Marorka brings marine energy saving know-how to Nordic Climate Solutions
Marorka is one of the world’s leading companies working to lower the global impact of shipping on the environment while saving the industry money with better efficiency. Marorka is one of several innovative Icelandic companies taking part in the Nordic Climate Solutions 2009 conference in Copenhagen this September.
Marorka is an Iceland-based technology company with strong representation elsewhere in Europe and Canada. The company creates cutting edge energy management systems for the international shipping industry to help save money by using less fuel and emitting less harmful greenhouse gases.
Landsvirkjun at Nordic Climate Solutions 2009
Landsvirkjun, the largest electricity producer in Iceland, will participate in and exhibit at the Nordic Climate Solutions conference and trade show on the 8 and 9 September at the Bella Center in Denmark.
Landsvirkjun is a leader in the production of electricity from emission-free renewables in Iceland. The power generation is entirely based on production from hydropower and geothermal energy. Landsvirkjun has over 40 years experience in the design, construction and operation of power systems built on hydropower and geothermal energy.
Green energy research developing geothermal energy
Asbru has found a new partner in investment in regards to geothermal research which can help improve and develop green energy research. The Canadian geothermal company, Magma Energy Corporation has announced that they will invest in the Asbru partner companies of HS Orka and Geysir Green Energy based in Iceland.
Asbru is the new name of the former NATO military base next to the airport in Keflavik. After the NATO evacuation in 2006, the base was re-designed as a community of students and businesses. Asbru offers new aviation and clean energy related academic programs at Keilir University. Keilir is also one of the largest campuses in Iceland. Asbru also has other projects such as a health village, a green energy research center and Iceland’s first international data center.
Smart metering and demand response holds the key to
British consumers could save £1.4 billion annually, 17 megatons of CO2 emissions and avoid the addition of 23 power plants by the year 2020 through effective demand response and smart
metering programmes.
Research published by VaasaETT and partners2 shows that the implementation of demand response3
and smart metering across Britain, backed by appropriate regulatory structures, could effectively alleviate the ongoing “Energy Crisis”, achieve drastic cuts in CO2 emissions, making the implementation of
renewable energy generation a far more realistic prospect while saving consumers4 over a billion pounds
per year in overall energy spending.
Other Findings of the research include:
o Smart meters without a well-coordinated demand response strategy will lead to hundreds of millions of pounds of wasted investment.
o Successful British and European demand response will not happen without a complete re-
think of the way consumers pay for their energy, and a much more thorough understanding of customer psychology and marketing issues behind demand response behaviour.
Dubai Investment Properties Deploys ‘Green’ Technology for Sunset Mixed-Use Development
Sunset, designed by Arkiteknik, uses natural light and applies ‘green’ technology to conserve energy, save costs on utility bills and decrease the carbon footprint on the environment.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 22, 2009: Dubai Investment Properties (DIP), one of the leading real estate developers in UAE, announced that it has invested in the latest state-of-the-art technologies in line with green building guidelines for its exclusive multi-million ‘Sunset’ mixed-use development project in Dubai. The company worked closely with Arkiteknik International, the architects for this signature development, in choosing the design, architecture, lighting and technology, all of which will help in energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint on the environment.
Sunset, which comprises of a luxury shopping mall, boutique offices and lavish residential apartments, is a unique development combining the best in architecture and the latest ‘green’ technology initiatives. It is built to be one of the most energy efficient buildings in the region with several measures being adopted by DIP to ensure energy conservation and minimising pollution and demands on infrastructure.
“Sunset was designed to blend in and to compliment the Jumeirah community neighbourhood. We did not want to disturb the serenity of the place and hence we took every measure to make sure we do not add to the traffic or the congestion of Jumeirah Beach Road,” says Mr. Francois Faure, Executive Director of DIP. “The architecture of Sunset is open to capitalise on natural light and the panoramic view of the Arabia Gulf. The mall is enclosed with glass, where the retail showrooms are visible from outside and shoppers inside the mall can see the street outside. We used transparent glass, specifically designed to divert heat, thus reducing the load on the air conditioners and help conserve energy; further more this development profits from natural sunlight till late hours of the day, keeping the apartments and retails showrooms bright without the use of artificial lighting.”
Sunset features engaging architecture designed to showcase the best of international and local designers. Arkiteknik has combined water, glass and steel at the Sunset Mall to offer retailers and guests an experience like never before. The interior of the Mall will feature the latest innovations in LCD and LED technology, offering innovative visual effects. The residential complex, which reaches towards the beach, is designed to offer every home a sea view and to promote waterfront style living. The apartments feature a number of balconies for residents to enjoy the outdoors. From inside, the apartments open into an atrium, which features a lounge with coffee shops to foster a community style atmosphere.
Ecology Building Society reward eco-home owners with new mortgage discounts
Greening our homes is a key priority for fighting climate change as well as cutting monthly bills. With new mortgage discounts of up to 1.25% from Ecology Building Society the financial incentives just got bigger!
Our homes currently consume three times as much energy as our usage of private cars, and account for over 27% of CO2 emissions.
Saving the amount of energy we use in our homes is a meaningful way to cut costs and carbon emissions and, alongside World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) the Ecology Building Society feel it should be a priority in the fight against climate change. That’s why, as the Committee on Climate Change proposes a 20% increase in the 2050 target for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the Ecology are launching a tiered range of mortgage discounts that reward and encourage energy efficient housing.
Glitnir launches new international deposit account
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Rajendra Pachauri joins the board of Glitnir's new research fund for global environmental projects.
Nordic bank Glitnir has launched a new savings account in Norway and Iceland that is designed to help the environment.
The Save&Save account offers a high rate of interest whilst simultaneously providing capital for a new global environmental fund.
The fund’s objective is to support international environmental projects, and will focus on two main areas; sustainable energy and the sustainable seafood industry.
The new bank account will initially be offered in Glitnir’s two main markets of Iceland and Norway, but will be rolled out in other countries in the future.
Glitnir will pay a minimum of 0.1% of total funds in customer accounts to the Glitnir Globe Sustainable Future Fund every year. The Nordic bank expects the fund to become a key vehicle in financing research and development in sustainable energy and the sustainable seafood industry - the bank’s two main areas of expertise.
The fund is expected to accumulate up to 4 million euros within a few years, thus becoming one of the largest private funds supporting research into sustainable development.
"Glitnir Bank wants to play its part as a creative force in our planet's future development by generating resources for the Glitnir Globe Sustainable Future Fund. The Fund's Board will make decisions on policy, and we hope to be able to make a difference with our initiative", said CEO Larus Welding.
Glitnir has already allocated an initial 205,000 euros to the fund and expects the fund to grow rapidly as the deposit account is launched in other markets.
The Fund's Board of Directors will include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Johann Olav Koss, CEO of Right To Play and Kristin Ingolfsdottir, Dean of the University of Iceland together with Grete and Jack Waitz, the renowned Norwegian philanthropists. The Board will be chaired by Mr. Arni Magnusson, Managing Director of Glitnir's Sustainable Energy Team.
"I am delighted and privileged to be on the Board of the Glitnir Globe Sustainable Future Fund. I am looking forward to working with Glitnir on this initiative", said Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, who received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the IPCC together with Al Gore in 2007.
For more information on Glitnir’s new bank account visit www.saveandsave.com
Media Contact:
Bjorn Richard Johansen, Managing Director, Corporate Communication - Global,
mobile +47-47 800 100, e-mail: brj@glitnir.no
Mar Masson, Head of Corporate Communication - Iceland
Mobile +354 844 4990, e-mail: mm@glitnir.is
Actavis pharmaceuticals wins multiple awards in Serbia
Generic drug company Actavis in Serbia has received ISO and OHSAS certificates for product quality, the environment and occupational health and safety.
Actavis in Serbia (Zdravlje Actavis) has been formally presented with certificates for the international standards ISO 9001:2000 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environment), as well as OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety).
The generic drug manufacturer received the awards at a recent ceremony in Belgrade. The certificates were issued by the authorised certification house SGS, an international inspection an d testing company.
“Great teamwork and the efforts of all our employees have brought our company to the highest European quality, environmental and health and safety standards,” said Goran Stojilkovic, Managing Director of Zdravlje Actavis. “We are proud of our company’s commitment to developing environmental awareness in the local community.”
Other Actavis manufacturing sites holding an ISO 14001 certificate include Hafnarfjordur, Iceland; Dupnitza, Bulgaria; Barnstaple, UK and Norgesplaster, Norway, while Actavis’ Russian manufacturing site Zio Zdorovje also holds an ISO 9001 certificate.
Actavis is a leading generic drug manufacturer which specialises in the development, production and sale of generic pharmaceuticals. Based in Iceland, the company has operations in 40 countries and 11,000 employees.
Visit the Actavis website for more information on generic drugs.
BizzEnergy installs 1000th Smart Meter for business customers
The UK’s premier independent energy provider, BizzEnergy, this week released details of the installation of its 1000th Smart Meter.
BizzEnergy is known for being industrious and innovative in a market dominated by the six big suppliers. The company is committed to delivering Smart Meters to 20 percent of its business customer base by the end of 2008.
BizzEnergy already has advanced orders for an additional 1000 Smart Meters which it will install by the end of May. The Meters are designed to help businesses run their energy more efficiently, and in turn reduce costs.
The company was the first provider to offer the Smart Meter in 2004 and has been pioneering it ever since. The Smart Meter uses GPRS technology to send actual meter readings to energy suppliers putting an end to estimated bills, a common complaint for business customers who need to keep a close eye on cash-flow.
Recent studies conducted by the Energy Savings Trust have shown that the implementation of Smart Meters can reduce energy consumption by as much as 20%.
BizzEnergy has recently boosted its campaign to fit Smart Meters at the majority of its customers’ premises. A BizzEnergy Smart Meter enables customers to track their energy consumption and costs by providing the data in half hourly segments. Each month this data is downloaded to BizzEnergy and customers can use it to see when they are using energy and identify what steps they could take to reduce their costs and environmental impact.
“It’s clear that customers no longer want or expect estimated bills, and why should they when the technology exists to make these a thing of the past?” says James Constant, COO at BizzEnergy.
Established in 2000, BizzEnergy has become the largest independent power supplier for businesses in the UK. BizzEnergy offers small and medium sized businesses a range of competitive energy tariffs, including several green options, as well as smart metering products to improve energy efficiency.
For further information please visit the BizzEnergy website.