UK storms cause disruption after lightning

Storms have caused  disruption in parts of the UK after recent high temperatures and lightning strikes.Heathrow Airport said 17 flights had been cancelled because of the stormy weather. Several others were delayed.

A roof of a house in Chelmsford, Essex collapsed after being struck by lightning overnight. but luckily No-one was hurt in the accident.

Heathrow had warned of a strong likelihood of thunderstorms, lightning strikes and hail, which can significantly reduce capacity for take-offs and landing.Passengers have been advised to check whether their flight will be operating before travelling to the airport.Manchester Airport said an electrical surge caused by thunderstorms had caused some delays.

But the disruption did not stop there

• Twenty-seven patients on the cardiology ward at the Royal United Hospital in Bath had to be moved to other parts of the hospital because heavy rain had brought down part of a ceiling in their ward.
• Fire service rescued a woman from flood water after she become trapped in her car on the A458 in Stourton. The woman was unharmed

Thunderstorm advice

Count the seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder - if it's less than 30 seconds, there's a threat

If caught outside in a thunderstorm, find a low spot away from trees, fences, and poles. If your skin tingles and hair stands on end, lightning is about to strike. Crouch down, balancing on the balls of your feet, placing hands on knees with head between them.

And one final tip- its a myth that lighting never strikes the same place twice. Now be careful out there and stay safe.

Impeding Europe Energy Crisis

A report by the Global Sustainability Institute said shortages would increase dependency on Norway, Qatar and Russia.There should be a "Europe-wide drive" towards wind, tidal, solar and other sources of renewable power, the institute's Prof Victor Anderson said.

The report says Russia has more than 50 years of oil, more than 100 years of gas and more than 500 years of coal left, on current consumption.By contrast, Britain has just 5.2 years of oil, 4.5 years of coal and three years of its own gas remaining..

However,France fares even worse, according to the report, with less than year to go before it runs out of all three fossil fuels.The report has painted a insight and varied picture across mainland Europe and the UK, with Germany having 250 years of coal, however less than a year of oil and this well mean that Europe will face a major energy crisis if they don't move their focus to more sustainable and renewable energy source 

The government recently announced it was cutting subsidies for large-scale solar energy and the Conservatives have said there will be no funding for new onshore wind farms if they win the next election.Many ministers are hoping that enough shale gas - extracted by fracking - will be obtained to make a difference,

EU worries over pig virus

The EU Commission has agreed new rules to limit the spread of a deadly swine disease that has  killed millions of piglets n the US.





Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea virus (PEDv) has wiped out around 10% of the American herd in a year.
While the EU rejected an outright ban on live pig imports, it has restricted blood products used in pig feed.

However a Canadian minister said measures were "disappointing" and not based on science. While the virus isn't harmful to humans or food, concern has grown in Europe over its potential economic impact PEDv is spread in faecal matter and attacks the guts of pigs, preventing them from absorbing liquids and nutrients they need to survive .

Older animals can survive, but fatality rates among piglets run between 80% and 100%.
Deadly spoon. So virulent is the agent that one expert estimated that a spoonful of infected manure would be enough to sicken the entire US herd.

France announced last week that it was set to suspend imports of live pigs and sperm from the US, Canada, Japan and Mexico.However the French have delayed their ban to allow the EU Commission to consider a pan-Union response.

At a meeting in Brussels, experts from member states reviewed the most recent scientific information on PEDv and decided against a ban on imports of live pigs. They argued that live imports aren't a major problem, with around 250 animals being brought in from Canada and the US last year. No live consignments are scheduled to be sent to Europe at present.

EU officials did toughen up the rules on the imports of blood products from countries where the virus is active.

Empty Car Park Spaces Offer Japan a place for Solar Panels

Developers of solar panal projects in Japan are looking to rooftops and empty lots in response to constraints limiting connections to the grid and difficulties finding suitable land. government approvals for smaller-sized projects of less than 1 megawatt have outnumbered larger projects every month since 2013, according to data based on official figures.

 The pattern of approvals reverses the trend set when Japan first began offering incentives for clean-energy in July 2012. Developers initially favored “mega” projects built on large patches of open land.

From May 2013 through January -- the latest available figures provided by the government -- Japan approved 6,500 megawatts of solar projects in the 10-kilowatt to 1-megawatt category. That’s double the approvals for larger projects. A solar plant with 1 megawatt of capacity can generate enough electricity for about 316 typical Japanese homes.

Projects of less than 1 megawatt are usually found on rooftops, unused land, or in industrial areas, the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies said in a report in March. The segment accounted for about a half of Japan’s solar capacity added after the introduction of inducements designed to boost clean-energy development, according to the report.

Green light for UK carbon capture and storage

A UK project to capture CO2 and bury it under the North Sea looks set to receive a 300 million euro boost and a green light from EU

 

The EU Europeans commission has announced that the CCS project ,which is a project that aims to capture and store carbon under the north sea, is in line to win £250m (300 euros). The gas will be taken from a new coal fired power station in north Yorkshire which is in fact close to the existing drax biomass facility.

 

Many climate scientists believe that CCS will have a key part to play in reducing future carbon dioxide emissions.

 

In 2012, the European Union was unable to find a single project to fund Undeterred, the EU Commission again asked governments to submit written proposals on CCS and, according to officials, the UK has nominated the White Rose project.

 

Drax is in the process of converting from coal to biomass,White Rose will provide electricity to over 630,000 homes but 90% of the CO2 emissions from the plant will be captured, amounting to two million tonnes per annually.

 

Air pollution: High levels Begin to ease

Photograph: Matthew Fearn/PA

Air pollution levels have begun to ease in most of the UK with forecasters predicting they could fall even further.

BBC Weather's Peter Gibbs said the pollution had peaked and "should go down quite rapidly" in the coming days.Data showed pollution levels had dropped from the maximum 10 on Thursday to mainly moderate levels.

But, David Cameron has been heavily criticised for "misunderstanding" the problem and suggesting it was a temporary issue caused by Saharan dust.The European Commission's environment spokesman, Joe Hennon, said the British prime minister's remarks were "more than disappointing".

Health effects

Those with existing lung and heart conditions could find that their symptoms worsen.
They should avoid doing too much, especially outdoors
Healthy people may experience minor symptoms such as a sore throat or a tickly cough
They should avoid strenuous activities in order to reduce such symptoms
What will pollution do to us?

He told the Guardian newspaper: "To say this is a temporary issue caused by Saharan dust shows a major misunderstanding of the air pollution issue.

"It's clearly an issue you would expect any government to deal with if it's serious about protecting the health of the general public."It shows that the problem is not yet understood and one of the reasons we're taking legal action against the UK is that they've not met the targets they agreed to. If I was living in the UK then I would not be happy about that."

Mr Cameron told the BBC on Thursday that he did not go for his morning run because of the Saharan dust, which he described as a "naturally occurring weather phenomenon".

£310m invested in british wind turbines

Manufacturing giant Siemens and the UK's Associated British Ports are to invest a total of £310m in UK wind turbine factories, creating 1,000 jobs.Siemens will put up £160m - doubling its previous plans to invest £80m in wind turbine production in the UK.

The investment is being made across two locations - the Green Port project in Hull, and a second manufacturing facility in Paull in East Yorkshire.

Siemens said the UK "recognises the potential of offshore wind energy".    

"We invest in markets with reliable conditions that can ensure that factories       can work to capacity," said Michael Suess,head of Siemens's energy sector.  

The combined investment of £310m is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs directly - 300 more than previously announced - plus additional jobs in construction and through the supply chain.

The Green Port facility will construct, assemble and service offshore wind turbines, while the second Siemens site in Paull will be used to manufacture the 75-metre rotor blades.