It’s certainly no costa del sol! So why is Germany the leading producer of solar generation? From last year the German government decided to close all its nuclear producing plants after the Fukushima nuclear accident closing immediately 8 nuclear power plants and committing to close all others by 2022. Germany are looking to replace the powerplants with renewable solutions such as bio-mass, wind and solar. German solar power plants now produce a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity which is equal to 20 nuclear power plants at full capacity.  Germany is now a world leader in the solar power generation market. After such incredible steps Germany’s aims to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2020 means they are certainly well on their way!

  A £7m loan from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to The Green Deal Finance Company (TGDFC) has been agreed today that will allow TGDFC to continue developing its offer of low cost finance, expected to be available early in 2013. Green Deal Providers will be able to access finance through TGDFC, enabling them to offer low cost finance packages to consumers upgrading their homes under the Green Deal. The Green Deal is also being considered as an early candidate for the use of infrastructure guarantees, Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, announced today. This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to working with the private sector to provide finance at a low but sustainable cost to Green Deal customers. Infrastructure guarantees will provide guarantees for major UK infrastructure projects and could potentially support up to £40 billion of investment. From today, the register for Green Deal Providers, Assessors and Installers will also open. The register will give the seal of approval to businesses that successfully go through the Green Deal authorisation process. All authorised Green Deal Providers, Assessors and Installers will have to display the new Green Deal Quality Mark to demonstrate they comply with the required Green Deal standards. This will be vital for protecting customers from any rogue traders. Only registered and authorised businesses will be able to use this mark. To find out more please visit the Department of Energy of Climate Change.

  Though power cuts are not a common occurrence they are not unheard of either and so it is important to be aware of what to do in the event of one. The first step should always be to check the trip switch which can be found in your fuse box (if you don’t know where this is it is vitally important to locate it and make yourself familiar with it now incase of an emergency). The trip switch only trips when there is a problem with the wiring of the internal circuit and not the incoming supply. You can test this by following these steps: Make sure the Trip switch is in the ‘On’ position Press the ‘push to test’ button If this doesn’t trip the switch then there is no incoming supply of electricity If the switch does trip then it is either because of a faulty appliance, a light may have gone or there is an issue with the internal wiring.   Once you have confirmed that it is not an internal fault you need to check to see if other buildings in the area have been affected as this will be one of the questions you are asked when you contact your Distribution Network Operator. Finally, once you have established whether it is an issue with your supply or a localised problem you must contact your Distribution Network Operator. The country is broken up into LDZs (Local Distribution Zones) and each one is maintained by a different Distribution Network Operator. To find out which company you need to contact and the relevant telephone number please follow this link. Important things to help you prepare for, and get through, a power cut: Always make sure you have candles or torches in an obvious and easy to reach place, make sure any lit candles are placed in a safe place and are not left unattended Leave at least one light switch turned on so that you know when the power has returned If possible keep everyone in one room and wrap up warm if it’s winter As far as possible unplug electrical appliances Once power has returned make sure that any food in freezers has not thawed   It is always wise to be prepared for these circumstances and to be aware of the location of your fuse box and how it works. These simple steps will help you to deal with a power cut efficiently and hopefully minimise the length of time you are without power.

  D-ENERGi team up with the Care Chanel! It will involve going out to interview D-ENERGi customers, and asking what experiences they found of the switching process to become a D-ENERGi customer, and more importantly operational savings made by the care home. Watch this space!!