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NORWAY TO BE HOME TO THE WORLD??S BIGGEST SOLAR PLANT
Renewable Energy Corporation will build the world??s biggest solar energy equipment plant in its Heroeya facility in south-western Norway for 2.5 billion Norwegian crowns ($407.8m).
REC, a leading maker of such equipment, said the investment in two plants in Heroeya will expand silicon wafer production ?± the key component of solar panels ?± sufficient to generate an additional 650 megawatts of energy.
?¨When up and running, total annual production will be close to 1.3 gigawatts, making Heroeya by far the larg
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SIXTEEN COUNTRIES WARNED OVER ENERGY MARKET FAILURES
The European Commission has stepped up its battle to open European Union energy markets to more competition, threatening 16 countries with court action for failing to implement EU energy rules.
The EU started opening national markets for electricity and gas several years ago but in many countries ?± notably Germany and France ?± former monopolies still dominate, keeping prices high and making it difficult for newcomers to gain a foothold.
The Commission said that the 16 countries it targeted had not done enough to
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BIOTECH GURU SEES MORE BRITISH FIRMS GOING TO US
Chronic underfunding of Britain??s biotechnology sector will result in more companies being snapped up by rich US drugmakers, the head of venture capital group Merlin Biosciences.
Chris Evans predicted those likely to end up under US control would include six or seven young companies backed by Merlin, including Ark Therapeutics Group Plc, Vectura Group Plc , ReNeuron Group Plc and Plethora Solutions Holding Plc.
?¨It??s almost certain that all these will end up in the States,?Æ he told a biotech conference in Londo
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FLEXI-APPROACH TO REDUCE CONGESTION
Changing work practices and encouraging smarter working, flexible working, mobile working, remote working and home working, will significantly reduce the need to travel
One of the solutions for the issues raised by the Eddington Report, and the Stern Report, is staring us all in the face, says Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK. The Eddington Report has not taken into consideration one of the most obvious solutions to the problem of transport capacity and congestion, and it is a solution which is both achiev
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TESTING YOUR METAL
IncoTest Materials Testing Service, based in Hereford, UK, is Europe??s leading independent UKAS approved Test House and Thermocouple Calibration laboratory.
From purpose built facilities, and in partnership with The Technology Processing Centre, IncoTest is able to provide high quality and cost effective materials production and testing from some of the best equipped facilities in the world. Both locations working together supply high integrity material production and testing data at competitive prices to clients in t
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MANUFACTURERS AND THE WEEE REGULATIONS - YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Where do manufacturers currently stand? When will it happen? How will it affect manufacturers? Duncan Simpson, Director of Marketing at Valpak, explains all
The UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations come into force in January 2007. They require manufacturers to finance the collection, treatment and recycling of their end of life equipment as early as April 2007.
From then companies who produce, manufacture or import electrical and electronic equipment will be obliged to take responsibility
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SME MARKETING SURVEY RESULTS
Forty eight percent of SMEs believe marketing is crucial, but 43 percent do NOT have a specific marketing strategy
These are some of the results of a survey commissioned by NXO Strategic Marketing Network, which has a business model aimed squarely at targeting the needs of this untapped market.
Preston based NXO has opened operations in Birmingham, London, Liverpool, Coventry, Northern Ireland, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire since April 2004 and is set to open in Manchester, before the end of 2006. The research was ca
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FARMS KEY TO MEETING EU CARBON GOALS
Farming can play a key role in helping Britain meet its targets for reducing carbon emissions by strengthening its ability to soak up carbon dioxide given off by other industries, according to the National Farmers Union.
?¨By modifying certain farming practices, farmers can increase the amount of carbon they are able to store in their soils and vegetation,?Æ the NFU said in a recent report.
?¨Some estimates suggest this could be as much as 49 percent of the UK??s contribution to the EU??s overall Kyoto carbon
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SMOKE-FREE ENGLAND
All enclosed public places and workplaces will become smoke-free from 1st July 2007, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt recently announced, adding:
?¨This is a triumph for public health and a huge step forward for health protection. Thousands of people??s lives will be saved and the health of thousands more protected. Smoke-free legislation will protect everyone from the harm of secondhand smoke when working, socialising and relaxing and will provide a more supportive environment for smokers who wish to give up.
?¨The
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NUCLEAR DECOMMISIONING COST ESTIMATE INCREASES
The agency overseeing the dismantling of old British nuclear power stations has raised the estimated cost of operations, closure and clean-up to 72.3 billion pounds ($136.2 billion).
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority??s (NDA) latest estimate compares with a previous figure of 70.2 billion pounds.
Britain gets about a fifth of its power from nuclear energy but is committed to closing all but one of its ageing nuclear power plants over the next 20 years.
A government-commissioned energy review came out in favou
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| Brains and beauty |
Furness and West Cumbria’s West Coast is about to experience a major investment that will strengthen the tourism and industry s ...
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| National Stadium, Beijing |
At the pinnacle of its construction, the National Stadium in Beijing had 7,000 workers toiling over the infrastructure. ...
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No smoke without fire
It seems that commentators, industry heads, central bankers and, dare I say it, Industrial Focus’s own journalists have made so ...
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Innovation for the nations
Hope for the future has arisen from the turmoil of the last few months, as industrial technologies have spun out some marvels o ...
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Supposedly the construction
materials of the future, composites are increasingly seen in
applications where optimum efficiency is paramount including
aircraft construction and renewable energy. As two research
examples show in this video, composites really are the future
for efficiency.
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