will have to play their part. Particularly onshore wind; due to it's nature one of the cheapest and most mature renewable energy technologies. We at Intelligent Land Investments (Renewable Energy) are looking forward to contributing further to meeting the countries binding renewable energy generation targets.
In other news this week it was announced that Scotland could soon be home to new form of floating wind turbine. The BAT (Buoyant Airborne Turbine) has been in development for several years through a collaboration between entrepreneurs and US military personnel.
The BATs (which some have said resemble UFOs in appearance) are filled with helium and are then tethered to the ground. The technology is intended to operate at increased heights in comparison to more traditional wind turbines allowing power to be generated from higher wind speeds. The tether has the dual function of allowing higher wind speeds to be used and to reduce costs.
Currently 4 prototypes have been developed. The first commercial model is expected to be tested in Alaska in 2015 by American green energy firm Altaeros Energies. This model is expected to produce 30kW from a height of 1,000 feet. Successful testing of this model will then be followed by further testing of higher capacity designs at increased heights. Scotland has been mooted as a suitable location for further testing due to the high wind speeds as well as the large number of isolated rural communities located in the country. The BATs are intended to be used in isolated areas where energy has to be transported in; as is the case on several of the Scottish Isles.
Altaeros business development manager Ryan Holy said: "The real value is that we are generating more electricity because we are capturing stronger, more consistent resource, and that means that the price is going to be lower because the annual kWh produced will be a lot higher.
"In addition to that, the customer doesn't have to deal with a lot of the logistical headaches of installing a concrete path or a tower, which can take some time and might be dependent on seasons.
"We are looking at remote and rural locations first, and any region that is suffering from high electricity costs, as our product can give that customer more energy independence and lower their price, so it could be some parts of Scotland, or any islands that have to ship their fuel in."
The development of the BAT demonstrates that despite onshore wind being one of the most mature renewable energy technologies there is still vast room for improvement, innovation and cost reduction.
Wind energy save EU €2.4 billion worth of water a year
A report published last week by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has highlighted the cost to the union of non-renewable forms of electricity generation.
The report, entitled 'Saving Water with Wind Energy', has revealed both the amount of water which is used for energy generation within the European Union each year and the amount of money which this costing taxpayers and consumers across the continent.
It should first be noted that wind energy generation is saving Europe around €2.4 billion every year. This figure represents the cost of the water which would have been incurred had the electricity generated from wind power had been generated in more traditional ways. This figure was for the year for 2012. Given the strides that wind power has made across Europe it can be concluded that this figure has risen since then and shall continue to do so.
Startlingly, 44% of the water used within the European Union is used in power generation. It should be noted that the vast majority of this 44% is used in traditional power plants. For example nuclear and coal plants which require vast amounts of water for cooling. Energy production is by far the biggest use of water within the European Union. In comparison agriculture only represents 34% of water demand, the public water supply only 21% and industry accounts for only 11%. In total 4.5 billion cubic meters of water are used by nuclear, coal and gas firing plants every year.
Given that demand for water is increasing due to population growth and density increase as well as pressures placed upon the environment by climate change water efficiency will become an increasingly important issue in the coming years. Already at least 11% of European Union citizens are affected by water scarcity – for example in the South East of England were droughts and hose-pipe bans are now an annual occurrence. Using huge amounts of water to produce electricity only exacerbates these issues.
Renewable forms of energy generation require far less water to operate than more traditional and large scale technologies. Nuclear power uses the most water to produce power; on average 2.7 cubic meters of water are needed to produce a single megawatt hour. Coal is slightly less intensive requiring 1.9 cubic meters of water for every megawatt hour and gas is further less intensive requiring 0.7 cubic meters per megawatt hour. However in comparison the amount of water required to produce a megawatt hour of wind power is minimal. Wind turbines only require water for infrequent blade cleanage and generator cooling.
Indeed the EWEA report estimated that usage of wind turbines in 2012 reduced the EU's energy industry's water usage by 1.2 billion cubic meters – the annual water usage of 4% of the EU's population. Again these figures will have increased given the increase in wind capacity seen throughout the EU's member states. 1.2 billion cubic meters saved represents €2.4 billion saved. Furthermore given the consensus existing among many economists that water is heavily undervalued the true savings could be far higher.
The EWEA's head of policy analysis Ivan Pineda commented at the publication of the report:
"Water equivalent to over three Olympic size swimming pools is consumed every minute of every day of the year to cool Europe's nuclear, coal and gas plants. Increasing our use of wind energy will help preserve this precious resource far more effectively than any ban on watering the garden– while saving us money".
The report projected that by 2030 wind energy will save the EU between 4.3 and 6.4 billion cubic meters of water per year. This would represent a financial saving of between €11.8 and €17.4 billion per year. Given the expectation that water usage and efficiency will become an increasingly part of resource management governments across the European Union are being urged to factor such considerations into energy policy. Industry trade body RenewableUK's Director of External Affairs Jennifer Webber commented:
"Water is a very precious resource – water restrictions were imposed in the UK in the summer of 2012 in areas hit by drought. One of the many benefits of wind energy is that it requires hardly any water to keep generating. This report is a timely reminder of the environmental impact of other technologies which use vast amounts of water for cooling. When Governments set energy policy, they should take this into account – it's not just the carbon footprint that matters, but also the water swallowed up by these other thirsty generators"
In other news, this week SSE exported power from it's offshore wind testing facility to the National Grid for the first time. The facility, sited on the North Ayrshire coast is the UK's first, and currently only, onshore test site for offshore turbines. The site was established with support from both the UK Government's Department of Energy and Climate Change and Scottish Enterprise.The Ayrshire site has similar wind conditions to those found offshore. The currently operational turbine is a 6MW Siemens 154 direct drive machine, some 177 meters high. Work has already begun to install the site's second turbine; a 7MW Mitsubishi model. This is expected to be operational by the autumn.
The commencement of power exportation has been enthusiastically greeted. Clark MacFarlane, Managing Director, Siemens Wind Power Offshore UK&I said:
"We are delighted with the news of first power for our 6MW turbine at Hunterston. This is another important milestone for our next generation wind turbine technology. The SSE and Siemens team has worked extremely hard to get to this point and should feel proud of their achievement in delivering this important clean energy project."
Ian Flannagan, SSE's Project Construction Manager, said:
"It's great to see the Siemens wind turbine generating electricity for the first time which is testament to the hard work and commitment shown by everyone involved in the project.
"We are busy preparing the site ahead of the second turbine, a Mitsubishi SeaAngel 7MW offshore wind model, arriving in a few months time."
UK Energy and Climate Minister, Greg Barker said:
"SSE Renewable's test site for offshore wind turbines is an exciting and innovative project. It will help the country take another step towards delivering £110 billion investment into our energy sector while helping to support local jobs."
The success of the offshore turbine testing site is good news for the UK's wind industry ensuring that it's world leading position is maintained.
The report published by the EWEA serves to underline the many benefits which wind energy generation has; increasing both energy and water security, reducing CO2 emissions and combating climate change and helping to keep energy bills down by reducing reliance upon fossil fuel imports. We at Intelligent Land Investments (Renewable Energy) are proud to be doing our part to increase the UK's wind energy generation capacity.
New poll reveals support for renewables
Yesterday the Department of Energy and Climate Change published it's eight quarterly public attitudes survey.
The survey is carried out every three months to monitor the public's attitudes to the government's energy policies. Face to face interviews were carried out at 2,110 households in mid December. The published results confirm that the public's support for renewable energy remains widespread.
77% of those polled stated that they supported or strongly supported the continuing use and expanding development of the UK's vast renewable energy resources.
This represents a 1% increase on the level of public support recorded in the previous survey. This is despite the long running campaign against renewable energy being carried out by several mass media publications. Not to mention the campaign for shale gas extraction being carried out by several of the same publications. Despite this more than three quarters of the Great British public support the continued and further use of renewable energy technologies.
51% of those people polled signaled that they "support" the use of renewable energy technologies. A further 26% of those polled responded that they "strongly support" the use of renewable energy technologies. In dramatic comparison only 4% of those polled gave the opinion that they opposed the exploitation of renewable energy resources. A further 1% "strongly opposed" the use of renewable energy. This comparison demonstrates that in reality anti-renewable energy sentiments are very much a minority, if not fringe, concern. This contrasts sharply with the picture presented in some avenues of the mainstream press which seek to portray such opinions as being held by the majority of people in this country.
The survey broke down support levels for individual forms of renewable energy generation: 81% stated their support for solar energy, 71% for wave and tidal energy, 72% for offshore wind generation, 64% for onshore wind generation and 60% for biomass. Additionally the levels of "strong support" given for each technology type stands consistently between one quarter and one third of respondents. It has been suggested that the reason wave and tidal and offshore wind have polled so highly is due their relatively low visual impact as opposed to their cost effectiveness; a standard in which other technologies such as onshore wind rank far higher.
The survey also demonstrated that public awareness of shale gas and shale gas extraction has increased significantly in the last few years. When these quarterly surveys were first carried out two years ago 58% of respondents were unaware of shale gas. As of now this figure has decreased to 30% of respondents. Over the same time scale respondents "who know something" about shale gas have increased from 32% to 52%.
However increased awareness has not translated into increased support. This quarterly survey was the first to gauge public support for shale gas. Despite much coverage in the media and strong messages of support from some senior political figures only 27% of respondents stated that they would support shale gas development. 21% stated that they would not support shale gas development. It is also worth making the point that despite much lobbying in those parts of the UK which have been proposed as areas suitable for shale gas exploration, or fracking, have seen widespread and organised protests against the proposals.
Also this week it was announced that Glasgow City Council is to become the first local authority in the UK to switch to low energy LED (light-emitting diode) street lighting after securing a loan from the Green Investment Bank.
Glasgow City Council intends to convert over 70,000 street lights to LEDs in an effort to reduce costs, energy consumption and light pollution. Street lighting costs Local Authorities in the UK £300 million a year and produces 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. For some Local Authorities street lighting can account for up to 40% of their energy usage. The Green Investment Bank has voiced it's hopes that other Local Authorities will follow Glasgow City Council in participating in such schemes.
Indeed to that end the Bank is offering similar loan packages to that given to Glasgow City Council to other Local Authorities. To fund LED street lighting conversion schemes the Bank is offering low, fixed rate loans over a period of up to 20 years. Repayments will be taken from energy bill savings. The Bank is advising Local Authorities that LED switching delivers pay-back within 5 to 15 years. Following this Local Authorities can expect bills to drop by up to 80%.
The securing of the loan was announced with enthusiasm from all parties. UK Green Investment Bank chief executive, Shaun Kingsbury, stated:
"Bad lighting does not come cheap, it carries an electricity bill which can be cut by up to 80 per cent with a move to low energy, LED lighting. Making the switch saves councils money, increases community safety and dramatically reduces the UK's carbon footprint."
"The GIB Green Loan is essentially a corporate loan facility that covers the set-up, capital investment and installation costs of lighting upgrades to LED, with repayments being made from within forecast savings. Put more simply, local authorities borrow money from the Green Investment Bank, but repay the loan entirely through the money they save by changing their lighting."
Business Secretary, Vince Cable said:
"Once again the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) is leading the way in the green revolution. Street lighting across Britain tends to be very costly and energy inefficient, emitting the same amount of carbon dioxide each year as a quarter of a million cars on the road. This investment by GIB into new LED technology could make big strides in saving money for local councils and reducing our carbon footprint. I urge councils across the country to follow Glasgow City Council's lead and GIB's new Green Loan can help speed up the take up of this streetlighting.
"So far through the Green Investment Bank – the first of its kind in the world – we have invested more than £750 million in energy projects which are driving innovation and our plans for green growth. For every £1 the bank has invested, £3 has been raised from the private sector for projects in areas ranging from offshore wind to waste to energy efficiency products."
Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said:
"My vision is to make Glasgow one of Europe's most sustainable cities. It is our goal to improve energy efficiency, cut carbon emissions and generate savings for the public purse. Glasgow City Council is not only creating a digital and low carbon route out of recession with social justice at its heart, but also ensuring Glasgow is one of Europe's most sustainable cities.
"Glasgow is leading the way in meeting existing challenges head on to become a smarter, more intelligent city. One of our current measures is set to see us become the first local authority to receive a Green Investment Bank loan as we work towards further embracing low energy streetlighting."
Support for renewable energy and energy-saving schemes such as that announced in Glasgow yesterday remains widespread in the UK. It is our hope that we at ILI (Renewable Energy) can do our part to increase it.
A Good 2013
2013 was a good year for Intelligent Land Investments (Renewable Energy).
A good year for us and a good year for others. For the landowners and farmers across Scotland that we are gaining planning approval for, allowing them access to alternative revenue streams with the potential to secure their businesses. For the community groups and charities which we are supporting across Scotland, helping them to continue the much needed good work which they do. A good year for Scotland's energy ambitions. The country took a step closer to the ambitious renewable energy targets which are to be met by the end of the decade. We at ILI (RE) were delighted to play our part in helping the nation to achieving these ambitions and look forward to contributing further.
At present ILI (RE) has gained over seventy seperate planning permissions for small and medium scale wind turbine developments in Local Authority Areas across the country. Many more planning applications are currently live and being considered by planning departments. The numerous small scale developments in which we are engaged allow far more people to benefit from renewable energy than the larger scale wind farms that only large scale developers and landowners allow. The revenue created by even a small scale 225wK can mean all the difference for a farmer or landowner. Having spoke to many within Scotland's farming industry and the farmers and landowners in which we enter into partnership we at ILI (RE) understand the pressures which Scottish farming is facing. For many the revenue from a turbine means being able to reinvest in their businesses; carrying out much needed maintenance work, purchasing new equipment, hiring more staff, keeping pace with ever rising costs, improving yields and efficiency, even simply keeping a traditional family business within a family.
Additionally given the scale and spread of our developments ILI (RE) has been able to offer people innovative solutions to grid issues which had previously ruled out the possibility of development. Whether it be the use of off-grid storage or demand, the creation of new grid links or the linking together of geographically close developments we at ILI (RE) have been able to spread the benefits of renewable energy generation and government feed-in tariffs far wider than would have been possible from the development of large scale wind farms.
It should be remembered that all of ILI (RE)'s completed developments offer a community benefit to the area in which it is located. A portion of the revenue generated from all of our turbines will be allocated to either a Local Authority Area's Community Benefit Fund or to a designated local charity. Not all Local Authority Areas in Scotland require a Community Benefit as part of a renewable energy development application. Despite this such a benefit is a part of all of our applications regardless of their location. In areas such as South Lanarkshire, where the council has established a Community Benefit Fund, we contribute to the pot; allowing Local Authorities to target funding where needed. In areas such as East Renfrewshire, which does not have a central fund, we have established a partnership with a local charity working within the community. In this case we have entered in partnership with East Renfrewshire Good Causes.
East Renfrewshire Good Causes (ERGC) was established in 2007. From that time the charity has helped over 1000 people within the East Renfrewshire area; working to improve their quality of life. Whether it be by providing educational support, procuring medical equipment or organising days out ERGC has provided vital support to many vulnerable people. It is point of pride that ILI (RE) has been able to support, not just the vital work done by ERGC, charities and community groups across Scotland. The community benefit funding from 70 planning approvals alone represents potentially almost £2 million worth of charity funding over the 20 year life span of our turbines. We would stress that this figure will increase as more of our potential developments gain planning approval.
Scotland and the UK moved a step closer to achieving their renewable energy generation targets in 2013. We at ILI (RE) were proud that our developments helped contribute to this progress. Just we will be proud to help move us closer still to these targets in 2014. More electricity being generated from renewable sources such as onshore wind means; importing less fossil fuels, less exposure to volatile markets, cheaper energy bills, reduced carbon emissions and the creation of more jobs. Renewable energy was one the UK's fastest growing industries in 2013.
The potential of onshore wind is beginning to be seen. As has been discussed in this blog previously new UK wind generation records are being set with increasing regularity. But this month it was Denmark that fully demonstrated the potential of wind energy to the world. The month of December saw several new and startling wind generation records being set in Denmark. Firstly, 54.8% of electricity demand for the month of December was met by wind energy. Over half of the entire country's electricity usage for the entire month! In December 2012 33.5% of electricity demand was met by wind energy. Secondly, on the 21st of December 102% of electricity demand was met by wind power. A surplus of energy even when every other single electricity source is discounted. Lastly, over the course of the entire year 33.2% of electricity demand was met by wind power.This in a year noted by network operator Energinet.dk as being not particularly windy. From all these new records then we can see the role which wind energy can play in meeting a nations electricity needs. A statement from an Energinet.dk spokesman noted that:
"The records do not only apply to Denmark. They are also world records. Because no other countries have as large a wind power capacity in proportion to the size of the electricity consumption, as we do in Denmark."
It is our hope that the good news continues to come in, not just for ourselves but for all of our landowners.
UK Wind Capacity Increases 25%
A new report published this week by trade-body RenewableUK has revealed that once again the UK wind energy industry has seen another record breaking year of dizzying growth.
RenewableUK published its annual report 'Wind Energy in the UK' yesterday. The report examines developments within both the onshore and offshore sectors of the UK wind industry.
Firstly, the report revealed that the UK's installed offshore wind capacity increased by a staggering 79% over the period between July 2012 and June 2013. At the start of July 2012 there was 1,858 Megawatts (MW) of operational installed offshore wind capacity in UK waters. By the end of June 2013 this figure had increased to 3,321 MW of operational installed capacity. Interestingly, there were four major offshore wind projects which began generating electricity and feeding it into the National Grid within this time frame:Greater Gabbard (off the coast of Suffolk), Gunfleet Sands III (off the coast of Essex), Sheringham Shoal (off the coast of Norfolk) and the London Array (in the Thames Estuary) – which is the currently the worlds largest offshore wind farm with an installed capacity of 630 MW. The completion of these four major projects demonstrates the observed trend of offshore wind projects increasing in scale. This trend can be partially explained by a reduction in costs and also improvements in technology.
The UK's more mature onshore wind industry also underwent a period of impressive growth. 1,258 MW of new onshore wind capacity was installed between July 2012 and June 2013. This brings the total level of installed onshore capacity in the UK up to 6,389 MW by the end of July 2013 and the end of the period covered by the report. This represents an increase of 25% in total installed onshore capacity. However it should be noted that RenewableUK estimated that at the end of June 2013 there was a further 1,571 MW of onshore capacity under construction, 4,804 MW of capacity which had been approved but construction had not yet begun on and 7,743 MW live within the planning system. This demonstrates that there is a significant amount of growth which will occur within the UK onshore wind industry in the near future.
The period July 2012 to June 2013 also marked the first time in which more offshore wind capacity was installed than onshore wind capacity (1,462 MW compared to 1,258 MW). Of course it should be remembered that the onshore wind market is more more mature than the offshore wind market. In total, across both sectors, 2,721 MW of new capacity was installed. This brought the UK's total installed wind capacity to 9,710 MW from 6,389 MW and represents growth of 40% and enough new installed capacity to power five and a half million homes. This level of new capacity also brought in £2 billion into the UK economy; clearly demonstrating the positive economic benefits which wind energy is creating for the UK economy.
It has been noted that the size of offshore projects is increasing but it is also the case that the size of onshore projects is decreasing. Several reasons have been put forward to explain this trend. As mentioned previously in the offshore sector costs are coming down and technology is improving. In the onshore sector the decrease in project size has been attributed to, amongst other things, the success of the UK Governments feed-in tariff scheme which incentivizes the development of smaller scale projects. Additionally the sub-5 MW market developed considerably. Indeed it has accounted for two-thirds of all onshore wind planning submissions between July 2012 and June 2013. The reduced availability of sites suitable for large scale wind farm development has also been put forward to explain the reduction in onshore project size. We could also argue that this reduction in project size vindicates the approach of ourselves at Intelligent Land Investments (Renewable Energy) as our primary focus has always been on small and medium scale developments.
RenewableUK's Chief Executive, Maria McCaffrey commented on the publication of the report:
"We've smashed another record in the past year with more offshore wind installed than ever before – the 79% increase in capacity within 12 months is a terrific achievement. With onshore expanding by 25%, the wind industry as a whole has proved that it has the tenacity to achieve substantial growth.
"It's tangible proof of the dedication of thousands of Britons who are working tirelessly to generate electricity from a clean, home-grown source at a cost that we can control, increasing the UK's energy security.
"Tens of thousands more will be joining the industry over the rest of this decade as we build out the rest of the projects in the pipeline – as long as Government policy is supportive and provides the right framework for one of this country's greatest modern industrial and environmental success stories to reach its full potential".
The publication of a separate study this week further vindicated the increasing focus on smaller scale onshore developments. The study, carried out by analytical firm Verdantix and commissioned by energy consultancy Utilyx, suggests that on-site renewable energy generation could save UK businesses up to £33 billion between 2010 and 2030. The report forecasts that the capacity of onsite waste-to-energy plants, wind turbines, anaerobic digestors, and solar panels, as well as combined heat and power and tri-generation facilities will increase 130 per cent to 17GW by 2030. The proper development of such on-site technologies could account for 14% of all UK generating capacity by 2030 and would also bring the additional benefit of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 350 million tonnes.
The development of such technologies would be hugely beneficial to UK businesses allwoing them to no longer have to rely on volatile international gas markets and could considerably reduce costs, particularly in the long term; not just from reduced energy bills but from reduced payments of the UK 'carbon tax' or carbon floor-price. Mark Stokes, director at Utilyx commented:
Traditionally businesses and organisations have focused on one aspect of energy management – typically procurement or energy efficiency.
"The report reveals the need to look at the bigger picture and adopt a joined up approach including considering on-site energy generation. In a climate of volatile and rising energy prices, decentralized energy can help businesses save money, reduce carbon, and provide energy security."
The publication of these reports reveals not only the progress made by the UK wind industry but also the huge benefits it can still bring to the UK's economy. We at Intelligent Land Investments (Renewable Energy) will be playing our part in delivering that.
Scottish renewable energy offsets C02 emissions from transport
The significant strides that the Scottish renewable energy industry is making towards addressing climate change were revealed last week in the Scottish Parliament.
Scottish Government Energy Minister Michael Fallon was asked how successful Scotland's renewable energy developments had been in displacing carbon dioxide emissions in 2012.
His answer revealed that Scotland has managed to displace approximately 10.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2012. This represents an increase of 24% from the year 2011. Renewable energy industry body Scottish Renewables would later announce that this level of displacement accounts for just under the total level of carbon dioxide emissions produced from Scotland's rail and road transport networks. Given that the emission levels from these two networks has remained much unchanged between 2011 and 2012 we can then see that the 24% increase in carbon dioxide displacement can be nearly entirely attributed to the expansion of Scotland's renewable energy generation capacity. Furthermore, given that the majority of new capacity stems from wind energy we can see that it is Scotland's wind industry (companies such as ourselves at Intelligent Land Investments (Renewable Energy) which is driving the displacement of carbon dioxide.
Mr Fallon also provided figures for carbon dioxide displacement in England, Wales and the UK as a whole. England displaced 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2012, Wales 1.6 million tonnes ans as whole the UK displaced around 29 million tonnes. 29 million tonnes of carbon dioxide represents an increase of nearly 38% over 2011. As discussed in last weeks blog nearly all of the UK's biomass generation is in England. Despite this Scotland accounted for more than a third of the UK's entire carbon dioxide displacement.
The news was greeted enthusiastically by the renewable energy industry and other interested groups. Scottish Renewables Chief Executive Niall Stuart commented:
"Last week's climate change report reinforced the need for concerted action to reduce carbon emissions if we are even to limit the impact of global warming, and these figures show that investment in renewables is already delivering results.
"Ten million tonnes is the equivalent of removing 99.1 per cent of carbon emissions generated from every car, bus, lorry and train journey in Scotland."
"Renewables now generate the equivalent of 40 per cent of the demand for power from every home and business in the country, support thousands of jobs across Scotland and are making a massive dent in carbon emissions.
"The sector is delivering exactly what government wants – jobs, investment and lower carbon emissions from our economy."
WWF Scotland's Director Lang Banks also stated:
"These figures clearly show that renewable energy is making a massive contribution to reducing Scotland's climate change emissions. This contribution will only continue to grow as we move ever closer to securing all of our electricity from pollution-free sources.
"They certainly nail the lie by those who claim renewables, such as wind power, don't make a difference. Renewables certainly do make a difference: cutting emissions as well as creating jobs."
Also, this week a survey conducted by PwC (Pricewaterhouse Coopers) was published, revealing that 94% of energy companies are expecting 'complete transformation of, or important changes to' the power utility business model by 2030 as a result of growth in renewable energy and increases in distributed energy generation.
Distributed energy generation marks the move away from power coming solely from large scale power plants or even indeed large scale renewable energy developments. Small and medium scale renewable energy developments (such as those handled by ILI (Renewable Energy)) are becoming increasingly common up and down the country. Whilst the majority of these are providing power into the national grid others are generating power to be used locally; whether by communities or at on-site business developments. Such developments are expected to be become increasingly common in the next few years due to the existence of incentives such as the feed-in-tariff and falling technology and development costs.. PwC's survey has already identified such developments as eating into the revenues of traditional power generation.
However, it should be noted that 82% of those surveyed view the increased use of distributed power generation to be an 'opportunity'. Only 18% of those surveyed viewed it as a 'threat' to their business. It was also felt that energy-efficiency and smart grid technology could potentially have a similarly transformative effect upon the industry in the future provided barriers on the financial and technological side could be overcome.
PwC's UK power and utility leader, Steve Jennings urged businesses within the power industry to seize the opportunities such changes present:
"Power utility companies will need to respond to these changes to not be eclipsed by technological and market change, while strategies that identify the best revenue opportunities in changed and, potentially transformed future market landscape, will be key to survival,"
These two pieces of news reveal the transformative effect renewable energy is having not only upon the power industry but this country as a whole. Great strides are being taken, by coompanies such as ourselves, to reduce carbon emissions, increase energy security and insulate the UK energy system from the volatile international fossil fuel markets.
UK's first large-scale grid battery connected in Orkney
Last week a new type of storage battery was connected to the local electricity distribution network on the Isle of Orkney.
The new battery has the potential to be hugely important to the UK's renewable energy ambitions as it could allow for far easier management of energy demand and would address the issue of power intermittency in renewables.
The battery was installed by Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD). The two megawatt lithium ion battery was installed at Kirkwall Power Station and represents the first use of a large scale storage battery anywhere in the UK. The battery was provided by Mitusbishi Power Systems Europe and Mitsubishi Heavy Industry after extensive trials in Japan. A similar piece of technology has been in constant use in Nagasaki for the last two years. Additionally similar battery technology, on a smaller scale, has been taken up by the electric car industry and has begun to enter the UK market. The battery will be operated by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE). The level of cooperation involved in this trial is worth noting. Domestic energy companies, overseas developers and manufacturers, government and regulators have all been involved in this project. This demonstrates the importance with which storage and smart grid technology is being taken. Such technologies could be key to Scotland and the wider UK achieving their renewable energy targets and are being pushed hard at all levels.
The battery has been integrated with Orkney's Active Network Management scheme. This network, or smart grid, has been in place since 2009 and was also delivered by SHEPD. Indeed, it was a world first. The Active Network Management scheme was implemented due to the relatively high level of intermittent renewable energy generation which existed on Orkney. Of course the level of renewable energy developments on the isle has only increased since then. The scheme allows the grid operators greater flexibility in managing and balancing loads and grants quicker access to back up power. This scheme has also proven highly beneficial to renewable energy developers as it has allowed them cheaper and quicker access to the grid following the completed development of a renewable energy project.
Reaction to the installation was universally positive. SHEPD's Head of Commercial Mark Rough commented:
"This exciting trial will provide valuable research into the viability of using batteries for electricity storage. This is likely to become increasingly important to help balance the variable output from renewable forms of generation as we move to a largely decarbonised electricity generation mix.
"Although the installation of the battery will not provide an immediate solution to the current constraints on the Orkney distribution network, it is hoped that in the long term the result of the studies will help demonstrate that batteries could provide a cost effective way of freeing up capacity on the network to help facilitate new connections of low carbon generation."
Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth John Swinney remarked:
"Today's announcement by SSE reinforces that Scotland is leading the way when it comes to developing and testing new ideas that may help us meet the electricity and energy needs of the future. Smart grid technologies such as these being pioneered in Orkney are increasingly important as we move to a low-carbon economy.
"Scotland has an incredible wealth of energy resources from a range of generating technologies, capable of both meeting our energy needs and significant exports to parts of the UK and Europe. We have a responsibility to make sure our nation seizes this opportunity."
MSP for Orkney Liam McArthur stated:
""This is an exciting initiative and I am delighted to see Orkney leading the way in the development of energy storage options. "Our islands have huge potential for generating renewable energy, but a lack of sufficient grid capacity is a growing problem. The active network management system has freed up capacity to allow many local projects to be connected to the grid in recent years, but new solutions now need to be found if Orkney is to realise its full potential in renewables. "I am certain that battery storage has an important role to play in ensuring we make best use of the resources at our disposal. While it is not a short term solution, the work being undertaken as part of this initiative could deliver significant and long-lasting benefits to Orkney and more widely."
Peter Clusky, Senior Manager Renewables and Head of Government Relations for Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe said:
"We are delighted to be working with our strategic partners SSE to bring this globally significant R&D project to Orkney. We are confident that this Orkney-based project will make a significant contribution to the further development of Lithium-ion battery technology. Mitsubishi is grateful for the ongoing support of SSE, NEDO, and Ofgem."
The battery project was funded by industry regulator Ofgem through their Low Carbon Network's fund. Through this vehicle Ofgem has provided funding for several storage and smart grid projects across the UK. Again, it is worth re-emphasising the level of cooperation that has been involved in this scheme. It gives a very strong indication that the UK continues to view renewable energy as the future. Smart grid and other storage technologies will be key to realizing it.
This can also be seen in two other pieces of recent news. Firstly, UK Power Networks has announced it's intention to trial a six megawatt battery system at the Leighton Buzzard substation in Bedfordshire. When completed, which is expected to occur in 2016, this will be the largest battery system in Europe. Secondly, last week, UK Business Secretary Vince Cable announced the creation of a new Catapult Centre (centre for technology and innovation).The Energy Systems Catapult is expected to begin operation in 2015/16 and is intended to help accelerate the commercialization of smart grid and storage technologies, serving to reduce costs. Mr Cable gave the following comment:
" By committing to investment in new technologies now, we are laying the foundations for the high-growth businesses of the future. This will allow them to grow, take on more employees and keep the UK at the forefront of global innovation."
The various developments which have occurred in this field over the last few weeks have demonstrated the commitment that the UK and Scottish Governments have to renewable energy technologies. Smart grid and storage technologies, such as the battery system currently being trialed in Orkney, will be key to unlocking the full potential of the UK's renewable energy resource. The more energy which can be stored the more renewable energy developments can be utilized and less baseload backup will be required. Recent research produced by Imperial College London has estimated that large scale use of energy storage technologies could save the country £3 billion a year in the 2020s.
Reactions to Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2013
Government figures were released last week which show that the amount of electricity being produced from renewable sources is continuing to soar. The annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics revealed that the amount of electricity generated from renewables increased by 19% in 2012 compared to the previous year. Indeed in 2012 renewable sources provided 11.3% of the total electricity generated in the UK in 2012.
A spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) described the statistical data as "very encouraging" and emphasised that the UK was well on track to meet the agreed EU target of 15% of energy to be generated from renewables by 2015.The majority of the increase in renewable generation came from the wind industry: 46% more energy was generated from offshore wind in 2012 than in 2011 and 17% more from onshore wind. The huge leap in offshore wind generation can be attributed to falling development costs and long planned developments being connected to the grid. The more mature onshore sector still saw impressive growth as more and more people have sought to develop land; whether for large scale wind farms or small and medium turbine developments. That the UK's wind industry has contributed so much to these impressive and headline making figures underlines the importance of the industry to the country and the scale of the opportunity that Europe's largest wind resource has presented.
The data also revealed that the UK's total energy consumption increased by 1.7% in 2012. While this information may initially raise questions about the energy efficiency programmes being pursued in the UK: a closer reading reveals that these programmes are beginning to bear fruit. The increase in energy consumption has been attributed to the cold weather experienced in 2012. When this is factored into the figures it is revealed that energy consumption was down 0.7% compared to 2011.
The publication of that data was greeted enthusiastically by the UK's renewables industry. Maf Smith, Deputy Chief Executive at industry trade body RenewableUK released the following statement:
"These figures confirm the recent trends we have seen that show renewables, and especially wind, playing an ever-increasing role in our electricity generation. They come at the end of a busy period for wind, which has seen the largest offshore wind farm in the world opened at London Array, as well as number of major onshore sites going live. We have made some remarkable progress over recent years, and this is another shot in the arm for the renewables sector. With wind generating around half of electricity from renewables we are leading the charge in the race to decarbonise our electricity market.
"These figures also show that as a country we are becoming increasingly dependent on expensive imported fossil fuels, with a rise to over 40% in the amount we depend on fossil fuels brought in from abroad. This yet again shows the need to continue to build on the success we have seen in renewables as a way of helping us achieve energy independence."
In other industry news the first section of Scottish and Southern Energy's (SSE) new power line, which will run from Beauly in Invernesshire to Denny in Stirlingshire, has been energised. The long-planned line is intended to link up renewable developments in the north of the country with energy-demand centres in the central belt. This first section runs from Beauly to Fort Augustus. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2015 and will have capacity for 1.2 Gigawatts of renewable energy.
SSE's Managing Director of Networks, Mark Mathieson, stated:
"This is a proud moment for SSE. Our progress is testament to the teamwork which identified the need for the line, guided it through planning and has now delivered the first section of the UK's longest transmission line through some of its most challenging terrain.
"Over the past two years, the project has generated around £86 million in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the Scottish economy and created around 1,500 jobs. We hope to replicate the positive benefits from this project with the other grid upgrades that SHE [Scottish Hydro Electric] Transmission is progressing as part of a multi billion pound investment programme which will help increase security of supply, decarbonise electricity supplies and promote sustainable economic growth."
Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of trade body Scottish Renewables, greeted the news with much enthusiasm:
"This newly upgraded line will help support many renewable energy projects in the north of Scotland, providing thousands of homes and businesses across the country with clean renewable electricity.
"Upgrading grid infrastructure is one of our biggest challenges in reaching the 2020 target of generating the equivalent of 100 per cent of our electricity needs from renewables and its major investment projects like the Beauly-Denny transmission line which will help us achieve this."
These two pieces of news demonstrate the present and future success of the UK's renewable industry. Developers, such as ourselves at Intelligent Land Invesments (Renewable Energy), are already delivering renewable energy in large quantities to UK energy consumers, counteracting rising gas prices and increasing the country's energy security, but there is more to be achieved. Investment and projects such as the Beauly-Denny line and the Kintyre-Hunterston line (discussed in last week's blog) will allow more renewable energy developments to progress and help ensure that UK and Scottish renewable generation targets are met. Such ambitions require progress to be made in a variety of fields; progress which is being made.
Scotland achieves Europe's biggest carbon reduction
Last week new figures were published by the Scottish Government which have revealed the strides the country is taking in reducing carbon emissions. Ambitious targets were set by the current administration; as with renewable energy generation.
The released statistics show that carbon emissions went down by 9.9% in 2011 compared to 2010. This is the largest reduction on record. In 2010, Scotland was responsible for 56.9MtCO2e (metric tonnes of carbon emissions) being released into the atmosphere. 2011 saw 51.3MtCO2e being released into the atmosphere – a reduction of 5.6MtCO2e. These results ensured that Scotland retained its position as the most successful EU-15 member state (the EU-15 is composed of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the countries of the United Kingdom) in reducing its level of carbon emissions. Over the period 1990-2011 Scotland has successfully reduced carbon emissions by 29.6%.
Unfortunately, despite the record breaking nature of these emission reductions Scotland was unable to meet the revised target for 2011 by a narrow margin of 0.8MtCO2e. The Scottish Government attributed this to a revision of the historical data which was used to set carbon emission reduction targets in 2009. Spokespeople for the Government stressed that the country has been successful in meeting the reduction target for the year in percentage terms. The failure to meet the target in terms of carbon emissions themselves was wholly attributed to the revised and thusly increased levels of carbon emissions between 1990 and 2009. Had these figures been un-revised the 2011 target would have been exceeded. It was emphasised that the 2020 carbon emission target is still absolutely achievable and as of this point in time the country will have to reduce its level of carbon emissions by 44% over the next seven years. Scotland is over halfway there.
Paul Wheelhouse, Scottish Government Minister for Environment and Climate Change announced the release of the data with the following statement:
"Latest statistics published show that Scotland is on course to meet our climate change targets.
"In 2011 unadjusted emissions fell by 9.9 per cent – the largest year-on-year drop since records began. They also show large decreases in greenhouse gas emissions in the energy supply, residential and public sectors.
"The long term trend shows we will achieve our world-leading target of a 42 per cent emissions reduction if we continue on the course we have set. I also welcome that Scotland continues to lead the EU15 on emissions reductions.
"Despite changes to the historical data on emissions, making this year's target harder to achieve, we have come within touching distance of it, and the revised targets mean we will all need to focus our efforts in the future to stay on course.
"Whilst I am disappointed we have not achieved our climate change reduction goal for 2011 in carbon terms, we have met it in percentage terms – with a 25.7 per cent reduction between 1990 and 2011. If the baseline had not changed the target would also have been met in carbon terms."
Responses to the information were perhaps somewhat muted but optimistic for the future. Dr Sam Gardner of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland commented:
"We recognise that this is due in part to complicated changes in how we count our emissions, but the headline of another missed target strongly underlines the need for the much tougher climate action plan – expected out later this month – that will drive down emissions year on year and give confidence that future targets can be met."
There was further good news in other aspects of the countries long term energy strategy. For instance, nearly two thirds (65%) of homes in Scotland were ranked 'good' in terms of energy efficiency. This represents an increase of 15% since such data was last collated in 2007.
Additionally, Scotland is ahead of schedule in meeting the 2020 target for 100% of the country's electricity needs to be generated from renewable sources. Provisional data indicates that in 2012 38.7% of Scotland's electricity needs were generated using renewable sources. Given that the first marine and tidal tubine farms will begin feeding electricity into the national grid over the course of the next few years and the increasing prevalence and popularity of onshore wind then one one would expect the 2015 interim target of 50% of electricity needs to be generated from renewables to be exceeded as well.
Responding to these comments Scottish Government Energy Minister Fergus Ewing (who was involved in a round-table discussion with our Chief Executive Mark Wilson last week) commented:
"2012 was another record year for renewables in Scotland. Scotland also contributed more than a third of the entire UK's renewables output, demonstrating just how important a role our renewable resource is playing in terms of helping the UK meet its binding EU renewable energy targets.
"We remain firmly on course to generate the equivalent of 100 per cent of Scotland's electricity needs from renewables by 2020 – with renewables generating more than enough electricity to supply every Scottish home."
With the Scottish Government also announcing increased support for wind power it is clear that the country is committed to carbon emission reduction and renewable energy. ILI (Renewable Energy) will continue to do it's part in contributing to the fulfillment of these targets and keeping energy bills down for consumers by reducing dependence upon fossil fuel imports


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text:
Earthwatch Oman
Evolutionary Conservation
Flora of Arabia
Important Plant Areas in Arabia
In situ conservation in Iraq
Key Biodiversity Areas in Iraq
NGBB
Oman Botanic Garden
Oman Mountain Project
PEACE Project
Red List of Aquatic Plants
Socotra Archipelago
Socotra Botanic Garden
Tony Miller
Dr Sophie Neale
Dr Sabina Knees
Dr Alan Forrest
Felicity Anderson
Dr Barbara Mackinder
Lorna MacKinnon
Dr Marine Pouget
Red Listing Aquatic Plants from the Arabian Peninsula
Freshwater habitats and biodiversity in the Arabian Peninsula are unique and highly valued for the essential role they play in people's survival, as well as that of its native flora and fauna. The limited number and area of wetland systems within the region, and the restricted size of many of them, constrains the distribution of species and the abundance of species in many basins. The greatest numbers of freshwater species and threatened species are found in the mountains of Yemen, the Socotra Archipelago, southwest Saudi Arabia and Dhofar in southern Oman. These areas, identified as centres of freshwater biodiversity and threat, can help focus development and conservation actions in ways that aim to minimise impacts to freshwater species throughout the region. The project evaluates the conservation status of 292 species belonging to five taxonomic groups – 18 fish taxa, 30 molluscs taxa, 59 dragonflies and damselflies taxa (odonates)and 3 freshwater crabs. In total, 182 wetland dependent plants are also assessed. Overall, 17% of the Arabian freshwater taxa assessed are threatened with extinction at the regional scale, with a further 3% assessed as Near Threatened and 20% as Data Deficient. The success of conservation planning in order to guarantee the future sustainability of livelihoods, as well as the resources and services provided by functioning wetland ecosystems depends critically on the adequate involvement of communities in the long-term future of freshwater species and habitats across the region. By compiling this existing information and updating it where possible this report provides an important resource for current and future decision making on the management and conservation of inland waters.
Developing capacity for in situ conservation in Iraq
Iraq is facing major threats to its biodiversity following years of unstable government, breakdown in traditional land management and more recently rapid development. Almost 30 years of scientific isolation has resulted in limited in-country capacity to deal with these threats. At present the only organisation in Iraq actively engaged in conservation work is Nature Iraq, who have adopted the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) approach to identifying biodiversity-rich regions. Since 2005 BirdLife International has been supporting this work, conducting surveys and running training courses in collaboration with Nature Iraq. More recently, CMEP (part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) has also been working with Nature Iraq to develop botanical training in Iraq. These activities have involved staff and students alongside personnel from major Iraqi organisations with an interest in the environment including the major Universities and Ministries in both Iraq and the Kurdish Autonomous Region (KAR). The birds of the region are relatively well known and progress in identifying KBAs based on bird data has been good. However, plants are relatively poorly known and there is a lack of appropriate identification tools. Flora of Iraq and Flora Iranica, the two floras covering the region, are almost complete; but, it has been found on recent training courses, they are linguistically and technically almost totally inaccessible to Iraqi professionals and students. Conservation work in Iraq cannot wait for the completion of these Floras or their conversion into more user-friendly formats. To address the lack of plant data available to inform conservation planning in Iraq and to build capacity for surveying and managing biodiversity-rich areas, the project partners have together identified three overlapping and complementary areas of work:
Collection of botanical data to build capacity for conservation.
Capacity building in Protected Area Management.
Training in foundation skills in botany, ornithology and conservation.
Find out more about the project at www.iraqdarwin.org
Integrating evolution into practical conservation
The Socotra Archipelago has been referred to as 'the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean': its' charismatic flora sits at the crossroads of three biogeographical regions and includes such intriguing endemic life forms as the dragon's blood tree Dracaena cinnabari. The island is topographically, geologically and climatically diverse, with endemic taxa concentrated in high altitude 'wet refugia' which experience increased precipitation. Endemic taxa are also found on dry upland limestone plateaus and coastal plains. Several genera appear to have radiated within and among these refugia, while others appear to have radiated on an island-by-island basis throughout the archipelago. Socotra harbours some 835 vascular plant species: 308 of these (37%) and 14 genera are found nowhere else. This is complemented by high levels of animal endemism, resulting in its' designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve, WWF Global 200 Ecoregion and Plantlife International Centre of Plant Diversity. Despite this, it does not qualify as a biodiversity hotspot in its own right as it falls short of the criterion of 0.5% of the world's plant species as endemics, although its' 37% plant species endemism exceeds that of 11 out of 34 officially designated hotspots. When ranked by number of endemic species per km2 it is exceeded by a single oceanic archipelago (Hawai'i) and isolated continental islands that are much larger (eg. New Caledonia, Jamaica). Socotra is a continental fragment whose extant biota may reflect vicariant or dispersed elements, in contrast to oceanic islands where taxa have dispersed, adapted and diversified in situ on a clean slate of environmental opportunity. While the flora and its traditional uses have been comprehensively described, the evolutionary drivers of this diversity and endemism are poorly understood. Conservation assessments have been carried out for most of its vascular plant species and areas designated for protection: however these designations do not take into account the evolutionary uniqueness of the flora or identify and conserve the processes by which it has evolved.
Objective One:
Are protected areas on Socotra best defined by patterns of plant phylogenetic diversity?
Objective Two:
What is the origin of the Socotran flora, and what processes have driven the evolution of the island's endemic species?
Objective Three:
How can evolution be integrated into practical conservation strategies?
Identifying the most important sites for wild plant diversity
Over 100 provisional Important Plant Area (IPA) sites have been identified in Saudi Arabia, Oman & Yemen. CMEP is engaged with project partners in surveying and producing final assessments of these sites as IPAs. IPA programs are a response to Target V of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. Target V states 'Protection of 50 per cent of the most important areas for plant diversity assured.' Data from IPA habitat and species surveys is intended to inform this conservation planning process. In Saudi Arabia, a number of IPA sites have been proposed as protected areas. To date, IPA full site assessments have been published, on Jibal Qaraqir, the Farasan Islands, Uruq Bani Ma'arid and Jabal Aja'. CMEP developed criteria for IPA selection in Arabia with the IUCN Arabian Plant Specialist Group. Criteria for the Arabian region specifically include relict species and refugia for connectivity and climate change mitigation. They also target traditional protected areas (himas in Saudi Arabia, hamiyah in Oman) for inclusion in the network.
Improving Afghan capacity for environmental protection
Afghanistan is home to between 3500-5000 plant species, 15-20% of which are endemic. Protecting this rich plant biodiversity is vital to safeguarding ecosystem services and the economy of this largely rural country. Since 2009, CMEP have been assisting national and international efforts towards biodiversity research and conservation. To date, CMEP work in Afghanistan has involved strategic planning and capacity building.
Afghanistan faces numerous environmental challenges as it emerges from decades of conflict. As a recent signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Afghanistan is committed to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. This includes commitments to in-situ conservation, ex-situ conservation, scientific research and monitoring. Helping to strengthen the national capabilities of developing countries like Afghanistan is an obligation of all Contracting Parties to CBD.
CMEP is working with a range of partners in Afghanistan to assist the implementation of biodiversity conservation, through:
Developing an ex situ conservation strategy for the Kabul University Botanical Garden
Providing training and support for IUCN Red Listing
Implementing a training programme in biodiversity research skills at Kabul University
Part of the RBGE
Established in 2009, CMEP's purpose is to expand the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RGBE) scope of work across the Middle East.
The 150 years of experience housed within the RGBE will continue to underpin our conservation planning and capacity building work as well as revenue generating products such as the development of new botanic gardens and more commercial planting schemes.
Centre for Middle Eastern Plants
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Edinburgh EH3 5LR
Email: cmep@rbge.org.uk
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Cryptocurrencies do not allow you to claim anything. It is just a proof. This digital version of the currency is just a proof for some kind of mathematical calculation to have taken place. The Bitcoin, Altcoin and all other forms of currency are proof of some kind of work to have taken place. These are the personal opinions of Edan Yago, the founder of CementDAO.
According to Edan Yago, the founder of CementDAO, the idea of cryptocurrency does not have its origin in anything solid. It is just a transactional proof. And, this money did not move from one place to another at all.
The SEC has been trying to understand the cryptocurrency and the crypto ecosystem. Edan Yago feels that this attempt is something that is to be applauded. However, he has to state that the SEC did not actually understand the fundamental aspect of crypto-assets and systems.
Yago opines that the cryptocurrency is not properly constructed. He states that the digital currency is not backed by either persons or entities. Also, feels that this is not any kind or form of property. For all of these obvious reasons, these digital currencies do not come under the financial regulation. Also stated that the analog with the traditional financial world makes it as not classifiable under the traditional financial regulations.
While many people talk about cryptocurrencies as being a kind of property, Yago opines that considering the blockchain technology and its true nature, there is no Bitcoin. He also clarified that the idea of cryptocurrencies is filled with misleading fictions.
Crypto assets are promoted as a property. However, ownership is something that is determined by law. These assets per se are not property. Crypto assets are determined by mathematics. The fact that the crypto is determined by mathematics brings in some issues as to deciding on how the crypto should be regulated.
The network as a whole does mathematical work. Therefore, the idea of many people talking of this crypto as the property is in reality confusing. It is very important to understand the true nature of what is being talked of as an asset type.
SEC now wants to regulate tokens that are declared as an asset for investment. SEC can regulate Securities. And SEC as an agency is looking to regulate the flow of these tokens and the way they interact with smart contracts.
The Crypto works as a marketing entity that provides for bringing together of the sellers and buyers of securities irrespective of the applicable technology. And it is important for the SEC to ensure that the activities fulfill the concept of an exchange under the Federal Securities Law.


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IST Park
Introduction to Technology Transfer
TWIST Fellowship
Entrepreneurship Lab
Industry Collaborations
Rules and Process Documents
IST Cube
Fellowships for PhDs and post-docs to bring their inventions into the market.
IST Austria is an institute dedicated to basic research. While its main focus is on conducting science at the highest level, it also has an interest in seeing its scientific discoveries translated into innovations and products.
To this end IST Austria intends to support interested researchers in this translation process. This is driven by IST Austria's desire to contribute to the public – to which IST Austria owes its existence -, as well as IST Austria's obligation towards inventors under its IP policy and the requirement to procure third party funds in order to grow to its full target size.
The following guiding principles define the approach of the TWIST Fellowship Program:
Additional Resources to Kick Start Translation
The TWIST Fellowship Program should provide dedicated, additional resources for translational projects. Typically, these would be students or post docs who have completed (or interrupt) their scientific program, or external hires in case a particular skill set is required.
Transitional Support
The support of the TWIST Fellowship Program is transitional and intended to help develop projects to a stage where further development in the existing ecosystem of external grants, industry cooperation, business angel investment etc. is feasible. This implies that a concrete objective for each project has to be the acquisition of external funds to continue the development.
Transparency on Research vs. Translational Work
The TWIST Fellowship Program reinforces IST's principle of maintaining a high degree of transparency on the allocation of resources to research vs. translation oriented work. The focus of research groups on their scientific agenda remains unadulterated.
Open to Entire IST Community
While students and postdocs might be the most relevant audience for the TWIST Fellowship Program, it is intended to be open to any member of the IST community capable of pursuing a translational program based on IST research.
Mentoring and Support
The TWIST Fellowship Program will support the projects through a mentoring program and help project leaders to interact with industry, grant agencies and other necessary external contacts.
Foster Entrepreneurial Drive
The TWIST Fellowship Program is intended to provide our students with an actual entrepreneurial experience which will be a valuable part of their overall education at IST.
Returns to IST
In addition to the intangible benefits of bringing inventions closer to market and educating students, any effort to successfully commercialize inventions will increase the probability of economic payback to IST as the IP to these inventions continues to be held by IST.
The objectives of the individual projects under the TWIST Fellowship Program are:
Explore the commercial opportunity of IP generated through IST research
Get and incorporate feedback from industry and mentors
Develop a path towards proof of concept
Assemble a team and identify a business leader
Apply for public grants for continued funding
Meet prospective investors and begin fundraising where applicable.
Program Tracks
The TWIST Fellowship Program will consist of the following alternative tracks:
Track 1: 100%
This track is designed for situations where one student or post-doc (or in appropriate cases other IST staff) is willing and capable to pursue the translational project him- or herself on a dedicated basis. In this stream, the TWIST Fellowship Program will cover the salary of this researcher and necessary other cost for a period of one year.
The applicant will either have completed her academic program or in the case of post docs will have agreed with the group leader a one year interruption of her academic program. In most cases, PhD students are eligible only once they have defended their thesis. Any exceptions need to be approved by the PhD program Chair and Dean of the Graduate School.
Upon successful nomination by the selection committee, the person will be appointed a "TWIST Fellow", on the basis of a dedicated, one-year TWIST fellowship contract. The contract will be governed by the Rules for Employees including its standard IP provisions. TWIST Fellows will work on the project on a full time dedicated basis. He/she will not perform academic research work unassociated with the project and consequently will not count towards the group headcount. Disciplinarily TWIST Fellows will report to the TWIST Program management. The salary levels will remain unchanged from the status before entering the Program.
If a project is closely linked to a research group, the group head needs to support the application.
Track 2: 20% + X
This track is designed for situations where an additional external resource is required, e.g. engineering graduates with functional expertise not available in the project team. The extent to which this external resource is hired (part time or full time) depends on the project requirements. Salaries for external resources shall be decided on a case to case basis, commensurate with IST's salary tables for students or Post docs. The external resource will be managed by a project leader who must be a member of IST, as in Track 1 it could be any student, post-doc or other staff member who is capable and willing to lead the project. In order to provide adequate time to manage the project, the project leader can be granted up 20% of his time ("1-day-a-week") as part of the TWIST Fellowship.
The external resource will report to the TWIST Program Management. The project leader will continue to report functionally and disciplinarily to the group head.
Under Track 2, the TWIST Fellowship Program will cover the salary of the external resource and up to 20% of the salary of the project leader, for a period of one year.
An application under Track 2 requires the support of the Group head or relevant line manager. The Group head and the project leader need to define separate deliverables for the scientific work (80%) of the project leader and the translational work (20%).
In situations, where it is possible for a member of the research group to carry out the translational project in addition to pursuing the academic program, it is also possible to apply for this track without additional external resources. Particularly in this case, it is vital that at the start of the project, the group head and the project leader set separate deliverables for the scientific work and the translational work under the TWIST Fellowship Program.
The Committee may decide on requirements for a proposal.
The applicant needs to complete the application template (Schedule A), which comprises:
A project description including
the underlying research and the invention;
the intended commercial application;
the current status and plans regarding IP;
likelihood and size of the opportunity;
intended next step following completion of the Fellowship;
A description of the planned activities during the Fellowship including
Work plan;
Required resources and project budget;
In case of external resources, name, CV and date of availability of the planned hire
A nomination letter from the Group head addressing the selection criteria and providing transparency over academic and project deliverables (in tracks 2 and 3).
The applicants will present to the selection committee. Proposals including an external resource need to include this person in the presentation.
The TWIST program management will announce application deadlines from time to time.
Selection committee and decision making
Grant awards will be decided by the TWIST Fellowship Selection Committee, which is appointed by the President and includes IST faculty, the Head of TWIST Program Management and outside experts. It should not include more than 6 members and not more than half should be IST professors. The President appoints a chair and a deputy chair. Internal faculty members are appointed for one year, but may be reappointed. Appointment of other members is without strict time limit.
The TWIST Fellowship Program is intended to be flexible and each project is a highly collaborative team effort between the TWIST Fellowship Program and the researchers. Therefore, any decision during the course of the project will be made by the Program management. This includes redeployment of resources within approved budgets or termination of the project.
The selection criteria focus on:
an engaged, committed and competent project leader,
the quality of the commercialization idea,
the quality and depth of preliminary research into the opportunity,
the size of the opportunity and impact,
the likelihood of commercialization,
and the IP situation.
Maximum Grant size
The grant size will be decided based on the project needs up to a ceiling of EUR 75,000.
Eligible Cost
Eligible cost include all related personnel cost as specified in the award, cost of material and sundries, such as external advice, market research, or related travel and conference cost as approved by the Program Management.
It is desirable that TWIST fellows occupy a joint working area, ideally at IST PARK once the first buildings are available. Interim solutions will be provided until then.
Support through TWIST Program Management
While it is the project leaders who are required to push and develop their projects, TWIST Program Management will support their activities in the following ways:
Training: Workshops, E-Lab class
Facilitation of external contacts to mentors, industry, entrepreneurs
Introduction to grant agencies
IP advice and support
Support in team building
For further details please consult the TWIST Fellowship Program Description, available in the Rules and Process Documents section.
Institute of Science and
Technology Austria
T +43 (0) 2243 9000
F +43 (0) 2243 9000 2000
twist@ist.ac.at
©2019 IST Austria


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SM Supermalls, ARISE Philippines and Korean Embassy celebrate International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
On October 22, 2021 By pelikulamaniaIn Advocacy, Lifestyle, News, Philippines
SM Supermalls, in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines and ARISE Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies – Philippines, hosted a webinar last October 13 on disaster risk reduction (DRR) in celebration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Titled "Working Together Beyond Borders: A Webinar in Observance of the International Day for Disaster Risk Resilience," the virtual event focused on the critical role that cross-border partnerships play in DRR strategies and initiatives, featuring key representatives from various organizations in the public and private sectors.
During the event, distinguished speakers and experts led the discussions about the various efforts of their respective organizations in promoting DRR in the Philippines and beyond through partnerships: Country Director of the Philippine Office of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Jaesang Hwang; Counsellor for Development at the Australian Embassy in Manila Thanh Le; and UPS Foundation's Director of International Programs and Chair of ARISE Global Hans Peter Teufers.
In their opening messages, SM Prime Holdings Chairman of the Executive Committee and ARISE-Philippines Co-chair Hans Sy, and ARISE-Philippines Co-chair VADm. Alexander Pama each underscored the importance of partnering with DRR-relevant organizations within and outside the country, in order to enable more impactful DRR efforts that will benefit Filipinos in the long term.
This is in line with Target F of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), which aims to "substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation" of the framework by 2030.
"Over the past six years, ARISE-Philippines has continuously undertaken programs and activities in line with its mandate to energize the private sector to advance the agenda for a disaster resilient Philippines," Sy said. "For this year, however, and relative to this year's Target F of the SFDRR, we have started to reach out to international organizations and other governments represented here in the Philippines to pursue a more wide-ranging network of partners to reach our common objective towards disaster resilience for our country. This activity today is one of those efforts to achieve this target."
"As a developing country that is extremely vulnerable to multiple hazards, we need all the help that we can get even as we're hopeful and excited to engage in partnerships, particularly with possible partners from outside the Philippines," VAdm. Pama said.
The Korean Embassy in the Philippines emphasized its long-term partnership with the Philippines for DRR, which is a great example of the kind of partnerships that Target F of the SFDRR aims to achieve for developing countries.
"Korea and the Philippines have been working closely together to strengthen governance and infrastructure for disaster risk management at the local and central levels. Korea has also been working together with the Philippine government to enhance disaster preparedness for effective response to disasters. To attain this goal, Korea has contributed USD 410 million to date. This contribution has helped in building stronger resilience and risk mitigation mechanisms in local communities, saving lives impacted by disaster," the Korean Embassy said.
KOICA Philippines Country Director Jaesang Hwang highlighted Korea's commitment to enhancing the Philippine's preparedness for effective response to disasters and contributing to promoting partnership among various stakeholders from the government, civil society, private business and international organizations for disaster risk reduction.
KOICA has been implementing multiple projects with PAGASA to develop and upgrade Flood Forecasting and Early Warning (FFEW) systems in 5 areas covering NCR, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna since 2007. Through these projects, the FFEW system accuracy is increased by 80%, the time for flood evacuation is lengthened by 60 minutes, and the time required for disaster response work is reduced by 78%.
Australian Embassy in Manila's Counsellor for Development, Than Le, encouraged businesses and communities to move away from having a reactive response to disasters, and instead adopt a proactive, local government and community-driven approach to disaster risk resilience. He also presented the Australian Government's Project SHIELD (Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities Against Disasters and Climate Change), wherein the National Resilience Council, a leading ARISE Philippines member, is a partner implementor.
In his closing speech, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Asia and the Pacific Chief Marco Toscano-Rivalta called upon businesses to join the movement in creating a more disaster resilient region. "We encourage businesses in the region to take the opportunity of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction to work together beyond borders. Only then can we address the range of risks that threaten economic growth and the achievement of the SDGs, and we can make true progress toward a safer and more resilient world."
Vice President for Corporate Compliance at SM Prime, Program Director for SM Environment and Sustainability, ARISE-Global Board Member Engr. Liza Silerio urged stakeholders to join the global DRR movement, as "each and every one of us plays an important role in addressing disasters and climate change impacts," she said.
"Climate change is happening and is expected to worsen, so we have to act collectively. More importantly, we need to further harmonize on initiatives by governments, the private sector, and the international cooperation, and complement existing action plans to achieve a disaster-resilient society," Silerio concluded.
Visit www.smprime.com/sustainability-overview to learn more about the other sustainability programs of SM Prime Holdings.
AdvocacyEducationKorea EmbassyKorean Cultural Center in the PhilippinesLifestyleNewsPhilippinesSM Supermalls
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Additional Ingredients: Chicory root extract, natural vanilla flavor, stevia leaf powder, sea salt 95 mg.