Bristol City Council aims for 10% carbon reduction in 2010
As part of its commitment to tackling climate change, Bristol City Council has today announced that it is signing the 10:10 pledge. This will see the authority aiming for an ambitious goal of a 10% reduction in its own carbon emissions in 2010.
The Green Capital Action Plan has already committed the city council to cut its own emissions by 3% per year. A number of initiatives are currently underway, including installing biomass boilers in some schools and other public buildings, which burn locally sourced waste woodchip instead of fossil fuels, and the project to develop two wind turbines at Avonmouth that will meet 20% of the council’s annual electricity needs when built.
Councillor Neil Harrison, assistant executive member for sustainability, said: “Bristol is already ahead of the carbon game when compared with similar cities. This is one of the reasons that we were nominated as a Green Capital.”
“With our biomass boiler programme, our wind turbine project, and many other innovative energy efficiency projects – such as the introduction of energy saving lighting and control systems at three multi storey car parks that save around 186 tonnes of carbon and £37,000 a year – we are already blazing the trail towards a low carbon future.“
“However, a 10% carbon reduction in 2010 is a very ambitious challenge and will require even greater dedication, innovation and investment from us. We are determined to do everything we can to achieve this goal and set an example that we hope every organisation and person in Bristol will look to follow. Working towards the 10:10 goal will also make the council well placed to respond to compulsory carbon trading when this comes in next April.”
“Saving carbon means saving money too, so these types of initiatives make double sense to take forwards now.”
In order to meet the 10% reduction, the council is already evaluating a number of new initiatives, including:
a combined heat and power plant for Bristol South Pool. The CHP plant is a gas-fired engine that produces electricity and heat, both of which are utilised in a building or collection of buildings. Phase 1 of the project would see the initial installation in Bristol South Pool, with annual savings of 129 tonnes of CO2. Phase 2, likely to be after 2010, would connect the CHP plant to nearby housing blocks and a primary school and could see savings of 1,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
A networked PC power control system, which would enable PC power settings to be centrally managed. This would mean that all council computers would be switched off centrally overnight and put into low power modes when left unattended.
An evaporative cooling system to be installed at Romney House Offices. The units replace the existing systems that cool the computer Data Centre and other equipment. The project would cost £120,000 but save £70,000 and 522 tonnes of CO2 a year.
The installation of further biomass woodchip boilers. Three are currently scheduled for installation in 2010 in the Park Local Opportunities Centre (Knowle West) and two elderly person’s homes. Predicted annual savings are 500 tonnes CO2 a year.
The council’s 10:10 pledge comes during National Energy Saving Week and follows on from the publication last week of the key report into Peak Oil, commissioned jointly by the city council and the Bristol Partnership. This forward-thinking study considers the implications for Bristol once global oil production has peaked and how the city can reduce its dependence on oil and become a more sustainable city.
